Elements of Harmony
by JCMorrigan
Summary: The multiverse is a lot bigger and more complicated than six little ponies could have imagined. Rated T for language/suggestive themes/violence. Contains slash and het shipping. Rating may go up eventually.
1. Prologue and Exogenesis

A/N: This is something I've been working on for a while. A multicrossover fan fiction that revolves around the six heroines of MLPFIM. Be sure to check out the author's notes I put at the end of each chapter, because they contain VERY important information – sources, links, explanations of obscure things, reasons I made writing decisions, etc. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Prologue

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

There is a concept known as the "butterfly effect." It is quite well-known amongst philosophers and science fiction writers, but for those who are not familiar with it, it states thus: any event can trigger a chain of bigger and bigger events that will eventually change the fate of the entire cosmos. Anything so much as a butterfly flapping its wings can do this, for the gust of wind it generates will push nature into motion.

If such things can happen because of a mere butterfly, what would happen if a draconequus flapped its wings?

* * *

"Dear sister," Luna said at the royal delegate meeting, "I believe it is time."

Around a polished wooden table in the upper levels of the Canterlot castle sat the delegates. Luna sat in front of an old book, bound in black, lying before her on the table: the last journal of Starswirl the Bearded. Across from her was seated Princess Celestia. To Luna's right sat Shining Armor and Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire; their travels to Canterlot were often, and they were always called to meetings that involved the most important decisions in Equestria. And to Luna's right, the newest delegate, the one who had known this Equestria from the farthest back in its history—since the days of Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead—and who looked absolutely bored to tears with his role in monitoring the balance of magic: Discord.

Luna had noticed that Discord had been becoming ever more apathetic since his release. She wondered if this was a good thing. It meant he wasn't causing trouble. At least the letters he wrote to Fluttershy every week seemed to cheer him. And he'd been made quite happy when Cadance, having received the okay to host the Equestria Games in the Crystal Empire, asked him to help design some of the stadiums and add challenges to make the sports more interesting. Luna then realized she'd been spending far too much time thinking about Discord and not enough explaining her plan to Celestia and the others.

"What is it time for?" Celestia asked Luna.

"To test Twilight Sparkle," Luna answered. "Thou hast seen what she hast done. She hast returned culture to the Crystal Empire. She hast summoned the Element of Magic after the Elements of Harmony had been locked away. She hast defended our land from many a vile villain, including two at this very table. Hast she not proven herself worthy of this table?"

"If you are thinking what I am thinking…" Celestia replied.

"What?" Shining Armor asked, looking back and forth between the sisters. "What are you thinking?"  
"We thinkest," Luna told Shining Armor, "that thy sister is ready to ascend to the throne of princesshood."

"TWILY?" Shining Armor's jaw dropped. "A princess?"

"Gag me," Discord muttered.

Cadance shot Discord a look of daggers before telling Luna, "I think it is a wonderful idea. But what is the last test?"

"This journal containest the last work of Starswirl the Bearded," Luna explained. "Including his final spell, which remainest unfinished. We princesses of Equestria—my dear sister, Cadance, and myself—all contain within us immense powers, including those of the creative persuasion. Should Twilight Sparkle be able to write the ending to the spell of Starswirl, then…she containest more than enough of the power to create magic!"

"But no one's been able to figure that spell out," Cadance pointed out. "Not even you, Celestia, or me. What if she can't?"

"You've obviously never seen Twily doing her homework," Shining Armor informed his wife. "When she brought home her books from magic school, she'd lock herself in her room until it was done, even if she was stuck on a hard problem. One time, she accidentally took home a book from two grades ahead and did all the problems in it, even though she hadn't learned a thing about those spells!"

"Discord," Celestia noted, "you have been silent. I think it important that you weigh in."

"Well, well…" Discord sighed. "If I MUST. I think you're missing five VERY obvious factors. If I recall correctly, Twilight was only in your little school in the first place because her magic went off in the same Sonic Rainboom that gave all the current Elements of Harmony their Cutie Marks. Wouldn't it make just as much sense to crown Rainbow Dash?"

"Only in your mind," Shining Armor quipped.

"My mind, which once was a fountain of creativity," Discord replied. "Now reduced to reversing tornadoes and designing obstacle courses."

"We are not here to discuss thy complaints," Luna snapped. "We are here to discuss the ascension of Twilight Sparkle."

"I believe not only that this is a fitting test," Celestia said, "but that she has what it takes to complete it."

"I'm a little worried that something will go wrong," Cadance said, "but I have faith in Twilight."

"Definitely!" Shining Armor agreed.

"Discord?" Celestia asked.

The other four were stunned by the expression on Discord's face. He looked terrified, as though he'd seen a pack of Windigos fly in through the window over everypony's head. At last, he muttered, "Well, then, send her the book already."

"Then it is settled," Luna said. "We shall send Twilight Sparkle the last spell of Starswirl the Bearded, and, should she complete it…she shall ascend to her own throne!"

* * *

That night, Celestia left to deliver the book to Twilight. Luna went on an early dream patrol, and Cadance and Shining Armor caught a train back to the Crystal Empire.

Discord, in the meantime, lay awake on the bed he was provided when he arrived at the castle under peaceful terms. When he'd been asked to give a final verdict on Twilight Sparkle, he'd seen visions of what he considered to be awful things. Perhaps they would not be so awful to most, but to him, they were positively terrifying. And he saw them again now.

Twilight Sparkle, alicorn princess. The other five congratulating her—perhaps the pink one doing something silly like putting on a fake horn and wings, yelling, "ALICORN PARTY!" A magenta gown and a tiara fashioned of her Element of Magic stone. A fabulous coronation ceremony. Shining Armor would cry.

And after that…peace and order. No matter what unpredictable factors came into the borders of Equestria, be they Plunderseeds or Ahuizotl, Twilight would vanquish them. And even worse…Equestria was where she would stay all her life. The other five, too. Equestria would remain its own little homogenous petri dish, a culture of bacteria that fed off each other for nutrition and never took in any outside sources. And that would mean no REAL fun, not ever.

Many a time, Discord had traveled worlds. In particular, one of his favorite stints had involved him visiting a starship. He knew of the dangers out there. The different factors that were never supposed to mix. And if Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn princess…well, they never would. Not with Equestria, anyway.

Discord looked upon his life with Twilight on the royal council. Then he just thought about his life on the royal council. Weighing in on what to export to which town and who was infested with parasprites that season. Compared to what he'd seen, what he'd known…that wasn't a REAL life. He'd once been part of something larger, something…eldritch. And here he was, about to give that all up and watch peace and order take the stand. Perhaps even find tranquility and harmony at last in the apparent magic of friendship.

Unless.

He could do something different. No…it would be frowned upon highly. It wasn't how things were supposed to go at all. His visions weren't hypothetical; they were true premonitions. Twilight Sparkle was supposed to become the next princess…and the other five were supposed to stay right where they were. And as for the power Discord had once enjoyed? He was never supposed to regain it. His way with the universe allowed him to see it all, as though watching the season finale of some sort of cartoon. And to break it would have serious consequences. Not to mention that he'd made a promise to somepony he admired very much not to do such a thing.

That was one side of the scale. On the other: he was bored. Incredibly, painfully bored.

And that tipped it. Fluttershy would just have to understand.

* * *

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

At first, there had been a disaster. First, Twilight had accidentally used the half-finished spell of Starswirl to transfer Cutie Marks amongst her friends so each thought she had another's destiny. And this threw Ponyville into despair. With Pinkie Pie failing to farm apples, nopony was smiling due to her antics and celebrations. With Applejack sewing horrendous dresses, the Apple farm was failing. With Rarity creating weather patterns, the Carousel Boutique was very nearly shut down. With Rainbow Dash caring for a pack of animals and forgetting to feed every single one, nopony was making sure that the temperatures didn't get out of control, switching from blazing sun to blistering snow. And with Fluttershy throwing the most lackluster parties in existence, nopony was tending to the needs of the wild animals and pets of Ponyville.

Discord knew of all this as it happened. It was hilarious.

Then Twilight Sparkle found a way to remind each of her friends of her true destiny. First, she asked Fluttershy to please help Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy didn't believe herself to be good with animals, but upon the sight of seeing Rainbow Dash tormented by the animals, she stepped in immediately, vowing to do her best. At that moment, her Cutie Mark switched back to its true form, and so did her destiny. Twilight repeated the cycle with all her other friends, and soon order was restored.

Twilight was relieved that she'd found a way to save all her friends from living out miserable destinies. The side effect of all this was completely unintended; she was absolutely stunned when from this, the answer appeared.

"I know how to fix the spell!" she cried victoriously. She was already high on joy, having seen each of her friends realize her true self, having seen the extent to which they all cared for each other. And now…the elusive answer to Celestia's test. It was staring her in the face!

"Come on!" she beckoned her friends. "Let's go! Back to the library!"

Twilight turned to run in the direction of her home, and her ever faithful friends Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie followed.

"What did you figure out?" Pinkie Pie cried.

"That the spell only works with friendship!" Twilight replied. "Starswirl the Bearded never factored in—"

She opened the door to the library midsentence, took in the sight before her, and gasped. The others filed in around her, anxious to see what she had seen, and gasped similarly.

Discord clutched the journal of Starswirl the Bearded tightly. "Oh," he said casually. "Were you going to finish this?"

"Discord," Twilight seethed. "What are you doing?"

"Now, now," Discord replied, "I think a little explanation is in order. Though it shouldn't be hard for you to understand. You never did trust me."

"Discord…" Fluttershy stepped to the front of the group. "Why did you say it like that? Is something wrong?"

Discord heaved a sigh, a genuine sigh. "Fluttershy…you had me convinced to turn over a new leaf. That friendship meant that you couldn't have your way all the time. But you have no idea what it's been like! Orderly! Harmonic! BORING! You could just change my name to Concord! You all had to rediscover your true selves today." His voice became steely. "Well, I am taking this opportunity to rediscover mine."

"But…" Fluttershy was stunned. "You can't mean…"

"I'm leaving the royal delegate council," Discord announced. "I'm not going to play Celestia's little game anymore. It's barely a game! No, from now onward, I am playing by MY rules. And my rules say that your little switching spell now belongs to me to use as I see fit."

"Stop fooling around, Discord," Twilight barked. "Put that journal down."

"I don't want to stop fooling around!" Discord cried with a grin. "I haven't had this much fun since I was last released from stone!" He opened the book, looked over the last page, and burst into raucous laughter. Then he snapped his fingers.

An immediate change in aura was felt, as though the entire planet had somehow shifted. "DISCORD!" Twilight cried. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Well, why don't you go see for yourselves?" Discord said with a grin. "I would start at that charming quill shop on the corner. See what the salesmare has in stock."

"Let's go!" Applejack commanded, and the six friends rushed from the library.

Down the street, the cart of quills was laden with feathery writing utensils. However, the usual quill salespony was missing. Instead, a tall, graceful, and familiar alicorn packaged the quills away in the salescart.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried. "What are you doing here?"

Celestia giggled. "Princess! That is quite funny, Twilight Sparkle."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Just thinking about a quill salespony like me becoming a princess," Celestia replied with a sincere smile.

"But you ARE a princess," Twilight retorted. "You're—"

"Uhhh, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said nervously, looking over her shoulder. Before Twilight, or anypony else for that matter, could ask what was the matter, a loud blast of cacophonic music emitted from nearby.

Carrot Top's orange-maned head popped out of the window of the home of Vinyl Scratch. "Sorry! Just practicing my set for the weekend concert!"

"I feel bad for her," Celestia sighed. "Her Cutie Mark proves that she was destined to be a DJ, but she…well, she tries her best, and she learns every day." She smiled. "That's all we can ask for."

That was when the six noticed Celestia's Cutie Mark. Where there had once been a golden sun, there was now a curling feather quill.

"No…" Applejack gasped as the six backed away slowly. "It can't be…"

"Maybe it's just a misunderstanding!" Pinkie cried. "Come on! The rest of the town has to be normal, right?"

They rushed on to see the other late-night stragglers. With every new discovery, a new feeling of horror. Aloe, who they knew as the beautician from the spa, struggled to cart a mound of papers out of the schoolhouse, her Cutie Mark a crop of flowers that had belonged to expert teacher Cheerilee. Berry Punch was discovered tipsily staggering out of the hospital, wearing a stethoscope and a lab coat that covered what must have been a Mark related to medicine.

"This is terrible," Twilight moaned. "Aloe is great at the spa, but she's never had to deal with foals before. And Berry Punch a doctor?"

Fluttershy crashed head-on into another pony. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to…Vinyl?"

"No time to talk," Vinyl Scratch panted. "Listen, I've got some huge bills to look over and see if they match up to the codes for this town. Ten of them conflict, and all of them are outside the budget…sometimes it gets hard, being destined to be the mayor of town and all. Sometimes I wonder if I was supposed to be something else, but hey, the Cutie Mark wants what the Cutie Mark wants, right?"

She then galloped off, leaving the others to think about the disasters that would lie in the wake of Vinyl Scratch being mayor of Ponyville.

"My family," Applejack realized. The six took off for Sweet Apple Acres at top speed, hoping not to find disaster there.

In the gateway to the main orchard, they found Apple Bloom, her hair braided up and a haughty expression on her face. "Apple Bloom," Applejack panted. "What are you doin' out so late? Please, PUH-LEASE tell me you were havin' more adventures with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo tryin' to get your Cutie Marks—"

"Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom laughed. "Scootaloo? Me hang out with those losers? Yeah right! And what are you talking about? I got my Cutie Mark a year ago. Have you gone stupid or somethin'?"

"Oh, no…" Applejack stared in horror at the silver cutlery displayed upon her younger sister's flank. "MY SISTER'S TURNED ALL SNOBBY LIKE SILVER SPOON!"

They hastened to the farmhouse. "BIG MACINTOSH!" Applejack yelled. "GRANNY SMITH! SOMETHIN' TERRIBLE—"

The door swung open, and Applejack was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of the last two ponies she ever wanted to see on her property…with Granny Smith and Big Macintosh's Cutie Marks in place of their own.

"Well, lookie here, Flim, looks like our little sis came back to the farm at a date most late!" Flam proclaimed.

"Well, I do say, Flam, Applejack seems to have forgot what is not tolerated at the farm: being late—" Flim picked up.

"—being slow—" Flim continued.

"—not on time—"

"—goes to show!"

"'Cause the one simple thing running Sweet Apple Acres isn't care, isn't love, isn't work, isn't fun. Applejack," Flam prompted, "what is the one thing we need?"

"Uh…" Applejack was stunned.

"SPEED!" Both brothers chorused.

"You two…runnin' the family farm…NO!" Applejack screamed. "NO, NO, NO!" She took off running, and her five friends followed.

"Maybe Zecora will know what to do!" Fluttershy suggested.

"You want to go into the Everfree Forest at this time of night?" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"If you follow me, we'll be safe," Fluttershy said. "And it's starting to not get so dark out."

In fact, that was true. The moon had gone down, and the darkness of the sky had softened, but the sunrise was nowhere in sight, leaving a cast of dusk over everything.

The six rushed desperately to Zecora's home, the lavish but solitary house carved of a tree in the midst of the woods, and Twilight pounded on the door. "Zecora!" she cried. "Something terrible has happened! Please…you need to help us! You know more about magic than mostly everypony I know!"

The door was opened by a teal pegasus sporting a slicked-back gold mane. Upon her flank was Zecora's Cutie Mark, the elaborate etching of the sun.

"Lightning Dust?" Rainbow Dash cried.

"Oh," Lightning Dust sighed. "It's YOU. Go away. I'm not going to help you." She slammed the door hard.

Defeated, the six sat down on the grass in the midst of the Everfree Forest beneath the strange dusk. Slowly and subtly, a maniacal laugh permeated the air until it was loud enough to make one believe that its laugher was there in person, and soon, he was; Discord materialized before the victims of his prank, dropping to the ground to roll about in hysterics.

"What did you do?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"I used your little switching spell to switch the Cutie Marks of…wait for it…EVERYPONY IN EQUESTRIA!" Discord cried through his laughter. "Everypony believes they're the wrong pony now! Oh, the chaos this will cause! You did see that I made the DJ the mayor, right? She'll put Ponyville into debt that it will take YEARS to resolve!"

"DISCORD!" Twilight growled. "WHAT did you do to the princesses?"

"Oh, I think Sun Princess Screwball and Moon Princess Ditzy Doo are doing wonderfully, considering they're not even unicorns and couldn't move the sun or moon even if they knew how to use the proper trajectory," Discord said, calming down. "Good thing, too. Screwball raising the sun? Oh, she would definitely graze the planet and start a wildfire. That would be bad."

"Put everypony back the way they were," Pinkie growled, "NOW!"

"Feeling a little on edge?" Discord asked. "Oh, that's probably because you're feeling the lack of positive emotion that usually radiates throughout Equestria from the Crystal Empire. I promise you Crystal Princess Big Macintosh is doing his VERY best to resolve the problem."

Fluttershy began to cry wordlessly. This seemed to give Discord pause; he looked at her concernedly.

"I thought…we were…" Fluttershy sobbed.

"Oh, Fluttershy…" Discord sighed. "I really do wish this could have ended differently between us. You were, after all, such a good friend. But isn't it a little bit hypocritical to care so much about whether everypony you saw tonight was their true self and not about whether I was mine? What was I supposed to do, in my situation? Anyway…" He stretched out his arms as though preparing for bed, then yawned. "I need my beauty sleep. After all, it is…permanently stuck at thirteen o'clock. No self-respecting draconequus should be awake at this hour. Maybe in a bit, I'll get up and start working on the Canterlot renovations…and you all have some cleaning up to do. Good luck, my little ponies!"

Then he disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Fluttershy…" Rainbow Dash moved closer to her sobbing friend. "Hey…it'll be okay…"

"What do we do now?" Rarity moaned.

"Well…" Applejack turned to Twilight. "Any chance that what you did on us could work on everypony else?"

"And get the WHOLE WORLD to discover their true selves?" Twilight cried. "Do you realize how long that would TAKE?"

"Maybe not everypony," Pinkie suggested. "Maybe we get Cadance, Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna to see their true selves, and they can help us fix it!"

"Hey…" Twilight realized. "You're right! I mean, we'll have to find them all first…but we know where Celestia is!"

* * *

Celestia nodded. "That is quite a strange story. I find it rather hard to believe."

"But you are the princess," Applejack insisted. "And without you to raise the sun, we ain't never havin' daytime again!"

"I will admit," Celestia said, "my memory is fuzzy as to how I as an alicorn came into selling quills. I had thought alicornism to be a trait of the royal family, though I'm not quite sure why…Screwball and Ditzy Doo aren't alicorns…"

"They also aren't the real princesses," Rarity said. "Ditzy Doo is a weather pony alongside Rainbow Dash, and Screwball is…well…we're not quite sure what she does, really…"

Celestia nodded. "I believe you, my little ponies. I may not have any memories of being a princess, but I have a strange feeling in my heart that I know you a lot better than I think. And it's telling me to trust you. I will come with you on your journey."

"Great!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Now, where do you think we'll find the others?"

"Who are you looking for?" Celestia asked.

"Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor," Applejack replied.

"My family," Celestia said.

"So you got to remember that much!" Twilight cried happily.

"Of course," Celestia said. "Luna is my beloved younger sister, and she drives a ferryboat at the Horseshoe Bay harbor. Shining Armor, my nephew-in-law, directs the weather in Cloudsdale, and his wife Cadance works an orchard in Appleloosa. I had always wondered why they lived so far apart. It must be because of this Discord you mentioned."

"We have to try and fix things as soon as possible," Twilight insisted.

Celestia nodded. "Right. We'll take the next train to Appleloosa as soon as possible."

* * *

APPLELOOSA, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Welcome!" Cadance said, bearing the brown vest and cowboy hat that Applejack was used to seeing on her cousin Braeburn. Cadance had arrived at the train station to meet the group as soon as she'd received word from Celestia that they were on their way. "May I show you around? Oh, wait…of course you've all been here before!"

"Cadance," Twilight said, "there's something really important we need to tell you."

"Basically," Applejack said, "we need you to come to Cloudsdale and help us pick up Shining Armor, and then go to Canterlot as soon as possible."

"Is something wrong with the weather in Cloudsdale?" Cadance asked with worry. "Is that why the sky has been so…so…"

"So you remember it wasn't always this way," Celestia said.

Cadance nodded. "And…I feel like Equestria used to be happier."

"Should we tell her?" Rarity asked. "Will she believe us?"

"Maybe we should stick to the short version," Celestia said. "Cadance, there is something wrong with the weather. And we do need to find Shining Armor because of it. Then we can fix things at Canterlot."

"Count me in," Cadance said. "Anything to help him!"

* * *

CLOUDSDALE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Oh, no…"

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Cadance, and Celestia had struck out on their own to go to Cloudsdale, as the spell that would allow unicorns and earth ponies to walk on the clouds—undoubtedly what Shining Armor was using—would have taken up extra time that was frankly saved by sending the smaller party. Rainbow Dash was the first to notice what was wrong. "Anypony notice the clouds headed for Canterlot?"

"Blue is an odd color for clouds," Celestia remarked.

Rainbow Dash flew up to one and licked it. "Yep…he brought back the cotton candy clouds. Except this time—" She kicked the cloud, and it began to apparently snow. She tasted that as well. "He's making it snow sugar instead of rain chocolate milk."

"I guess he didn't want to be predictable," Fluttershy said, her voice only quavering slightly.

"I don't understand," Cadance said. "Who is…he?"

"The guy who made all this happen," Rainbow Dash explained as the four touched down on cloud ground and made their way to weather control central. "You'll see later."

They entered the weather facility, moving to the head office; they didn't even have to get all the way there to find Shining Armor talking to several pegasi nervously. "…and we pick up the rain from the desert, and make sure to send just enough rain to the pond in Manehattan to make sure the plants grow. No, no, wait! Turn that around! We have to pick UP the rain from Manehattan, and not send too much to the DESERT! Whew…you'd almost think I hadn't been doing this from the time I was a filly!"

"Shining Armor!" Cadance rushed to her husband's side.

"Cadance!" Shining Armor nuzzled his neck against Cadance's. "What are you doing here?"

"There's some kind of trouble with the weather," Cadance said. "Celestia says she knows why the sky has been…this way. And…have you seen the clouds going out to Canterlot?"

"Clouds to Canterlot? We just sent the regular order—"

"Of cotton candy clouds filled with sugar?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That's just silly," Shining Armor laughed. "You guys took care of the Canterlot order, right?" He looked around at his employees. "Right? Ummm…somepony DID handle that, right?"

"Not me," one piped up.

"Or me," another said. The rest chimed in with the same: "Or me…" "Not me!"

"Huh…I guess I forgot to pencil in Canterlot," Shining Armor admitted embarrassedly.

"We can fix everything at Canterlot," Celestia said. "If you come with us."

"But then who will fix the weather if I—" Shining Armor began.

"Trust me," Rainbow Dash said sternly. "It cannot possibly get any worse if you leave."

The group moved out, and Rainbow Dash hung back to ask Fluttershy, "So…are you feeling better? I mean…I know this is hard…"

"It's all right," Fluttershy said softly. "It is hard. But…I think I understand."

* * *

HORSESHOE BAY, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"You're sure this is where she is?" Twilight asked. She, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance stood on the beach, looking out toward the ocean.

"And what does this have to do with Canterlot?" Shining Armor asked.

"We obviously need Luna with us," Cadance replied. "She and Celestia work best together."

The silhouette of a boat came speeding in from the horizon. "Yes," Rarity realized. "I am very sure…that is her."

The boat zoomed toward the beach at top speed, appearing as though it was about to beach, before it skidded to a sudden, jolting halt thanks to a dash of unicorn magic. The anchor dropped, and Luna climbed up to the deck, letting down the gangplank as several dizzy, disoriented ponies climbed off.

"HUZZAH!" Luna cried. "We have arrived! I hope you have enjoyed your tour!"

"LAND!" one of the ponies cried, dropping to his knees to kiss the coast.

"I saw the light…" another muttered.

"Luna!" Celestia cried, running to her sister. "I have the strangest…story…"

As Luna came toward Celestia on the shore, Celestia's stare was suddenly captured by something on the horizon of the sea. Something that stirred within her.

The butterfly effect had taken place. Discord's theft of Starswirl's journal had somehow set off a chain of events that led to this. Had he left things alone, this otherworldly entity would have stayed away for much longer. But somehow, his influence had reached outside, and now outside was reaching in. Something was to begin here in Fourth Equestria. An exogenesis.

The mists were rolling in over the sea. And at the sight of them, Celestia suddenly knew in her heart what her true destiny was.

She spread her wings, letting the memories of daylight, of princesshood, of Laughter, envelop her. To the surprise of everypony present, her Cutie Mark glowed, then faded away. In its place, the Mark of a golden sun bloomed.

Celestia's horn radiated with magic. The dusk was broken; the sun lifted gracefully into the sky, taking its place at noon to make up for lost time.

"Sister!" Luna gasped.

"It was true," Celestia said. "We are the royal family…" Her expression turned cold as she realized what must have happened. "Discord! He betrayed us!"

"But how…" Twilight began.

"We didn't even get to the castle to have you do princess stuff yet!" Pinkie Pie pointed out.

Celestia nodded. "I know. I was reminded of my role in a slightly different way." She had a feeling that telling Luna to look over her shoulder at the mists would have a similar effect on Luna…but she didn't want to confront that yet. The mists were something she would have to deal with later. "Come. Let us go to Canterlot Castle. We have to put an end to this once and for all."

Even as she said that, she knew it wasn't true.

* * *

The passenger who had left Luna's ferryboat and kissed the sands—a brown stallion with a somewhat spiky mane—turned to see the mists, and suddenly, he too knew his true destiny. His Cutie Mark, that of a chicken, disappeared. He'd never been a tourist. He wasn't from the farming towns out west.

It was really rather silly, he thought, that he'd forgotten what his destiny was. It didn't seem like the kind of thing you could ever forget.

As the hourglass reappeared upon his flank, he thought again about the message he'd found before the upheaval had happened and he'd thought that his ultimate goal in life was to photograph himself with every monument in Equestria. No, he reminded himself—Fourth Equestria.

He'd come for a specific purpose. Now that was fulfilled, and he couldn't bring himself to leave. The message, however, gave him doubts. If it truly wasn't a prank…he would have to deal with the angel of darkness.

* * *

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"I can't believe it…" Twilight looked up the main road of Canterlot. "It's even worse this time."

The roads weren't soap. Discord hadn't wanted to skate this time. He'd wanted to bounce. They were long strips of trampoline upon which everypony tripped. Blue cotton candy clouds snowed sugar, and several draconequi made of this snow and sculpted to wear increasingly more fashionable outfits were visible every place there was free space alongside the road.

"Was Canterlot always like this?" Cadance asked. "I…thought I knew, but for some reason…I'm not sure if what I know is right."

"This is the new Chaos Capital," Pinkie informed her.

The ten moved toward the palace. A guard rushed out, crying, "HAAAALT!" It wasn't one of the regular guards, however. Rainbow Dash recognized him as Bulk Biceps, the over-muscled and overzealous weather pegasus.

"Stand down," Shining Armor commanded him.

"WHO'RE YOU TO TELL ME?" Bulk Biceps roared.

"Your captain," Shining Armor said without thinking. Then: "Hey…I am your captain!"

His Cutie Mark shifted to that of the shield with the six-pointed star within it; the symbol of guardianship. "Cadance!" he cried. "I get it now! This isn't who we are!"

"Then who am I?" Cadance asked.

"The Crystal Princess," Shining Armor told her. "You're one of the biggest sources of love in Equestria!"

"Love?" Cadance seemed genuinely confused.

"You know," Shining Armor reminded her. "Love is your talent. It's how you saved me. It…hey, when was the last time we kissed?"

"I can't remember," Cadance admitted.

Shining Armor approached her. "When we were apart," he asked knowingly, "did you ever stop loving me?"

"Not even once. And I never would." Cadance kissed him then, passionately. Between their horns, there was a spark; a small pink heart hovered in the air for a moment. When their lips parted, Cadance said, "You're right. Love IS my talent. And not just for you…for everypony in the Crystal Empire, and for Equestria!" Her Cutie Mark shone brightly: the Crystal Heart. Then Cadance smirked. "You just tricked me into that, didn't you?"

"Like sister, like brother," Rainbow Dash remarked, remembering how Twilight had "tricked" her into taking back her weather talents.

"Hey, you came up with it on your own," Shining Armor reminded Cadance.

"I am confused," Luna said. "Who am I, then?"

"You will know soon enough," Celestia assured her.

* * *

Discord reclined on the throne of Canterlot, lying across it in a perpendicular fashion so that his back lay on one of the arm rests. "Now, what should I do to this world next?" he asked himself with a smile. "Or…is it time to move on? After all, I—"

"Stand down, Discord."

At this command from the familiar voice of Celestia, Discord sighed and rolled his eyes. "I knew it was too good to last…" He sat up to look at the group that had just entered: Twilight, Rarity, Celestia, Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. "If it isn't the royal family and the Elements of Harmony come to call."

"This place!" Luna cried. "This…dost be our palace! I am not a captain of mere ferryboats! I am the princess of the night!" Her Cutie Mark settled into place: a bright white crescent moon.

"So now you're all back in order," Discord sighed. "So what are you going to do? I still have this castle. I still have my Chaos Capital. And I can only grow from here."

"Not so fast," Twilight said. "I happened to be prepared when I packed for the trip."

Discord flinched at first when she produced the five amulets and the tiara that represented the Elements of Harmony. She settled them each upon the proper owner: "Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! And, as always, big shiny crown thingy!"

"Oh, but you're forgetting," Discord said. "Fluttershy, you haven't forgotten, have you? You can't use your Element against me! We had a deal because we're friends!"

"No," Fluttershy said sternly. "This…breaks our deal. You ruined everything, Discord. Ponies are in danger because of you, and I…I can't stand by and watch that happen."

It sank in: she was serious. Discord began to tremble. "Now, Fluttershy…I wouldn't go and do anything rash because you're feeling betrayed…"

"I might feel betrayed," Fluttershy admitted, "but I know why you did it. It wasn't fair of me to ask you not to be yourself. This is who you are. I still wish there was a way we could work it out so you could be free and be yourself…" She faltered at that. "I…I don't want to lock you away again. I really, really don't."

Seeing the look in her eyes, Discord sighed. It was time to face reality. "No. You're right. Seal me away. I should have known this was coming. Your orderly society doesn't work with my chaotic ways. But I'll have you know…it was worth it. I'd rather live another thousand years in stone than have to be that bored or that boring ever again. So go ahead." He stood and spread out his arms, perfectly sincere. "Lock me away." He gave a grin. "No hard feelings. I promise it."

"Is this a trick?" Twilight asked.

"Less questioning and more zapping!" Rainbow Dash told her.

Discord watched it happen before him as it had happened before. The six stood together, and a sphere of light formed around them. A great rainbow emitted from the sphere, shooting directly at Discord.

When the light faded, the ten ponies looked toward the throne. Discord was frozen in stone with the strangest grin on his face…a grin that said it had, in fact, been worth it.

"You think…you think he meant it?" Twilight asked softly.

"I don't know." Celestia sighed. "I had thought that giving him his freedom would work out for all of us. I didn't realize that what I offered him wasn't true freedom at all. This is my mistake, and I apologize for it. To everypony."

"It's all right," Fluttershy said. "We all make mistakes."

"Uhhh…shouldn't we do something about all the Cutie Mark mixups?" Shining Armor asked.

"Right," Celestia said. "Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor. We must—"

"But I'm not an alicorn," Shining Armor pointed out. "Or really related to you—"

"You are my husband," Cadance reminded him with a smile. "Once we show you the spell, you can take part. You are part of this family, Shining Armor."

Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor stood in a circle in the center of the throne room. Celestia and Luna lowered their heads slowly; all four horns sparked with a bright glow of magic that started small, then suddenly erupted, sending a shockwave out of the room, out of the palace, over Equestria.

They lifted their heads. "It is done," Celestia said.

A cautious knock came at the door of the throne room. A blonde pegasus with a soft blue coat peered in. "Uhhh…I just realized I have no idea what I'm doing with the moon and everything," Ditzy Doo said.

A pink pony with a curly violet mane peered in as well. "Me either."

Bulk Biceps joined them. "SORRY!"

"It is all right," Celestia said with a smile. "We have it under control."

"We should probably go home now," Ditzy said.

"That would be best," Celestia agreed. "After all, Ponyville needs the three of you."

"YEAH!" Bulk Biceps agreed.

"Hey," Ditzy was heard to say as the three made their way out of the castle, "you want to stop for muffins on the way home? I could sure go for a muffin."

"YOU DID IT!" Pinkie Pie cried. "You fixed everything! Everypony's Cutie Mark is right again! Equestria has its true destiny! PARTYYYYY!"

"Hey!" Twilight realized, looking at the throne to find a left-behind object. "It's the journal of Starswirl the Bearded! Discord must have been carrying it all this time!" She levitated it, turning to the last page. "Now, to finish that spell like I planned."

"Have a quill," Celestia offered, levitating one such quill over to Twilight—a little something left over from her destiny mix-up. However, she knew what was about to happen as soon as Twilight finished the spell. Had things gone differently, she might have tried to salvage her original plan. But she had seen the mists, the exogenesis. She had seen the Elements work against Discord not once, but twice from this group over the course of her lifetime. And she knew what had to be done.

Twilight finished writing in the segment of the spell. "There," she said. "Starswirl was never able to finish it because he didn't really understand friendship. That's why—"

When she dotted the last sentence, the book began to glow, as did all six of the jewels of the Elements of Harmony. The amulets around the necks of Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash shot beams of light at Twilight, who cried out in surprise. When the light cleared, Twilight had vanished.

"TWILIGHT!" the five friends cried.

"Do not fear," Celestia said. "This was planned. I must go meet Twilight, and I shall return with her shortly."

"I think you will like what you see when she returns," Luna said.

"No," Celestia said sharply. "When we return…things will be the same."

"But Celestia…" Cadance said.

"I will explain later," Celestia said softly to the other members of the royal family before she vanished in a brilliant light.

* * *

Twilight found herself in a strange place. She wasn't quite sure what she was standing on, even though it was a solid surface; everything around her seemed to be the starry sky of outer space.

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said.

"Princess!" Twilight turned to see her mentor. "What happened?"

"When you finished that spell, you created new magic," Celestia said. "One of the most powerful abilities for any wielder of magic to do. You were right in saying that the missing factor from Starswirl's spell was friendship. And Twilight, from the moment I first sent you to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration…I have watched you grow in your studies, not only learning about magic, but about friendship as well. I am proud to call you my student."

"So what's all this?" Twilight asked.

"This…" Celestia sighed. "This was to be something else. But now I know the truth. Your skill with magic and the friendships you have…they are incredibly important, Twilight Sparkle. More than you know."

"I find that a little hard to believe. I know my magic is important…and my friends are even more important."

"With that said, Twilight Sparkle…trust me when I say that big things will come your way. I want to congratulate you on finishing the spell. Now, your friends are waiting for you. I'd best send you back before they worry."

"Okay," Twilight said. "Thank you, Princess."

* * *

Celestia and Twilight reappeared in the throne room. "I cannot thank you all enough," Celestia said, "for coming to the aid of Equestria as many times as you have. Now that the danger has passed, I will issue a celebration ceremony…but first, I had thought you all might want to catch up on breakfast."

"It is on the royal kitchens!" Luna announced.

"Perfect!" Applejack sighed. "I'm starvin'!"

"You six go on ahead," Celestia said.

"All right!" Pinkie squealed, bouncing ahead of the group.

"So…what was all that about?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight. "Why did you disappear?"

"I'm not quite sure," Twilight admitted. "I guess it was just a side effect of writing new magic."

When the six were quite gone, Luna asked, "Why didst thou not crown her the next princess?"

"It has become apparent to me that now is not the time," Celestia said. "After what has happened with Discord…I cannot crown her. It would be best not to tie her down to the court here. All of them are meant for bigger things. In the meantime, to avoid offending her, I suggest we not mention that the motion was on the table. For all intents and purposes…we never discussed it."

"Right," Shining Armor said.

"Shining Armor," Celestia suggested, "Cadance, why don't you join the others in the kitchen?"

"I'm starving too!" Shining Armor realized.

"Let's go," Cadance said.

When those two were gone and Celestia and Luna were all who remained, Celestia looked Luna directly in the eye. "I could not have bound any of them to such a responsibility that would have them remain on this world," Celestia told Luna.

"Thou dost not mean-!" Luna gasped.

"I know what the true destiny is of Twilight Sparkle, as well as her friends," Celestia admitted. "And it is not in this court. Not yet. I had thought things would be different this time, but it appears that their bearing of the Elements of Harmony will have the same effect on them that it has had on us."

Luna nodded. "Would it be in our best interests to ready the ship?"

"Not for a while yet. The mists were not strong enough. But still…the time will come eventually when it will need to again set sail."

* * *

A ceremony was held to honor the heroics of the six wielders of the Elements of Harmony, who had again imprisoned Discord during his reign of chaos. It was nothing new for Canterlot; it seemed these six were always doing something heroic, and that was no problem, as it gave the populace an excuse to party every now and again. Besides, it was well known that Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were kind and well-respected beings.

All in all, though it was a celebration of much merriment, it was not out of the ordinary as compared to past celebrations.

There were only two remarkable things about this celebration. For one, the six turned the Elements of Harmony amulets and tiara back over to Canterlot for safekeeping, as the jewelry had only been brought to Ponyville to keep tabs on Discord.

Once that was done, they returned home. And for the next few weeks, life settled back down as normal in Ponyville.

* * *

But the second extraordinary thing about this celebration was the effect it had on the stallion with the hourglass Cutie Mark.

At first, reading over the news reports of the heroics of the six, it seemed as fitting to him as it did to anypony else. But then things started to piece together. The message from the angel of darkness. The mists over Horseshoe Bay. The very nature of what Discord even was. And the fact that there were six.

A memory suddenly occurred to him. He set out immediately for a certain house in Canterlot. If he was right, it was imperative that he talk to himself.

* * *

1. Exogenesis

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

The blue stallion with the blonde coif was rather surprised to see the brown stallion with the shaggy brunette mane burst into his home uninvited. He'd never seen this particular pony before, but he recognized his cutie mark: the tell-tale hourglass. That was how he knew.

"Five cycles ago," the brown stallion said, "I came here to ask you if we'd really found them. Did we find them?"

"I'm sure I have," the blue replied. "They sealed away Discord, after all."

"I knew it!" the brown cried. "I must tell Celestia at once!"

"I already told her today," the blue informed the brown stallion. "It will be rather a lot for her, don't you think?"

"I'd like to think it would only convince her that the situation is serious," the brown answered. "To hear it from the same person twice, after all." He paused. "Shouldn't this be impossible, you and me meeting like this?"

"Time doesn't seem to work by those laws in Equestria," the blue stated. "And besides…with someone like Discord in existence here, do the laws even matter?"

* * *

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

The Ponyville library was decorated for a gathering of fun. Streamers ran from rafter to rafter, and the table was set with a variety of treats, most of them baked from apples. In the center of the library, seated comfortably on a circle of pillows, six ponies and a young dragon each held a copy of the same blue book before them.

"I now call the first official meeting of the Ponyville book club to order!" a pink mare with a shock of carnation-colored curls for a mane cried, holding her hoof high. Her adjacent friend, a lavender unicorn with a pink streak in her mane, had originally planned to make the announcement, but she had relinquished that responsibility when she realized her friend would have much more fun with it.

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie," that unicorn said. "Also, thanks for setting up the library for the meeting. And thanks for bringing all the treats, Applejack!"

"My pleasure, sugar cube," an orange mare sporting a blonde ponytail beneath a cowboy hat replied with a slight bow.

"And to think," a bright white unicorn with a mane of flawless plum-colored ringlets pointed out, "when we first met, Rainbow Dash never would have agreed to do this!"

"You got me there, Rarity," the blue pegasus sitting next to the white unicorn replied, blowing her rainbow-toned bangs out of her eyes. "I gotta say, Twilight, I'm startin' to see why these books get you all excited." She caught herself. "STARTING."

"Okay, Rainbow Dash," the purple unicorn giggled, having been addressed.

"Are you sure you're comfortable, Rarity?" the young purple dragon asked. "Anything I can get you? More pillows? Another apple tart?"

"I'm fine, Spike," Rarity replied. "You're quite the gentleman for asking, though."

"If anyone does want another apple tart," the last member of the group – a yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane – offered, "I would gladly fetch one."

"I'm good, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash replied. The others all gave an "I'm good" of assent.

"Now that everything's in order," Twilight said, "what did you all think of the book?"

"Absolutely wonderful!" Rarity gushed. "I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when you decided our first reading material would be one of your science fictions, but I must admit I'm hooked!"

"It's almost better than Daring Do!" Rainbow Dash agreed.

"I just keep thinking about how fun it would be if we had our own spaceship!" Pinkie blurted. "So we could travel to all sorts of different planets too!"

"That actually sounds rather frightening," Fluttershy admitted. "I'd much rather stay here and read about other ponies having that kind of adventure!"

"What d'you think, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "If it were you, would you rather have a spaceship and go on an adventure, or stay home and read about it?"

"That's actually a tough question, Applejack," Twilight answered. "I mean, ever since I was little, I always dreamed about having the kind of adventures the ponies had in books. But ever since I came here, I've had plenty of adventures. Our battle against Discord, the royal wedding…even making the cider when the Flim Flam brothers came into town was kind of an adventure! Not to mention that everything I could ever want is here. My friends, my library, this whole town…"

"So you wouldn't go on an epic adventure to other planets?" Pinkie asked.

"Well…" Twilight admitted. "I wouldn't say that. Not exactly. I just…really appreciate what we have here. Besides, it's not like we ever would find a way to go to other planets. The farthest anypony's ever been away from the planet is when Celestia banished Luna to the moon, and comparatively speaking, that's not that far."

"Can we talk about the book now?" Rainbow Dash begged. "PLEASE?"

"Sure," Twilight conceded, and the discussion evolved into one about the book.

* * *

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Twice had the Doctor come to Fourth Equestria. The first time, five incarnations ago, he'd arrived to help fight off the Changeling invasion. The second time, he'd arrived in the same time period as his former self in order to match wits with one of the Old Ones…only to hear that the Old One was promptly defeated, and not by him. Somehow, Discord had been sealed away after only two chronological days, though how many "days" had passed with all of Discord's playing with the sun and moon was actually questionable.

He'd taken on the identity of "Time Turner" the second time, cautious about revealing his true self to Fourth Equestria. It seemed a world apart from all other worlds he'd ever seen. When a cosmic monster like Discord wasn't ravaging it, it was practically idyllic, not something he wanted to spoil by tying it to the great spiderweb of worlds. Its magical atmosphere even seemed to follow its own rules; no sooner had the TARDIS touched down on the earth than had "Time Turner" – known more affectionately as "Five" among his true companions the first time he had come, and "Ten" the second – shifted from the human form he preferred to that of a stallion. He knew there were some dimensions that changed their occupants so, and after confirming that there was no actual human life in Fourth Equestria, he knew this was definitely one of those cases. Introducing it to the rest of the multiverse, with its variegated forms and species, would inevitably cause a tangle.

However, things were different this time around. Five cycles ago, he had witnessed something that reminded him of a prophecy currently bound to a glass ball tucked away deep beneath the Ministry of Magic on one of the Earths. Now, that half of the prophecy was confirmed by a certain natural phenomenon in Fourth Equestria, a phenomenon that had come from outside. The other half had just revealed itself in a most frightening way.

Ten had settled in Ponyville, but upon receiving intelligence that the prophecy was indeed being set in motion, he realized he needed to move to Canterlot as quickly as possible to speak with Celestia, the near-godlike ruler of the territory. Five had settled in Canterlot in order to face the Changelings, and as Ten recalled that on the train ride to Canterlot, he also recalled the day that, as Five, he'd been visited by the strange brown stallion, the one who matched what he saw in the mirror.

As soon as he disembarked from the train, Ten rushed to find Five's home and burst in upon his old self having lunch in the kitchen. Five was certainly shocked to see him, as Ten remembered having been.

"Five cycles ago," Ten announced, "I came here to ask you if we'd really found them. Did we find them?"

* * *

Five had already explained to Celestia. Ten remembered, now, having posed his theory to her. It was now up to him to confirm it.

He requested an immediate audience with the Princess. The guards balked at first, but one of them, recognizing Ten's cutie mark and remembering what Celestia had always said about ponies with the hourglass mark, agreed to push him to the front of the list waiting to see Celestia. In no time, Ten stood before the majestic white alicorn with the pastel mane. Perched upon her throne, she regarded him with genuine interest.

"Princess Celestia," Ten began. "Do you know who I am?"

"I know," Celestia answered calmly. "You're the Doctor."

"I told you a few hours ago, didn't I?"

"Not only that," Celestia said, "but I'm familiar with how the multiverse works."

That was somewhat of a shock. Ten wasn't sure she'd let that on to Five; he certainly didn't remember it. "So you're familiar with the prophecy?"

"There are many prophecies," Celestia replied. "However, when you came to me earlier, you did mention one in particular."

"If I remember correctly," Ten said, "I told you that I MIGHT have found the Six. That was after I heard of the legend of Princess Luna and saw the stained glass murals you have of them all over. Certain things have happened since then, and I'm now convinced they're the Six."

"Remind me again," Celestia said. "What Six are these?"

"A prophecy exists," Ten said, "that was made by Merlin himself. He said that in the great battle of the multiverse, an angel of darkness would appear to bring turmoil upon all existence, and six shining hearts would step forward to face him. Or her. The prophecy wasn't exactly clear on that. It did say, however, that the six would touch hundreds of lives throughout the multiverse. If the six won, existence would continue. If not…well, all Merlin said was 'great disaster', but if I had to guess, I'd say something along the likes of the release of the Old Ones."

"The Old Ones," Celestia repeated. "The disharmonious ones who would bring existence to ruin."

"Exactly," Ten confirmed. "In all my travels, I thought I'd seen the Six several times. Every time, I was wrong." He remembered the guesses he'd made. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Tony, Steve, Bruce, Thor, Natasha, and Clint. Goliath, Hudson, Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington, and Elisa. All had done great things, but none had ever seemed quite right. "Now…I think I have."

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia spelled out for him. "Applejack. Rarity. Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie."

"The Elements of Harmony, right?"

"Yes. Your connection does make sense. The Elements of Harmony are great powers in the cosmos, powers that I haven't even fully explained to them." Celestia shifted uncomfortably, though it was barely noticeable. "After all, Luna and I once wielded those powers."

"And you've been around for a thousand years," Ten pieced together. "That's no coincidence, is it?"

"No."

"Two things have convinced me that your little ponies are the Six," Ten went on. "For one, the angel of darkness has revealed himself. Or herself."

Celestia's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Unfortunately," Ten sighed. "He taunted me."

"How?"

"A scroll appeared in the TARDIS," Ten began. "You…do know what a TARDIS is, right?"

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"Exactly. It said, and I quote:" Ten cleared his throat. "Your attempts to uphold peace and light in this universe are quaint. However, all that is about to change. Soon you will realize how hopeless you truly are, and I shall reign over this multiverse. All will be enveloped in darkness, and I shall be…"

"The angel of darkness," Celestia guessed.

"Exactly. Now, there is a small chance that this is just someone who heard about the prophecy as well and is just trying to talk tough. However, that wouldn't explain the other…incident."

"The mists of Avalon," Celestia said immediately.

Ten was taken aback. "You KNOW about that?"

"I have lived a long time," Celestia replied, "and I had three of the Elements of Harmony within me once. I know all about Avalon and its place in the cosmos. Sailors from Avalon find that the mists don't send you where you want to go – they send you where you need to go. In the most extreme of cases, the mists will arrive to find who they need to go someplace in order to take them there. The reports of a strange mist over the seas haven't slipped past me. I went to see them myself. Ordinary ponies were able to sail through them without a problem, but I could tell they were the mists. Once you've breathed them in, you never forget what they feel like."

"Avalon is calling them," Ten said. "And you know it, don't you?"

Celestia nodded. "I must let them know."

"How do you think they'll take it?"

"They've proven themselves time and time again," Celestia said. "They will know. Do you intend to be around when I inform them?"

"It's a given that we'll cross paths," Ten said. "For the moment…let's have them take the news from someone they trust."

"I understand. I can give them what they need to transport themselves."

"You don't have a TARDIS of your own stashed away somewhere," Ten asked suspiciously, "do you?"

"Not at all. Nothing quite so special. Just something I once used to cross the mists. Something that will give them a home away from home, and enough information to navigate their way."

"Good luck," Ten wished honestly.

"Thank you," Celestia replied. "But I am not the one who will need luck."

* * *

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"That was fun," Spike remarked, helping clear away the last of the streamers. The sun had set, and everypony had returned to her respective home, leaving Spike and Twilight alone in the library. "I can't wait for next week's meeting! How about you, Twilight?" When he received no answer, he looked up to see Twilight looking up and out the window of the upper story. "Twilight?"

"Huh?" Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, Spike. Did you say something?"

"Just that I thought the book club meeting was really fun," Spike replied. "Are you still thinking about what Pinkie said about wanting to go on adventures through space?"

"Only a little," Twilight said. "I don't really want to leave Ponyville now that I've found so much I love here. But…I'm curious." She turned back to the window. "What's out there? Other ponies like us? Do they have the same kind of lives we do?"

"I dunno," Spike said with a shrug. "Maybe, I guess."

"That's the answer I'll have to live with," Twilight resolved. "Here. Let me help you clear away some of those streamers."

All of a sudden, a rush of green flame poured forth from Spike's mouth. A scroll of parchment came out with it. "Hey," Spike remarked, "you got a letter from the Princess!" Out of habit, he unrolled it and read it. "Whoa…weird!"

"What?" Twilight asked, moving to try and read the letter over Spike's shoulder. "What is it?"

"It's for all of you," Spike said. "You and Applejack and Rarity and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie."

Twilight levitated the letter out of Spike's hands, reading it over herself. "The Princess wants to see us in Canterlot as soon as possible?" She turned the letter over to find nothing on the back. "That's it? No explanation why?"

"It must be really important," Spike deduced. "And top-secret!"

"I'll say." Twilight rolled up the scroll. "Looks like we'll have to go see what Celestia wants. I hope it isn't an emergency."

"Are you gonna worry about what she wants all night?" Spike asked, raising a brow.

"No," Twilight lied nervously.

* * *

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Beneath a midnight moon, the black alicorn made her way into the hedge labyrinth beside the great Canterlot castle. The night guards looked up to see her approaching. They didn't recognize her. For a moment, they flinched in fear, believing her to be a Changeling, but her build was definitely that of a true alicorn, as tall as Celestia with a flowing black mane. When she stepped into the full moonlight, the guards could see that the feathers of her wings had an iridescent green sheen only visible in direct light. Overall, something about her reminded them of Luna.

"HALT!" the captain of the night guard cried. "Who goes there?"

The alicorn didn't answer. Instead, her horn glowed with green energy. The guards were suddenly overcome by the desire to sleep, and could not fight the urge. They all dropped unconscious before her, some of them snoring.

She could have killed them, she knew, but it was best not to leave too much of a trail this early on. She wanted to focus on the one thing she had come to retrieve.

Celestia was a fool, this alicorn thought as she made her way through the twists and turns of the labyrinth. How could she possibly have thought that such an ancient power could be safely contained that way? He'd already been released once by the carelessness of the inhabitants of this kingdom, albeit temporarily. He could easily be released again.

She found him easily. Celestia had tried to hide him, to put him in one of the corners hidden by the greatest amount of twists. Predictable. He was still frozen in a pose of horror and disbelief, turning away from the force that had last defeated him. Obviously, he hadn't expected it this time. Those whom had put him away were far more powerful than he'd predicted.

She thought back to the prophecy. Most likely, the ponies that had petrified this Old One were the Six. She knew this well. She also knew that while the prophecy allowed for their victory, it didn't specify it as a certainty. Her goal was to make sure they failed, that nothing would interfere with the coming upheaval of cosmic order. This was a first step.

Her horn glowed. Gently, she touched it to the center of the statue's chest, its heart. "Awaken," she bid it.

Cracks ran through the stone like strands of a spiderweb. Flakes of granite fell away, revealing live flesh. The furry paw of a lion. A feathered wing. Two mismatched eyes that blinked away the powdery stone that had crumbled over his face.

His first words: "Well, that was unexpected."

"Did you fear," she asked, "that the Elements of Harmony had bested you for another thousand years?"

"The thought crossed my mind," Discord replied. "I knew I'd be back someday, but this is a lot sooner than I'd planned." A grin slowly spread over his face. "It doesn't make any sense at all, really. It's wonderful!"

"Enjoy your freedom," she begged of him. "Take this chance to do as your heart commands."

Suspicious, Discord crossed his arms. "And who exactly are you?"

"Your savior," the alicorn responded. "It would do you well to remember me, as I will soon usher in the new age…an age of chaos."

"I suppose you think you're more powerful than me," Discord snapped. "You aren't even close."

"It does not matter," she said with a smirk. "I will be the one to whom you will answer in the end."

"Very unlikely," Discord replied. "Even I would call that too nonsensical."

"You needn't believe it now," the alicorn said. "However, the mists of Avalon have arrived at your shores. Take that information and use it as you will."

That widened Discord's eyes. "Really?" He laughed. "Oh, this will be such fun! Now, if only I had my old partner in crime…"

"She awaits you. Another piece of information to do with what you will."

"I don't expect to see you again," Discord told the alicorn upfront. "I get the feeling that you underestimate me. I would appreciate it if you didn't. Now, if you'll excuse me…I have some chaos to wreak."

He snapped his fingers, and in a flash of light, he was gone.

"How rude," the alicorn said, still smirking. "He did not even thank me for his release."

* * *

"Did you even get a wink of sleep last night, Twilight?"

"HUH? WHAT?" Twilight jerked into consciousness. She found herself on a plush seat of the early train running from Ponyville to Canterlot. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie surrounded her, looking on in concern. Twilight remembered: she'd gathered her five friends as early as possible that morning, stressing that Celestia needed to see them as soon as possible for some mystery emergency. The others had dropped what they were doing immediately to rush to the train station, and now they were almost to the grand kingdom.

"She was probably up all night worrying," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"There are just so many things Celestia could have sent a letter about!" Twilight moaned. "What if Discord got back out?"

"That wouldn't happen," Applejack reassured Twilight. "We locked him up good, remember?"

"What if the Changelings are going to try and take over Canterlot again?" Twilight tried.

"Your brother and Cadance blasted them good," Rainbow Dash replied. "They wouldn't show their faces around here again!"

"What if it's parasprites?" Twilight cried. "What if it's an Ursa Major? What if Luna's been given the love poison? What if – "

"Whatever it is," Applejack said, "we can handle it. Especially together."

"Besides," Pinkie suggested, "maybe Celestia wrote to us to tell us about something GOOD! Like…she needs us to plan the next Grand Galloping Gala for her! Or she's getting married! Or she found a way to make it rain chocolate without having to live in a reign of chaos!"

"You'll just never let that one go," Applejack sighed, "will ya?"

"I like chocolate!" Pinkie defended. "Is that such a crime?"

The train eventually pulled into the main square of Canterlot. The six friends disembarked, entering the throng of ponies that made up Canterlot's street traffic. They immediately charted a course for the castle.

They were delayed shortly when Rarity caught sight of Fancy Pants and the two stopped to exchange small talk. However, sensing Twilight's distress, Rarity cut the conversation short. "I'll talk to you more later," she promised before leaving her elite acquaintance behind.

As the palace grew nearer in view, Fluttershy voiced, "I hope the Princess told the guards we were coming."

As it turned out, she didn't have to worry about that at all. The head of the day guard, a white stallion with a brilliant blue mane, practically charged down from his post at the main gate to meet the six. "Twily!" he cried, rushing to meet Twilight.

"Shining Armor!" Twilight greeted her brother.

"I heard Celestia wanted to see you really badly," Shining Armor whispered. "Any idea why?"

"No more than you," Twilight answered. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. How's Cadance?"

"Wonderful!" Shining Armor gushed. "It feels like I love her a little more every day. You know, we've been thinking about going down to Ponyville to see you sometime. Maybe you could stop by our tower before you leave today!"

"Girls?" Twilight turned to her friends.

"We'd love to!" Pinkie said enthusiastically, and the other four nodded in assent.

"Well, you can go right on in," Shining Armor directed. "Celestia said that as soon as you got here, the guards had to give you an immediate audience." Sensing his sister's nerves, he added, "Don't worry. There haven't been any threats made on the castle. I'm sure it's nothing."

"I hope you're right," Twilight replied. "See you later."

"Good luck!"

The six mares walked on. "I do enjoy seeing your brother again," Rarity admitted. "He's always been so kind."

"Now I'm starting to get worried," Fluttershy piped up. "Celestia wants to see us that badly?"

"Like Twilight said earlier," Applejack replied, "We'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

Both Celestia and Luna sat before the group of six, raised up on their thrones. Respectfully, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all bowed.

"Welcome, my little ponies," Celestia greeted. "I see you got my letter."

"We came here as fast as we could," Twilight affirmed.

"I wish I could say I had good news for you," Celestia began. "Unfortunately…"

"There is no saying that this is not good news!" Luna barked. "A new task only brings new adventures!"

Celestia smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way, Luna," she said. "Now, my little ponies, I must tell you something that may sound hard to believe."

"I doubt that," Rainbow Dash quipped. "We've seen everything from a changeling invasion to Pinkie Pie in one of those detective hats."

"Deerstalkers," Twilight corrected.

"I should have worn that today!" Pinkie moaned.

"Not for a formal audience with royalty!" Rarity gasped.

Celestia only smiled more broadly. Seeing the chosen ones interact with friends only served to cement her faith in them. "Each of you represents an Element of Harmony," Celestia began. "The Elements of Harmony are a great cosmic force. A lot of ponies might say they barely matter next to things like the sun and moon, or light and darkness. But the truth is, a world without honesty, generosity, kindness, loyalty, or laughter is nothing but a desolate wasteland, and there is no such thing as a world without magic. The concepts you represent are necessary to hold the very fabric of existence together."

"We once held the Elements ourselves!" Luna added. "Celestia held kindness, loyalty, and laughter, while I had honesty, generosity, and magic! The Elements are very important. This makes you six very important!"

"Have you ever envisioned existence outside of Equestria?" Celestia asked. "Do you know what lies beyond this atmosphere?"

"Farther than even the moon!" Luna added.

"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie hopped up and down. "We were just talking about this at our book club yesterday! Everypony said that nopony knows what's out there, and there's no way to get there!"

"Not entirely true," Celestia said somberly. "The truth is, there are thousands of worlds, planets, and dimensions outside of Equestria. I know this because Luna and I have visited some of them."

The six ponies before the princesses were dumbstruck. "You're…kidding, right?" Rainbow Dash finally asked.

Celestia shook her head. "The truth is, my little ponies, now that you have the Elements of Harmony and have proven what you can do with them, you too will have to travel across the cosmos. Each of you has had to finesse her Element of Harmony; they are challenges as much as talents. However, each of you has risen to that challenge. Twilight, even though you have doubted yourself, you have grown into one of the most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria. Applejack, though many times it has seemed easier to lie to spare someone's feelings or your own pride, you have learned to tell the truth when it counts. Rarity, while many times you have been told not to be selfish, you have found joy in giving to others. Fluttershy, while at times you have been pushed to feelings of rage and frustration, you have learned to give others the benefit of the doubt and extend your hoof in kindness. Rainbow Dash, even when your friends have seemed 'uncool' to you, you have discovered that remaining loyal to them is worth all of the conflicts you might have. And Pinkie Pie, even in the face of a world that breaks its Pinkie Promises and betrays you, you have remembered to laugh and smile and find the best of every situation. These are the qualities that will be your greatest assets."

"An ancient prophecy made by a wizard from another world says that you must defeat a great evil," Luna said. "In order to do this, you have to cross the multiverse and see it from edge to edge! You will see even more than Celestia and I saw over a thousand years ago. You will have to move through time and space. The mists of Avalon have arrived on the shores of our seas, and they won't leave until they can take you away."

"But Avalon is only a myth!" Twilight cried. "It doesn't really exist!"

"It does," Celestia confirmed. "It is one of the hubs of existence, and its mists reach out in times of great need to find those who must take a journey."

"Are you saying we have to sail through outer space and never see home again?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"You do have to sail through space," Luna answered, "but fear not! It does not mean you shall never see your homes again! On the contrary, you shall return many times, just as Celestia and I returned! Of course, Celestia and I did not have to fulfill any prophecies, but Equestria is as much of the multiverse as anyplace else! This world needs you!"

"You make it sound like we're some kind of…cosmic guardians," Twilight said. "Is that true?"

"More or less," Celestia answered. "The truth is, your journey will be long. Even though you will be able to return home, you must also be away from it for a great amount of time. It is the only way that you can stop the angel of darkness."

"The what now?" Applejack asked.

"The angel of darkness wants to turn existence into disharmony," Luna explained. "Whoever he is, he wants to remove all honesty, generosity, kindness, loyalty, and laughter from the multiverse, and turn all magic into evil."

"How did you know all this?" Twilight asked.

"With the mists come the things we need to know," Celestia replied. "I was also contacted…twice, in fact…by a trusted friend from a world long dead. He stressed the importance of your journey. I am sorry to deliver you this news. You must prepare in any way you can. I have for you a ship that will take you through the mists of Avalon. I suggest that you move anything you need to make it home onto that ship."

"And Ponyville?" Applejack asked, frustration showing through her voice. "How's everything supposed to run without us? How's the Apple family farm supposed to keep runnin' without me there to help? And what about our families? How're we supposed to explain this to 'em?"

"You may tell those you trust most about the importance of your journey," Celestia said. "Keep no secrets…not from Shining Armor or Cadance, the Apple family, Sweetie Belle, the Cakes, or anypony else who needs to know where you have gone. Assure them you will return. You will also have to make other arrangements for your responsibilities in Ponyville. I will, however, equip you with a way to send mail to this castle. I expect that you will use it mostly for letters and reports, though I understand that those of you who make a living from creating things will need to send material things back as well." Celestia looked meaningfully towards Rarity. "Oh, and on that note, make sure you bring plenty of clothing, and fabric to make clothing from. When you leave Equestria, you will undergo some…changes. You will need the proper clothing in order to accommodate."

"Well," Rarity said proudly, "if it's clothes you need, I'm definitely your mare."

"This just still seems so sudden," Twilight moaned. "One day, we're having our book club meeting, and the next, we have to leave Equestria because the fate of existence is in our hooves? How are we supposed to deal with that?"

"Easily," Luna answered. "Together."

"She has a point," Pinkie said. "We've done so much together already! If we have each other, we can do anything! Come on! This is our big chance for an adventure just like in Twilight's books!"

"The most I can do is urge you to accept this mission," Celestia admitted. "In the end, it is up to you."

Twilight looked around, meeting the eyes of each of her five friends. She read the same message from all of them. At last, she turned to Celestia and gave the answer:

"We'll do it."

* * *

"Seriously?" Shining Armor gasped.

"Seriously," Twilight confirmed. As promised, the six had stopped by the royal guest chambers of Shining Armor and his wife Cadance, where they stayed when visiting Canterlot on business outside the Crystal Empire they ruled, and as the couple was family to Twilight and practically family to the other five, the story was soon told.

"Celestia and Luna had both told me tales of a greater multiverse outside Equestria," Cadance admitted. "I never thought anypony would actually have to travel that far, though. I was barely able to believe myself that Avalon wasn't just a myth from storybooks."

"When do you have to leave?" Shining Armor inquired.

"As soon as we get packed and say our goodbyes, I guess," Applejack answered. "Celestia has some kinda ship that we're gonna move into."

"We'll be there to see you off," Cadance promised.

"I know you'll be back," Shining Armor stated. "Sooner than you think!"

"I hope so," Twilight moaned.

"Hey," Shining Armor cajoled, "cheer up, sis! This is just like in your books, right?"

"This is the kind of thing I read about all the time," Twilight admitted. "And we have done a lot of great things here. But this…this sounds bigger than anything we've ever done. The kind of thing that only should be read about, and not actually done. I'm not sure we can make it."

"I'm sure we can!" Pinkie squealed. "We just have to remember to smile!"

"And you've got me with you!" Rainbow Dash added teasingly. "That means we can't possibly mess up!"

Twilight smiled. Surrounding her, she saw seven supportive faces. "Thank you. All of you. Shining Armor, Cadance, I promise I'll write you often."

"You just worry about fulfilling your prophecy," Shining Armor replied. "We'll take care of things here. We can even step in with things in Ponyville if it needs help."

"If anypony can save the fate of the multiverse," Cadance said, "it's you six. I just know it."

* * *

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Twilight," Spike said, "you can't take all the books with you!"

"I know," Twilight said, stopping before she emptied her shelves completely. She'd spread out several suitcases to pack with the things she held most dear and thought would come in most handy on the mission. Star charts, telescopes, astrolabes…she wasn't sure how much of it she'd need, but she felt as though nothing should be left behind. "Are you sure you can handle the library on your own?"

"Of course!" Spike confirmed. "I know this place back to front! And besides, I'll have Owlowiscious to help me!"

"Hoo," Owlowiscious agreed from his perch in the window.

"You," Spike responded, misunderstanding. "Don't worry so much, Twilight!"

"I've just never left you on your own before," Twilight pointed out. "You and I have always been together, ever since we were little. To tell you the truth…" She pawed at the ground. "I feel responsible for you. You've been like my little brother for all these years."

"And you've been a great big sister," Spike reminded Twilight. "You taught me everything I know!"

"You won't miss me too much?"

"Of course I'll miss you," Spike admitted, "but this is something you have to do. It's not like you'll never be back."

"You're right." Twilight snapped the last suitcase closed, moving it onto a cart with the others. "I'll miss you too, Spike. Now, don't go eating entire tubs of ice cream just because I'm gone!"

"Awww," Spike groaned teasingly.

* * *

"…and that's why I have to go!" Rarity sobbed. She had invited her parents and Sweetie Belle to her house to speak to them about her duty. "I don't know when I'll be back!"

"Hon," Rarity's father, Field Goal, said sympathetically, "we understand you'll miss us. But you gotta do what the princess says you gotta do."

"Besides," her mother, Glory, added, "aren't you going with all your little friends?"

"Yes," Rarity sniffed. "I've just never been so far away before!"

"And don't you have to work on your fashion business?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well," Rarity said, her tears drying, "Celestia did assure me I could send my work back. I suppose there will be lots of new opportunities for inspiration. I don't see how I can keep giving outfits to my clients, though…"

"I can help!" Sweetie Belle chirped. "I can deliver your outfits!"

"You realize you'd have to be very careful," Rarity cautioned. "You couldn't mishandle or damage anything."

"I'll be careful!" Sweetie Belle promised. "I promise! Hey, maybe I can even get my cutie mark by helping you out!"

"I trust you," Rarity said. "Actually, Sweetie Belle, I have to pack almost all my fabrics and materials before I can go. Do you want to help me?"

"Sure thing, sis!" Sweetie Belle hopped up from her seat.

"I know that once I'm on my way, I'll get used to it," Rarity said quickly to her parents. "But I want to have this time with her before I leave."

"We understand," Field Goal replied. "Now you go do what you gotta do!"

Rarity led Sweetie Belle to her studio, where the two began packing.

* * *

"Are you SURE you can handle it?" Pinkie asked Mrs. Cake for the fiftieth time.

"It's been a really big help having you around the store to help with orders and to take care of the kids," Mrs. Cake reassured Pinkie, "but we can manage. Just remember that there's always going to be a room for you here for when you come back."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie said. "Ooooh, I'm so excited!" She loaded up her suitcases onto her cart. One was filled with party supplies; the other with random items she'd decided "might" come in handy. "I'll tell you everything when I see you again, I promise!"

"You have fun, Pinkie," Mr. Cake blessed.

"Oh, I always do!" Pinkie replied, wheeling her cart out of the shop. To her, the Cakes had been like family, but parting from them wasn't hard – she knew she'd see them again, and be able to tell them all about her wonderful adventures.

"Ah, Pinkie!" Mr. Cake called after her, remembering something.

Pinkie stuck her head back through the door. "Yes?"

"Did you forget something?"

"Nope! I got everything!"

"But you never leave home without your party cannon," Mr. Cake pointed out.

"But I didn't!" Pinkie wheeled her party cannon into view. "See?"

"Oh…never mind."

"See ya!"

After Pinkie left, Mr. Cake remarked, "You know, I do wonder where she keeps that thing when she carries it…"

* * *

"…and Angel likes to be fed three times a day," Fluttershy finished. "But if the food isn't made exactly right…he can get a little angry."

She'd just finished telling Miss Cheerilee all about how to care for her many animals. At first, Fluttershy had been reluctant to ask Cheerilee for help, since it was such a big responsibility; however, Fluttershy needed somepony to look after her many animal friends, and Cheerilee seemed the most obvious candidate.

Cheerilee had been willing to accept the responsibility. As she put it to Fluttershy at the end of the explanation: "If I can take care of an entire class of little colts and fillies, I can take care of all your animals. I'm glad to."

"Oh, I'm so happy," Fluttershy said with a big smile.

Fluttershy didn't have many things to pack, and left the house with only one suitcase.

* * *

Rainbow Dash found the very filly she was looking for in the center of town. "C'mon, Tank," she urged her tortoise friend. Tank mosied along next to Rainbow Dash as she approached her target.

Scootaloo launched into the air on her scooter, executing a complex flip kick. "Yeah!" she cried out as the scooter landed on the ground.

"Nice moves," Rainbow Dash commented.

Scootaloo gasped. "Rainbow Dash!"

"You're just the pony I'm looking for," Rainbow Dash began with a smile. "Mind if I ask you a favor? It's kind of a big one."

"Anything!" Scootaloo promised, her smile growing ever wider as Rainbow Dash kept speaking to her.

"I hear you're the president of a little something called the Rainbow Dash fan club," Rainbow Dash said with a wink. "Is that true?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo confirmed. "You're the coolest pony ever!"

"Tell me something I don't know!" Rainbow Dash joked. "Now, a lot of the town's pegasi are in that club, right?"

"Bulk Biceps, Ditzy Doo, Glitter, Cloudchaser…yeah!"

"I have to be gone for a while," Rainbow Dash explained. "A really long time. I have an important mission from Princess Celestia and Luna. Now, you know I usually lead the other pegasi in controlling the weather around here, right? Well, I'm not going to be able to do that. In my place, I want you to organize the other pegasi so the weather keeps running."

Scootaloo gasped. "Me? But…I can't even fly!"

"You don't need to!" Rainbow Dash assured with the dismissive wave of a hoof. "The others know how to take care of the weather, but they sort of see me as the leader. Also, they each have their strengths, but I usually take care of a lot more than that. You just have to help assign them to make sure everything runs smoothly! Here's a hint: Bulk Biceps can make tornadoes all by himself, Ditzy Doo is really good with lightning and rain when her aim isn't off, Glitter is the resident expert on snow, and Cloudchaser…well, Cloudchaser's really good at chasing clouds. All you have to do is tell them that Rainbow Dash herself put you in charge, and they'll listen to you."

"Why me?" Scootaloo asked. "I mean…isn't there anyone more skilled and organized you'd rather have?"

"You have spirit!" Rainbow Dash replied. "Just like me! That's what everypony needs to pull the weather together – a leader with spirit! Just show 'em how confident you are! Oh, and there's one more little thing."

"What is it?"

"I'm gonna need somepony to look after Tank," Rainbow Dash said, motioning toward the tortoise. "Don't worry. He's pretty low-maintenance."

"Hi, Tank!" Scootaloo approached the tortoise. "I'm Scootaloo!"

Tank smiled slowly but broadly.

"So," Rainbow Dash proposed, "how 'bout it?"

Scootaloo grinned. "You can count on me!"

* * *

Perhaps the most tearful goodbye was that of Applejack to her family.

"You just be careful," Granny Smith cautioned. "Wear your scarf when it gets cold, and…ohhh, it feels like just yesterday you were a little filly that was knee-high to my knees!"

"I'll be okay, Granny," Applejack said softly. "Heck, I'll be that much better going on just knowin' that you're all back here and that you love me. I know, I know, that sounds sappy, but it's true!"

"I wish you didn't have to go," Apple Bloom said hushedly.

"I wish I didn't have to leave you behind," Applejack replied. She gently ruffled her sister's red mane with her hoof, disheveling Apple Bloom's pink bow. "But I'll be back before you can say 'zap-apple jam', y'hear?"

"Ooooh, that reminds me!" Granny Smith cried. "I packed an extra jar of zap-apple jam in your suitcase for when you're feelin' hungry! Did you remember to take the extra skillet from the kitchen?"

"Yup," Applejack confirmed. "I think I'm gonna be doin' a lot of cookin' for the others. I mean, the only other one who knows how to cook is Pinkie, and all she knows how to make is dessert…good thing you taught me all those recipes, huh?" Applejack had to blink hard to keep the tears from coming back. "I just sure wish I could stay to help out on the farm – "

"Don't worry about that, dear," Granny Smith replied. "I'm gonna write your cousin Braeburn up in Appleloosa. He always promised that if we needed help on the Apple family farm, he'd be up here, lickety-split!"

"You gonna be okay?" Applejack asked her older brother.

Big Macintosh nodded. "Eeyup!"

"Then I guess I hafta go," Applejack sighed. "I love all y'all, y'know that?"

"Eeyup!"

"And we love you too," Granny Smith said.

"I love you too!" Apple Bloom piped in, not wanting to be left out.

Her goodbyes said, Applejack wheeled her luggage outside the house, only to see a small crowd gathered at the gate of the farm: Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Miss Cheerilee, and Scootaloo. "What're all y'all doin' here?" Applejack asked.

"We wanted to say goodbye to your family," Twilight answered. "After all, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom are like our family too."

"And I didn't want anypony else to leave without saying goodbye to me!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Or me!" Scootaloo cried.

"I wanted to wish you all luck on your journey," Cheerilee said.

The crowds meshed. Fluttershy shyly squeaked goodbye to Big Macintosh. Twilight encouraged Sweetie Belle to keep learning her magic. Rarity kindly adjusted Apple Bloom's bow. Applejack and Cheerilee exchanged fond sentiments. Granny Smith reminded Rainbow Dash to be careful when flying in stormy weather. Pinkie Pie pulled Scootaloo into a hug with her front right hoof.

Then Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack took their suitcases and wheeled them away.

"Gosh, Rarity," Applejack teased, "didja bring enough clothes?"

"They're for all of us!" Rarity defended. "Princess Celestia practically ordered me to bring these!"

"I wonder why," Twilight said before shrugging it off. "Anyway…I'm kind of excited, now."

"So am I," Rarity admitted. "Just think…we're about to embark on a great and romantic journey to faraway lands!"

"I can't wait!" Pinkie squealed.

"What if it's dangerous?" Fluttershy said softly.

"Never fear!" Rainbow Dash bragged. "I'll protect you!"

"I reckon we're gonna be just fine," Applejack deduced.

* * *

HORSESHOE BAY, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Down below the mountains upon which the great kingdom of Canterlot was set, the Canterlot port overlooked a vast expanse of sea. For several days, the sea had been enveloped in a silver mist. Looking at it for the first time, Twilight could tell that it was a magical mist. It practically called her: Enter, Twilight. There is much to be done.

Celestia and Luna led the six down the dock, helping them carry their luggage. Cadance and Shining Armor brought up the rear of the group, and royal guards surrounded. Blueblood, it was said, had refused to come, having a very important photo shoot for which he needed to style his mane, and he wasn't that concerned with the whole affair anyway. This gave Rarity a sense of relief, as she hadn't wanted him to show up.

A great ship, a galleon of old, was docked at the port. Its white sails billowed out in the slight breeze. Faded paint along the side proclaimed that its name was the STARLIGHT. "This is the ship that Luna and I used to cross the mists," Celestia explained. "It is over a thousand years old, but it is no less usable. Come inside. I want to show you around."

Celestia and Luna led the group up the gangplank and down belowdecks. The ship was quite roomy and very well held together, with plastered walls and finished wooden floors on the inside. A room near the front held the steering wheel, as opposed to the wheel being abovedecks. This struck Twilight as odd, but not as odd as other features of the room. For example, the great dashboard filled with screens and blinking lights.

"You can use these computer systems to organize any data you might find," Celestia explained. "There will be times that you need to research the lands in which you have found yourself, and times when you need to record things to remember for later."

"I've never seen anything like it," Twilight admitted. "Is it hard to use?"

"At first," Celestia admitted, "but you get used to it. Uploaded into its database is the most comprehensive guide of information about the multiverse as it currently exists. I made sure the most recent edition was installed myself. However, you may want to have the original copy for yourself." She levitated what appeared to be a book off the dashboard and steered it toward Twilight. Ever eager to see a new book, Twilight picked it up with her own magic. It turned out not to be a traditional book, but an electronic pad with keys for which to look up terminology. The pad had a cover, which was what had made it appear booklike; the cover read, in bold lettering, "DON'T PANIC." Twilight doubted that was the title.

"And this," Celestia said, referring to a small mantelpiece set in the wall, "is the fireplace that will send your letters directly to Canterlot, just like dragon fire. You can light it any way you wish; its enchantment will always transfer the things burned in it to the palace. Rarity, you can use it to send back your new fashions."

Celestia continued on to show them the kitchen, which was fully stocked. Applejack added her own skillet to the inventory anyway, and stored the zap-apple jam away in one of the cupboards. There were several lounges and "meeting rooms" for recreational use; Pinkie planned out how she could decorate each one. Several bedrooms were ready for use; the six friends dropped their suitcases off in the quarters they wished to claim. Twilight found the size of the beds odd – they were twice as big, she thought, as she would need them to be. She figured that the change must have been for Celestia, who was much taller, even a thousand years ago. In the back of the ship, there was a strange room that Celestia called the "engine room", though she pointed out that the engine didn't work and the sails would have to be used instead. Twilight made note of that.

"There is nothing more I can tell you," Celestia said at last, "that you will not find out for yourselves."

"I have one last question," Twilight said.

"Yes?"

"Who is this angel of darkness you kept telling us about?"

Celestia sighed. "That is one thing I wish I could tell you. But I don't know. No one does. We only know that he has – "

"Or she?" Rarity suggested.

" – or she has," Celestia amended, "sent anonymous threats. If the mists have come, and you fulfill one half of the prophecy, he or she must fulfill the other. We have no doubt that the one sending the threats is the true angel of darkness."

"There will actually be many great dangers on your journey!" Luna boomed, causing Fluttershy to wince and hide behind Rainbow Dash. "But you will be strong, and you will learn how to defeat them!"

"That is why we have one last gift to give you before you begin," Celestia said. "Cadance, if you please."

Cadance brought forth a golden box that the six immediately recognized. "Here," she said, opening the box. "You'll remember these."

Cadance then doled out the necklaces that bore the Elements of Harmony. Rarity's held a glittering purple crystal cut in the shape of a diamond, matching her cutie mark. Pinkie's was in the form of a blue balloon. Fluttershy received a pink butterfly, Applejack an orange apple, and Rainbow Dash a bright red lightning bolt.

"And Twilight," Cadance finished, levitating the great crown that contained the pink starburst of Magic, "since it's a good idea to keep these with you at all times, we thought this might be a bit unwieldy. Do you mind if we…"

"Not at all," Twilight said.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance each pointed their horns toward the tiara, focusing their energy upon it. It transformed into a necklace like the others, the pink starburst another gem. Twilight took it and fastened it around her neck.

"Now, we must leave you," Celestia said. "Good luck, my little ponies. And remember, when you start out, to trust the mists."

"We won't let you down!" Rainbow Dash promised, saluting.

"We have faith in you!" Luna said before she and her sister departed.

"I know you can do it, Twily," Shining Armor said with a wink. "All of you, in fact!"

"We'll see you soon," Cadance promised. "And you'll always be in our hearts!"

"You too," Twilight swore.

"See ya!" Shining Armor said before he and Cadance left.

"Well," Twilight said, "here we are."

"No turnin' back now," Applejack remarked.

"What are we waiting for?" Pinkie cried. "Let's go!"

"Right," Twilight said. "I'll take the wheel. Rainbow Dash, you go abovedeck and haul up the anchor."

"Right!" Rainbow Dash rushed away.

Twilight walked back to the cockpit. She pressed a large button marked "POWER", and the mysterious screens roared to life. They portrayed an overhead map of the coastline of the Canterlot port, though beyond the misty area, the screen grew gray and fuzzy, as though there was nothing beyond the mist. A red line led from the spot where the Starlight was docked toward the direction in which it was pointed.

"Anchor's up!" Rainbow Dash called from above.

Twilight had only to touch the steering wheel, and the Starlight knew what to do. It set off, steering itself directly into the mists. "Trust the mists," she muttered. She then walked away from the cockpit to unpack her things in her quarters.

From the shore, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadance, and the guards watched the Starlight drift into the mists and eventually disappear. They knew that unlike the other boats in the harbor, it had not simply vanished from view by getting too far away. The Starlight was gone.

Satisfied that they had what they'd come for, the mists rolled away, revealing a clear blue sky over clear blue waters.

* * *

CHANGELING KINGDOM, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Far beyond even what was visible from atop the high mountain views in Canterlot, a dusty wasteland with crumbling shanties situated upon it in the arrangements of neighborhoods lay under the burning sun. At the edge of this land, a great palace of obsidian with sky-high spires, the only sign of wealth in the entire kingdom, loomed, casting its shadow.

In the dark alleys between the shanties, two changelings met up. "Doomie!" one of them cried.

"Misery!" the other replied. The pair hugged. "How have you been?"

"Miserable," Misery answered. "You know how…she…gets…"

"Some say it's worth it," Doomie pointed out. "So we can be hungry when we reach the other kingdoms."

"I don't care," Misery said. "If she made our own kingdom better…we wouldn't need to conquer the others…" Tears filled Misery's eyes.

Doomie reached out with a hoof to take Misery around the shoulders and comfort her, and Misery felt the hunger for love that had driven her mad since the last raid on Canterlot subside, filled up by Doomie's affection.

They heard the tell-tale buzzing above them, and struggled to move away from each other before they were caught. They were too late. How did she always know? Misery wondered this as she panicked.

"YOU TWO!" Queen Chrysalis barked, touching down in the alley, her wings ceasing the buzzing they made when she flew. "WHAT have I said about fraternization?"

"To stay away from each other!" Doomie recited dutifully. "Not to give each other love! To stay hungry so that we might feed from the kingdoms we conquer! I swear, Your Highness, she was the one who hugged me! I was trying to tell her to get away!"

"Doomie!" Misery cried out in anguish, devastated by her friend's betrayal. She knew she shouldn't have expected any different – Chrysalis' loveless rule had hardened all the residents of the Changeling Kingdom into exactly the warriors the queen wanted.

"You must pay for your actions," Chrysalis informed Misery.

"Please, Your Highness, no!" Misery begged. "I'll never talk to anyone outside of strict business again! No more hugging! No more – "

"It's already too late for you," Chrysalis informed Misery, her horn glowing.

When Chrysalis was finished, Misery hung suspended from the gable of the nearest shanty, covered in a cocoon of green goo. Doomie shuddered to look at it. The cocoons weren't deadly, but nopony ever liked to be in them. It could take weeks for one to melt away, and those within them were conscious for every minute. The goo also affected its victims emotionally, more so the longer you were in one. She was glad she'd managed to escape that fate.

"Now go," Chrysalis demanded, "before I change my mind about sparing you."

Doomie obliged by running away.

Chrysalis heard slow applause from behind her. At first, this confused her, since none of her subjects had hands. When she turned, she felt as though the sight before her was too good to be true. "Discord!"

"Chrysalis!" Discord greeted. "It is good to see you again! Still wreaking havoc upon Equestria?"

"As always," Chrysalis said with a nod. "I had meant to join you after your release, of course…but they put you away." Her teeth gritted at the very memory of it. "So I swore I'd take revenge on them. I sent a threat to Canterlot, and my forces were very nearly able to take it. You would have been pleased – I disguised myself as a royal bride, and very nearly wed the prince."

"What fun!" Discord said with a smile. "That would have made the game fun indeed! Which princess was the blushing bride?"

"Mi Amoré Cadenza."

"Eurgh!" Discord mimed sticking a finger down his throat. "Gag! I bet she wanted a wedding that was all cutesy and fluffy!"

"She had it planned out by the six that defeated you," Chrysalis nearly spat. "It was every bit as sentimental and disgusting as you imagine."

"Well, you needn't worry about that anymore," Discord informed Chrysalis. "The Elements of Harmony just left town. Left the world, in fact."

Chrysalis' eyes widened. "They have passed on?"

"Better," Discord said. "They just boarded the Starlight and set out for Avalon!"

Chrysalis made a face of disgust. "How is that better?"

"Why, the game is only fun if we have opponents to play with," Discord pointed out as though it were obvious. "Speaking of which, we have a new player. A stranger who freed me. She claims she's going to be the master of the new age of chaos. Of course, she severely overestimates herself."

"Yet she was able to undo what the Elements of Harmony had done to you," Chrysalis pointed out.

"So were three indecisive fillies," Discord groaned. "It's nothing to worry about! Our time is coming, Chrysalis. We can have all the fun we want! It will be just like the old days…me, causing chaos, you, eating others' love by turning into their loved ones, and oh, the looks on their faces when they found out was you were just delicious! Of course, we'll have to round up all the others if we really want to make this an age of chaos."

"Yes," Chrysalis said with a smirk. "I suppose we will."

"Since the Starlight rode out," Discord said, "we shouldn't be able to travel between the worlds. It just wouldn't make any sense! And you know what that means…"

"You can transport us immediately!" Chrysalis finished.

"It's up to you," Discord said. "Where do you want to start?"

"Wherever there is the most love to feed upon," Chrysalis answered right away. "I can leave the other changelings to their own devices. They'll probably disobey my laws…but the absence of a queen will certainly throw them into chaos."

"My favorite thing," Discord remarked. "Let the games begin!"

He snapped the fingers of his left claw, and he and Chrysalis both vanished.

* * *

Prologue/Chapter 1:

· This is a multicrossover fan fiction. The Mane Six will be the main characters and the unifying factor; however, I plan to include a great many different works of fiction here. It will be a journey-style story, à la Kingdom Hearts or The Pendragon Adventure. I had so far been writing this and sharing it in a rather private space with select friends, but I've chosen to make it public now. I have 76 chapters already written (yes, 76!), and am going to upload them hopefully fairly quickly in succession. After that, updates will be slower. While the first few crossovers will be largely Disney-based (what can I say…I'm a fan), other stuff will show up eventually. Stuff that might surprise you.

· Before I begin, I want to give some thanks. First of all, my friend Ophira, who inspired me to write this in the first place. Without him, I might have let this idea just die. Second, my friend GAvillain, who you can actually find here on (that's his profile name here). He's been sort of my consultant for various ideas, as well as one of the people who's cheered me on with this the most and inspired me to take some risks with it. If you end up liking this story, please go check out his fanfic "Chasing a Dream," which is basically the fraternal twin of this one – it's a multicrossover world-journey fic, but it's based even more on Disney (the protagonist is Jim Hawkins from Treasure planet) and is ultimately darker.

· The entire point of this prologue was to provide a cutoff point in the series of MLPFIM where this story can begin. I can retcon in most things, but not alicorn Twilight, and DEFINITELY not the girls giving up the Elements. I also want to see if I can handle these things in higher-stakes circumstances further down the road. I had begun writing the story before S3 ended, and the S3 finale was kind of where I couldn't reconcile canon with the story anymore. Basically, everything that happened in S1 and S2, as well as everything BUT the S3 finale, happened as far as MLPFIM, and the flashbacks seen in the S4 premiere will be mostly left intact.

· The pacing on the prologue was intended to be a little faster and not quite as detailed as the official chapters because it's really a "how we got here." Still, I can't shake the feeling that what I've got here is cooler than the actual season 3 finale… Anyway, I also tried not to spend too much time on introducing everypony because I did that in the main story proper, even though this comes first. I hope that's all right. (I should also tell you right now: if I have a bias toward or against anything in a fandom, it's gonna come out here. Haters gonna hate.)

· It kicks off from the episode "Magical Mystery Cure."

· Since this cutoff gives me license to ignore a lot of what will happen in season 4 story-wise unless I want to—after all, the butterfly effect means ANYTHING can now happen in that timeline—no matter where they station Cadance in the show, I'm going to station her in the crystal palace.

· "One of his favorite stints had involved him visiting a starship." Reference to Q.

· The idea of switching Cutie Marks was already so chaotic, I decided to run with it. When replacing my royal council, I basically thought, "Who would make the WORST three princesses ever?" Which isn't to say Ditzy, Screwball, or Big Macintosh are incompetent (or Bulk Biceps…as he replaced Shining Armor, sort of). I'm saying that while they are talented at other things, their personalities are quite unsuited for being royalty. They're EXCELLENT at weather/apple farming/whatever the heck Screwball does.

· A quick rundown for those unfamiliar with the background ponies: the quill salesman appears in the opening song of the season 3 finale and has no name. Carrot Top is a background pony (named so by the fandom; her official Hasbro name is "Golden Harvest") who we assume farms carrots. Vinyl Scratch (or DJ PON-3) is a DJ; both those are fan nicknames, but she really has turned up to play music at canon events. Aloe is the fan name of one of the spa workers. Cheerilee is the canon teacher; that's her canon name. Berry Punch is a background pony who fanon has not only named, but given the personality of someone who enjoys alcohol a teensy bit too much. Mayor Mare is the canon mayor and that's who Vinyl had the position of. Silver Spoon is a snobby filly who teases Apple Bloom and her friends—that's who Apple Bloom got the mark of (whereas before, Apple Bloom had no mark at all). Flim and Flam are rival apple cider sellers and parodies of Harold Hill from The Music Man, making them minor villains and archenemies of the Apple family. (I tried copying their Music-Man-style dialogue here.) Zecora is the zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest and seems to have a lot of hidden wisdom about magic and other things. Lightning Dust is a bratty pegasus from the ep "Wonderbolt Academy," and she only cares about her own glory even if it hurts others; she's a rival to Rainbow Dash. Ditzy Doo (known as "Derpy Hooves" by most of the fandom, but even I think that name's a little offensive—which most bronies don't and are actually mad got retconned out for the more "politically correct" name; that's right, they made the name Ascended Fanon before some complained that it was offensive) is just kind of spacey, but it's been implied that she's a weather pony and works with Rainbow Dash on the weather. Screwball (another fan name) only appeared during the reign of Discord; she was seen flying around, wearing a pinwheel cap and fiddling with her lip. That was probably just how she was under Discord's influence, but I like thinking she's a little bit crazy and that she and Ditzy make a spacey team together. And Big Macintosh is Applejack's older brother and a stallion of few words; the running gag is that he pretty much only says the words "Eeyup" and "Nope," so him as royalty? Yeah…no.

· Oh, and Braeburn is Applejack's hyper cousin who usually gives ponies the tour of Appleloosa. I thought it would be really funny to switch him out for Cadance, especially since they're two of my favorite side characters.

· It's canon that only pegasi can walk naturally on clouds, but unicorns can cast spells on themselves or earth ponies to gain or give this ability.

· The clouds are blue and snow sugar this time because I wanted something SIMILAR to Discord's last reign, but not the same. Because I know what he likes, but he wouldn't want to be predictable, either. Same thing with the roads turning to trampoline instead of soap.

· Originally, I had the major harbor called something like "Canterlot Harbor." I then looked up an actual map of Equestria and discovered that Canterlot is not a port city. So it's Horseshoe Bay now.

· I don't know why I feel like Luna is a crazy driver. I just think it goes with her personality.

· Bulk Biceps is another background pony. He's also occasionally called "Roid Rage." He's an overmuscled pegasus with teeny-tiny wings, and he's always pumped about stuff—his catchphrase (and only line ever) is yelling "YEAAAAHHH!" at things he agrees with.

· I'm hoping my way of getting Cadance to realize her talent was love wasn't too corny. (It probably is.)

· And I finally got to get my Discord backstory right! I do hate the whole "I'm hurting you for your own good" concept—not that that's what this is, but I'm afraid it comes across that way. At the core, it is "I'm hurting you for Equestria's good." I'm not really sure what the best way is to deal with someone who can't be happy unless he's impeding the lives of hundreds of others. Anyway, that's how he got sealed into stone, and I tried to make it so there was as little leftover baggage as possible between him and Fluttershy, or with him in general.

· There's a fanon joke that Ditzy likes muffins because of a scene where a bunch of ponies are talking at once and an audio mixup makes it look like she's just saying the word "Muuuuuffinnnnnn."

· And yes…the outer-space-place is where Twilight would have been crowned in canon. Celestia refused because between the six defeating Discord and her own seeing the Mists of Avalon, she realized that they're actually the six from the prophecy, and Twilight shouldn't be tied down to the royal court right now.

· I wanted to call the outer-space-place the Space Between, which I call the area between worlds in later chapters, since it kind of looked like that, but I realized that means Celestia would have to know how to Apparate at the speed of darkness (I explain what this is in later chapters), so…it's just a little pocket dimension or something that doesn't even warrant a header.

· As for the title of the fic itself, I couldn't think of one that was epic enough, so I just decided to keep it simple. After all, that's what it's really all about.

· The chapter title "Exogenesis" is actually a word I learned from a Muse song. The song, "Exogenesis Symphony", is a song that I think really fits the overall tone I'm trying to make with this fic (the full 12 minute version). I would suggest it as a companion song to this chapter. The word means "a beginning prompted by outside forces", which is exactly what this is – the ponies are brought into their adventure because of the Doctor, the angel of darkness, and the mists of Avalon, all of which come from different worlds.

· "Fourth Equestria" because I want to assert that many worlds have plurality. This is especially important with Earth territories. The idea came kinda from the Pendragon Adventure books, where the three different Earths are called First Earth, Second Earth, and Third Earth. In this universe, there are HUNDREDS of Earths; the Earth with Hogwarts isn't any of the aforementioned Earths. There are many Equestrias as well. This one is "fourth" specifically because it's the fourth MLP show that was ever invented; as you can imagine, First Equestria, Second Equestria, and Third Equestria are the first, second, and third gens of the show.

· I always wanted to have both the Doctors in Equestria at the same time because, as the fandom pointed out, both Ten and Five ARE there. I checked Wiki to make sure you could have two of the Doctor at once, and yes, you can. As for why he's there with no companion, or where this takes place in the show timeline, I don't yet know. Kind of one of those "my fic, my rules" things.

· Oh, I should explain that. I try my best to go for accuracy, but sometimes I go Fix Fic, and sometimes I change things because I just like it better that way. There are going to be things I do that you're probably not gonna like. I've adopted a philosophy of "My fic, my rules." I can fix what I want. I can ship what I want.

· I didn't make a specific book for the book club because I would have to have invented a whole new book world for it, and that would be another world to deal with. In the multiverse as it currently stands, the "Bookworld" from Jasper Fforde's works exists, and therefore all books are real. I had originally intended for this to be a springboard for the Mane Six to meet Daring Do before MLPFIM actually canonized that Daring Do is, in fact, real in that universe.

· "Time Turner" is the canonical name for Dr. Whooves – but his official Hasbro description does make reference to "timey wimey". So Hasbro's OK with him being the Doctor; they just can't say so without breaking copyright.

· I made up the prophecy myself. That's not from anywhere.

· The three potential "sixes" Ten mentions are, of course, Harry and friends from Harry Potter, the Avengers from the filmverse, and the main cast of Gargoyles, which is one of my favorite shows. Other potential "sixes" for this list would have been the Storm Hawks (from Storm Hawks, another favorite cartoon) or Sora/Riku/Kairi/Mickey/Donald/Goofy from Kingdom Hearts (which, believe you me, is getting its share of Fix Fic when that time comes).

· The angel of darkness is a famous pop culture icon whose identity is for now secret.

· The mysterious alicorn is also a famous pop culture icon and may or may not be the angel of darkness; I'm only going to say that she is definitely working on the angel's agenda. You'll find out the truth later on.

· The concept of "Old Ones" is something I kinda pulled from Lovecraft. There are also just so many "ancient evils" in fiction that I thought it would be cool if they were all connected. Let's just say that of all the Old Ones, Discord is probably the friendly one.

· Chrysalis is not an Old One. More of a faerie-like being.

· Shining Armor and Cadance are probably my favorite MLP side characters, and I just love writing for them.

· Rarity's parents canonically have names…that I didn't find out about until after I made these ones. And my confidantes who read this told me not to worry about changing it. Her dad is "Field Goal" because of his football cutie mark. "Glory" is the name of an earlier-gen pony that Rarity was actually based on. (I did actually go back and change "Snowflake" to "Bulk Biceps," though.)

· It's "Ditzy Doo" instead of "Derpy" here because I don't want to get into that controversy. As a worldbuilding note, I do want to say that a lot of ponies in Ponyville do call her "Derpy", and I haven't yet decided if that's the name they use as an insult or a nickname Ditzy uses affectionately for herself with pride. I've seen a lot of neurally atypical people say they didn't mind "Derpy" because they used to reclaim terms like that for themselves, but at the same time, I've seen a lot of people who were really offended by the term in general.

· I decided that Applejack is a great cook because she catered for Cadence's wedding. And also because the crew needed at least one really good cook.

· I admit that as far as vehicles go, the Starlight is probably the Mary Sue of vehicles. I wanted a TARDIS, but there was no way I could in good conscience make one to connect to Twilight or any of the others without feeling like I was tarnishing Doctor Who (despite the fact that I've obviously taken liberties with everything else). So, yeah, it can move through time and space. But it's a boat. It's also partially inspired by the "Voyage of the Basset" books, which I loved as a kid. (Incidentally, #1 in the Basset series was about a civilization made up of talking pegasi…)

· I'm guessing that in a crossover universe, the Hitchhiker's Guide probably has the most info of everything. Except about Second Earth, which is "mostly harmless".

· "The mists don't take you where you want to go, they take you where you need to go" is pretty much directly lifted from Gargoyles. The mists are basically my big plot device. And yes, in Gargoyles, it's technically Avalon itself that sends you, not the mists, but my fic, my rules.

· I changed Twi's crown to a necklace because, as Cadence said, it's really unwieldy, and the Mane Six WOULD need to have the Elements on at all times.

· I'm almost always uncomfortable with the concept of an "evil race", but at the same time, I don't like oversympathizing characters that were expressly written to be villains. Hence my explanation of the Changeling Kingdom. They could fill their need for love if they were allowed to interact, but Chrysalis forbids friendship so they will be hungry enough to attack other kingdoms. Most of them have accepted this as a way of life and thus become warlike. This way, I can say that Changelings aren't an "evil race", and at the same time not cast them as good characters who were justified in attacking Equestria because "they just need to eat!" The big thing to understand is that Chrysalis herself is evil, and in a kingdom where the queen has absolute sovereignty, that's what matters.

· "Doomie" is a fan nickname given to the changeling that Pinkie tells "Do me, do me!" It spawned a lot of memes – either of taking the line out of context and doing some very dirty shipping of Doomie/Pinkie, or of Doomie changing into a warped version of Pinkie, like the gen 3 version. "Misery" is completely my OC.

· I've always liked the idea of Discord and Chrysalis being at least friends. I like to believe that Chrysalis timed the attack on Canterlot when she did as revenge for Discord's defeat. (It makes sense as to why she didn't just attack years earlier.) I also like the idea that when Discord ruled the world, Chrysalis caused chaos for him by tricking others into thinking she was their loved ones. Chryscord is actually one of my favorite Discord ships, but I'm not sure whether I want to play it as the ship in this, seeing as I have a few other Discord ships I really like. Otherwise their dialogue would have been WAY more romantic.


	2. The Mists of Avalon

1. The Mists of Avalon

THE SPACE BETWEEN

"At last!" Rarity announced, setting up her sewing machine in her quarters and throwing her suitcases to the side. "Everything's unpacked and in its proper place!"

"Hey, Rarity!" Rainbow Dash called out, passing Rarity's open door. "We're all meeting up in the first lounge Celestia showed us."

"I'll be right there!" Rarity followed Rainbow Dash to the lounge, where Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie waited for them on plush couches.

"All right, girls," Twilight said. "Now, from what I've read and seen, we've left the atmosphere of Equestria. Well, actually, the Guide – " she referred to the covered pad Celestia had given her " – refers to our home territory as 'Fourth Equestria'. Apparently, there are a lot of worlds that have plural natures because of split timelines, and that means there are a lot of Equestrias. Now, I don't really know where we're going, but according to all my sources, the mists of Avalon will take us wherever we need to be. We just need to make sure we're ready for anyth – "

The ship crossed a border upon the seemingly endless seas. Fourth Equestria, or any Equestria, was now far behind. As the atmosphere of Fourth Equestria had affected the Doctor on his way in, the change in atmosphere now affected the six on their way out.

Twilight fell off the couch and onto the floor, twitching. Her body was shaking out of her control, and she felt her skin stretching in odd ways. She heard around her the cries of her five friends; whatever was happening to her was happening to all of them. She lay on the floor, letting her stomach churn and her limbs vibrate, until whatever had happened was over. When she was certain it had passed, she tried to stand.

Something was wrong, she noticed immediately. At first, she thought it was merely that her front legs were suddenly shorter than her back legs. Then she looked down. Said "front legs" weren't purple anymore, and ended in strange feet with five digits instead of hooves. It didn't even feel natural to stand on them. Twilight reared up on her hind legs, only to find that her posture felt more natural that way. She looked down at herself to see that the rest of her body also wasn't purple. Her hind legs had lengthened, and ended in more five-digited feet, though this time with shorter digits. She was also much taller; the doors, which she had assumed were as tall as they were to accommodate an alicorn of Celestia's height, were now just tall enough to let her through.

"No," Twilight said to herself. "It can't be…they're only myths and legends…"

Her friends had undergone the same transformation. They all rose to their hind legs once they saw Twilight do it. She looked around at all of them, and was suddenly sure of what had happened, though it had before seemed impossible.

"What are we?" Rainbow Dash cried. "What happened?"

"We're creatures I thought didn't exist outside of fairy tales," Twilight explained. "We're…humans."

Rarity let out a scream. "HUMANS? How could this happen?"

"The Guide said that some worlds changed you depending on their atmospheres," Twilight said. "Especially if it makes you fit in with the dominant species of that world. Whatever world we're going to must have humans, or at least humanoids, as the dominant species." Struck by a thought, Twilight opened the Guide and looked up humans. "In fact…" She gasped. "Almost ALL the worlds outside Equestria have humanoids as dominant!"

"So we're stuck like this?" Rarity wailed as Pinkie Pie lost her balance and tipped over.

"Unless we find another world where we turn into something else," Twilight said. "I guess we'll just have to get used to this."

"Why didn't Celestia tell us?" Fluttershy asked.

"We wouldn't have believed her," Twilight answered. "Besides, I don't know if this is something you can prepare anypony for." Twilight suddenly gasped. "Oh my gosh! I just remembered!"

"What?" Rarity asked. "What is it?"

"In most human cultures," Twilight said, "it's really offensive to go naked! We need clothes!"

"That's why Celestia asked me to bring so many!" Rarity realized. "Well, I suppose I can whip something up for each of us. I'll have to modify what I brought, and that might take some time…we're not at all the same shape as what I brought with me…but I can make something. Erm, what areas do I have to make sure to cover?"

Twilight showed Rarity a diagram of a human as drawn by the Guide, explaining to her the minimum requirements for fashions. Rarity then took off at once for her quarters.

In the meantime, Twilight stepped out in front of the full-length mirror in the lounge to examine herself. She'd noticed that while everypony's bright colors had neutralized out to the duller tones of human flesh, the hair upon their heads remained the same as their manes. Rarity's purple curls had still been present, and cascaded down her back in full. Twilight played with her own hair, a short cut that retained the purple and pink pattern of her old mane. Pinkie still had her shock of pink curls, Fluttershy had a luxurious fall of light pink, Applejack retained her blonde ponytail as well as her hat, and Rainbow Dash sported a short cut of rainbow hues. Based on their physical appearances and ages combined with what she knew about humans, Twilight deduced that they were probably around the ages of early twenties by human years. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were also the only two to retain a piece of their old bodies; blue wings sprouted from Rainbow Dash's shoulder blades, and Fluttershy's yellow wings did the same, though both pairs now looked bigger so they could carry the new bodies to which they were attached. Finally, Twilight noted the cutie marks. The marks on their flanks were now transferred to their right shoulders, though the patterns hadn't changed at all. The matching necklaces of the Elements of Harmony remained around their necks.

"I feel so strange," Fluttershy said. "Humans do walk on their back legs, right?"

"Right," Twilight confirmed.

"But it's hard!" Pinkie complained after falling to the floor a second time.

Rarity burst through the door to the lounge, now dressed and carrying five other garments. "It's done!" she cried.

"That was fast," Fluttershy remarked.

"I've had a lot of years to practice," Rarity said, "and I only modified our gowns from the Gala. I gave each of them a special touch to reflect your personalities. After all, I've read some of the tales about humans, and I know how much their fashions can vary."

Rarity herself was clothed in a very elaborate ballgown of dark pink, with a full skirt and a long train. Her sleeves were puffed out at the shoulder and had lace edges; her neckline was square, and remained at a conservative height. When she took a step, the others saw that she had abandoned the glass slippers that usually went with that ensemble for a pair of old-fashioned, button-up high-heeled slippers in a paisley design that matched the gown. "And yes," she said, as though reading everypony's mind, "I was able to mold shoes for everyone too."

She doled out the clothes, which the others put on at once. Twilight slipped into a blue gown with off-the-shoulder straps and an A-line skirt that was shorter in the front than in the back, exposing her knees but trailing on the floor behind. A pair of glittering high heels finished it off. When Twilight looked back into the mirror, she remembered the few stories she'd read about humans that featured sorcerers and witches. She looked very much like one in this new dress.

Pinkie Pie's dress retained its blue-and-white striped sleeveless bodice with small white poufs over each shoulder and a pink bow at the base of the neck. Her pink skirt, with its over-layer patterned with candy, was shortened considerably – above the knee – and puffed out to almost resemble a tutu. She laced up a pair of pink ballet slippers with blue bows on top. "This is perfect for dancing in!" Pinkie remarked.

"You might wanna master walkin' first," Applejack pointed out. Her outfit was actually in two pieces: a green and brown shirt with a collar and a bolo tie, and a green skirt with a fringe that stopped below the knee. A pair of green cowboy boots with red and white accents offset the ensemble.

"Oh, my," Fluttershy said, stepping into her dress, a short, sleeveless green sundress with flowers on the hem and a blue sash. "It's beautiful!" She slipped her feet into a pair of green sandals.

"Aw, man!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Do I HAVE to wear a big old skirt around everywhere?"

"I thought you might not want that," Rarity said, handing over the pieces of Rainbow Dash's new outfit. "So I made you something a little different."

Rainbow Dash slipped into a bright purple T-shirt and a pair of rainbow jeans that flared out at the bottom hems. She laced up a pair of golden sneakers to go with them. "Hey," she said, "this is actually pretty cool."

"I didn't account for the wings," Rarity admitted. "I didn't actually see you still had them at first. I'll work something out later so you and Fluttershy can still use them. But for now, this will have to do. Oh, I'll have to reconfigure all the outfits I brought if we're going to stay like this…or if we keep changing to new things!"

"But you did a great job!" Fluttershy complimented. "We all look perfect!"

Rarity blushed. "Well, I couldn't let you look any less. Hmm…you know, this could be a new challenge. Designing for entirely new shapes!"

"You're gonna hafta tell us more about humans," Applejack admitted. "I haven't read as much of that mythology stuff as the rest of you."

"Neither did I," Rainbow Dash added. "Are humans monsters?"

"Sometimes," Twilight said. "Sometimes not. It really depends. Say, Rarity…were you still able to use your magic when you made these clothes?"

"I hardly even thought about it," Rarity admitted. She took off a shoe. With a wave of her hand, she was able to levitate it up and down. "It looks like even with our horns gone, we still have our powers."

"Hmm…" Twilight turned and pointed at Pinkie Pie. A bolt of magic shot from her finger and hit Pinkie's face; a large mustache grew from Pinkie's upper lip.

"Hey!" Pinkie cried. She then looked in the mirror and cracked up with laughter. "I look funny!"

Twilight dismissed the mustache with a snap of her fingers, an action that came to her almost instinctively. "Yep…we still have our powers, all right."

"So where are we going that we have to look like this anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We could probably find out in the cockpit," Twilight realized. "If we're getting close to somewhere that's actually…somewhere, the map might have it labeled now."

"So lemme see if I got this," Rainbow Dash spelled out as the six made their way to the cockpit. "Even though we stayed on the ocean the whole time, we completely left Equestria or Fourth Equestria or whatever that Guide calls it?"

"Exactly," Twilight answered.

They entered the cockpit, and the screens now showed a new map. The Starlight was approaching a large island. Text upon the screen labeled the island: "Avalon."

"Avalon itself!" Twilight gasped.

"So what's the story on this place anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It's supposed to be the place where a great king went to sleep instead of dying," Twilight answered. "He promised to come back after sleeping for a while. That's the most famous story about it, anyway. The stories always say it's one of the most magical places in existence, even though it can't be found in Equestria. I never thought about the ponies who lived there as not being ponies, though. Now that I think about it, the stories never really said whether they really were ponies, or whether they were humans. I always just assumed. I bet the writers of the stories did too."

"It must be a powerful story," Fluttershy said, "to have come from this world all the way to ours."

"Trust the mists," Applejack said, remembering Celestia's parting words. "Well, we're supposed to be here. Looks like we better dock and see what we can see."

"It's really happening," Twilight said softly. "This really is…something big."

"I can't wait!" Pinkie said excitedly.

The six friends, now human, stared up at the screen and watched as the Starlight drew itself closer and closer to Avalon.

* * *

AVALON

It was nighttime when the ship docked on the coast of Avalon. Rainbow Dash rushed abovedecks to toss down the anchor, locking the ship in place. Twilight knew that wasn't necessary; the ship wouldn't move from where it had been called until it was ready to do so. Rainbow Dash and Applejack heaved the gangplank over the side, and the six friends walked down onto the misty, sandy coast shrouded in darkness.

At first, they saw only the trees beyond the sandy strip of beach. They walked closer, looking at the forest before them. Every tree bore fruit. Some had oranges, some had pears, and some even had apples. Applejack plucked an apple from one of the larger trees. "This looks like the most beautiful apple I ever did see," she remarked. "Safe to take a bite, or is this food like that Tartarus place you told us about?"

"It should be safe," Twilight said. "All the plants on Avalon are benevolent. At least, that's what the legends say."

Applejack took a cautious bite of the apple. Her eyes widened. Without swallowing, she exclaimed, "This is the most DELICIOUS apple I ever did see!"

A rustling in the bushes caused Fluttershy to leap back and cry out in fear. Six heads turned to look at the underbrush. From the plants trundled an adorable creature, a white mammal about the size of a puppy. Its body and face looked like those of a baby seal.

"Oh, aren't you cute!" Fluttershy knelt and extended her hand to the strange animal. It walked closer to Fluttershy's hand, pressing against it; it was obviously used to being handled and petted. "You're adorable," Fluttershy reiterated.

"It's a mistmaker," Twilight identified. "I didn't read all that much about them, but I heard they like music."

Fluttershy decided to experiment with this concept. "What is this place, filled with so many wonders?" she sang. "Casting its spell, that I am now under! Apples on trees, and mistmakers cute as bunnies, mists on the sea and the fruit tastes like honey!"

"Aaaaah," the mistmaker sighed. "Aaaahhh…" A fine mist exuded from its mouth and nostrils as it sighed.

Fluttershy gave a little squeal.

"Let's keep going," Twilight suggested. Reluctantly, Fluttershy left the mistmaker behind.

The forest became deeper and darker, but never seemed frightening, instead giving off a sense of security. Birds chirped from the upper branches, and the breeze rustled the leaves gently. At the end of the forest, the six came out into a grassy, hilly clearing from which the coastline was visible to the left.

"Look," Twilight said hushedly. A strange creature was sitting on a rock, combing her hair. She appeared to the others to be like a sea pony, but with the upper half of a human instead of an equine, and with a tail that looked more like that of a fish than a seahorse. "I think they're called mermaids," Twilight whispered.

Fluttershy looked ahead and let out a great scream. The others turned to see what she'd seen, and gasped accordingly. A great blob of black slime, as big as all six young women combined, was sliding by, its two red eyes focusing on the strangers to its island. It rolled its eyes at their screams and continued on leisurely.

"It's just a Brollachan," Twilight realized with a sigh. "Some of them are harmful, but not that one."

"This place just keeps gettin' weirder," Applejack pointed out.

Suddenly, the voice of a child pierced through the dark air: "Magus, look!"

Coming over the hill was an odd duo indeed. The child who had spoken was a girl who looked to be the age of five by human standards, and her frame was humanoid, but she definitely wasn't an actual human. Her skin was gray like stone, and her hands and feet ended in claws. Large, batlike wings protruded from her back, the span of them twice as wide as her body. A tuft of dark hair topped off her innocent, smiling face. Twilight identified her immediately as a gargoyle. The other was human, and at first, Twilight mistook him for an old man, only to realize that he was about her age; his hair, white as snow, had thrown her off. His robes were the same white color as his hair. He led the child on towards the group with a look on his face as though he'd been expecting them.

"Welcome," the young white-haired man greeted. "I see you're new to Avalon."

"We are," Twilight replied.

"I wonder if you are the six everyone's been talking about," the white-haired man continued. "How did you come to this place?"

"We sailed," Applejack answered.

"All the way from Equestria!" Pinkie Pie added.

"We're students of Princess Celestia," said Twilight. "She and her sister Luna apparently sailed on the mists once."

"Legends speak of Celestia and Luna," the white-haired man said. "They were before my time, but they left their marks indeed. They contained a cosmic force that some beings said was more powerful than any Avalonian: the Elements of Harmony."

"You mean these?" Rainbow Dash pointed to her necklace.

"You see," Fluttershy said nervously, "we're sort of the new Elements of Harmony. The princesses told us we needed to sail on some sort of mission to stop an angel of darkness."

"Then you are the six the legends speak of!" the white-haired man said, giving a double take. "Excuse my rudeness. I should have introduced myself earlier. You may call me the Magus. Everyone else does." At the insistent tugging of the child on his sleeve, the Magus added, "This is Angela."

"Hello!" Angela said with a wave.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight introduced, and the others followed suit:

"Name's Applejack."

"I am Rarity!"

"Um…I'm Fluttershy…"

"I'm the one and only Rainbow Dash!"

"And I'm Pinkie Pie!"

"It is a pleasure," the Magus said.

"Pardon me if I'm bein' rude," Applejack spoke up, "but we don't really have a clue what's goin' on in the first place. I mean, we know the Elements of Harmony are powerful stuff, and we gotta stop the multiverse from bein' turned all bad, but what are we even fightin'? How do these mists even work? What's all out there in the multiverse? Sounds like you know much more than we do."

"As inhabitants of the island go," the Magus said, "I am relatively new. However, I've been here long enough to hear many of the stories that surround Avalon. Won't you come with me so we can speak?"

"Let's go back to see Catherine!" Angela suggested.

"Sure!" Pinkie agreed.

With the Magus and Angela leading the way, the eight traveled over the rolling hills of the isle, arriving eventually at a stone bastion nestled in a crop of mountains. They walked up the steps, and a host of young gargoyles peered out at them from the towers, gossiping.

Inside the castle, a young brunette woman dressed in royal finery waited in an antechamber. "Magus!" she cried, rising to greet her friend. "Who have ye brought back?" Her voice carried a thick accent that those from Earth territories would have recognized as Scottish.

"These are the Elements of Harmony," the Magus explained. "You've heard the tales, haven't you?"

"Why, yes!" the woman exclaimed. "Just like Celestia and Luna!"

"I also think they are the six from the prophecy that Merlin left behind," Magus added.

"They're really nice," Angela said, with all the innocence of youth. "So I think so too!"

"Greetings," the woman said to the six newcomers. "I am Princess Catherine."

Twilight immediately bowed, and the other five followed suit.

"May I present…" The Magus suddenly stopped, looking down at Angela. "Do you remember their names?"

"Oh, yes!" Angela nodded. "That's Twilight Sparkle, and Applejack, and Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie!"

"It's an honor to meet you," Fluttershy said. "Are you the princess of this island?"

"Nay," Catherine answered. "My throne is far away and long gone. The true king of this island lies sleeping. However, the other creatures who live here have passed on many stories to me about this island. The hags, the mermaids, the fey…all have spoken of the princesses Celestia and Luna, who visited here long ago."

"Why were they here?" Twilight asked.

"To spread the gifts of the Elements," Catherine replied. "A simple mission, but an important one."

"We have a lot of questions," Rainbow Dash brought up.

"I should imagine so," Catherine replied. "What do ye wish to know?"

"What we're supposed to do," Fluttershy said.

"What evil we're fighting," Rainbow Dash added.

"How do the mists work?" Twilight contributed.

"And what's in the rest of the multiverse?" Pinkie finished.

"That last one is a complex question," Catherine admitted. "Very few beings know that in full. The only way to know that is to actually see it for yourself."

"That's where the mists come in," the Magus said.

"The mists of Avalon don't send you where you want to go," Angela said. "They send you where you need to go!"

"For the most part," the Magus said. "They can take you across worlds, through space, and even through time. If you give your destiny over to them, they will carry you. However, the mermaids say that Celestia and Luna found a way to harness the power of the mists in a sort of machine, something they called an 'engine', so they could direct their ship wherever they wished."

"The engine from the ship!" Twilight realized. "It must run on the mists!"

"If you can find a way to take the mists with you for the engine," Catherine said, "ye're welcome to do so. Avalon will never run out of mist."

"I bet I can take the mist with me," Twilight said. "I'm a pretty powerful unicorn…not to brag." She caught herself. "I guess I should call myself a 'witch' now that I'm human."

"Ye weren't human?" Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Then how did ye become one?"

Twilight had to think of how best to say it. "Anyone who was human would become a pony if they went to our world," she finally said. "We were ponies, so when we left, we became human. I read that most of the worlds are populated by humanoids, so it looks like we stay like this for a while."

"The world the Magus and I came from was populated by humans," Catherine said, "though there were many other creatures as well. Like the gargoyles. We brought them here because they were in grave danger on our world. We hope they can grow up here in peace."

"So do I," Fluttershy said.

"I like Avalon," said Angela. "It's my home!"

"Let me see if I got this," Rainbow Dash reiterated. "If we don't know where to go, the mists will take us where we need to be. But if we do know, Celestia and Luna's engine can take us wherever we want?"

"Correct," the Magus confirmed.

"I guess that answers what we need to do," Twilight said. "Even if we don't know, the mists will. We should take some for the engine anyway for when we figure it out."

"That still leaves the question of what we're up against," Rarity remembered.

"This island carries with it a rich history of all things cosmic and magical," Magus said. "We know of the prophecy about you because Merlin, one of the greatest wizards ever to live, left it behind. Others have come and left behind their stories. That's how we know about the Old Ones. They say that in ancient times, there were beings that enveloped different worlds in darkness and chaos. They stood for disharmony and unrest, playing with the multiverse as though it was a game. Goodness and love eventually triumphed, banishing the Old Ones, but they couldn't be destroyed. They were like malevolent gods…immortal. They had powers beyond anyone's imagining."

"Plays with the multiverse like a game…immortal…stands for disharmony…" Twilight's eyes widened. "Sound familiar?"

"Discord!" the others cried.

"Who?" Catherine asked.

"An evil being that tried to turn our entire world into chaos," Rarity explained. "It was dreadful! He mixed up day and night, he turned our town upside down, and he changed us all so we would ruin our friendship with each other!"

"But we defeated him!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "When we figured out we had to stand together, and we used our powers as the Elements of Harmony, that guy didn't stand a chance!"

"So…the Elements of Harmony are more powerful than the Old Ones?" Pinkie guessed.

"Or just as powerful," the Magus asserted.

"Are there good Old Ones?" Twilight asked, thinking of Celestia.

"There are benevolent immortals who stand for harmony and love," Catherine affirmed. "But the majority of them were born after the Age of Chaos, when the Old Ones reigned."

"That's good, at least," Fluttershy said in relief.

"If the angel of darkness, who we can guess at best is not a true Old One but may still be very powerful, triumphs over existence," the Magus said, "he may bring the rest of the Old Ones with him. That seems like the only way to truly make a multiverse made of nothing but disharmony."

"But make no mistake," Catherine said. "As the Elements of Harmony, you shouldn't only focus on the powerful. What the angel of darkness would need is a multiverse that would allow such things to happen. A multiverse already given over to war and fighting. Great acts of evil have been done when the least powerful did not recognize love and tolerance. The Magus and I fled our world with our friends and the gargoyle eggs after mortal humans took it upon themselves to attack us for power. Even we have made our mistakes…we doomed our own greatest friends to an eternity of sleeping death because of our anger and bad judgment."

"Do not blame yourself," the Magus told Catherine sharply. "The mistake was mine. I will shoulder the blame."

"I don't think you should feel bad," Fluttershy said. "It happened a long time ago, and you know what you did wrong. You know better now."

"That does not undo the curse upon our friends," the Magus snapped.

"But almost every curse can be undone," Twilight pointed out. "You never know. Whatever happened, there's a chance that it can be fixed someday. And if…no, WHEN it does, you'll be waiting right here to say you're sorry!"

Catherine smiled. "I do hope ye're right. Ye're quite optimistic ones. A good thing, if ye're to face all the miseries the multiverse has to offer."

"Miseries?" Fluttershy trembled at the thought.

"Don't worry," Rainbow Dash said, slinging an arm around Fluttershy's shoulder. "We can handle anything, so long as we're together! Like Catherine said, we just gotta be optimistic! And like I said a long time ago…you have me!"

"I think we understand now," Rarity said conclusively.

"We are glad to have met the six of the prophecy," the Magus said. "It is good to know that you are on your way."

"And I think what we have to do in the beginning," Pinkie deduced, "is use our powers as the Elements to remind everyone of the friendship and love they can have in their hearts. Then the angel of darkness won't stand a chance!"

"I'm not sure it will be that simple," Twilight said. "I mean, I'm sure we can do it…but we have no idea what's out there waiting. I just wouldn't assume anything. Anyway, I'll take the mists with me to use on the engine. Then we can see where we need to go." She turned to address Catherine and the Magus: "Thank you for answering our questions. To tell you the truth, I'm glad that our first stop led us to people as good as you."

The Magus was about to argue that he couldn't possibly be called a good person, not after what he'd done, but he remembered Fluttershy's assertion that he had indeed learned from his mistake, and Twilight's belief that all curses could be lifted. He did not hold back from arguing simply because he did not want to contradict what his guests had said; he held back because, after thinking about what they had said, he believed himself to be less of a bad person.

"I wish you the utmost luck on your journey," he said at last.

"As do I," Catherine said.

"Me too!" little Angela chirped.

"And I wish you good luck raising all the children," Fluttershy said with a smile directed at Angela.

"We will take nothing but the best care of our eggs," Catherine affirmed. "We mustn't keep you any longer from your duties."

"Right," Twilight said. "Hopefully, we'll all meet up again someday. I mean, since Avalon is kind of a hub of the worlds, we have to, right? Anyway, thanks for everything."

"Goodbye!" Pinkie said, waving enthusiastically as she and her friends turned to leave.

* * *

Twilight was able to gather a fairly large ball of the mists in her hands, holding it like a solid substance, and carry it back to the ship. Once on board, she carried it immediately to the engine room. Rainbow Dash hauled up the anchor, and Applejack brought the gangplank onboard. Then they and Rarity and Pinkie followed Twilight, and they knelt to examine the complex machine.

"How's this thing supposed to work anyhow?" Applejack voiced the thought on everypony's mind.

"Try putting the mist in here!" Pinkie suggested, pointing to a glass chamber. She pressed a button, and it opened. Twilight lay the mist inside experimentally, knowing she could always get more from outside if it didn't work. Pinkie closed the chamber, and the mist spread out, taking on its gaseous quality again. Without warning, Pinkie thumped several parts of the engine, making all sorts of clanking noises.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I have no idea!" Pinkie announced proudly.

Suddenly, the engine roared to life, whirring pleasantly.

"Pinkie!" Rarity gasped. "But how did you do that?"

"No clue!" Pinkie said happily.

The six women returned to the cockpit. The navigation screen was now replaced by a larger map, one that resembled a star chart. Twilight tested a few of the buttons on the dashboard to find that she could select a course if she wished. One key opened up another menu in which she could enter coordinates or simply select "Take the course of the mists." Twilight chose that option. The Starlight turned itself around smoothly and sailed directly away from Avalon.

"I guess we just let it take its course from here," Twilight said, and the friends left the cockpit to attend to their own devices. Rarity retired immediately to her chamber, inspired in two ways: to make more clothes to fit the new humanoid frames, and to make clothes inspired by the lush greenery of Avalon and the finery worn by Catherine and the Magus in order to send back to Equestria for her studio. Applejack moved to the kitchen, looking through the stockpiled rations to see what food she could make for the others. Pinkie Pie just shut herself in her room and turned on some very loud music; over in her room, looking over the Guide, Twilight could hear the bass of Pinkie's music as well as the thumping of feet that indicated that Pinkie was fervently dancing. Fluttershy sat in the lounge where they had all become human, looking over a sketch pad. She'd never drawn much before, but it was something she'd always wanted to try, and the journey would certainly give her the free time; she began by sketching the shape of young Angela's face.

Rainbow Dash eschewed the belowdecks area entirely, choosing to sit up in the misty air and watch Avalon slip further and further away. Once it was out of sight, she would turn her view forward to see what was coming.

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

"Hey! HEY! GET UP HERE!"

Rainbow Dash realized the others couldn't hear her from belowdecks, so she rushed downstairs, running through the hallway that contained the doors to their private chambers. "HEY EVERYPONY! YOU HAVE TO COME SEE THIS!"

"What is it?" Rarity sighed, peeking out of her chamber. "I was in the middle of one of my best new creations!"

"Trust me," Rainbow Dash urged, "you HAVE to come see this!"

She convinced Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight to come with her, then tracked down Applejack and Fluttershy before leading everypony abovedecks.

"What could ya possibly have seen," Applejack muttered, walking up the stairway, "that could be so…" When she reached the deck, her jaw dropped. "Well, I'll be…"

The ship was no longer sailing upon water. Somewhere along the crossing of the lines from one plane of existence to the next, it had left the sea far behind. It now sailed in space, among stars and supernovas set against pitch blackness. Despite the open deck, the Starlight still allowed its passengers to breathe air, presumably another enchantment added for convenience.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie stared in awe, watching their vehicle slip silently through the greatness of the cosmos and thinking about how much there really was out there that they still didn't understand.

* * *

Chapter 2:

· Not every chapter title is going to be a song title. I didn't even know there was a song called "Mists of Avalon" until I started doing research on Avalon for this bit. It's a good song, though. I would again recommend it as a companion song. (It's by Saxon.)

· Yes, I turned them human! This was inspired by several things. For one, it makes them a lot easier to work with on human-based worlds. For another, there's already a huge fanart tradition of drawing them as human. The kicker was my portrayal of Dr. Whooves. If he became a pony in Equestria, it only makes sense that the reverse holds true. (And yes, there is a little bit of Kingdom Hearts influence left over in that. I guess once you've been in that fandom, you can never escape it completely.)

· I said they have "flesh tones" of skin, but didn't specify. This is for a few reasons. For one, there's already discrepancy in the fad of drawing them as human about what race they would be. A lot of artists like to draw Twilight as black. A lot of others make her white. In the end, I decided to leave it up to the reader's imagination. Whoever's reading it can make them whatever race you want. Yes, this means that they will probably skirt around several race-related issues that would come up in certain worlds and should affect them if they were one color or another, but I just feel it's better overall if I don't specify. This decision was inspired by the "Ponies of Color" Tumblr blog, one of my favorites (no, I don't have a Tumblr, but I do look at some Tumblrs from time to time). In the original draft, I also gave them definite body types and physiques, but in this draft, those have been removed, because I know people also like to have different headcanons for those. Keeping the Technicolor hair was a must, though. There's so much media, especially anime, where characters have green or blue hair out there already, I figured I could get away with it. (Unlike in the Sister Claire webcomic, where the background cameo of the ponies as humans rationalized Fluttershy into a blonde and Rainbow Dash into a brunette.) Cutie marks moved to the shoulder because I said so. Dash and Fluttershy keep their wings because I wanted them to have a visible mark of being pegasi, and because having them able to fly would just be more fun. Besides, depictions of winged humans are common in fiction (seraphs, for example).

· I picked the age of early twenties because Rarity lives on her own, suggesting they're young adults. Having them as adults will also make crossover shipteasing more fun.

· I actually did NOT look up any human gala-gown fanart before making those designs. I had those designs for a while in my head before I found human gala-gown fanart and saw that my interpretations of Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack's outfits are pretty close to most others'. I wanted to tailor each dress to fit the specific pony's (also, I still use "everypony" to refer to them as humans just because that's how they think of themselves) style. Hence Twi gets something that I thought looked kinda wizardly, AJ gets a cowgirl-style outfit, Rarity dresses like a medieval French queen, Fluttershy has a sundress to remind of her connection to nature, Dash has pants because I honestly can't see her wearing a skirt for everyday, and Pinkie has something more ballet-inspired to go with her love of dancing. I actually toyed with giving Rainbow Dash some armor, like epaulets, but realized it wouldn't make sense to dress them for combat at all at this stage.

· I realize I didn't talk about Rarity giving out any undergarments. I don't really want to. They were naked because it makes sense in the transformation, not because I want to make a big deal out of them being naked. Just assume they have undergarments on.

· This Avalon is kind of a mishmash of the Avalon from Gargoyles, the Island from Eva Ibbotson's book "The Secret of Platform Thirteen" (which Ibbotson mentions offhand is referred to as Avalon), and the Avalon of mythology. Unlike in any other thing I will ever write about Avalon ever, here, the island is a world apart from others, including all the earth territories. The orchard is from the mythological description; the mistmaker, mermaid, Brollachan, and mentions of hags and other such creatures are from Secret of Platform Thirteen; Magus, Catherine, and the gargoyles, including Angela, are from Gargoyles.

· In Gargoyles continuity, this is set shortly after Catherine, Magus, and young Tom (who is there even if I didn't mention him) bring the eggs to Avalon, and WAY before the Archmage shows up.

· In Gargoyles, there's a rule that you can't bring outside magic into Avalon. I think this is canonically waived if you're a magical person, however, so I think Twi and Rarity can pass. Bringing the Starlight is just plain cheating and I will admit that.

· The engine is something I made up myself.

· I wanted to give Pinkie an affinity with machines for the sake of fun.


	3. Father's Day

1. Father's Day

SOMEWHERE IN THE SEVEN DESERTS

"No," the red macaw protested, hovering as usual over the thief's right shoulder.

"And why not?" the thief asked in his rich, deep voice. All of his face but his eyes were obscured by blue fabric.

"Because," the macaw explained, "the guy who lives there is a psychopath. One wrong move, and we're grease spots on the wall!"

"That's why he'll never know we were here," the thief replied. "I take it you've been here?"

"More times than I like to remember," the parrot groaned, tearing at his feathers with his wings. "Look at this, Cassim! I'm already molting from nerves!"

"You worry too much, Iago," Cassim said decisively. "You can confirm the owner of that fortress is evil?"

"Like the spawn of Ahriman."

"Then it's only fair that he get a taste of his own medicine, don't you think?" Cassim winked. "I always did love robbing the people that really deserved it."

"Two words!" Iago screamed. "DISPROPORTIONATE! RETRIBUTION! You steal so much as one thing from him, and HE WILL KILL YOU! And more importantly, HE'LL KILL ME!"

"Sounds like just my kind of job." Cassim jerked at his horse's reins and rode onward into the night.

"Wait a minute!" Iago cried out in a panic. "DON'T LEAVE ME OUT HERE IN HIS TERRITORY!"

Cassim didn't rein in the horse until they were inside the village. "Kind of dead," Cassim remarked, "don't you think?"

"It used to be alive," Iago explained, "BEFORE THE GUY CLEANED EVERYBODY OUT!"

"I'm feeling better and better about stealing from this one," Cassim said happily. "Though I wish he'd set up his fortress with a few more entrance points."

The only way up to the fortress that didn't involve scaling steep cliffs was to go through the village and right up to the fortress' door. "He's gonna kill us," Iago moaned. "He's gonna kill us, he's gonna kill us…"

Cassim shushed Iago and took his horse around the fortress' edge. Iago noted with relief that none of the guards were out tonight. Then it occurred to him to wonder why.

Cassim finally found what he was looking for: a wide arch window set about two stories up on a tower at the rear of the fortress. He removed from his saddlebag a rope attached to a grappling hook he'd had especially forged for this purpose. It only took him one throw of the rope to catch the lip of the window, and upward he climbed, leaving the horse and walking halfway up the wall with the rope in hand.

"If you don't want to come with," Cassim offered Iago as a last resort, "you can stay behind and let him find you out here."

"I just know I'm gonna regret this," Iago whined, following Cassim up the wall and into the tower.

The inside of the fortress was almost as dark as the outside, though a few lamps here and there lit up the dark blue walls. Cassim slid silently along them, checking around every corner for guards or anyone else that could alert the master of the fortress to his presence. Time and time again, he was met with nothing.

"He knows," Iago whispered. "If he hasn't tripped any defenses on us by now, he knows, and he's waiting…"

"Or he has no idea," Cassim whispered back. "Now, which way to what he holds most valuable?"

Iago sighed and extended a wing. "That hallway."

Cassim slipped down the hall quickly and quietly. At the end stood a door; Cassim pushed it slightly, peered through the crack to confirm the room was empty, then flitted through the door without a sound, holding it open just long enough for Iago to follow before closing it behind him.

"This," Iago said, almost a lament, "is the place."

They were in the center of a room stocked with all sorts of oddities. A table stocked with beakers, flasks, and other lab equipment was pushed against one wall. In one corner of the room, a large wheel, almost like a table, was set up with carvings of famous landmarks from the Seven Deserts upon it. Several shelves on the wall held glittering crystals, statues of mysterious creatures, and thick books bound with leather and gold.

"Perfect," Cassim said, reaching toward the shelf.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The warning came so casually, almost teasingly, that Cassim didn't register it as the problem it was at first. Iago, on the other hand, let out a wordless scream at top volume as he turned to face the lord of the fortress.

Cassim also turned, beholding a young man dressed in blue finery from his gold-embroidered turban to the blue-black cape that cascaded down his back. He sure did dress like royalty, Cassim thought patronizingly, for the ruler of such an empty kingdom. The youth smiled broadly, suggesting an air of sinister happiness that he'd been able to meet Cassim. "When I noticed you on the borderlands," he said, still with that teasing tone, "I very nearly gave the order to kill you. Then I recognized you, as well as your little pet. You should count yourself lucky that I did. I gave all the guards the night off so that I could have the chance to see you face-to-face. Oh, and speaking of which…I'd like to actually SEE your face."

"A fair request." Cassim removed the blue headdress, exposing his coffee-brown skin, his dark hair streaked with gray, his handsome face with its shapely brow. "How did you see me from all the way back here?"

The youth put out his right hand, and Iago instinctively ducked behind Cassim, afraid of an attack. Instead, the young man made a beckoning motion, and a small device floated off the shelf to rest in his palm. Cassim made note that the young man wore a leather gauntlet on his right hand, but his left hand was bare. "The Eye of Ra Spyglass," the young man explained, the smile never leaving his lips. "It was a pain to get, physically AND mentally, but in the end, I think it was worth it."

"You certainly live an odd life," Cassim observed. "Surrounded by magical objects, striking fear into the hearts of those around you…who exactly do you think you are?"

"Oh, you don't recognize me?" the youth answered melodramatically. The smile finally faded from his lips, and his face turned to a derisive sneer. "It figures you wouldn't. You always did have a habit of forgetting me. Leaving me behind in the marketplace. Playing with your precious favorite child while you didn't even know I was in the same room. But I remembered you, Cassim. I couldn't possibly forget. Do you think you can ignore me NOW? NOW, DO YOU EVEN WANT TO DARE FORGETTING ABOUT ME?"

"Wait a minute," Iago said, peering out from over Cassim's shoulder. "You two…you two KNOW EACH OTHER?"

Cassim could only stare, dumbfounded. Now he recognized the youth before him. The black curls, the pale hue of his skin, the slender frame. "Mozenrath," Cassim said softly. "I had thought you were dead."

"You would," Mozenrath growled. "But I guess you could call what I'm doing 'living'. No thanks to you."

"DID I MISS A MEMO?" Iago screeched. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? HOW DO YOU KNOW EACH OTHER?"

"Do you want to tell him?" Mozenrath dared. "Or are you too ashamed to admit it?"

"He is my son," Cassim said straightforwardly to Iago.

That pushed the macaw to his mental limits, and Iago passed out.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

When the Starlight finally reached land, it passed through a vision-obscuring mist until it was suddenly riding on a small river cutting through bright sands beneath a scorching sun. The ship stopped there without Rainbow Dash having to toss the anchor overboard.

"We're here," Rarity announced. The six had gathered in the main lounge again so Twilight could brief them on what she'd learned from the Guide and the computer system about this new world.

"It's an Earth territory," Twilight said, "but generally, when cosmic beings refer to it, they tend to call it by the name of the most prevalent landmass, the Seven Deserts. We're currently parked outside Agrabah, one of the most bustling metropolises in the entire Seven Deserts. The culture here tends toward a variation of 'Arabic', a word that I guess would make sense if you were from an Earth territory, but doesn't really mean anything to me. To tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid of making a cultural faux pas."

"Come again?" Applejack tilted her head.

"A mistake," Twilight clarified. "I'm not even sure we're dressed right. What if the people here dress really different than how we look?"

"Not a problem!" Rarity boasted. "I'll simply take a little stealth mission outside to see how the civilians dress. When I come back, I'll be ready to costume us all appropriately!"

"A stealth mission?" Rainbow Dash laughed. "In THAT getup?"

"I also made myself a stealth suit," Rarity explained. "For this very situation. You see, I had thought of this a while back, that we might need to dress completely differently to blend in with the locals of wherever we might land."

"Good," Fluttershy said. "I was worried that dress would get too hot for you in the sun."

"But of course," Rarity agreed. "Now, I'll only be a few minutes." She rushed away to her cabin. Shortly after, she returned to the lounge, dressed in a fitted black suit with soft sneakers and a black hood over her hair. "Ta-daaaa! My stealth suit!"

"I'm impressed!" Twilight complimented.

"As you will be with the clothes I make for you when I get back," Rarity bragged. "I'll see you later!" With that, she left.

The river turned out to be within view of the city walls of Agrabah. It certainly was a big city, Rarity noted, even if most of the buildings weren't very tall. From what she could see, the surrounding city walls were a beige color that meshed with the sand, and the far end of the city was decorated with a gleaming white palace topped by golden tower domes.

"Now, whoever lives in THAT palace must live in absolute luxury!" Rarity remarked to herself before moving in closer to the city.

Once inside the walls, Rarity immediately ducked behind a row of barrels set against the side of a building. Even her stealth suit stuck out like a sore thumb here. The buildings of the city were mostly the same beige color as the outer walls, reaching perhaps three stories maximum, and the civilians dressed in muted tones, blues and browns and greens – no one in black. Most of the women wore skirts and had at least a scarf for a head covering, and most of the men wore tunics and baggy pants.

From her vantage point behind the barrels, Rarity watched the passers-by. The people she'd observed were mostly what she determined to be the relative middle-class. Every now and again, a beggar or thief would pass by, nicking a daily meal from the food stalls in order to survive, and Rarity noted that the lower classes of both genders tended to wear plain shirts and pants. She decided to move along subtlely to see if she couldn't glimpse anything a little more radical.

She stopped outside a tapestry stand, hiding behind the rolls of fabric on the ground as she listened to the vendor advertise his work. "An artist's rendition of the heroes of Agrabah defeating the many rogues of the Seven Deserts!" he called out. "Sultan-to-be Aladdin banishing sorcerer Jafar from the palace, eventually to meet his doom and never cast his shadow over our city again! Princess Jasmine matching wits with the witch Sadira, who is now a reformed citizen! Their genie friend fending off hordes of thieves, including the disgraced Abis Mal!"

Rarity looked over the tapestry with interest. First of all, the names and the subject matter intrigued her, and she was sure Twilight would have more to say on the subject. Second, she now had a better view of how princesses and sorcerers dressed in this territory, and would incorporate that into her work. Satisfied, she somersaulted and slunk her way out of the city walls and back to the Starlight.

Once on board, Rarity called the others to her chambers immediately to speak to them while she worked on their new fashions. "I've already learned a bit about the city," she explained. "Apparently it was in all sorts of dangers in the past, but the royal family has taken it upon themselves to protect it."

"Just like Celestia, Luna, and Cadance!" Pinkie cried happily.

"There are a lot of royal families, even on our own world, that would just take advantage of their citizens and leave them to their own fate," Twilight pointed out. "Or worse…they could even BE the biggest danger to their citizens." A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of Chrysalis. The changeling queen had certainly been a leader to her armies, but given what Twilight knew of Chrysalis, she couldn't see her as the protective sort…even with all her talk of concern for feeding her changelings. Instead of dwelling on that, she forced herself to make the example less extreme by saying out loud, "Imagine if Prince Blueblood ruled Equestria."

"NO!" Rarity barked angrily. "Anyhow, they apparently are friends with some sort of magical creature called a 'genie'. Have you read of anything like that, Twilight?"

"Of course," Twilight responded. "Djinni are magical spirits that show up in all sorts of stories. A lot of times, they come trapped with ties to some sort of object, and they have to serve whatever human picks them up. Free djinni are incredibly powerful."

"Sounds like this world is gonna be fun already!" Pinkie squealed. "I just know it!"

After some deft sewing, Rarity finished the six new ensembles. "Well? What do you think?"

Twilight donned her new robes, multilayered garments that cascaded to the floor in a gradient of blues as a high collar rose behind her neck. Rainbow Dash had a blue pair of baggy pants, a blue tunic, and a light green vest over top. Applejack also received pants, but brown instead of blue, and with a white tunic. Fluttershy and Pinkie wore variations on the same outfit: a simple, loose tunic over a floor-length skirt. Fluttershy's garments were a soft green while Pinkie's were bright pink. Finally, Rarity donned her own clothing, which seemed the most outlandish of all. She'd copied her ensemble after that of the depictions of the princess, and wore maroon pants and a matching sleeveless top that bared her midriff. Everypony wore the same flat shoes, all black but Rarity's, which were maroon; Rarity's shoes also turned upward at the toe.

"And don't forget these," Rarity said, passing out headscarves. "Most of the women wear them like so." She wrapped hers over her head, completely covering her plum-colored curls. The others followed suit, but couldn't help but notice the stark difference between Rarity's headscarf and the others. Twilight's was light blue, Rainbow Dash's was the same green as her vest, Applejack's was brown, Fluttershy's was green, and Pinkie's was pink, but all were plain. Rarity's maroon headscarf bore a spangling of glitter and sequins on the fringe.

"Aren't you gonna stick out a little bit?" Twilight asked.

"Admittedly, I did copy what the royalty wears for this one," Rarity said somewhat sheepishly. "But it was just so stylish!"

"Well, let's put it to the test!" Twilight said with determination. "Agrabah, here we come!"

* * *

The civilians of Agrabah mostly had brown skin and black hair. Rainbow Dash tugged at her headscarf (or "hijab", as Twilight had informed her) nervously, afraid of what would happen if her multicolored mane became visible.

The people stared anyway. Murmurs ran through the crowd: "Is she a princess?" "She must be from outside Agrabah!"

"They're talking about you," Twilight hissed to Rarity. "You're way overdressed!"

"I rather like the attention," Rarity said defensively.

The six walked into an open marketplace where vendors vocally advertised their wares. "Sure wish we had some money to spend around here," Applejack mourned. "Them apples look delicious…and what're those things?" She pointed to a basket of small, round fruits. "There's more of 'em here than apples!"

"They are fresh dates!" a vendor told Applejack. "You would be hard-pressed to find a more delicious fruit in all the world!"

Applejack could only stare at the dates with curiosity and longing.

"These fabrics are divine!" Rarity grasped at some rolls of silk and twirled in them, wrapping them about herself. "I simply must return when we have attained some of the local currency!" She looked to the vendor. "You, er…you don't happen to accept bits, do you?"

"Are bits the currency of your kingdom?" the vendor asked, transfixed by Rarity's beauty.

"Oh, no, no, no, you don't understand," Rarity explained. "I'm not a princess. I just have the style of one!"

"Your beauty almost matches that of our princess Jasmine," the silk vendor replied. "Are you familiar with our royalty?"

"We're from out of town," Twilight said, edging into the conversation. "Out of the country, in fact. But we heard all about how the royal family works to protect this kingdom!"

"Indeed they do." The vendor broke his gaze from Rarity to converse with Twilight. "In fact, they are helping to rebuild the Southwest district after the great fire that swept through."

"The royals are out in the city?" Rarity asked, taken aback. "Right now?"

"Yes," the vendor replied. "It is strange – our sultan never left the palace grounds unless he was on an adventure or official business until the sultan-to-be showed up. But Aladdin has almost completely transformed the palace."

"I reckon we should meet 'em," Applejack spoke up. "After all, if we're gonna get to know this place and why we're here, we gotta know the royals."

"And besides!" Pinkie added. "They sound really nice!"

Twilight looked up at the sun's position in the sky. "That way to Southwest," she said, pointing. Before leaving, she told the vendor, "Thanks for all your help."

"And I will return for these," Rarity said, pointing to the silks in earnest.

"I shall await that return!" the vendor replied, watching as the beautiful woman who dressed like a princess left the main marketplace with her five friends.

The city was a labyrinth of streets running through various buildings. Homes, shops, and carts peppered the byways, and here and there a larger landmark, like a fountain, appeared. Finally, Twilight led her friends into a part of the city that was markedly different. Instead of bright beige accessorized with colorful awnings, here, everything was burned black. The charred remains of carts littered the streets, as did their wares – melted pieces of gold and bronze, date pits, broken mirrors. Doors, shutters, and everything else not made of stone were burned away from the buildings' façades. The street was deserted of life, and almost empty of noise.

Fluttershy picked up the first hint of sound. "I hear someone," she said. "A couple streets over."

"Let's go." Twilight led on, towards the sound of the noise. They turned to see a bustling sight down one of the fire-ravaged roads.

A young man dressed in a purple vest, white pants, and a maroon fez knelt on the stones of the road, reattaching a wheel to a cart. A small brown monkey clothed in a matching vest and hat piled bronze decorations onto that cart. Up in the air, an airy sky-blue spirit, one with the head and torso of a human but a lower half that drifted into blue smoke, pointed at buildings with missing segments of their walls; in bursts of magic, the walls rebuilt themselves. A young woman, sporting a long black ponytail and dressed in the teal clothes Rarity had seen on the princess in the tapestry, climbed a wooden ladder to hang an awning upon one of the buildings the spirit had just rebuilt. Another spirit, this one green and female with a voluminous ponytail, swept down the street, the ash disappearing under wherever she passed her hands. A woman dressed in pink clothes also resembling those royalty, her hair strangely blonde for her complexion, nailed planks together into a door while a little girl of about eight years, clothed in a very simple dress of brown rags, attached the doorknob. When that was finished, an overly muscular man wearing only royal blue pants and a matching headband lifted the door, exchanging a flirty wink with the blonde before he took the door to place upon a building. A tall woman dressed in white clothes again more resembling those of royalty than civilians spoke to a younger and shorter woman with shaggy hair and the shirt and pants of a beggar; the younger woman looked up at a ravaged building, pushed her hands outward, and caused a spray of sand to shoot up from the ground and form a new wall…one that was lumpy and crooked. The older woman patted the younger on the head as the younger sighed in despair.

"HELLO!" Pinkie cried out, and everyone stopped work to look up at the newcomers.

"Um…hi," Twilight said. "We're new to this city, and we were wondering – "

"If you needed any help with that," Applejack said, surveying the scene. "That fire musta been a real doozy!"

"Oh, it was," the young man fixing the cart said, getting up from the street to walk over and greet the newcomers. "We've mostly got it under control…but a few more pairs of hands wouldn't hurt."

"Aladdin!" The woman in teal hopped down from her ladder, rushing to the young man's side. "They're new here! We can't just put them to work!"

"So you're Aladdin!" Rarity realized. "And you must be Princess Jasmine!"

"I see you've heard of us," Aladdin said with a gleaming smile.

"Only a little," Twilight clarified. "We're from a very faraway land, you see, and we don't know much about Agrabah at all." Her gaze turned upward. "Are those…real djinni!"

The blue and green spirits floated toward her. "Ex-genie-of-the-lamp, to be precise!" the blue boasted. "The one and only!"

"And don't forget the genie of the bottle!" the green added. "The one and only…Eden!"

Twilight's face lit up. "Real djinni…I've only ever read about you in storybooks! You're just as powerful as they said! I'm sorry, am I being rude?"

"Rude?" the blue spirit, who would never give the others anything to call him other than "Genie", replied. "You're being downright flattering!"

"So what brings you to Agrabah?" Aladdin asked.

"A great quest of importance!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"I've been on a few of those," Aladdin said with a wink. "What kind of quest are we talking about?"

"Uh…we ain't exactly sure," Applejack admitted.

"We know we have business here," Twilight tried to explain, "we're just…not sure what it is yet. It's kind of like a…prophecy. Actually, that's exactly what it is."

"Well, you're welcome to stay in our kingdom as long as you like," Jasmine offered.

"Then we might as well get some work done," Rainbow Dash said. "Consider us part of the cleanup crew!"

"Is everyone here part of the royal family?" Pinkie asked.

"Just Jasmine and me," Aladdin answered. "Well, and Genie and Abu, by relation."

Answering to his name, the brown monkey hopped up on Aladdin's shoulder and waved, squeaking what sounded like a "Hello!"

"Oh!" Fluttershy found her will to speak to these strangers for the first time. "He's so adorable!"

Abu leapt onto Fluttershy's shoulder. She extended her right arm, and the monkey climbed down to her wrist, hanging from it by his tail and giving a squeaky monkey laugh.

"He likes you!" Aladdin remarked. "So, what're your names anyway?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight began. The others all echoed their names in what would soon become routine:

"I'm Applejack!"

"Rarity! Er, the one and only."

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Um…Flutter…shy…"

"Pinkie Pie!" With that last introduction, Pinkie added, "Ooh, ooh! Who are all of you?"

"Let's introduce you to the cleanup crew!" Jasmine said.

"You already know Jasmine, Genie, Eden, Abu, and me now," Aladdin pointed out. "Everyone else here is one of our friends. Come on."

The six Equestrians followed the royal family of Agrabah down the street, stopping first at the pair that had been assembling doors. The blonde and the young girl continued assembling planks while paying attention to the introduction.

"This is Fatima," Aladdin said, referring to the blonde, "and that's Dandi." Now he referred to the girl. "Dandi is Eden's master."

"Eden's really more like my mother," Dandi admitted.

"So…you're the master of the other djinni?" Twilight asked Aladdin.

"Nope!" the Genie answered. "I am one hundred percent free, with no contractual restrictions! Well, except for being downgraded from phenomenal and cosmic to semi-phenomenal and nearly cosmic, but you know what they say – there's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"I didn't know djinni could be free," Twilight said, almost to herself.

"Why, darling!" Rarity pointed out Fatima's clothing. "You look positively gorgeous!"

"Thank you," Fatima replied. "I was known a little bit for my beauty in certain circles."

"A little bit?" Aladdin laughed.

"You were known as the most beautiful acrobat in the entire city!" Jasmine giggled.

"Could I ever be that pretty?" Dandi asked.

"Of course!" Eden replied.

"You just need some of the right style," Rarity said. "Perhaps I can help you with your wardrobe later!"

"That would be great…" Dandi faltered.

"Rarity," Rarity reminded her.

"That would be great, Rarity!"

Aladdin and Jasmine led the group on. "This is Minos," he said, introducing the man who fastened the doors to the buildings.

"A pleasure to meet you," Minos said with a bow.

"You sure got some muscles on ya," Applejack observed.

"That was my fame as Fatima's was her beauty," Minos replied. "That is why I have taken the task of carrying the doors."

"I betcha I can help with that," Applejack said.

"Oh, really?" Minos raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a lot stronger than I look," Applejack bragged.

Now the group came to meet the two women rebuilding the walls from sand. "This is Deluca," Jasmine said, introducing the taller woman. "And this – "

"I'm Sadira!" the younger woman interrupted. "The last living Witch of the Sand!"

"You still have a way to go before you can call yourself a true Witch of the Sand," Deluca reminded Sadira, who hung her head.

"My spells can get a little messed up," Sadira admitted.

"A little?" Aladdin teased. "Like the time you made me think I was a knight on a quest to slay a dragon? Or the time you resurrected three evil witches by trying to make soup?"

"Okay, okay!" Sadira snapped. "So I'm a lousy witch. I'm learning!"

"A real witch!" Twilight gasped. "I'm a witch too!"

"You sure dress like one," Sadira pointed out. "You look like you stepped right out of the Age of Sorcery."

"The Age of…what?" Twilight asked.

"A little something from my time," Deluca said. "Don't worry. If you stick around Agrabah, you'll hear about it soon enough."

"All right," Applejack concluded. "Now that we're through with the introductions, let's get to work! What can we do?"

"I'd like to see you try and lift the same doors," Minos challenged her.

Applejack hoisted a completed door into the air, though she strained more than Minos had to do so. "How's this for strength?"

"Impressive," Minos remarked.

"Abu was helping put the vendors' things back on the carts and stalls," Aladdin told Fluttershy. "You wanna help him, since you two were getting along so well? Watch him closely – make sure he doesn't steal any of it."

"I'm sure this little darling wouldn't do that," Fluttershy said sweetly.

Feeling the pressure of guilt under Fluttershy's gaze, Abu removed some pilfered bracelets from inside his vest and dropped them on the floor.

"No!" Fluttershy scolded. "You did a very bad thing!"

The monkey squeaked a sound that resembled "I know."

Fluttershy smiled. "It's all right. We all make mistakes. Do you want to show me where the things are that we can put back?"

Abu immediately perked up and ran off, beckoning Fluttershy to follow.

"I can help with the carts!" Pinkie knelt on the street alongside Aladdin, fitting another wheel onto the cart. "So, I hear you're the sultan-to-be! How'd that happen? And does it mean your life is like a big party?"

Aladdin had to laugh at that. "I only wish my life was a big party. No, there's a lot more responsibility to it…but it's worth it. You see, I used to have to steal things from this city's marketplace just to live through the day. But then I met the Genie, and he changed everything, starting by being one of my best friends. After that, I fell in love with the most beautiful and kindest woman in the whole kingdom…and the rest is history."

"Who was the woman?" Pinkie asked, the implication having sailed over her head.

Aladdin gestured to where Jasmine had climbed up the ladder to hang awnings once more. "Her."

"Awwww!" Pinkie cried. "That's a beautiful story!"

Rarity set up a ladder next to Jasmine, climbing it to hang a bright red awning. She changed her mind when she noticed the pink awning Jasmine was putting up, and exchanged the red for a soft blue. "It goes better with the color," Rarity explained.

"Are you the princess of your kingdom?" Jasmine asked.

"Actually, no," Rarity explained. "I guess I really did overdress for the occasion. I only wish I was a princess! But alas, it was never meant to be. Now, you are the real thing! Tell me, what's it like?"

"It used to be boring," Jasmine said. "Staying inside the palace all my life, learning proper decorum…but let's just say I broke tradition. As the princess, I think it's my duty to help the people of this kingdom and make peaceful relations with others. I'd have to say the best part, though, was getting to marry my prince – even if he did start out living on the street."

"Oh, do tell more!" Rarity begged. "How did you find him?"

"I broke out of the palace," Jasmine said. "Then he broke in, disguised as a prince. Sort of like how you got everyone thinking you're a princess."

"A complete accident!" Rarity defended.

"Destiny just took its course then," Jasmine finished. "Now we're married, and next in line to be sultan and sultana – but first, my father has to finish out his time, and he's got a few more good years in him!"

"You're incredibly lucky," Rarity sighed. "I wish my charming prince would show up so easily. I'm sorry – that was rather selfish to say. I'm very happy for you, both of you."

They climbed down the ladders together. "I was going to hang yellow next," Jasmine told Rarity. "What do you think?"

"Keep it away from the red," Rarity advised.

"So," Twilight said to Sadira, "you're still working on your magic?"

"I'm a self-taught witch," Sadira replied. "It's a work in progress. What about you?"

"I studied my magic under a powerful alic – a powerful sorceress," Twilight answered. "The princess of my country, actually. I can do a lot of different spells. Mind if I give the sand a try?"

"Go ahead," Sadira said. "But it's harder than it looks!"

Twilight doubted that. She looked to a hole in the wall, then focused her energies upon it. She pushed her hands outward; a rush of sand flew toward the wall. To Twilight's dismay, only about half the wall built itself, and instead of a smooth stone surface, it bent inward. "I don't understand," she said. "I guess sand magic must be different from the magic I learned."

"There are many different kinds of magic," Deluca confirmed.

"But I always thought I was sort of an expert in magic," Twilight said dejectedly. "I mean, I didn't like to brag, but back in my country, I was one of the most powerful unico – witches there!"

"I was once the most powerful sorceress in Mesmeria," Deluca said, "but my powers would have been useless against the necromancy of the Sorcerers of the Black Viper, or the sun powers of Shamash. Even my power was borrowed from another. The world is full of different sorts of magic."

"Not to mention the universe," Aladdin chimed in.

"What do you know about…the universe?" Twilight knew to tread carefully.

"I know there's more out there than just this world," Aladdin answered casually. "I'm not sure how much, but there's definitely more."

Rainbow Dash looked upward to where the Genie and Eden continued their aerial work. Then she looked down to the shutters Dandi and Fatima had finished putting together. Finally, she looked to the wooden ladders. "If I could fly," she muttered to herself, "I wouldn't have to use ladders…"

"Try your wings," Rarity said at normal volume, having passed Rainbow Dash. "I sewed folds in the back of your shirt for them."

Rainbow Dash's face lit up as she realized she could slide her wings out through the sleeves Rarity had sewn into her shirt. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" She grabbed a shutter, a hammer, and a handful of nails and soared up to the higher windows to place them.

"Whoa…" Aladdin looked up to see one of his new acquaintances flying upon light blue wings. "You really aren't from around here, are you?"

"Nope," Rainbow Dash answered.

"People around here don't usually have wings," Twilight asked, "do they?"

"Only sometimes," Fatima said with a cringe.

"Do you all have wings?" Jasmine asked.

"Just me and Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash answered. "Now, I don't like to brag – "

"Not true," Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie all muttered under their breaths.

" – but I happen to be the fastest flyer in our whole country," Rainbow Dash finished. "I bet I could even outfly your two djinni there."

"Is that a challenge?" the Genie said, crossing his arms.

"I think that was a challenge!" Eden replied happily.

"You two think you can take me?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Please. I could outfly you any day!"

"Bring it on," the Genie and Eden replied.

Those on the ground watched as the three positioned themselves in the air. Aladdin, sensing an opportunity, whistled for another ally to make an appearance from around the corner.

"To the end of the street," Rainbow Dash proposed. "First one there wins…and doesn't have to do any more work for the rest of the day!"

"You're on!" the Genie replied.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash called down. "Wanna count us off?"

"On your mark," Fluttershy said so softly they could barely hear her. "Get set…go!"

Rainbow Dash, the Genie, and Eden took off. Rainbow Dash easily outpaced the two djinni, pumping her wings as hard as she could. Those on the ground stared in awe at the rainbow trail her body left in the air.

"Ha ha!" Rainbow Dash cackled. "I so totally have you beat! I – "

Before she crossed the designated finish line, a blur zoomed past her. "Hey!" she cried, crossing the line and staring down the victor. "What gives?"

Aladdin stood upon an intricately woven blue-and-gold carpet that hovered in the air. "I just couldn't resist," he said with a shrug.

"You may have beaten me this time," Rainbow Dash said, "but that's just a one-time thing, you hear?"

"Oh yeah?" Aladdin smirked. "Carpet and I will take you on in a rematch anytime, anywhere."

"You know," Rainbow Dash said with a smile, "I like you. You're pretty cool."

Down on the ground, Twilight gave a little hop and a squeal. "A real magic carpet!" she squeaked. "It's so beautiful!"

After that, the group settled back into work.

"I'm very glad you all decided to help us," Jasmine told Rarity after some time.

"It's nothing," Rarity said. "Helping others is…well, you could call it our destiny. We're always glad to lend a helping hoof! Er, hand."

"And we're almost done!" Twilight observed. "Just a few more adjustments and – "

What happened next left Deluca, Sadira, Minos, Fatima, Eden, and Dandi mystified. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, the Carpet, and the Genie simply disappeared.

"What happened?" Dandi asked.

"Powerful magic," Deluca answered.

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"You must understand," Cassim defended. "I had thought you were taken by the shadow walkers! Everyone had said so! If I had known you were alive…"

"It doesn't matter," Mozenrath growled. "You hated me from the start."

"I didn't hate you!" Cassim argued. "I'll admit, I never understood why your greatest ambition in life was to be a sorcerer of the evil arts…"

"Says the thief."

"I chose my life in order to secure a better one for your mother, your brother, and yourself! You chose your path because of your odd fascination with power and evil! Whenever your mother read you stories, you always rooted for the evil sorcerer or the deceitful thief."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Mozenrath clarified. "I don't blame you for what I've become. In fact, I became exactly what I wanted to be! I have a spacious kingdom of darkness, a vault of magical artifacts, and a host of willing minions. What more could I ask for? Still, recognition would have been nice. It would have been nice not to have been lost in the shuffle while you taught your favorite son how to fight, played games with him, gave him your best dagger…"

"I was remiss," Cassim admitted. "I am sorry. Your mother…she was the one who understood you best."

"And WHERE IS SHE NOW?" Mozenrath yelled.

"Gone," Cassim said plainly.

"I think you've been away from her for too long," Mozenrath concluded. "You should go meet her. Here…let me send you to where she is, and finally have the pleasure of seeing the look on your face when I finally do you in!"

Cassim was expecting the attack. Mozenrath raised his right hand, shooting from it a blast of blue energy that would have certainly been lethal had Cassim not ducked from it, rolling to the wall. He paused a moment to gather the unconscious Iago into a fold of his cape, then, cradling that segment of his cape carefully, Cassim lunged forth. Mozenrath took another swipe with the gauntlet, leaving five finger-trails of blue electricity crackling in the air; once again he missed, and Cassim aimed a punch at the sorcerer's stomach, catching Mozenrath off guard and causing him to double over in pain. Recognizing the source of his son's power, Cassim reached out to Mozenrath's flailing right arm and peeled the gauntlet away in one swift motion.

He gasped, nearly dropping Iago and the gauntlet at the sight. The arm beneath, from elbow to fingertips, was but a skeleton without flesh. "This…gauntlet," Cassim said. "What has it done to you?"

"Given me my power," Mozenrath growled.

"Giving your right hand? Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Not for this," Mozenrath replied. "In fact, I've given my whole body and soul for this. But it's worth it."

"It's killing you," Cassim realized.

"So you finally care whether I live or die," Mozenrath retaliated. "Unfortunately, I only care about if you die. Living isn't an option." He reached back, threw open the doors to the hallway.

Now Cassim saw the guards Iago had spoken of. The shambling undead, a horde of them, their flesh rotting.

"Cassim, meet the Mamluks," Mozenrath said, that teasing smile returning to his lips. "They used to be the people of this kingdom, back when Destane ruled it. I may be the only person to say he was too merciful on them. Now, they work for me. Mamluks, meet my father. He has two things I'd like you to take away from him: my gauntlet and his life. Now GO!"

Cassim tossed the gauntlet to the ground. "If it means so much to you…keep it!" Still keeping Iago wrapped in his cape, he used his free hand to draw his sword. The undead soldiers charged into the laboratory, their own swords drawn. Cassim dodged, slashed, and kicked. To Mozenrath's horror, Cassim fought a pathway through the army, all the way out into the hallway.

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!" Mozenrath screamed. The undead soldiers nodded, chasing Cassim, but the thief was fast, darting down the hallway and out the window. Cassim slid down the rope he'd put up, mounting his horse once more and spurring the animal into a fast gallop. More of the undead burst from the doors of the fortress; Cassim rode around them, menacing them with his sword, and his horse charged away from the fortress and down through the kingdom of empty buildings.

"I'll have you someday," Mozenrath growled to himself. "This isn't over, Cassim. Not by a long shot."

Cassim's horse took him out of the streets and into open desert, riding between the starless sky and the pitch-black sand. He noticed Iago stirring.

"Oy," the parrot remarked, rubbing his head with a wing. "I just had one heck of a dream. You decided to be all crazy and go try to rob the Land of the Black Sand, and somehow it ended in you telling me Mozenrath was your son."

"He is my son," Cassim replied, keeping his eyes on the sand ahead.

"WHAT?" Iago screamed. "THAT WAS REAL? No. No, that couldn't have been real, because we're still alive."

"I managed to fight my way out of his undead army," Cassim said, "as well as outrun that gauntlet of his. Tell me…is it really killing him?"

"Well, it's sort of this weird kinda curse. It gives you pretty much unlimited power, but it sucks your life force the more you use – WAIT A MINUTE! WHY ARE YOU THE ONE WHO GETS TO ASK THE QUESTIONS HERE?"

"All right," Cassim said. "Ask whatever questions you have."

"HOW COME YOU NEVER MENTIONED HAVING ANOTHER SON? HOW COME YOU NEVER MENTIONED HE WAS A PSYCHOPATH?"

"I told you long ago that I left my family to find them a better life," Cassim explained. "When I returned, I could not find my wife, Aaliyah, or my son Aladdin. I asked all around Agrabah. No one knew of Aladdin's whereabouts, and there were rumors that a sorceress had kidnapped Aaliyah, though those stories were dubious at best. However, most seemed to agree that Aladdin's twin brother, Mozenrath, had been taken away by the shadow walkers…strange beasts that roamed the city and kidnapped children. I had heard of these shadow walkers before. Perhaps you have – "

"Yeah, yeah," Iago muttered, "been there, done that, defeated that ancient evil, bought the T-shirt."

"You faced the shadow walkers?"

"Yep. And it was every bit as pleasant as you think it was."

"I chose to forget him," Cassim said. "After all, he was dead for certain in my mind. What would have been the point of dwelling on it? It didn't sink in that Aaliyah was truly dead until years later. Aladdin was the last one I gave up on. Mozenrath was right, you know. I…did favor Aladdin. I regret it, but I did."

"I can see why," Iago scoffed. "Lemme guess. Aladdin was the kid who always played nice with the other kids, and Mozenrath was the freak who built torture devices in his room."

"That's a quite accurate description, actually." Cassim smirked. "He always had a fascination with evil. He told me he wanted to become a villain like those in stories. I thought it nothing but a childish fantasy, and yet I still never understood it. He had a stronger mind, and Aladdin a stronger body. It was easier for me to relate to Aladdin. We were both adventurous, athletic…Mozenrath was a loner, a reader, an inventor. His mother understood him better than I ever could have."

"I don't get one thing," Iago pointed out. "You two look nothing alike!"

"Because he is the spitting image of his mother," Cassim replied. "I met her on one of my earliest adventures, back when the Land of the Black Sand was an actual thriving kingdom…one with sunlight. Shortly before the reign of terror that was Destane. She was a curious spirit, and wished to accompany me on my travels. She came with me all the way back to Agrabah…we settled down there, made a life."

"You know, somehow I don't see you as the settling-down type."

"As you can see," Cassim said, "I'm definitely not settled down now."

"I wouldn't suggest settling down until you're as far away from the Black Sand as possible," Iago griped. "I'm putting my foot down: our next mission is something easy and safe. Like exploring the ruins of Mesmaria! They're abandoned! Nothing there but old treasures! Oh, and the treasures we could find…"

"I know what our next mission is, Iago," Cassim replied sternly.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this?" Iago groaned.

"I have to make up for my shortcomings," Cassim said plainly.

"I can see where this is going," Iago replied, "and the answer is NO. DID YOU NOT SEE THAT HE HAS NO INTEREST IN BYGONES?"

"It still isn't right," Cassim said. "I did him wrong when he was but a child…and I've done him wrong ever since."

"So what are we gonna do?" Iago groaned. "Pick up some corny apology gift and send it to him with a note saying, 'Sorry I've been a bad dad, please don't kill me'?"

Cassim smirked. "More or less…"

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Where are we?" Twilight asked, looking around. All she could see was rock tunnel branching out from where she, her five companions, Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, the Carpet, and the Genie stood.

"The tunnels below Agrabah," Aladdin said.

"And how did we get to the tunnels below Agrabah, exactly?" Applejack asked.

"You came here," a slightly hoarse voice said, "because I brought you here."

From further down in the tunnel, a man appeared: a tall man with white hair and a white beard, clothed in blue rags. He wore a strip of cloth over the upper half of his face, obscuring his vision, and yet he moved as though he could see clearly where he was going.

"Phasir!" Aladdin cried.

"Who?" Twilight asked.

"A powerful prophet," Jasmine answered.

"At last," Phasir said, "the Six have arrived."

"He knows!" Pinkie gasped.

"Of course I know," Phasir replied plainly. "It has been passed from prophet to prophet, that the Six would arrive on this world one day in their quest to spread Harmony and stop the Old Ones from overtaking the cosmos."

"You're not from this world," Aladdin realized, "are you?"

"When we said we were from a faraway land," Rarity explained, "we rather meant…some good lightyears away…"

"The Mists of Avalon brought us here," Twilight said. "We have business on this world, even if we don't know what it is." She eyed Phasir suspiciously. "You're a prophet…do you know what it is?"

"You will arrive in the Seven Deserts more than once," Phasir answered, "and leave it more than once. I have come to inform you of your destiny during this visit. It is a destiny that concerns all eleven of you…the Elements of Harmony, the diamond in the rough, the princess, and their friends."

"Elements of Harmony?" Jasmine repeated.

"I've heard of those!" the Genie said excitedly. From thin air, he materialized a basket, giving each of the others present an apple from it. "Generosity!" He slipped on a pair of thick glasses with a false nose attached. "Laughter!" In a snap, the glasses were gone, and he now held a bouquet of flowers, which he pretended to bashfully offer to Twilight. "Kindness!" The bouquet was gone, and in its place a brass badge which he pinned to his chest before saluting. "Loyalty!" The badge was gone, and he put his right hand over his heart. "Honesty! And the sixth element, which is a mystery!"

"Magic," Twilight finished. "We're them. Magic is my element."

"You may not have known it," Phasir told Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie, "but when the Elements of Harmony appeared to you, you made six very powerful friends, friends who hold the fate of the universe in their hands…or hooves, as it may be."

"It would be nice if someone could say that and not omit what exactly we're supposed to do with said fate of the universe," Rarity grumbled.

"In time, your duty will reveal itself to you," Phasir said. "As will the angel of darkness. Until then, hear what I have to say. Remember these words, and you will all know what is to come. A great upheaval in the Seven Deserts."

"We're listenin'," Applejack said.

Phasir then appeared to enter a trance, speaking in rhyme: "An issue thought long put to rest will come to reinstate the quest. Retrieve the gift from siren's sea, and face the blades that number three. The Old Ones make a deadly bet, and oldest foes will be reset. The young one takes it on with pride, and to him all your fates are tied. First he wants and gets control, this world you will again make whole. With you he wishes to be done, so second will doom all but one. Beware the choice he makes as three; a twist arrives in Harmony. Success or failure in your hands, for desert and its borderlands. If you win remains unknown, but certain is one thing alone: a blow is dealt to magic's heart, and what seems done is just the start." Silence fell over the tunnels before Phasir said, "That is all."

"Can't you be any clearer?" Applejack asked frustratedly.

"For those like myself, clarity and honesty do not mean the same," Phasir said. "I have not lied, Element of Honesty. If I were to tell you exactly what to expect, it would sway your actions. If I had not given you fair warning, however, you might have passed your destiny by, perhaps believing that the Mists of Avalon had sent you here to repair a fire-torn roadway." He smirked. "I can clearly advise that you remain together, for it is in bonds of friendship that you find your strongest magic."

"Friendship is magic," Twilight paraphrased. She turned to Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie, with Abu and the Carpet looking on. "So…obviously we have some explaining to do…but will you help us?"

Aladdin nodded. "Of course. Whatever Phasir means you have to do…we'll help you."

"I shouldn't keep you from your work any longer," Phasir said, waving his hands.

Then before them was the street. Phasir was gone, as was the tunnel. Eight humans, one djinni, one magic carpet, and one monkey were returned to the street under repairs, where Minos, Fatima, Eden, Dandi, Deluca, and Sadira looked at them in confusion.

"Sorry 'bout that," Applejack said, breaking the silence. "So…how's about we finish up repairs, then?"

* * *

The street looked as though there had never been a fire. The carts stood again, and while they had fewer wares than before, they were ready for their owners to return to them. The buildings were reconstructed, and the ash swept away. Colorful awnings lined the road, giving it shade, and every empty frame was fitted with a door or window.

As the sun began to set, Aladdin and Jasmine declared it was time to return home, with a wink towards the six from Equestria that they should follow. Those eight, Abu, the Genie, and the Carpet turned to set out for the palace while the others waved goodbye and Sadira in particular yelled, "It was nice meeting all of you!"

"So," Aladdin asked, "how'd you end up all the way in Agrabah from 'lightyears away'?"

"Well, actually…" Twilight began.

"Can I tell the story?" Pinkie begged. "Please, please, pllleeeeeaaaaaase?"

"Sure," Twilight said with a smile.

"Okay!" Pinkie took a deep breath. "So it all started when we were back in Ponyville, where, believe it or not, we were all PONIES! So one day…"

* * *

"…and that's how Equestria was made!" Pinkie finished as the group reached the palace steps.

"And more importantly," Rarity added quickly, "that's how we ended up on our journey."

"Don't worry," Aladdin said. "I'm kind of the big hero around these parts. If there's an 'angel of darkness' on the loose, I'll help you take care of it."

"As will I," Jasmine promised.

"Doing battle with the forces of evil?" the Genie said with a wink. "Does that ever take me back to the Bronze Age! Count me in!"

"Thank you," Fluttershy said. "You all seem so very kind. We're lucky to have met good friends like you!"

"So…the Sultan of Agrabah," Twilight said, changing the subject out of worry. "He sounds pretty strict and tough. Not letting the family leave the palace walls for years and years?"

"He was worried about me," Jasmine said, "and a bit sheltered himself."

"Halt!" A large man stopped them at the great towering doors to the palace. He wore a black shirt and white pants as his uniform, topped off with a white turban, and a couple missing teeth betrayed that he'd been in quite a few tough scraps. "Who are these intruders?"

"They're not intruders, Razoul," Jasmine said, almost playfully. "They're our guests. We're friends."

"If you say so," Razoul muttered, but as the group passed by, he muttered so Rainbow Dash could hear, "But I'll be keeping an eye on your 'friends'…"

"You wanna say stuff like that to my face instead?" Rainbow Dash yelled, whirling to face Razoul.

With a worried squeak, Rarity grabbed Rainbow Dash by the arm and tugged her along before she could pick a fight with the captain of the palace guard.

Twilight smoothed out her robes and ran her fingers through her hair as Jasmine said, "I'm going to introduce you to Father right away. I'm sure he'll love you!"

"I hope," Twilight breathed quietly.

Jasmine led the way not to a throne room, but instead to a rather large toyroom filled with clockwork models and stone figurines of all sorts. Thin paper kites hung from the ceiling, setting off the mood of the room. "Look at all these toys!" Pinkie cried.

In the midst, a short man dressed in the white finery of royalty and sporting a beard of the same color knelt as he wound up a clockwork camel and watched it gallivant across the floor. Hearing Pinkie's exclamation, he stood and spread his arms. "My, my! Are you all guests of my daughter and son-in-law? Do come in! Oh, and you, young miss…feel free to try out anything you like! I'm quite fond of this camel, myself. Much speedier than the real thing!"

"Oh boy!" Pinkie cried, pouncing upon a clockwork bear displayed on a nearby table, winding it up to watch it rear into the air and emit a semi-realistic growl.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. Somehow, she didn't think she had to worry so much about impressing the Sultan anymore.

"Our new friends are from kinda far away," Aladdin said. "They didn't have anywhere to stay for the night, and seeing as I am the prince, I didn't think it would be out of bounds to offer them rooms for the night."

"Of course not, my boy!" the Sultan exclaimed. "Welcome to Agrabah! I am the Sultan! Now, tell me, it is a most beautiful city, isn't it? I've put a lot of work into it, and I'm quite proud. Though I do have to give credit where it's due – my daughter and son-in-law have done much to improve it."

"You have a beautiful kingdom, Sultan…" Twilight tried to remember if he'd said his name.

"Oh, I have a name," the Sultan said, "but hardly anyone ever uses it. You can just call me the Sultan…less embarrassing."

Twilight grinned when she heard the Genie whisper the name "Bobo" into her ear. "Well, everything looked great when we came through. I'm Twilight Sparkle. I see you already met Pinkie Pie."

"WHEE!" Pinkie cried, watching a clockwork horse-drawn wagon race a clockwork dragon across a table.

"I'm Rainbow Dash," Rainbow Dash chimed in, "adventurer extraordinaire!"

"Oh, my!" the Sultan replied. "And what manner of adventure brings you here?"

"Just a couple of prophecies," Rainbow Dash said, waving her hand. "No big deal!"

"It is a big deal," Jasmine iterated. "Father, Phasir told us that these women would be instrumental in saving Agrabah from a terrible fate."

"Then by all means," the Sultan said, "let them stay here! There isn't any expense too great for the heroes of Agrabah!"

"More like the heroes of the whole Seven Deserts," Rainbow Dash boasted.

Before she could go on, Applejack broke in. "That's mighty kind of ya, sir. My name's Applejack."

"Fluttershy," Fluttershy whispered. By this time, Abu was sitting on her shoulder again, and he seemed to be the only resident of the Seven Deserts thus far she really felt comfortable with, flashing him a bright smile after giving her name to the Sultan.

"And you are their princess?" the Sultan asked Rarity.

"No," Rarity said. "I just made it a point to dress like one. I'm Rarity."

"We're grateful you let us stay here," Twilight said. "We promise not to ask for much."

"Well, maybe a little," Applejack said. Twilight shot her a dirty look. "What?" Applejack defended. "I'm just dyin' to know what one of them dates tastes like, and I ain't got any money!"

"No money?" The Sultan was taken aback. "How did you get this far?"

"We actually have plenty of money," Rainbow Dash said. "Just nothing that's worth anything in this kingdom."

"We could at least give you all something to eat," Jasmine pointed out.

"How about a feast?" Aladdin suggested. "After all, we are the royal family, and it's not every day we have guests."

"One feast extraordinaire, comin' up!" In a puff of blue smoke, the Genie summoned an apron and a chef's hat that looked distinctly not like any hat native to the local fashion designs, holding a highly anachronistic pen over a pad of paper. "What will we be having tonight? Italian cuisine? French gourmet? Would you like fries with that?"

"Whatever the local special is," Applejack said. "But preferably with dates."

The others all nodded in assent, and the Genie sped down the hallway toward the dining room with a "No problem!"

"Applejack," Twilight whispered, "now that we're humans…we might have to eat meat. Our digestive systems can actually handle it, and a lot of human bodies need it."

"Oh…" Applejack looked concernedly at the royals. "Y'all don't eat horse meat, do ya?"

This caused an outburst of laughter. "Of course not," Aladdin said. "Don't worry."

"Tonight, we're serving lamb!" the Sultan announced proudly.

Applejack swayed, looking sick. "I got some good friends who're sheep," she muttered to Twilight.

"It's okay," Twilight said. "Um…can Applejack and I have a minute?" She pulled Applejack into the corner of the room. "I did some research on this in the Guide. Societies that eat animals don't eat talking animals. Back home, we'd count as talking animals, or Animals with a capital A if you need to differentiate. Ponies with a capital P. Here, the animals don't talk, and probably aren't even as smart as Winona. More like…Fluttershy's friends. It's still good to respect them, but they're part of the food chain that makes up natural order. We'd be eating lambs with a lowercase L…but that's only when you need to differentiate. Does that make you feel better?"

"Only a little," Applejack admitted. "It's still weird!"

"You don't have to eat it, you know."

"We'll see at the table."

"WHEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkie rode by in a small clockwork car that was just big enough to accommodate her, breaking up the conversation. "Mr. Sultan, I love your collection! It's so fun!"

"That's one of my personal favorites!" the Sultan pointed out happily.

* * *

"I can't believe it," Applejack said at the long dinner table, seated with her friends and the royal family. "It's so wrong…but it tastes…so right…" She put another bite of lamb into her mouth. "Man, I GOTTA learn me how to cook this!" Another bite. "But all y'all can't tell ANYPONY I like this, ya hear? Urgh, it's so wrong…but so delicious…"

"And the highly anticipated dates?" Rarity asked with a wink.

"Delicious and sweet!" Applejack rated. "Not as good as apples, mind you, but pretty darn good! Genie, this stuff's hoof-lickin' delicious!"

The Genie rose into the air, bowing as a rain of applause he summoned from nowhere thundered.

Razoul burst into the room. "Your Highnesses!" he cried. "Another intruder to the palace…but one all too familiar."

"Do you just assume everyone's an intruder?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"What Rainbow Dash means," Twilight said, "is that maybe you should give some people the benefit of the doubt."

"Perhaps," Razoul said with a sneer. "Then again, this particular intruder is a thorn in the palace's side, and he brought with him the OTHER old thorn in our side. Bring him in!"

Two more guards in uniform brought in a man dressed in blue, one who bore a striking resemblance to Aladdin despite being much older. Above his shoulder, a red macaw hovered, spouting in perfect speech, "I TOLD you this was a bad idea, Cassim!"

"The most wanted thief in Agrabah," Razoul said. "Of course, we can't do anything without your judgment…"

"Don't hurt him!" Fluttershy yelled, a knee-jerk reaction.

Aladdin slowly rose, a look of confusion on his face. "Dad?"

"I had hoped we could have met under better circumstances," Cassim said with as much of a shrug he could give with his arms held.

"Let him go," Jasmine commanded. "Suspend all his sentences!"

"That is your father?" Rarity asked.

"He showed up just in time for dinner!" Pinkie cried.

"I thought you'd ridden off into the desert for good," Aladdin said. "Why did you come back here?"

"It's a long story," Cassim said. "I'm on a sort of a quest, but I can't do it alone – or even with a trusted animal sidekick. But that can wait. After all, who am I to simply show up and ask favors?"

"What's going on?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Is your father…mean?"

"No," Aladdin answered. "We just come from…different worlds."

"Cassim left here one of the most notorious thieves in Agrabah!" the Sultan insisted. "He led a gang of forty despicable criminals!"

"But he is your son-in-law's dad," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"There's a free seat over here!" Pinkie cried.

"It seems your new friends have invited me to dinner," Cassim said. "A bit surprising, seeing as I was dragged here by guards…who, by the way, have been ordered to stand down."

The guards dropped Cassim, slinking away guiltily; Razoul eventually followed.

"Well, everyone deserves kindness," Fluttershy said. "And you did come all this way to see your son."

"Heh…" Aladdin shrugged. "Sure, why not? Join us for dinner."

Cassim sat down next to Pinkie Pie. "Who are your new friends, anyway? They're very accommodating…and quite beautiful."

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie introduced. "And we're the Elements of Harmony! So, what's your story? How'd you end up being one of Agrabah's most wanted?"

"Well, you see," Cassim explained, "I was absent for most of Aladdin's life. I once led a band of forty thieves, and we had planned to rob the royal wedding. Then, when I found out the prince-to-be was my son, things changed. It's a long story, but we eventually parted ways…though I must say," he said solemnly, looking Aladdin in the eye, "My love for my royal son hasn't lessened any." He gave a smile.

"Aaaaaaawwwww!" the six Equestrians chorused.

Aladdin couldn't help but smile back. "Y'know," he admitted, "it is kinda good to see you again."

"And what about ME?" the parrot spat. "I put the best years of my life into this stinkin' palace, only to get no welcome whatsoever?"

"I've never seen feathers so red!" Fluttershy remarked.

"Welcome back, Iago," Jasmine laughed. "Everyone, Iago lived in the palace with us for a long time, but he decided life on the move was better for him."

"A decision I didn't regret until recently," Iago muttered. Cassim shot him a dirty look, prompting him to shut up.

"Was he always such a complaining loudmouth?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"HEY!" Iago fluttered right up to Rainbow Dash's face. "Who're you callin' loudmouth?"

"You. Because you are."

"WHY I OUGHTA…"

"What? What're you gonna do to me, huh?"

"Well, they really do make a pair," Twilight said. Something occurred to her. "Wait…so, Cassim, you thought you wouldn't ever be back in Agrabah?"

"Indeed, I thought I had left for the last time," Cassim confirmed.

"An issue thought put long to rest," Twilight muttered, "will come to reinstate the quest…"

Rainbow Dash stopped her quibbling with the parrot long enough to turn to Twilight and say in disbelief, "You MEMORIZED it?"

"It was a prophecy!" Twilight defended. "Prophecies are important! You should never forget one once you hear it!"

"But it was so long!"

"I still remember all of it," Twilight said.

"But that reminds me," Rarity said, "Cassim, was it? You said you had a favor to ask. Perhaps we could help."

"It's a bit embarrassing to admit," Cassim began. "What I need is something long lost. Something I…already gave up. It turned out I wasn't done with it."

"No," Aladdin said in disbelief. "It can't be…you don't mean…"

Cassim said, very simply, "I seek the Hand of Midas."

* * *

Chapter 3:

· An explanation: in the extended canon (sequels, animated series) of Aladdin, Cassim is Aladdin's estranged father. In the final sequel, "Aladdin and the King of Thieves", Cassim is revealed to be the leader of the Forty Thieves, and the story is about him trying to reconcile with his son. In the end, he takes off to be an independent adventurer, and Iago, who quit being Jafar's sidekick to join the heroes in the second movie, went with him. Mozenrath is Aladdin's nemesis from the animated series, and one of my fangirl obsessions. There was a persistent fan rumor, probably untrue, that King of Thieves was originally supposed to be about Aladdin discovering he was Mozenrath's brother rather than Cassim's son, but that this script was scrapped when Moz's voice actor committed suicide (that Jonathan Brandis took his own life is, sadly, true). While I don't believe the theory was officially recognized as canon by Disney, I do LIKE it a whole lot, the idea that the hero and one of the most important extended-canon villains were good-twin-evil-twin, so I'm using it here.

· Mozenrath is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time – at the time I'm writing this, he's actually my favorite villain I've ever encountered – so prepare to see him do a LOT.

· Incidentally, because Mozenrath's personality quirk is that he's obsessed with magic, he's one of my favorite crossover ships for Twilight Sparkle (which I've probably already mentioned to you several times, but just in case you forgot). So…guess why I wanted to do this world first?

· Most of the women in the Aladdinverse don't wear hijabs, but I really enjoyed the Islamic studies I did in school, and this is an Arabic-based world, so the Mane Six get hijabs. Besides, you can see them on some of the female commoners, so I'm not pulling it from completely nowhere.

· In the narrative, and when the Mane Six think the word, it's "djinni" because that's the technical term Twilight would have read. The characters of the Aladdinverse think and say "genie".

· Dandi, Eden, Minos, Fatima, Deluca, and Sadira are all characters from the animated series. Out of all of them, Sadira is the only one that really has a large role…I just like the rest of them enough to kind of pump up their roles. Sadira and Deluca have never interacted, but since they were both mages, I like the idea of Deluca being a "big sister" to Sadira.

· I wanted to give enough background on the events of the films/series that the Mane Six would know what was going on. I apologize if it seems rushed, repetitive, or otherwise crappy.

· Twilight can't do sand magic because I want to emphasize that the kinds of magic in the universe are much bigger and more varied than what she knows, which will give me an excuse to have her learn more magic as plot devices throughout.

· The backstory of Mozenrath turning the people of the Black Sand into his undead minions is pretty much implied, but never stated in canon.

· Aaliyah is my OC. As is the silk vendor, but that was kinda obvious since I never named him.

· The shadow walkers are a reference to an ep in the animated series, where said creatures kidnap children every seven years. I will explain later how Mozenrath evaded them.

· That bit about a sorceress kidnapping Aaliyah? Important. Plot point. Foreshadowing.

· As for the backstory about Cassim: the only parts that are canon are that Cassim left his family to find enough riches to give them a better life, and when he returned home, he "could not find his wife or son." The rest of it is my embellishment, including how he and Aaliyah met.

· Aladdin and Jasmine know about other worlds because of their involvement in Kingdom Hearts, which I am planning to make canon to the main Aladdinverse ( I really can't do a giant crossover story without it!), and because of the crossover episode the series had with the animated series of Hercules – as the two time periods are thousands of years apart, I'm going to blame interdimensional travel a little bit. So they've met more than one interdimensional traveler.

· "And that's how Equestria was made" is a shout-out to the episode where the Mane Six talk about their Cutie Marks; it's become sort of a meme in the brony community to have Pinkie end a long and rambling story with that.

· "Bobo" is the Sultan's canon name, mentioned in "As the Netherworld Turns." I figure he's embarrassed by it, since in every other episode and all three movies, he has everyone call him the Sultan.

· The talking animals/Animals bit was inspired a little bit by Chronicles of Narnia and a little bit by Wicked (both of which I want to incorporate heavily into this fic's universe). I did think it would make more sense to have the Mane Six as omnivores now, and apologize in advance because there's a high probability that Applejack wouldn't have eaten a sheep even if there wasn't a difference between talking/non-talking animals. (I eventually change one of them to a vegetarian later, don't worry.)

· The Hand of Midas was the treasure Cassim sought in the third film, but gave it up because he "already had the greatest treasure" (meaning his son Aladdin). It was then implied to have gone down undersea to be lost forever. That's why ending on that note is such a big deal.


	4. The Grotto to Everywhere

1. The Grotto to Everywhere

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"But why?" Aladdin asked in disbelief. "You said you didn't need it. You threw it back to the ocean!"

"The what now?" Pinkie asked.

"The Hand of Midas," Cassim said. "An artifact that turned all it touched into gold. Aladdin and I went on our last adventure to find it. I had thought it a good riddance when I cast it away…but as it turns out, Iago and I need to live off something. I've only robbed those I believe truly deserve it, but that isn't enough to pay for food and necessities. I do not intend to use it for anything else."

"Oh, that's just a load of – " Iago began, but another dirty look from Cassim shut him up.

"Finding it will be impossible," Jasmine said. "The great turtle went back undersea for who knows how long!"

"Great…turtle?" Twilight was confused.

The Genie morphed into the shape of a great blue turtle. "The Vanishing Isle! Home of the Hand of Midas and other popular tourist attractions! Currently submerged in an unknown location!"

"The Hand of Midas is destructive," Aladdin asserted.

"We would only use it responsibly!" Cassim argued. "Or I would. I wouldn't let HIM touch it at all." His eyes wandered over to Iago, who groaned and didn't say anything. Applejack thought the whole conversation somewhat suspicious.

"If anyone can help me find the Hand once more," Cassim said, "it is you. That is why I come asking your help. You must realize that it is an utmost necessity for me."

"I won't do it," Aladdin said. "Not after last time."

"I don't think this can get any more like an issue put to rest," Rarity pointed out.

"It does fit with the prophecy," Twilight said.

"What's more, though…" Rarity faced everyone at the table. "I think we should help him."

"Rarity," Aladdin chastised, "there's a lot about this situation you don't understand."

"What's to understand?" Rarity asked. "He's your father, and he needs this Hand of Midas quite badly. You could help him find it…and it may just be what we came here to do in the first place."

"I agree!" Pinkie said. "Why not help out?"

"It would be the nice thing to do," Fluttershy said.

"Hang on," Twilight interrupted. "Maybe we don't understand enough. I mean, it does turn anything into gold…and that's dangerous! Besides, there's obviously something going on with Cassim and Aladdin's relationship – "

"Blah, blah, blah," Rainbow Dash cut Twilight off. "This is our chance to actually get out there and DO something!"

"Helping with the fire was something," Fluttershy pointed out. "But I still think we should go."

"They have a point," Jasmine told her husband. "If Cassim needs the Hand…"

"Please," Cassim said humbly.

"I don't know." Aladdin turned to the one Element of Harmony he hadn't heard from. "What do you think?"

Applejack eyed Cassim with suspicion. "If he really needs it that badly," she said sternly, "we should help him get it."

"Fine," Aladdin huffed. "We'll help you find it."

"I truly am sorry," Cassim said. "You…you have no idea what this means to me."

Applejack took note of that as well.

"Yeah, but how are we gonna find the stinkin' thing?" Iago brought up. "It's gone! Underwater! Lost!"

"Retrieve the gift from siren's sea," Twilight said. "If the Vanishing Isle is underwater, that fits too. So we ask a siren? Do you know any sirens?"

"Only one," Jasmine said. "Saleen."

"Actually, Saleen would be more of a water elemental," the Genie pointed out. "But I can see how Phasir would get the two confused. Easy mistake to make!"

"No, it isn't," Twilight grumbled. "Sirens use their hypnotic voices or manipulations of their victims' hearts' desires in order to deceive others. Water elementals can be anything from mermaids to…"

"And she's lost in the desert of endless pointless knowledge," Rainbow Dash sighed. "What's the deal with this Saleen?"

"Come to think of it," Jasmine said, "she has magic water that allows land-dwellers to breathe under the sea, and portals to almost every source of water in the Seven Deserts. If we could use her ocean, we could find the Hand easily."

"And the catch is?" Applejack asked.

"She's evil!" the Genie replied.

"That is rather a setback," Rarity said.

"I'm sure I can trick her into letting us into her ocean," Aladdin said. "After all, I tricked her once. I can do it again."

"D'you always solve things by trickin' people?" Applejack asked. "As the Element of Honesty, I ain't sure I endorse that."

"But there's no reasoning with her," Aladdin explained. "If we ask her outright, she'll try and turn us into sharks or imprison us underwater forever."

"So she uses magic," Twilight said. "I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle. Well, okay, I was a little rusty with the sand magic, but I'm sure this time will be different."

"Hang on," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "If we're going on a serious quest, I want a sword."

"How do you even know we'll need to be fighting anyone?" Rarity asked.

"It's just in case!" Rainbow Dash folded her arms. "And swords are cool!"

"The prophecy did say we'd have to face blades of three," Twilight reminded everyone.

"It sounds like a complex prophecy," Cassim said.

Fluttershy gave a squeak of fear. "Three blades…I really would rather not fight anyone…" Abu, noticing her concern, gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Then it's settled," Aladdin said. "Tomorrow morning, we set out for Saleen's grotto." His eyes were still locked with those of his father.

"My, this is exciting!" the Sultan gushed. "Shall I accompany you?"

"Someone needs to stay here and keep the throne of Agrabah," Jasmine reminded him.

"Oh, right!" The Sultan declared, "Then tomorrow, I shall have you all outfitted with everything you need for your quest! That includes a sword for Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash pumped her fist. "Yes!"

None of them noticed the tiny clockwork beetle, not one of the Sultan's various toys, climbing up the wall and flitting out the window.

* * *

Hidden in the tangle of streets of Agrabah was a most disreputable place: the Thieves' Guild. Here, the city's most prominent criminals gathered to have a bite to eat and try and outdo each other with tales of their deeds. Some preferred to stir things up and cause brawls, while others simply used the Guild as a home away from home in order to plan schemes. One such of the latter sat at the back table, a short, balding man dressed in a red tunic and a draping white toga with a great monocle upon his right eye to complete the vision. He waited, silently, patiently.

The clockwork beetle flitted into the guild, dodging the swats of many a criminal, and landed upon the table before the waiting man. It then began to emit a series of clicks and clacks, a code the man had invented, and the man took care to document the code on a nearby sheet of parchment with his quill. The beetle ceased its clicks, and the man looked at what he'd written down.

"Aladdin has teamed up with six strangers and the former leader of the Forty Thieves in order to retrieve…THE HAND OF MIDAS?" he read out loud before gasping. "The famed Hand of Midas, which turns all it touches to gold? Ohhhh, you have brought me valuable news, my pretty!" He patted the beetle before continuing to read what he'd documented. "The grotto of Saleen…of course! It would lead them right to the Hand! And if it leads them…it will lead me…and then I can check 'obtain treasures of untold worth' off my to-do list for conquering the known world!"

"You and those lists," a sarcastic voice droned, and the man looked up to see the thief who continued to insult him, mocking his shrill voice: "Ohh, I say, I will eliminate my sworn enemy the dust bunny from this world, quite so, henceforth!"

"Don't mock me!" the monocled man shot back, recognizing his insulter: a short, round man dressed mostly in gray. "Abis Mal…I should have known YOU would try and interrupt my plans, you disorganized lout…"

"You and your big words, Mechanicles," Abis Mal retorted. "You know what they say about guys like you that use big words? They say you're all…a bunch of snobs that use big words!" He then turned to the man beside him, his ever-loyal sidekick, tall and willowy with darker skin than anyone else in the Guild. "Haroud…'lout' is an insult, right?"

"Yes," Haroud sighed. "And a particularly bad one."

"No one calls Abis Mal a lout and gets away with it!" Abis Mal threatened. "Why, I oughta just…just…word that means cut up into tiny little pieces…"

"Mince, sir," Haroud groaned.

"MINCE you!" Abis Mal finished.

"As though you'd ever have the chance," Mechanicles snapped. "Disorganized, unprepared, uncouth…you couldn't touch me."

"I don't have to!" Abis Mal said proudly. "You see, you just did yourself in when you talked to yourself! Why do you do that, anyway? Are you insane or something?"

"Lots of geniuses talk to themselves!" Mechanicles defended. "And I am the greatest genius in all of Greece!"

"Well, you're not in Greece anymore!" Abis Mal pointed out. "And that makes the greatest genius in all the land…"

"Probably Aladdin," Haroud snorted.

"Probably Aladdin!" Abis Mal repeated. "Which means NOT YOU! So, you wanna hear what I'm gonna do to make you mad and get a ton of money for myself at the same time?"

"Not particularly," Mechanicles answered.

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do!" Abis Mal announced. "I will find the Hand of Midas before you OR Aladdin, and then you won't have it! Also, that means I will have it, and I'll have all the gold I could ever want!"

"You wouldn't even know where to start looking!" Mechanicles shot back.

"Oh, I think I do," Abis Mal retorted.

"You see," Haroud explained, "you did state rather clearly to yourself that the Hand of Midas could be found through Saleen's grotto, and probably by following Aladdin."

"I…but…you…" Mechanicles couldn't deny that. "GAAAAAAH! YOU ALL FRUSTRATE ME SO MUCH!" He slammed a scroll of parchment with a long checklist upon it down on the table, using his quill to add a new item to the bottom. "Number 137: find a way to shame Abis Mal and Haroud in order to prove that I am the superior thinker!" He rolled the scroll up. "If that's the way you want it…we'll race for it! Tomorrow morning, when Aladdin sets out with his strange new friends, we'll both follow them by our own paths, and the first one to the Hand of Midas gets to keep it and have all the gold AND the rights to conquer the world with it!"

"Did someone say the Hand of Midas?" A tall, skinny thief wearing a tall turban and maroon clothing skidded over to the back table. "The artifact that turns everything it touches to gold?"

"Who are you?" Mechanicles asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, wait a minute," Abis Mal said. "Ain't you the guy everybody calls Butterfingers?"

"That is NOT my name!" the skinny thief insisted. "It's Amin Damoola!"

"Is he someone we should worry about?" Mechanicles asked.

"Word on the street has it he's the worst thief in the entire Seven Deserts," Abis Mal answered.

"So no," Haroud clarified.

"I intend to change all of that!" Amin declared. "And I shall start with taking the Hand of Midas before either of you!"

At that, both Abis Mal and Haroud burst into uncontrollable laughter. "YOU?" Abis Mal jeered. "YOU beat us and him to the Hand of Midas?"

"I'll take this to mean I don't need to put shaming you on the list," Mechanicles muttered.

"I will show you!" Amin vowed. "Tomorrow, all of us will set out by three separate paths! And I will beat all three of you to the Hand of Midas!"

"Do you even know where you're going?" Haroud asked.

"I…thought I'd follow Aladdin and see where he went," Amin admitted.

"Hmmm…" Mechanicles looked back over his translation. "I wonder if these 'six strangers' are anything to worry about…"

"It doesn't matter if he brings a thousand strangers," Abis Mal vowed. "I'll still get that Hand before ALL of you!" With that, he stormed off, and Haroud followed.

"Well," Mechanicles huffed, rolling up his scroll and tucking the beetle away in his pocket, "I could get that Hand if Aladdin brought an army of TWO thousand!" He then walked away haughtily.

"And I could get it if he brought…admittedly about three," Amin said to himself before leaving the Guild as well.

* * *

The Sultan had provided the six Elements with spare bedrooms in which to stay. Each settled down in her new temporary quarters, ready to sleep before the following day's adventure, except for Applejack. She stayed up, walking with the royal family as they showed Cassim to his quarters. The Genie, the Carpet, and Abu eventually dissipated as well.

"Go on ahead," Aladdin told Jasmine. "I'll be there in a minute."

"I'll be waiting." Jasmine kissed Aladdin on the cheek before walking away to their bedchamber.

"Somethin' about this whole deal with your dad's buggin' ya," Applejack asked, "ain't it?"

"It isn't just that he came back here asking for favors," Aladdin sighed. "We really do come from two different worlds…metaphorically speaking. I'd still help him with anything else he wanted. He is my dad, and…I love him. But when we found the Hand of Midas together, he didn't just throw it away because it was dangerous. He told me he didn't need it anymore because he already had the greatest treasure of all." Aladdin sighed. "Me. I guess it was too much to expect…he'll never change. I just wish he remembered that. It feels like he's undoing everything he said by asking for that Hand."

"That don't mean he don't love you," Applejack pointed out. "Heck, if I had a dollar for every time a member of my family went gaga for some nifty new plow or a fancy bow, I'd'a been rich enough to buy my Granny Smith a hip replacement three years ago. But we stick together, and when it matters, we pick each other over the little things. Just 'cause he wants that treasure don't mean he don't want you, and it definitely don't mean he don't think you're his greatest treasure of all."

"I guess you're right," Aladdin said. "It just felt…I don't know."

"I understand your concern," Applejack said. "If I'd'a heard the same thing from my brother after somethin' like you said happened when you first found the Hand, I woulda felt hurt too. But I know he loves ya. I could see it in his face." Her demeanor shifted. "That bein' said, that ain't all I could see in his face."

"What do you mean?"

"Somethin' ain't right about all this," Applejack admitted. "I could see it when he told the story. His excuse made no sense, especially knowin' what you just told me. He kept lookin' at Iago like he didn't want him to say somethin', like he's hidin' somethin'. And when he said you didn't know how much it meant to him? Sounded like it meant a little more than just buyin' food. More than just bein' greedy, too."

"What would he have to hide?" Aladdin asked. "He isn't part of the Forty Thieves anymore. He doesn't have any of their secrets to keep, or any of them breathing down his neck. Not to mention…I thought we were past the days when we'd hide things from each other."

"Then it must be somethin' real important," Applejack said. "If he ain't tellin' you…it's gotta be big. Tell ya what: when we set out, I'm gonna work on him. See if I can't get him to spill the beans."

"I just don't know what he could have to hide," Aladdin reiterated. "Anyway…thanks, Applejack. It's not exactly a load off my mind, but it's a bit."

"No problem, sugar cube," Applejack replied. "Now you go and get some sleep, and I'll try to do the same. Ain't used to livin' in such a big fancy place like this."

"Tell me about it," Aladdin laughed.

They parted and made for their separate bedchambers.

* * *

MIRAGE'S SANCTUM, MORBUS

Floating in the starry, cloudy void that was Morbus, the pyramid blazed with the flames of its torches, becoming a beacon of light. On the threshold of this pyramid was where Discord materialized. Unlike the other travelers from his world, he retained his old form, the body of the draconequus. He did have a human form he could have taken…but here in Morbus, he saw no reason for it.

He strode casually into the pyramid, walking down hallways decorated with murals and hieroglyphics that spoke of famines, pestilences, and plagues. Some of the scenes of destruction gave him the giggles. At last, he reached the inner chamber, where he saw her. She looked every inch the daughter of Bastet that she was: a tall, willowy anthropomorphic black cat with a shapely hourglass figure, dressed in a red skirt and short red top edged in gold, with a golden, snake-topped crown upon her head and a shock of black hair cascading down the back of her neck.

"Guess who!" Discord cried, spreading his arms and grinning. This gave the Old One standing before him a shock as she turned to face him. Slowly, she grinned.

"Discord, my old friend!" she cried. "How long has it been?"

"One thousand years for me," Discord answered. "But after all, between worlds, time is relative. I'm surprised to see you out and about!"

"Most of us were sealed away," Mirage responded coyly, "but as you can see, I am as free as I please. I'm surprised to see you. How did you escape your prison of stone?"

"Some upstart thinking she can control us let me out," Discord answered. "Nothing to worry about. If I see her again, I'll show her what's what. Please, tell me you've been using your time to the fullest!"

"Kidnapping children," Mirage listed, "destroying villages, casting sleeping spells, trapping people in illusions, generally spreading evil across the land…I guess you could say I've been quite busy."

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Discord applauded. "You always were better at pure evil."

"I left the chaos to you," Mirage snorted. "Your brother, on the other hand, decided to pay me a visit and try to make me more…spontaneous."

"Chaos Junior?" Discord replied excitedly. "He's free, too? Oh, this is too rich! Then again, he never could hold a candle to me."

"He's nothing but a self-righteous brat!" Mirage spat. "You, on the other hand…" She purred seductively. "You are MUCH more tolerable."

"Seeing how the two of us are already free," Discord said, "and Chaos Junior to boot, why don't we make it a party and find all the others? This could be our big break!"

"I like the way you think," Mirage said. "Of course, I've been too busy with my work. There aren't that many of us left, you know. I have a lot of ground to cover, and there are far too many do-gooders out there who think it funny to thwart me."

"I've always been good at multi-tasking," Discord reminded Mirage. "We'll split the difference: you keep doing what you're doing, and I'll expand my scope. If we work fast, we might even be able to dig up the old hangout!"

"But it's gone," Mirage pointed out. "The Atlanteans did rather a number on it. It only makes me that much happier that they got their comeuppance later. In the meantime, why don't we pick a shorter-term goal?"

"Hmm." Discord placed his bird-claw against his chin, stroking it thoughtfully. "What territory are you working on now?"

"The Seven Deserts is a particular favorite stomping ground of mine as of late," Mirage said solemnly. "It's nearly an addiction. Creating evil there is so easy, but it is so quickly extinguished. I simply can't let the challenge go."

Discord snapped his fingers. "I have JUST the thing!" His hands glowed with magic, and he swirled them around a spherical area of air, creating something that he held behind his back. "Try and guess!"

"You know I hate this game," Mirage sighed. "Something that holds the doom of the Seven Deserts?"

Discord held out an obsidian-black oil lamp. "Ta-daaaaaa!"

Mirage gasped, placing a hand over her heart. "It cannot be! It doesn't make any – "

"Sense?"

Mirage's shock turned to glee, and she smirked. "You never were one to make sense. I forgot the extent of your powers."

"It's a simple reset button," Discord explained. "It's been set before, right?"

"Once," Mirage said. "By a powerful user of the darkness. A faerie sorceress."

Discord raised an eyebrow. "A mere faerie used the reset?"

"Yes," Mirage groaned. "She imprisoned Aladdin's djinni, restored that lamp, and even fixed the Cave of Wonders."

"What did she look like?"

"What you'd expect. Pale skin with a touch of green to it. Black robes and a hood with horns. A staff with a green crystal sphere. Raven sidekick. How typical."

Discord thought back to the alicorn that had freed him. "Interesting…anyway, if I remember correctly, this baby would cause the greatest possible chaos in the Seven Deserts. It should make your job much easier! I just need one thing from you."

"And what is that?"

"Give it to the one person who deserves it LEAST," Discord said with a grin. "The one person who will misuse it to its greatest potential. Now, I've been asleep for a thousand Fourth Equestrian years, so I have no idea who's who around the Seven Deserts. You do." He held out the lamp.

Mirage took it, cradling it like a baby and making sure not to rub it by accident. "Ohhhh," she purred. "I know exactly who to give this to."

"I look forward to the results," Discord said.

"Leaving already?" Mirage asked, disappointment tinting her voice.

"Oh, I'll be back soon," Discord promised. "And I plan on leaving my mark on the Seven Deserts in more ways than one. You see, six beings I absolutely LOVE to toy with just landed there. Not to give them all the chaos I could possibly rustle up…well, it just wouldn't be me! Until then!" He snapped his fingers, and he was gone.

Mirage looked again to the black lamp, anticipating the moment when she would grant it to its new owner.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Rainbow Dash…wake up…"

"I don't wanna," Rainbow Dash complained, rolling over in her bed.

"But we have to get going!" Twilight insisted, shaking Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "Our quest for the Hand of Midas, remember?"

"Two more hours," Rainbow Dash muttered.

Twiilght smirked. "Okay…but the later you sleep in, the later you'll get your sword…"

Rainbow Dash rolled back over and leapt out of bed. "What are we waiting for, Twilight? Today's questing day!" She then ran out of the room.

Twilight shook her head before following.

Most of the palace's subjects engaged in a morning prayer before going about business; the six Equestrians, having never really thought about worshipping any deity beyond paying respect to Celestia and Luna, bowed respectfully but mostly just observed. Then, after a hearty breakfast, the group finally banded together at the atrium of the palace, ready to move out.

"I managed to snag one of the best swords in the royal armory," Aladdin told Rainbow Dash, handing her a short sword with a curved blade and a deep purple sash with which to strap it to her waist.

"So…awesome…" Rainbow Dash looked at her reflection in the blade, admiring its shine, before tucking it away in the purple sash.

Outside the palace doors, Aladdin and Jasmine moved immediately atop the Carpet. "Carpet can carry about three," Jasmine realized. "We'll have to figure something else out…"

"Still this business with flying carpets!" Cassim groaned. "What's wrong with horses?"

"They're slow," Iago pointed out.

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Applejack yelled.

"What?" Iago looked frantically at each of them, trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong. "What'd I say?"

"What Iago means," Aladdin corrected, "is that Carpet can cover more distance than humans OR horses can."

"Don't worry about transportation!" the Genie said with a wink. "I've got that covered!" He transformed into a small open-roofed jet plane that could seat six, with two rows of three seats. "All aboard the Genie Express! Remember to turn off all cell phones and laptops before takeoff!"

"Uh…what's a cell phone?" Applejack asked.

"I have no idea," Aladdin admitted.

Twilight began to move toward the Genie-plane, but Applejack put out a hand to hold her back. "I think you should ride on Carpet, since you've always wanted to see a real one up close and personal. Cassim don't seem too set on carpets…so he can sit by me. That is, if Al and Jasmine don't mind."

"Not at all," Jasmine said, and Twilight settled herself on the carpet with a squeal.

"If it's all the same," Rainbow Dash said, "I'd rather fly. I bet I can keep up. Fluttershy, you game?"

"I'd rather not," Fluttershy said timidly. "After all…I'm wearing a skirt."

Fluttershy settled in next to Rarity in the Genie-plane, while Pinkie sat behind them. Abu clambered onto Fluttershy's lap. Applejack and Cassim sat up front, with Iago on Cassim's shoulder. Cassim couldn't help but pick up vibes of disapproval from the woman beside him.

"Prepare for liftoff!" the Genie commanded. The Carpet rose into the air with Aladdin, Jasmine, and Twilight on board, and the Genie-plane ascended similarly. Rainbow Dash spread her wings, taking off straight upward. The Carpet, the Genie-plane, and Rainbow Dash turned toward the sea and took off, sailing through the air, leaving in their wake only a thin rainbow trail.

* * *

"He probably thinks he's so superior, all the way up there in the air," Abis Mal grumbled. "Well, what's wrong with horses? Why do they need some stupid carpet anyway?"

"Perhaps it's because horses are slow," Haroud suggested.

"You know," Abis Mal retorted, "if I was a horse, I would be very offended by now."

The partners in crime spurred on their horses to follow the rainbow trail, not even stopping to wonder who or what was making it.

* * *

"A winged woman leaving a rainbow in her midst?" Mechanicles pocketed his spyglass after watching the party leave via air. "Hmm…odd. Well, all things to be dealt with in time." He brought out his checklist, adding "Find out who the rainbow woman is" to the very bottom before rolling it up again.

He sat on a chair embedded into the back of a giant metal scorpion, about the size of a train car. Pulling a few levers, Mechanicles caused the scorpion to roar to life and click-clack its way across the desert after the rainbow trail.

* * *

"So he thinks he can fly, does he? Well, little does he know…I kept my flying shoes!"

Amin Damoola flew more or less smoothly along in the sky, using clouds to cover his path as he kept a good distance from the Carpet, the Genie-plane, and Rainbow Dash. However, he still couldn't keep the shoes from causing him to occasionally tip head over heels or occasionally switch direction altogether. Because of this, he progressed even more slowly than the metal scorpion or the thieves' horses, despite having the power of flight, but he too followed the rainbow trail.

* * *

THE COASTLINE, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"It just seems like a big thing, is all," Applejack said. "You sure there's nothin' you want with it other than to get food and necessities?"

"Absolutely sure," Cassim said without batting an eyelash. "What more could I want? But a man has got to eat, after all."

"You sure you're tellin' me the truth?" Applejack pressed.

"Why would I lie?" Cassim retorted. He didn't know how this woman could possibly even suspect his reasonings.

Ahead, on the Carpet, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Twilight discussed a plan for getting around Saleen. "…in that case," Twilight commented, "Rarity's the perfect one for the job. Still, I want to see if we can settle this by discussion first."

"She won't listen," Aladdin reminded Twilight.

"So we keep Rarity out of sight," Twilight said. "If Saleen really won't listen…then she won't have seen Rarity with us, and she won't suspect that Rarity's our agent!"

"You're sure Rarity will agree?" Jasmine asked.

"We've done stranger undercover missions before," Twilight reassured. "Besides, she always enjoys having someone to discuss fashion with, no matter what."

"Genie!" Aladdin yelled over to the other craft. "Let's land a way back so Saleen doesn't see us coming!"

"Roger that, captain!" the Genie replied, beginning his descent.

"Race you to the ground!" Rainbow Dash yelled, zooming past.

"Oh, that is not fair!" the Genie cried. "You had a head start!" He plummeted after her so quickly that Fluttershy and Rarity screamed in terror, and Abu and Iago clung desperately to Fluttershy and Cassim respectively so as not to be flung off.

"You're on!" Aladdin cried, steering the Carpet after Rainbow Dash and the Genie. Jasmine and Twilight gripped the edges of the Carpet, exchanging the rolling of eyes.

Rainbow Dash planted down behind the rocks of the coast first. The Genie swooped into a landing soon after, and the Carpet touched down third. "Ha!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Beat ya!"

"Now try doin' it without a head start," Applejack said with a wink.

"NO!" Iago screamed. "DON'T TRY DOING THAT AGAIN AT ALL!"

"Rarity," Twilight said, "we thought of a plan to get around Saleen. But we'll need your help."

"But of course!" Rarity said eagerly. "What is it you want me to do?"

"You see…" Aladdin took her aside to brief her on the plan.

After hearing her assignment, Rarity nodded. "I'll be on standby, then. Although I hardly think that anyone with such an interest in good hair could be all bad…"

"Believe me," Aladdin moaned, "she is."

Rarity knelt in hiding behind the rocks as the others crossed to the sandy beach, looking out over the waves.

"This is the place," Jasmine said.

"Looks innocent enough," Cassim observed.

"Saleen?" Twilight called out. "Saleen, we're here to talk to you! We just have a small favor to – "

Twilight was interrupted when a gigantic wave rose from the ocean, headed right toward the beach. Everyone but Twilight screamed and ran back to the rocks of the coast; Twilight held her position.

"TWILIGHT!" Fluttershy screamed.

Twilight threw up her hands, flattening her palms. A square shield of pink magic formed upon them, spreading out to a large mass. The water collided with the shield, pushing against it, constantly fueled by a rush from the sea.

"We…are going…to TALK!" Twilight insisted.

She faltered; the pink shield cracked, fell away, and dissolved. The wave crashed down, sweeping her out to sea.

After being knocked head over heels, Twilight surfaced, gasping for air. She was a few feet out to sea. Beside her, another humanoid form surfaced, rising up so that she was above water from the waist up. It was a pale-skinned woman with voluminous orange hair cascading down her back, wearing a golden tiara, earrings made from seashells, and a strapless orange bodice.

"What do you want, you inferior little land-dweller?" the woman spat.

"You must be Saleen," Twilight said with a nervous smile. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I – "

"And you thought your magic could outdo mine," Saleen snapped.

"No, no!" Twilight said hastily. "I just thought you started out by acting kind of rashly, by sending in that wave and all, and I – "

"Listen," Saleen barked. "You came here with the royal family of Agrabah, who I happen to hate. I wouldn't go easy on them. What makes you so sure I'm going to spare you?"

"I don't know what happened between you," Twilight said, "but I'm new to this whole situation. Maybe I can help you work things out! Why do you hate Aladdin and Jasmine, anyway?"

"Because," Saleen said, putting her hands on her waist. "They wouldn't let me have my way. I was going to take Aladdin away from his precious princess. I very nearly had broken them up for good, and they had to go and ruin everything!"

"Oh," Twilight said softly. "So…you were in love with Aladdin, and he was already betrothed to Jasmine?"

"I never said I loved him," Saleen replied. "Stealing him away was a challenge, and I NEVER lose a challenge."

"Well, that seems a little unfair," said Twilight.

"Unfair?" Saleen raised an eyebrow. "What do I care about fair? I don't play fair when I sink the ships on this ocean, I don't play fair when I'm trying to steal someone's heart, and I don't play fair in a challenge!"

"You really are evil!" Twilight snapped. "Or at least incredibly selfish!"

"Did you want something or not?" Saleen asked snippily.

"Is it too much for her highness to let us use her magical waters to find one underwater location for just ten minutes?" Twilight spat.

"It wouldn't be," Saleen said, "but the answer is no. Now, since you're new to this, I'm going to let you off with a warning. But try and interfere with my ocean again and I'll drown you. Got that?"

"You can't - !"

Back on the coast, the others watched as another great wave rose up. As it crashed down on shore, it deposited one very soaked and disheveled Twilight.

"I take it the discussion didn't go well," Cassim observed.

"Just get Rarity," Twilight growled.

* * *

Rarity wandered down among the tidepools at the edge of the coast. "Why?" she sobbed in mock melodrama. "Why must these things always happen to me?" She lay down on the edge of one of the tidepools, adding crocodile tears to its supply of water. "Are all stallions the same? I hate him! I hate him so much! And of all things, he had the nerve to call me…UGLY!"

The waters stirred. Saleen rose from them, showing herself from the waist upward once more. "What's this I hear?" she said with interest. "Boy trouble?"

"An awful, awful boy!" Rarity moaned. "He completely shattered my heart! Ooh, they're all the same!"

"Land or sea," Saleen agreed. "Who was he to call you ugly? I'm not saying you couldn't use a makeover, but you do dress better than most of the land-dwellers around here."

Rarity had to restrain herself from responding to Saleen's suggestion of a makeover. "He was a prince," Rarity said. "Prince Blueblood! I've never met a more stuck-up man in my life! And what's worse, he was friends with this completely uncouth and deceitful but enticingly handsome OTHER prince!"

"Let me guess," Saleen replied. "Aladdin of Agrabah?"

Rarity fell back into fake sobs. "That's the one!"

"You poor thing," Saleen said with genuine pity. "Here. What you need is a genuine style makeover. Come with me."

She grabbed Rarity's wrist and dove; Rarity plunged under with a scream. Once underwater, she could see Saleen's body in full, and observed that below the waist, she had the tail of a fish, much like the being she'd seen combing her hair on the shores of Avalon. Rarity found, strangely, that she could breathe underwater, a testament to the power of Saleen's ocean.

Saleen dropped Rarity down on a vaguely chair-shaped rock sticking out of the sandy ocean floor. "Armand!" she called, and an enormous octopus slithered into view. "Do something about this land-dweller's hair."

"Whatever you need to do," Rarity said. "As long as it takes!"

Saleen removed Rarity's hijab, looking over her purple curls. "We've got a long way to go, Armand," she told the octopus.

Rarity suppressed a grin. Just as planned.

Armand began by tilting a narrow shell over Rarity's head and dumping some sort of shampoo-like substance onto her hair. He then picked up a cracked half-shell of a purple sea urchin from the sea floor and placed it upon Rarity's head, winding locks of hair around the spines.

"So tell me more about this Prince Blueblood," Saleen said, regarding Rarity with interest.

"Well," Rarity began, "every year, my kingdom – which is to say the kingdom I live in, not the kingdom I rule, I'm not a princess – holds a great festival. A gala of sorts. This was the year I was finally going to attend the gala with a VIP invitation and meet the most dashing prince in our royal family: Prince Blueblood…"

* * *

"It worked!" Twilight rushed down to the tidepool where she'd seen Rarity and Saleen plunge under. "Okay, everyone…I should be right back!"

"Be careful," Jasmine advised.

"Oh, I will," Twilight assured before slipping quietly into the water feet first.

The others had been right; the water was magic, and she could breathe under it easily. She was sure she could manipulate it to become a breathable supply once they reached the underwater Vanishing Isle. She turned and dove downward.

She spotted Saleen and Rarity right away, along with the gigantic octopus fiddling with Rarity's hair. Twilight made sure to steer clear of them, touching ground out of Saleen's sphere of sight. She looked around. The grotto was made up of several blue coral walls, many of which had windows in them that looked out onto vastly different vistas. Out one, Twilight could see a coral reef. Out another, a sunken ship. Twilight looked up to the rocky roof; she could see the tops of buildings through some of the holes in it, indicating that the water opened out into urban wells.

"…and so I created the perfect gown," Rarity continued her tale, part fabrication, part memory. "It was absolutely beautiful. Pink with gold edging. A full tiered skirt."

"With your hair?" Saleen shrugged. "I suppose it could have worked."

Twilight slunk along the coral walls, making sure Saleen was distracted by Rarity's story. She looked out window after window. There, a mess of shadowy caverns. There, a great sleeping squid. There, a great turtle resting upon the ocean floor in the distance, a city upon its back…the Vanishing Isle!

Twilight shot up toward the surface.

"And what, then, would you have suggested?" Rarity asked Saleen as Armand teased her hair into even smaller, finer curls.

"Probably white with gold accents," Saleen suggested. "A loose skirt, something I could dance in without being too restrictive…oh, you meant for you, didn't you? Well, I guess white would work on you too. Just not as well."

Twilight's head broke the surface of the tidepool; the others watched her from the coast. "I found it," she announced. "We'll have to go in one by one. Rarity has Saleen pretty distracted, so we should be able to make it if we're all quiet!"

All eyes turned toward Iago. "What?" the macaw cried defensively.

Aladdin slipped underwater first. Twilight formed a sphere of the water of the grotto around his head so he could use it to breathe once he entered the wider ocean. Twilight briefed him with directions to the Vanishing Isle, and then down he went.

"…so I yelled at him, 'AFRAID TO GET DIRTY?'" Rarity continued, gesticulating emphatically.

"They always are," Saleen remarked. "Princes are so vain, don't you think? I don't know how I could stand someone that vain and self-centered."

Rarity decided to leave that one alone. Behind Saleen, she spotted Aladdin, slinking along the coral wall before ducking out one of the windows. Determined not to betray the others with her wandering eyes, Rarity continued: "So I flung the icing at him, and he was positively horrified at the prospect of even getting one little bit on his precious suit!" Now Jasmine was slinking through the same window. "Well, needless to say, that was when I knew he was nothing but a filthy heartbreaker. Metaphorically, of course. He wouldn't even let a speck of dirt touch him." Now Cassim made his way to the window and out of the grotto. Rarity continued to embellish her story as she discreetly watched the Genie, Fluttershy, Abu, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Iago, Pinkie Pie, and even the Carpet follow the same trail.

"…so I smashed the slipper on the steps to make sure he could never find me!" Rarity said, expecting Twilight to descend.

"That would have been one fairy tale you wouldn't want to come true," Saleen commented. "Your hair's done, by the way."

Armand held a mirror up before Rarity. She had to admit the octopus had done a fabulous job. Her hair was now a glorious mass of tight curls, a portion woven around the spines of the urchin shell. "It's gorgeous!" she said honestly.

"You're starting to bore me," Saleen said, putting a hand on Rarity's shoulder. "Is this Blueblood anywhere around here or not? I need to know if he's worth stealing."

"After all that bad-mouthing, you still WANT to steal him?" Rarity asked in confusion. "Well, my home kingdom is far away anyway. You couldn't get to him."

"Hm…pity." Saleen pushed Rarity roughly off the rock chair. "Now get out of my grotto before I – "

Saleen turned to face the window in the coral wall, and her jaw dropped. Twilight was almost to the window, and stopped, giving Saleen a sheepish grin once she realized she'd been caught.

"YOU!" Saleen cried. "You tricked me, didn't you? Well, I'm not letting you get away with this!"

She waved her arms, sending a wave of multicolored energy toward Twilight. In a panic, Twilight cast her own arms out, summoning the most powerful reflection spell she could imagine. Saleen's energy bounced off Twilight's spell and headed right back for its source.

"NO!" Saleen screeched as a whirlpool formed around her and spun her round and round, dizzying her. Rarity quickly swam toward Twilight, who cast a sphere of the grotto's water around her head before adding one to herself. Then the pair paddled through the window together, dropping onto the wide plain of open sea leading toward the sunken turtle.

When the whirlpool finally released Saleen, the mermaid clenched her teeth in anger. "I could just drown the next mortal that comes this way!" she growled.

A large splash alerted her to the metal fish sinking into her domain. "No!" Saleen screeched, turning and blasting her energy at the contraption, forcing water in through the cracks and disabling the submarine's motor.

Inside the fish-shaped submarine, Mechanicles screamed in terror as salt water soaked his toga. "NOOOOO!" he screamed. "THIS WAS MY FINEST SILK!"

Saleen, now on guard for any noise whatsoever, was alerted to the sound of hooves along the beach. "Don't even think about it!" she yelled, summoning up a great tidal wave.

"Here we are," Abis Mal told Haroud as the two reined in their horses upon the beach. "The coastline of – "

His statement was interrupted as a gigantic tidal wave swept over both thieves, soaking them thoroughly and carrying them out to sea.

"URRGGGGGGH!" Saleen cried. "That Twilight frustrates me to no END!" She thrust her fists in the air, sending up two sky-high sprays of water just to release her anger.

Amin Damoola, having finally made it to the sea on his unreliable flying shoes, looked downward at the ocean just in time for a spray of water to hit him in the face.

* * *

THE VANISHING ISLE, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"There it is," Twilight said in awe. "The Vanishing Isle."

The water stolen from Saleen's grotto allowed sound to carry from one adventurer to another. "Here we go again," Iago moaned.

"The Hand is in there," Cassim said, pointing to a spot in the city atop the turtle. "We should be able to retrieve it with no trouble."

"Except for the blades of three," Twilight reminded him.

"Now, Cassim," Applejack attempted, "before we go rushin' in, I gotta say that somethin' just don't feel right about – "

Sensing where Applejack was going, Cassim rushed ahead. "We may as well make this quick! How about another race, Rainbow Dash?"

"Underwater?" Rainbow Dash asked, running to catch up. "Are you kidding me?" At the thought of a challenge, her face lit up. "You're on!"

"He's hidin' somethin'," Applejack said. "I just know it!"

"We'll figure it out later," Twilight said. "Now come on!"

The group rushed across the ocean floor toward the sunken metropolis.

* * *

Chapter 4:

· Abis Mal, Haroud, Mechanicles, and Amin Damoola are all antagonists from the animated series, though all of the comic relief sort. Don't worry, I'm not going to let them get away without a joke about how many bad puns are among the Thieves' Guild. Abis Mal and Haroud are notorious thieves who use weaponry of all sorts, and Abis Mal is usually the brawn of the two while Haroud is the brains. Mechanicles uses giant clockwork robots, and has severe OCD. Amin's character quirk is just kind of failing at everything. In canon, Abis Mal and Mechanicles have interacted; Mechanicles and Haroud have never spoken, and Amin didn't know any of them.

· I decided that Mirage is definitely one of the Old Ones. She's a major villain in the series – the personification of evil. "Chaos Junior" is a one-episode wonder whose name is just Chaos – I added the "Junior" because I know I want to include at least three fictional entities named "Chaos" in this universe. Two are Old Ones, and are parent and child. One is a poseur. Anyway, Chaos does kind of the same thing Discord does – warp reality so it doesn't make sense – but he doesn't do NEARLY as thorough or as interesting of a job as Discord. So I thought they should be related.

· Discord/Mirage is another one of my favorite ships, and one of the things in the way of Chryscord right now.

· There is one other entity I consider an Old One in the Aladdin canon, but I'm not going to introduce her until the end of this storylet.

· The references to the previous "reset button" are, yes, my attempt at getting Kingdom Hearts in this timeline. It does work very well as an introduction to Discord of what Maleficent can do. In my little version, Maleficent was able to reset certain aspects of the story, like putting the Genie in his lamp and restoring the previously destroyed Cave of Wonders, so that stuff would be in place when Sora showed up. If KH canon does anything to assert that Maleficent couldn't possibly attain that level of power, I would like to note that under the "my fic, my rules" clause, Discord is going to conveniently disrupt the timeline after KHII (possibly "coded") anyway, and so any games that come afterward, I don't care about, especially if they add new rules. Long story short: Maleficent has a lot of power. And she's going to be a major player in the cosmic struggle. (Also, I started watching Once Upon a Time after I wrote this bit, and the S2 finale contains what is essentially a Cosmic Reset, so it looks like canon has me covered.)

· The lamp is Jafar's. I couldn't, of course, do this storylet without bringing the original villain in. He was supposed to have been destroyed at the end of Return of Jafar, but Discord is going to establish a pattern of facilitating the returns of people who should have been dead. It's more fun for me and for him.

· You can tell I'm trying to awkwardly insert my slight background of Islamic studies by throwing in the morning prayer…and not bringing up any other prayer times. I also decided that there isn't any real religion in (Fourth) Equestria because there's just never any mention of it. The closest thing the ponies have to the divine is the way the princesses control the sun and moon. Their "Christmas" is replaced with a historical celebration, indicating at the very least that there definitely isn't Christianity in the pony world.

· Fun fact: Amin's flying shoes were actually given to him by Mozenrath in canon. But I didn't want to mention that quite yet.

· Saleen is a pretty minor villain from the series, but her underwater lair did make a convenient plot device. Fashion and heartbreakers are pretty much the only two things she will talk about civilly.


	5. The Hand of Midas

1. The Hand of Midas

THE VANISHING ISLE, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Say whatever you want about Saleen," Rarity remarked, "and it's probably true. But she certainly does know how to style a mane. I can't believe these curls are staying in place even underwater!"

Fluttershy was awed by the scenery around her. A pod of dolphins passed overhead. A colorful reef was visible in the distance. Strangely colored fish of neon hues zipped past her face. Abu, feeling neglect, tugged on Fluttershy's skirt.

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said, picking up the monkey. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I've just never seen the ocean from this side before!"

"Well, we're about halfway there," Aladdin pointed out.

"This walk is too long," Pinkie remarked. "We need a walking song!"

"A what?" Jasmine asked.

"Brace yourselves," Rainbow Dash warned. "Pinkie likes to – "

"On an underwater walk to the Vanishing Isle, everybody gotta wear a smile!" Pinkie sang, making up her own tune and lyrics on the spot. "We dove down far and we're not on land 'cause we gotta pick up that valuable Hand! Undersea adventure, below the sea so green! Undersea adventure, that started with Saleen! Undersea adventure, avoiding sharks so mean! The Midas was a clincher for our undersea adventuuuuure!"

" – do that," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"I thought it was kinda catchy," Iago commented.

"So tell me," Cassim asked Twilight, "how is it that a young sorceress like you is skilled against someone as powerful as Saleen?"

"Lots of studying," Twilight said, "but apparently not enough." She could only focus on the way Saleen had shattered her energy shield. The incident fused itself in her mind with her inability to build a wall from sand magic.

Accompanied by Pinkie's song, the group finally reached the great turtle, kicking off from the ground and swimming up to its shell.

"Well, I'll be…" Applejack observed the complex metropolis on the turtle's back. "There's an entire kingdom of its own up here!"

"I wonder how it got here," Twilight said. "Did anyone live here? How did they survive the turtle's disappearance?"

"We're close to the Hand," Cassim said, diving in the direction of the chamber that held the great treasure. Applejack noted Aladdin's reluctance before he followed his father. She was determined to find out what Cassim was hiding.

* * *

The chamber, like the outer area, was flooded with water. The door to the chamber led to about the middle of the room, height-wise; the round chamber extended many yards above and many yards below. Cassim guided the group down to the very bottom.

The first thing everyone noticed was the statue. A golden man, muscular with a bald head but a lengthy mustache, raised his arms in the air. One of his hands was topped off with a set of claws protruding from the knuckles. His face was frozen in agony, reminding Rainbow Dash of Discord's petrification and prompting her to ask, "Did that guy…?"

"Sa'luk," Cassim responded. "One of my former accomplices. A greedy traitor if there ever was one. His desire for the Hand backfired, wouldn't you say? And speaking of which…" He pointed.

Across the chamber floor, there it lay against the corner where wall met floor. Wrapped in a cloth, the Hand's gold was just visible, shining through a break in the fabric.

"Right where we left it," Aladdin said.

"See?" Cassim said. "That was easier than you thought. And you were thinking it would be impossible?"

"Dad," Aladdin said suddenly, "there's…something I need to talk to you about. When we found the Hand together, you cast it aside because you didn't need it. You let me believe that our relationship was enough for you, even if it didn't exactly work out. Now you want it back. Dad, I have to know…does this mean it matters to you more than I do?"

It took Cassim a while to answer. He took in a deep breath of magic water, sighing heavily. "You see, Aladdin…it isn't that simple. I do value the life of my son more than any treasure. And that's why I HAVE to retrieve the Hand. You just have to believe me!"

"But that doesn't make any sense," Aladdin said.

"You're hidin' somethin'," Applejack added. "Care to tell us what it is?"

Before Cassim could come up with an excuse, a new voice interrupted: "Too bad you'll be dead before he ever has the chance."

The entire group turned; standing behind them were two men, one tall and one short, who Aladdin recognized too well. "Abis Mal!" he snapped. "Haroud Hazi Bin! What are YOU doing here?"

"And how are you breathing?" Twilight asked.

"Glad you asked," Abis Mal replied. "Thanks to a little magic spell known as the Bubbles of Amphitrite…" He tapped a bubble that had formed a helmet around his head; Haroud wore a similar one. "We can breathe underwater all we want! That means we're going to take the Hand of Midas, and we're going to use it to…to…gold-ify…?"

"Gild, sir," Haroud sighed.

"Gild all the stuff we want!" Abis Mal finished. "Including a new hat!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Yet another voice caused everyone to turn to the right. There floated a slight, short man in a copper diving suit. "I heard about the Hand of Midas first, I figured out how to get to it first, and I WILL TAKE IT FIRST!"

"Mechanicles too?" Aladdin groaned. "This isn't a good day…"

Mechanicles suddenly flinched, alerting the group to a new arrival behind them. This man, tall but thin, wore an oxygen tank on his back that looked to have been cobbled out of scrap metal. A sewn-together tube of canvas connected it to his mouth. He pointed to Aladdin, Abis Mal, Haroud, and Mechanicles in turn before making a slashing motion across his throat, then pointed to the Hand of Midas and finally to himself.

"AMIN DAMOOLA?" Aladdin cried. "How many of you can show up at the same time?"

Twilight groaned. "Is EVERY criminal's name in this world a stupid PUN?"

"Unfortunately," Haroud sighed.

"Pun?" Abis Mal asked, confused. "What pun. I don't get it…"

"That's because you're dense!" Mechanicles taunted. "Unlike myself, a true genius!"

Amin pointed to Mechanicles before twirling his finger at the side of his head, making the sign for "cuckoo."

"Takes one to know one!" Mechanicles shot back.

"I know you are, but what am I!" Abis Mal added.

"A lackadaisical clod who can't even form a thought on his own without consulting his advisor!" Mechanicles snapped.

"Is 'lackadaisical clod' an insult?" Abis Mal asked Haroud.

"SEE WHAT I MEAN?" Mechanicles barked.

Amin doubled over in pantomime laughter.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Abis Mal and Mechanicles yelled at Amin.

"AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGH!" Twilight cried. "Why don't you four just STOP FIGHTING? You would have had the Hand by now if you'd agreed to just work together and split the profits!"

A hush fell over the group.

"You know something, Abis Mal?" Mechanicles said with a grin. "She's right!"

"There would be a limitless supply of gold," Haroud realized. "Easy to divide."

"And the more the merrier when it comes to wiping out Aladdin and his friends!" Abis Mal said with a grin.

Amin nodded his agreement.

With that, Abis Mal drew his sword, menacing the adventurers with it. Mechanicles raised his left hand, which was encased in a multitool that sprouted a can opener, a corkscrew, and a longsword blade. Amin also drew his sword, pointing it at his targets.

"Nice going, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash chided.

"Oops…" Twilight said hushedly.

"The blades of three!" Fluttershy squeaked in realization. She ducked to the back of the group to hide.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash cried, drawing her sword. "BRING IT ON!"

She and Abis Mal rushed at the same time; their blades clashed. Again and again, he tried to slash at her; she expertly parried every stroke, both blades slowed somewhat by cutting through water. Mechanicles took this chance to charge Aladdin, who by this time had drawn his own sword. Mechanicles' blade hit the steel of Aladdin's, and Aladdin held it steady, trying to push the blade back. Amin charged at Cassim, who ducked under the blade and threw a punch; Amin doubled over again, not in mock laughter but in pain.

"You may have counted on the blades of three," Haroud said, "but not on the spells of a fourth." He removed a jar from the folds of his clothing; inside, a flame flickered. "The underwater fire of Pele." He opened the jar, letting the flame spread out into the water. Twilight immediately ran to meet the flames, using her hand to toss a current of water that diverted the flames' path.

"Who are you, anyway?" Abis Mal asked Rainbow Dash condescendingly between the clashes of the blades. "I did NOT come here to fight random minions!"

"I'm not a random minion!" Rainbow Dash growled. "I am the Element of Loyalty, and I…am going…to beat you!" She kicked upward; Abis Mal's blade flew into the air. Rainbow Dash leapt upward through the water to catch it; she touched back down on the floor holding a blade in each hand.

"How did you do that?" Abis Mal asked incredulously.

"How DID you?" Fluttershy added.

"I've read a lot of books about swordfighting," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. "Happens all the time in Daring Do!"

Cassim struck Amin on the back of the neck, causing him to drop his sword. Cassim gave the handle of the sword a kick, and it floated toward Fluttershy, who immediately picked it up and held it behind her back so no one could take it and use it to hurt anyone else.

"Just give up!" Aladdin told Mechanicles. "You're outmatched and you know it!"

"NEVER!" Mechanicles yelled. "I hardly think you outmatch me! You may have street smarts, but I have wisdom! I have technology! I have – "

A strong flying kick to his back sent Mechanicles stumbling. Jasmine touched down on the floor after dealing the blow. "But Aladdin has a wife who knows how to defend the people she loves," she snapped.

"I'll take THAT!" Pinkie quipped, stomping on Mechanicles' left hand and breaking the multitool, sending the corkscrew, can opener, and longsword blade floating away.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Mechanicles moaned. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU INTERFERING?"

"My name is Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie exclaimed proudly.

"It seems Aladdin has made powerful friends," Haroud remarked. "However, none of you are powerful enough to stand up against the underwater fire. Unlike my business partner…I came prepared." The fire looped back around in a beam, shooting towards Fluttershy; Fluttershy crossed her arms in front of her head with a squeal of fright, holding Amin's sword aloft.

"NO!" Twilight dove in front of the fiery beam, casting the reflection spell. The fire ricocheted against a burst of purple energy and shot at Abis Mal, who ducked with a yelp. The fire bounced off the round wall, aided by another well-directed burst of purple energy, and headed toward Amin, who barely skidded out of its path, the back of his vest singeing. The fire bounced off another part of the wall and yet another burst of Twilight's energy and headed downward toward Mechanicles, who rolled away from it just in time.

Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated; when she opened her eyes again, they glowed with pure white light, her pupils and irises obscured from view. She thrust out her hands; the walls glowed purple, and the firey beam bounced off them like a rubber ball, heading in a random path each time.

Applejack figured out what Twilight had done. "Get the Hand!" she yelled. Rarity ducked and skidded toward the Hand, picking it up safely by the handle.

"Hasta la vista, baby," the Genie said in a deep voice before sprouting enough arms to wrap around the waists of Aladdin, Jasmine, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Cassim, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash; the Carpet, Iago, and Abu clung to the shoulders of Aladdin, Cassim, and Fluttershy. The Genie sped upward as though propelled by a rocket, carrying the group out of the chamber and far above the city of the Vanishing Isle.

"Can we just leave them like that?" Fluttershy asked as they climbed ever higher. "What if the underwater fire kills them?"

"They're the bad guys!" Rainbow Dash argued. "Why do you care?"

"I don't want to think about us killing anyone," Fluttershy admitted.

"Neither do I," Rarity said.

"Me either," Applejack said.

"It…is kind of a freaky thing to think about," Rainbow Dash admitted soberly.

"We've dedicated our lives to friendship and harmony," Twilight pointed out. "We can't just become killers like that."

"They won't die," Aladdin assured the six. "I'm sure of it. They've survived worse."

"That's good," Fluttershy said with relief.

At last, the Genie broke the surface of the ocean, dropping everyone and transforming into a gigantic rowboat. "All hands on deck!" he yelled, and everyone scrambled to get inside the Genie-boat.

"Well, I'd call that a success," Rarity said, handing the Hand of Midas over to Cassim, who was careful only to grip the fabric around the Hand rather than the dangerous metal itself.

"And we picked up extra swords!" Rainbow Dash cried in glee, holding up her first sword alongside her new prize. "Lemme see yours, Fluttershy!"

"You can have it," Fluttershy said, trying to place Amin's old blade by Rainbow Dash.

"Eh, I only have two hands," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Keep it. You can learn how to defend yourself! I can teach you!"

"All right," Fluttershy gave in, taking the sword back and looking at it. Abu, sitting on her shoulder, made a face at his reflection in the metal; this made Fluttershy giggle.

The Carpet rolled itself up, squeezing out the water so it would be ready for the journey home. "We're almost ready to go back," Jasmine pointed out.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" Twilight asked.

"No," Aladdin admitted, "but once we're in the air, we can figure it out."

"Now hold on just a second!" Applejack interrupted. "There's somethin' we still ain't finished!" She turned to Cassim. "Now, I dunno what it is you been hidin', but I say we ain't goin' home until you tell us why you want that Hand so darn bad! You keep lookin' at Iago every time he almost spills the beans, you ran away from me when I asked you down under that water, and you just told Aladdin that the very same reason you threw that thing away in the first place is the reason you want it! As the Element of Honesty, I am fed up with your dodgin' the question and with your lies! You either tell us what in tarnation's goin' on, or…or I might just have it in me to take your silly Hand and throw it back into the ocean, if you can't come up with a good excuse for needin' it!"

Cassim couldn't meet her eyes at first. He focused his gaze on the hand. He didn't speak for the longest time; the others awaited his explanation.

"I did not wish to tell you," he began, "because if you knew why…you would have refused."

"I'll say," Iago commented. "They probably could have told you how stupid this whole idea was!"

"What would make us refuse to help you?" Aladdin asked.

"This Hand…" Cassim sighed. "It is not for me. I have no use for it. I…I ran into someone from my past, and I need to make up for what I've done to him." Another pause. "Aladdin…do you remember…your brother?"

"My WHAT?" Aladdin cried.

"Your twin," Cassim went on. "My other son."

"Wait a minute," Aladdin said. "You told me that you looked everywhere for my mother and me. You didn't mention anyone else – "

"I believed he was dead," Cassim said. "Taken by the shadow walkers."

"Taken by…" All of a sudden, Aladdin remembered.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

SEVEN YEARS AGO

"He isn't coming back," his brother , a small and skinny child with a mess of dark curly hair, had snapped. "He just left us here to die like our mother did!"

"Don't say that!" Aladdin had cried. He was young…still a child, only recently turned to the streets by the loss of both parents. "He…he wouldn't forget me!"

"Maybe he wouldn't forget you," the other replied. "He just adores you!"

"Now isn't the time to think about that!" Aladdin pointed out. "We need to stick together if we want to survive! We'll have to figure out a way to eat…a place to sleep…"

"You do what you want," the other said. "I'm going on alone. I'll find my own way, and I'll do it without you. I don't need you. I never needed you!"

" – !" Aladdin knew that at that point he had said his brother's name, though now he couldn't remember it. "You're too weak! You can't just – "

"I DON'T NEED YOU!" the other boy screamed. "DON'T underestimate me! I'll show you one day that you shouldn't have underestimated me! I'll become more powerful than you, just like I always wanted to be! Just don't expect me to do it in this dump of a city." He turned to storm away. "I'm going to find somewhere I can really become something! You'll see!"

" - !" Again, Aladdin had called his brother's name, imploring him to come back.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" his brother replied, turning the corner. The sun was beginning to set. Aladdin stared after the path down which his brother had gone for quite a while before eventually turning to go his own way. He would have to find a way to get food now. Perhaps he would finally resort to stealing. It wasn't a prospect he looked forward to, but he had to steal to eat, and he had to eat to live…

A piercing scream rang out. " - !" Aladdin, recognizing his brother's voice, ran toward the sound, crying out that elusive name. He turned the corner only to see a flickering shadow disappear down an alley. Aladdin followed the shadow, certain that something had taken his frail twin with evil intent. On the other side of the alley was the old dried-up well…a flickering tail disappeared down it, a reptilian one.

" - !" Aladdin called his brother's name, looking down the well. No answer. He could see nothing but darkness.

Eventually he had to accept that his brother was gone. He would later see glimpses of the shadowy creature as it stole away his friend Amal, a youth who had lived on the streets for quite a long time. As the losses of the stolen children became more permanent, Aladdin would forget them.

* * *

THE VANISHING ISLE, THE SEVEN DESERTS

PRESENT DAY

"…they took him," Aladdin remembered. "Right before they took Amal. I guess I always confused the two memories in my head since they're so similar. I…I don't even remember his name. I only remember that he looked like our mom. How could he still be alive?"

"I do not know," Cassim answered. "I only know that I did indeed find him. He remembered how I favored you over him, and he is as obsessed with power as ever. Do you remember when your mother read you both stories, and you would cheer for the hero while he cheered for the villain? He's achieved his goal. He's a villain right out of the stories."

"He really did find a place where he could be something without my help," Aladdin realized.

"Now I understand," Fluttershy said. "You wanted to make up for what you did in the past by giving him a gift."

"Retrieve the GIFT from siren's sea!" Twilight cried. "It makes sense!"

"He became a bad guy, and you still wanna give him the Hand of Midas?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He is still my son," Cassim said. "And I did wrong him. I…never gave him the same attention I gave Aladdin. It could even be fair to say I loved Aladdin more. But I do care for his life. That is why I must give him the Hand. I knew I could not retrieve it alone…and that is why I came to you."

"I don't understand," Jasmine said. "Why the Hand of Midas? Why not some other treasure?"

"And why wouldn't you want to tell me about him?" Aladdin said. "Don't you think I would have been interested in knowing where my brother went? In that he was alive?"

"It is easier to answer the first question than the second," Cassim admitted. "I am hoping that he will know what to do with the Hand. It…could replace what he lost. Slow down the destruction he is bringing upon himself. As for why I couldn't tell you…"

"Spit it out already!" Iago barked. "I just can't wait to see the look on his face."

"Wait," Aladdin said, the pieces coming together. "Bringing destruction upon himself? He needs to replace…a hand?" He pressed his fingertips to his temples. "No. No, no, no, no. It can't be."

"What's wrong?" Rarity asked.

The six Equestrians listened in confusion as Aladdin said to his father, "Please…tell me his name wasn't…"

Aladdin remembered. He knew it was. Cassim confirmed it anyway:

"His name is Mozenrath."

* * *

Chapter 5:

· No, I don't have a tune for Pinkie's song.

· I wasn't sure how to handle Rarity having ditched her hijab – so I'm going to leave it alone, since Jasmine, Sadira, Fatima, and Deluca don't wear them anyway. The other five get to keep theirs.

· I'm not even going to attempt to come up with a backstory for how the people of the Vanishing Isle could have lived there.

· Sa'luk is the villain of King of Thieves – Cassim's right-hand who wanted to betray him for the Hand of Midas. He died by greedily grabbing the Hand and turning into a gold statue. I would be lying if I said that wasn't a slight bit of foreshadowing…

· I kind of gave RD sword skills out of nowhere. I just think it would come naturally to her.

· Like the Eye of Ra Spyglass, the Bubbles of Amphitrite and the underwater fire of Pele are magical things I just made up and aren't from any outside fictional work.

· I whipped out to get "lackadaisical clod", I must admit.

· It's going to be a recurring theme that the Elements of Harmony want nothing less than to kill someone. This means they never set out to actually kill any villain. (Using the Elements of Harmony to defeat someone is different, I think – that power turned Luna back into a normal pony, and it was confirmed in the very beginning that petrifying Discord isn't KILLING him. I already made good use of that last one.) I plan to make this very important to the story.

· Aladdin saying that Abis Mal, Haroud, Mechanicles, and Amin could survive being trapped in the chamber with the ricocheting fire beam is a call back to an episode where a cavern collapsed on him while he battled Abis Mal and Mechanicles; he said that if anyone could survive that, it was those two. And they did.

· The Genie is supposed to rattle off celebrity impressions all the time. I'm horrible at that. That Schwarznegger reference is probably going to be the best you'll get from me in that regard.

· I'll admit there are a couple inconsistencies here. For one, the shadow walkers are supposed to show up "every seven years", and it seems unlikely that Aladdin would have fuzzy memories from only seven years ago. Then again, he legitimately did forget Amal (the one he remembered in the episode about the shadow walkers) until someone else reminded him. Also, since he had to be good friends with Amal before the night of the shadow walkers, I implied here that they were friends before Aladdin was orphaned. And yes…I do plan to bring the adult Amal into this story.

· It was EXTREMELY FUN for me to write all that emo-tastic dialogue between young Al and young Mozenrath. It really entertains me to imagine what their interactions would have been like if they really did know each other at that age.


	6. A Storybook Villain

1. A Storybook Villain

THE HIGH SEAS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Did I miss something?" Pinkie asked. "Who's Mozenrath?"

"My archnemesis," Aladdin answered. "Or something like that."

"Now you see why I didn't want to tell you," Cassim concluded. "I knew you wouldn't want to put the Hand in the hands of your enemy – "

"He already turned the Sultan into a gold statue once!" Aladdin yelled. "Not to mention nearly destroyed Agrabah with a wind jackal, replaced the entire palace guard with fakes so he could take the throne, kidnapped Genie more times than I can count…"

"The horror!" the Genie-boat cried. "The claustrophobia! The annoying eel that kept taunting me!"

"What makes you think giving him an artifact of destruction is a good idea?" Aladdin finished.

"He could take it as an opportunity to stop the process of slow death he's brought upon himself!" Cassim argued. "He has enough power to use the Hand to replace his own."

"You know he won't do that!"

"That is the probable outcome…" Cassim stared down at the Hand once more. "And yet I feel I must try anyway. If it weren't for my negligence, he might have gone down a different path…or at least approached the same path from a way that wasn't slowly killing him."

After a long, awkward silence, Rarity said, "I think Cassim should bring it to him."

"WHAT?" everyone else on the Genie-boat, Genie-boat included, yelled, staring at Rarity incredulously. Even the Carpet seemed to do a double take.

"It's only right," Rarity said. "If Cassim was unfair to him in the past…"

"Isn't there any way to try and apologize WITHOUT handing a dangerous magical artifact to one of our enemies?" Jasmine asked.

"The only gift that would mean anything," Cassim said, "would be a second chance."

"Does the prophecy say anything about this?" Fluttershy asked Twilight.

"The Old Ones make a deadly bet," Twilight said, "and oldest foes will be reset. Maybe that means he will take a second chance? Is he one of your oldest enemies?"

"Not by far," Aladdin admitted.

"The young one takes it on with pride," Twilight continued. "That might be him, right? He's about your age. So maybe he takes on the Hand?"

"But as a second chance," Applejack asked, "or as a weapon?"

"And to him all your fates are tied!" Twilight realized. "I don't know exactly what this all means, but he IS important!"

"All I know," Aladdin said to Cassim, "is that if you're going to take the Hand to Mozenrath…I'm going with you."

"I think not!" Cassim snapped. "You said yourself that he's your archnemesis. What makes you think you can just walk up to his fortress unscathed?"

"The same thing that makes you think you can do it," Aladdin retorted.

"If I have to risk my life setting things right," Cassim said, "I'd rather those I love stay behind. Stay safe."

"So that means I get to stay back too, right?" Iago interrupted. "Right?"

"I've faced him before and won," Aladdin said, "and I'll win if I face him again. You need me there in case he turns on you, especially with the Hand of Midas. Besides…I have a few questions for him myself. Like why he never mentioned this during any of the times we fought, or how he escaped the shadow-walkers."

"I'm coming too," Jasmine said. "I've also defeated Mozenrath before."

"Count me in!" the Genie-boat cried. "I've got a few choice words for that slimy sorcerer! Of course, only clean ones, since this chapter is based on G-rated source material."

"But I still get to stay back, right?" Iago said.

"And we're not leaving you all to go without us!" Rainbow Dash asserted. "Now that we're friends, you can't shake us off by telling us to stay safe!"

"I'll admit I have my misgivin's about this," Applejack said, "and this MIGHT just be Rarity takin' her generosity just a bit too far. But I trust her judgment…" She looked directly into Rarity's eyes. "And I'm with y'all one hundred percent."

"Well, of course I'm going," Rarity said. "I still think it's a good idea."

"It'll be fun, going together!" Pinkie cried.

"I don't think it sounds fun," Fluttershy said. "I think it sounds dangerous…but I want to go, too."

"And I have to go," Twilight said. "I know that's what the prophecy means. To him, all our fates are tied."

Jasmine smiled. "How can Mozenrath possibly get away with anything evil if we all stand against him together?"

"Gimme a T!" the Genie-boat cried. "Gimme an A! Gimme an E-M-W-O-R-K! What does that spell?"

"Our doom," Iago answered.

The Genie transformed into a jet once more, and Aladdin, Jasmine, and Twilight boarded the Carpet. The others settled down in their seats on the Genie-jet, though Rainbow Dash now sat by Pinkie instead of flying.

"Set a course for the Land of the Black Sand!" Aladdin cried, and the two aircrafts set off.

"Land of the Black Sand," Applejack repeated sarcastically. "Now that don't sound threatenin' at all."

The Genie-jet flew directly parallel to the Carpet so both sets of passengers could converse. "So," Rainbow Dash said, "tell us more about this Mozenrath guy. We need to know what we're up against!"

"He's a power-mad sorcerer," Jasmine began. "He wants to conquer all of the Seven Deserts."

"His obsession is magic," Aladdin added. "That's why he's tried to capture Genie so many times. So he can use his power. He'll take any source of power he can find, though. Ancient spells, powerful artifacts…"

"Hey!" Pinkie realized. "That sounds kinda like Twilight! The obsessed-with-magic part, I mean."

"Pinkie," Twilight growled, "I'm not like a supervillain. My studies of magic are different."

"He's also a real loner," Iago said. "Like, stays shut up in his crazy mad scientist laboratory all day and doesn't keep anybody that talks around except for his stupid pet eel. He's sunk to the low of actually talking to a book before."

Applejack laughed. "Y'know somethin'? That sounds like how Twilight was before she found us!"

"It does not!" Twilight snapped.

"Like you didn't spend your days in Canterlot shut up in your library," Rainbow Dash teased, "with only Spike around…and talking to the books."

"I only talked to them SOMETIMES!" Twilight defended.

"You're nothing like him," Aladdin reassured Twilight. "You're more level-headed. He seems level-headed on the surface, but he could snap at a moment's notice if things aren't going according to plan. And when he's angry, he gets destructive."

"Oh, but that is like Twilight," Fluttershy pointed out. "Well…when she misses a deadline, that is."

"I might have gone a little crazy," Twilight said, "but I wasn't destructive! I just cursed an old doll with a Want It Need It glamour that I was taught was extremely dangerous magic and never to be used so that I could make a friendship problem to solve…okay, I can see how some ponies might see that as destructive."

"But he's completely and officially cracked!" the Genie-jet pointed out. "Nothing like you, Twilight! Here, let me give you an impression." He cleared his throat. "I wanted to finish Aladdin! Aladdin was to have been MINE! Okay, okay, let's look at the big picture. I have the Genie, Aladdin is dead, and my plans for world conquest are shaping up nicely!" The Genie-jet then added, "Of course, he said that entirely to himself. Cuck-oo!"

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie exchanged smirks before Rainbow Dash said mockingly, "It's fine. It'll all be fine. The day's not over yet. BUT IT WILL BE OVER SOON! It'll all be over! My time in Ponyville, my advanced studies! No, no. You're a good student. You can DO this! Ohh, but what if I can't? You CAN! You just have to KEEP IT TOGETHER!" Rainbow Dash winked. "And of course, she said all that to herself."

"I AM NOT LIKE A SUPERVILLAIN AND THAT IS FINAL!" Twilight snapped. "NO! NO! NO! Though I might just become one if you don't all STOP MOCKING ME!"

"She…does kind of sound like him," Jasmine observed.

Twilight smacked her hand against her forehead. "Can we just remember the big difference? I'm good and he's evil. It doesn't matter how many surface similarities we have!"

"Besides," Iago said, "you're not REALLY in trouble until you have that weird fetish for the color blue like he does."

All eyes turned to Twilight's blue robes and hijab. "Rarity made these," Twilight snapped quickly.

"In your favorite color," Rarity responded, fighting back giggles.

Twilight sighed. "I give up…"

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Mozenrath sat before the spinning-disc table he'd made into a map of the Seven Deserts. "Where should I try my hand next, Xerxes?" he asked. "Attacking Agrabah has just become so…old hat. Not that I don't eventually want it, but there are so many other lands I haven't even tried."

Xerxes, a flying eel somewhat gifted with the power of speech, hovered over a part of the map. "Getzistan," he rasped. "Getzistan!"

Mozenrath slowly turned the table to the part of the map containing Getzistan was before him. "It's almost too easy," he sighed. "The biggest problem they've ever had is imps. Still, it is new territory, and one of the richer kingdoms in the Seven Deserts…it could work…"

A flash of green lit up the laboratory, and Mozenrath and Xerxes' gazes were drawn to a column of green fire that slowly burned out to reveal the anthropomorphic catlike figure within.

"Planning our next conquest, are we?" Mirage greeted.

"I remember you," Mozenrath began.

"I didn't expect you to forget," Mirage replied happily. "Of course, I remember you very well. That's why I wanted to pay you a visit and give you a gift!"

"Unless this 'gift' is a way to destroy me," Mozenrath snapped, "we're remembering our last meeting differently."

"Not at all," Mirage said. "I remember exactly how bratty and defiant you were. That's exactly what led me back to you!"

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

SEVEN YEARS AGO

Her shadow-walkers had taken him as a child, dragged him down into the well and through a portal of darkness to where she stood before a cage of crying children, sitting upon a throne of stone beneath a starry sky. She had seemed much bigger then, but after all, Mozenrath was much smaller. He'd fought against the creature, a mammalian-reptilian cross with a fanged snout and burly arms, but he couldn't break its grip. It never occurred to him to even think that Aladdin might have been trying to find him.

The shadow-walker deposited the boy before Mirage, dropping him unceremoniously. Mozenrath had immediately scrambled to his feet, dusting off the rags he wore to try and give off at least a slight impression of professionalism.

"Welcome, young one," Mirage said. "The Brotherhood of the El-Khatib has chosen you. They must have sensed great things in you. Tell me, young one. Have you ever dreamed of becoming more than what you are? Of wielding great power beyond the reaches of your imagination?"

"I can imagine a lot," Mozenrath answered, uneasy with how this cat-woman could so readily read his desires.

"I am Mirage," she introduced. "Some call me evil incarnate. They certainly aren't wrong. I can tell that you have a healthy appetite for evil."

"I am evil," Mozenrath confirmed. "I want to be a villain when I'm older, like the ones from my mother's stories. What does that have to do with you?"

"I can offer you the ultimate of evil powers," Mirage said.

"I doubt that," Mozenrath huffed.

"Oh, mouthy, are we?" Mirage smirked. "I like that in a potential candidate."

"Candidate for what?" Mozenrath snapped.

"I am offering you your chance," Mirage said, "to become part of the Brotherhood of the El-Khatib. Join us, and you will gain unimaginable power." She gestured to the beast that had captured Mozenrath. "You will become what he has become: unstoppable."

"There's more than one way to become unstoppable," Mozenrath pointed out. "What do you mean, the 'Brotherhood'?"

"The El-Khatib, the shadow-walkers, are as brothers," Mirage said, spreading her arms invitingly. "I guess you could call me their mother. Your mother."

"YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER!" Mozenrath yelled. "Only one could ever be my mother, and she's dead! And besides that…I don't want to be part of any 'Brotherhood'. EVER. I've had enough of brothers."

"But think of the power!" Mirage rose from her throne. "Think of the evil you could wreak!"

"I'd rather think about the evil I could wreak on my own," Mozenrath said. "Or with a better mentor than YOU."

"You dare defy evil itself?" Mirage growled.

"If I don't like what evil itself has to offer."

"INSOLENT CHILD!" Mirage's hands glowed with green power, and she raised her arms. Sensing what was to come, Mozenrath turned and ran. He felt the blast connect with the sand at his heels. Still he ran on.

Mirage pointed. "AFTER HIM!" she screamed, and the shadow-walkers obeyed her command, forming a pack and giving chase.

The cages and the throne turned out to be just outside the city walls. Mozenrath was quickly able to run back inside them, ducking into the city streets he knew so well. He took every turn he could, hoping to lose the shadow-walkers. However, he was soon out of breath, and halted, leaning against a wall.

A growl from behind him prompted him to turn around. The shadow-walkers were here, crawling on the street and on the walls. They were determined to make him one of them whether he wished it or not.

"NO!" Mozenrath yelled – not out of fright, but out of frustration. "I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE OF YOU!"

Salvation came from above. The girl leapt from the roof, spinning a wooden pole. She smacked each of the shadow-walkers on the nose with it, causing them to slow down. Suddenly the shadow-walkers turned around, scurrying away into their shadowy portals.

"They must be trying to get back home before sunrise," the girl said. "I've read about these things, and they – "

"Dissolve in sunlight if they aren't back in the shadow realm before the full moon sets," Mozenrath finished with a sigh. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"I had great timing, huh?" the girl said with a wide smile. "I beat those things back right before they made you lunch!"

Mozenrath responded by rolling his eyes. "You could have shown up sooner, you know."

But that was all Mozenrath cared to remember of it.

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

PRESENT TIMELINE

"I actually admire the strength of will you showed in refusing my shadow-walkers," Mirage told Mozenrath, now older and stronger. "But what's more, I admire what you've done since then. To turn you into another shadow-walker really would have been a waste. Had I known that, I might have been able to be a better mentor to you than Destane…but I see things worked out between you two."

"If by 'worked out', you mean I drained him of his humanity and turned him into the shambling undead after he taught me everything he knew, I guess you could say things worked out," Mozenrath replied with a triumphant smile. "He was like a father to me, you know."

"From what I saw," Mirage said, "he had a nasty habit of beating you and throwing you around in between teaching you arcane lore."

"Do you spy on me all the time, or just when there's a chance you could see something to use against me?"

"I watch the forces of evil in this world," Mirage answered simply. "After all, I am – "

"Evil incarnate, I know the speech. It's true, Destane wasn't at all caring or gentle, but then again, those are never qualities I associated with being a father." Mozenrath crossed his arms.

"While I'm sure your dysfunctional childhood would make for a fascinating story," Mirage said sarcastically, "it is currently of no interest to me. The fact remains that you are one of the few who has ever defied me and lived…and that you are one of the most evil and chaotic entities in this world. A new age is coming, one in which chaos and evil will rule. In order to begin this age on this world, I propose a deal. I will give you something which you have always wanted…and you can use it exactly how you see fit, with only minor stipulations."

"Get to the point."

Mirage held out her hands, and in a rush of green fire, the black lamp appeared in them. "As of this moment, this belongs to you."

Mozenrath stared in awe. He nearly fell onto the floor. "No…it's impossible…"

"Oh, it's possible," Mirage said. "This lamp is the one and only lamp of Jafar."

"Jafar!" Xerxes rasped.

"The lamp of Jafar…" Mozenrath rose and rushed toward Mirage, taking the lamp into his hands. "It's mine…it's finally MINE!" He looked at the lamp almost lovingly, with a broad smile and wide eyes. He then realized the image he was presenting and adopted a more neutral expression, including his traditional smirk. "A powerful entity, to be sure. I've never beheld such power…"

"Mozenrath always want to be like Jafar!" Xerxes told Mirage. "Jafar Mozenrath's hero! Mozenrath say – "

"THAT YOU'LL MEET A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH IF YOU KEEP TALKING!" Mozenrath shot a blue energy beam at the eel, shocking Xerxes electrically but not permanently harming him.

"So you're a fan," Mirage said.

"Only a casual admirer," Mozenrath replied.

"Mozenrath think Jafar a beautiful man," Xerxes croaked from the floor, and Mirage burst into laughter.

"He's exaggerating!" Mozenrath defended hurriedly. "I…I don't need him! I could conquer this world on my own! He's only a pawn to me!"

"Whatever the case," Mirage said, "you now have his fealty, and three wishes. Now, everyone who's ever held a djinni's container makes the same first wish…only with slight variations. It is this first wish I want to discuss."

"Name your terms," Mozenrath spat.

"When you do make that wish," Mirage said, "and when the inevitable result happens, I would like you to make a provision that my Echthroi can run free in your domain."

"Echthroi?" Mozenrath raised an eyebrow.

"You can just refer to them as the fire-cats," Mirage said. "And, every seven years, the shadow-walkers. My only goal is to create a land of evil and chaos, and I'm sure you can handle most of that on your own. I just wish to reserve my place among it."

"I don't see why not," Mozenrath admitted. "So long as they don't interfere with my plans."

"All they will do is torment innocent civilians wherever you give them freedom to do so."

"I can't very well refuse that," Mozenrath said. "All right. Your cats and your shadow-walkers have freedom to wreak havoc in my domain. Any other stipulations?"

Mirage smiled. "None whatsoever."

Mozenrath was taken aback; it sounded too good to be true.

"Happy wishing," Mirage said. "Oh, and by the way…you have guests." Another column of green flame enveloped her, and she was gone.

Mozenrath rushed to the Eye of Ra Spyglass, peering into it and looking through the walls of his palace down to the empty city. He could barely believe what he saw. Not only was Cassim returning, but he'd brought Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie with him…as well as the monkey, the parrot, and six other women Mozenrath had never seen before, one of them dressed in blue sorcerer's robes. While this last one gave him pause, Mozenrath abandoned thinking about her to comprehend the situation before him. All the people he wished to torment most were about to convene before him just in time for him to give them a nasty surprise indeed.

* * *

The carpet and the Genie-jet entered the realm where the sun never rose anymore, where the sand was black as the sky above. They touched down at the edge of what could best be called the kingdom; there were houses arranged in jagged streets, and across the expanse of buildings, there was visible a great black fortress on a cliff.

"Yup!" Pinkie confirmed. "Definitely an evil lair!"

"Why are we walking up to it?" Rarity asked.

"I want him to see that we are approaching without deceit," Cassim answered.

"Fair enough," Rarity resolved.

The group set out into the mess of buildings, walking upward in the direction of the castle. "This…is really where you found my mother?" Aladdin asked.

"Well, there were more people here back then," Cassim said with a shrug. "And a sun."

Twilight's attention was caught by several structures much like streetlamps: blue crystals the size of a human head lofted upon crooked black poles that resembled thorny vines. As the group passed each crystal, it lit up, glowing brightly blue. "What're those?" she asked.

"Magic detectors," the Genie said with a shudder, having turned into a humanoid form with legs in order to take the walk. "Whenever something magical passes them, they light up. He knows we're here…"

"Clever," Twilight remarked condescendingly.

The group continued through the deserted town without running into a soul, alive or otherwise. "This can't be right," Aladdin said. "He HAS to know we're coming. The crystals are blazing bright blue! Why hasn't he sent out anyone to capture us?"

"It's a trap!" Iago yelled. "I just know it!"

"Whatever the case," Twilight said, "I'll be glad to see this sorcerer face-to-face. He made all this happen? The empty buildings, the eternal night?"

"The eternal night was Destane's," Cassim said. "But Mozenrath turned Destane into one of the undead as well as the people of this kingdom, so by default, it's his."

"I need to see the kind of person that could make all this," Twilight said determinedly, trying to picture the nastiest villain she could imagine. "And when I do…we'll make sure he knows better than to mess with the Elements of Harmony."

"Which reminds me," Rainbow Dash said. "If he tries to pull anything creepy, let the six of us handle him first. We have enough power to zap any villain!"

"We already defeated two!" Pinkie added. "All by ourselves!"

The group finally reached the top of the hill only to come face-to-face with a horde of the undead Mamluks. The six Equestrians gasped in horror, never having seen the undead before.

"What ARE those?" Rainbow Dash cried.

A gray eel flew out to the forefront of the army, giving a hoarse laugh. "Mozenrath want see you all alive!" it croaked.

"Is that animal…normal here?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," Aladdin answered. "Mozenrath probably enchanted it. Eels around here don't talk or fly."

"Of all the things he could have chosen…" Twilight shook her head. "An eel? Really?"

"Take them all!" the eel ordered, and the zombies moved forward.

Rainbow Dash drew both her swords, but Rarity placed a hand on her left wrist, guiding the arm down. "Let them take us," she said. "It isn't as though they can hold us. We'll let them take us to their leader…THEN get down to business."

The undead placed handcuffs on the Genie, which the eel certified as "Magic-proofed!" Then two zombies attended each person, taking each arm and escorting in first Cassim, then Aladdin, the Genie and Jasmine, then the six Equestrians. Finally, one zombie brought in Iago clenched tightly between rotting fingers, one brought in Abu, and one brought in the rolled-up Carpet. The great doors to the fortress opened of their own accord, leading to a lofty, dark atrium lit only by blue flames from the ceiling lamps. The zombies took their captives through that atrium and into a maze of dark blue hallways, twisting this way and that.

Eventually, Cassim recognized his surroundings. "They're taking us right to his laboratory," he said. "Around that corner and straight ahead."

"You know," Twilight said to her zombie escorts, "your leader isn't really that smart. Putting magic-proof cuffs on the Genie was a nice touch, but he really should have thought to do that on all of us, don't you think?"

She closed her eyes, concentrating. When she opened them, her pupils and irises were once again obscured by white light. Pink energy surrounded all of the zombies and repelled them away from the group, slamming them into the walls.

"Get up front!" Twilight called to her friends, and Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie joined her at the head of the group so they could use the Elements of Harmony in a pinch if necessary. Then they ran ahead, turning the corner to see the doors to the laboratory Cassim had mentioned. Twilight flung them open, looking upon the room within. "All right," she began to address her anticipated foe, "I'm warning you that if you dare try any…thing…"

He'd been waiting. Standing in the center of the room, arms crossed, smirking.

"What?" he asked, gesturing toward Twilight with his bare left hand. "Stunned into silence?"

"You…aren't what I was expecting," Twilight admitted. Even though she knew he had to be the same age as Aladdin, she'd pictured Mozenrath to be older and stronger.

"To be fair," he said, "I wasn't expecting you at all. What are you supposed to be?"

"I…I…" Twilight fumbled for the words.

"We're the Elements of Harmony!" Pinkie Pie cried. "And if you try to hurt our friends, we're going to use our powers to defeat you!"

"Oh, I'm just shivering with fear," Mozenrath replied sarcastically. "Six dainty little girls have come to challenge me! How terrifying!"

"You have no idea what we can do," Twilight said, finding her voice once more.

"But that's only if you don't comply, of course," Rarity said.

"Ohhh, now this is a twist!" Mozenrath replied. "You're actually going to try and make me bargain for my own safety? I think it's fair to say YOU have no idea what I can do."

"It isn't a bargain for your safety," Applejack said. "We'll only use our powers on you if you try and hurt our friends."

"We came to deliver a gift to you," Rarity said.

"I can think of nicer ways you could have delivered it," Mozenrath quipped.

"Stand aside," Cassim said from behind the six. "Let us speak to him."

"We're watching you!" Pinkie announced as the six stepped aside, letting Aladdin, Jasmine, Cassim, the still-cuffed Genie, Abu, Iago, and the Carpet enter the room.

"But we'd rather just settle this peacefully, if that's all right with you," Fluttershy said shakingly.

"Mozenrath," Aladdin greeted, steel in his voice. "You knew all this time that we were brothers. Why did you never say anything?"

"Why am I the only one that even remembers?" Mozenrath groaned.

"I thought the shadow-walkers took you!" Aladdin yelled. "They took my friend Amal the same night! I made myself forget so I wouldn't be…TORMENTED by the hope that either of you would come back! And if you escaped the shadow-walkers alive, why DIDN'T you come back?"

"Go back to the streets of Agrabah?" Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "Become a common thief like you? Not all of them are as lucky as you, Aladdin. We all know that a Genie, a magic carpet, and a princess wouldn't just drop into my lap from the heavens. I worked for my power…and it's paying off."

"You still haven't answered why you never told us you two were brothers!" Jasmine reiterated.

"What would that have gained me?" Mozenrath replied. "Your pity? That was something I didn't want. Telling Cassim would have gained me the satisfaction of seeing the horror on his face when I destroyed him. He never was one for pity."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Cassim growled.

"I'd prefer it if we all talked about things like I wasn't here," Iago moaned. "In fact, why do I even have to BE here?"

"You may be powerful," Cassim said, "but it comes at the price of your life. To make up for my transgressions, I've brought you perhaps the only second chance you'll ever have." He withdrew the Hand of Midas, extending it.

"Get ready," Applejack whispered. "He might try to turn us all into gold statues at any minute!"

"A second chance?" His interest piqued, Mozenrath took the wrapped object, transferring it so he grasped it by the handle in his gauntleted right hand. He then unwrapped the cloth from it. He gave a double take as he realized what it was, then began laughing. "A replacement hand, is that it? You really thought I'd cast the gauntlet aside to put this on instead?"

"Well," the Genie said, "that is kind of what we were hoping. Suuuuure, the odds were against us, but no risk means no reward!"

"Cute," Mozenrath said, gripping the handle of the Hand ever harder. "But as much as I appreciate the thought…you're going to love this…I actually have no use for this."

To the horror of everyone present, Mozenrath sent a bolt of blue energy running through the Hand, and it shattered. Pieces of gold flew to all corners of the room, dulling to a bronze color as the power left them.

"I have something better," Mozenrath boasted, "and I wanted you all to be here to see it." He then extended his right hand to the shelf of magical artifacts. With a wave of his hand, a single object levitated, surrounded by blue energy, and made its way toward him, landing perfectly in his right palm.

"No…" Aladdin said incredulously. "NO! It can't be!"

"What is it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It…looks like the lamp of Jafar," Jasmine said, also unable to believe what she was seeing.

"The lamp of who?" Pinkie asked.

"Your new friends aren't from around here, are they?" Mozenrath commented. "Jafar always was someone I looked up to. The kind of person with ambition I appreciated. Of course, I managed to succeed where he failed…but I'm sure he isn't quite out of ideas yet."

"Jafar," the Genie said to the six Equestrians. "Aladdin's oldest enemy! Aaaaaand in the category of Most Ethically Corrupted Sorcerer That Became a Genie With Phenomenally Cosmic Powers, the winner is…"

"Jafar!" Iago finished. "That's it. We're finished! It's over! We're done!"

"I don't believe you," Aladdin said. "It's a fake."

"Shall we test that theory?" Mozenrath raised an eyebrow.

"This guy's just as bad as the hype!" Rainbow Dash hissed. "Everypony get ready to…Twilight, what are you staring at?"

"He really is like a storybook villain," Twilight answered in awe. "It's like…reading a book…"

"This is no book!" Rainbow Dash spat.

Mozenrath dramatically swept his left hand across the obsidian lamp. Red smoke emitted from its spout, then an explosion of red light nearly blinded all in the room. When the red smoke finally cleared, a second man stood beside Mozenrath, a tall man dressed in red robes.

"NO!" Aladdin and Jasmine cried.

"Another djinni!" Twilight said under her breath.

The tall man looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. "What sorcery is this?" he said rather loudly. "What brought me here?" Slowly, his face was split by a malicious grin. He looked up to face those before him. "No matter," he said. "It seems we meet again, Aladdin. Come, now, how many times DO I have to kill you?"

"You can't kill me, Jafar," Aladdin spat. "You're still a genie!"

"That it would seem," Jafar realized. He turned to see Mozenrath holding the lamp. Mozenrath stared with wide eyes and a grin that even the six Equestrians recognized as uncharacteristic happiness. "You! Boy! Are you the one that dares call himself my new master?"

"It's really you," Mozenrath said softly, giddily. "The vizier who betrayed Agrabah! The former most powerful sorcerer in the world!" Mozenrath blinked hard, reverting to his previous state of smugness. "Until I took that position, of course."

"I've no respect for arrogant upstarts," Jafar growled. "You'd best not think yourself more powerful than me, you insignificant whelp!"

Mozenrath flinched, for a moment looking legitimately disappointed. Then he said, "Unfortunately for you, you can't do anything unless I tell you to. I hold complete power over you." He turned back to the others and let out an involuntary laugh. "I knew it…I knew the looks on your faces would be PERFECT once you knew!"

"What're you planning?" the Genie demanded. "To torment us? To saw us in half? To wish us into lives of eternal strife?"

"Don't give him any ideas!" Applejack yelled.

"Those are all appealing," Mozenrath admitted. "But I was thinking something a little more…traditional. This might surprise you, but I'm actually not planning on destroying you yet. That comes later, after you've had a chance to…let's just say…EXPERIENCE what I have planned. Right now, you're just here for the show."

"What are you doing?" Jafar chided. "These are the ones who imprisoned me! Who took away my power!"

"Don't think I don't have my own grudges against them," Mozenrath replied.

Jafar sighed. "Very well, then. What shall your first wish be? It is, unfortunately, my command." His teeth gritted.

"The usual," Mozenrath stated, "but with a twist."

"To be the sultan?" Jafar mocked. "Or merely a prince?"

"Tempting, very tempting," Mozenrath replied. "But I was thinking a little bigger. My first wish…is to become the lord of this entire world!"

Jafar broke into a genuine smile. "You aren't completely bereft of imagination!"

"I think you'll find me quite imaginative as time goes on," Mozenrath said, desperately trying to impress his idol.

Jafar held out his right hand, and in a burst of red light, a golden staff shaped like a cobra materialized in it. He pointed the staff at Mozenrath, and a beam of red light emitted from it, enveloping Mozenrath as the others all watched, unsure of what to do or if they should try to stop the process. The red light abated, and Jafar announced, "It is done."

"NO!" Jasmine cried. "You can't!"

"Oh," Mozenrath replied, "I did."

"That does it!" Applejack yelled. "Elements of Harmony…assemble!"

"WHAT?" Jafar cried in anger, turning to the six.

"We tried reasoning with you," Twilight said, "but now it's time to show you OUR powers!" She spread out her hands, and the five Equestrians were enveloped in white light. A blue beam shot forth from Pinkie's necklace, a purple one from Rarity's, a pink one from Fluttershy's, orange from Applejack's, red from Rainbow Dash's. Finally, the dark pink beam from Twilight's amulet completed the set.

Mozenrath clenched his right hand, summoning an aura of blue energy around it. "So you didn't just dress the part!" he laughed. "You actually have magic worth reckoning with! This should be fun!"

Twilight opened her eyes, the white light again obscuring her pupils and irises. A rainbow of colors burst from around the six as their feet lifted slightly off the floor. The rainbow gathered into a beam that shot toward the ceiling and arced down toward Jafar and Mozenrath.

"NO!" Jafar cried, swiping his staff in an arc of red. This created a circular flash of red light that caused both sorcerers to disappear, teleporting away to an unknown location. Just as they disappeared, the rainbow touched down upon the empty floor and dissipated.

The six Elements' feet touched the floor once more. The light around them faded. "We ALMOST had them!" Rainbow Dash screamed, stomping hard with her right foot.

"What…" Jasmine stared incredulously. "What was that?"

"That was the power of the Elements of Harmony," Twilight said. "Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic. Together, the Elements can defeat the forces that threaten friendship and harmony. If those two had stayed still, we could have done anything from petrify them to strip them of power."

"It's a random effect," Pinkie said. "And I love things that are random!"

"It seems as though Mozenrath truly did not wish to destroy us yet," Cassim observed.

"No," Iago confirmed, "only WATCH US SUFFER IN A WORLD HE RULES!"

By now, Abu had undone the Genie's cuffs with a lockpick. "Mozenrath and Jafar ruling the world," the Genie remarked, shaking his head. "There hasn't been a more dangerous combination in history since Ishtar and Gugalanna!"

"So who is this Jafar fellow anyway?" Rarity asked. "You said he was one of your oldest enemies."

"He used to be the Sultan's most trusted advisor," Aladdin began. "But then he heard about the Genie, and he wanted the power of the three wishes for himself. So he…"

As Aladdin explained, Twilight stepped around the room, examining it. Fluttershy appeared at her side. "What are you looking at?" Fluttershy inquired.

"All these magical artifacts," Twilight said. "He has a crystal to represent every element and then some." She turned to a table upon which several scrolls were laid out. "He knows so much about magic," she observed, leafing through the scrolls. "Spells for spiritual possession, legends of ancient sorcerers, biology of magical creatures…" She moved on to look at the table covered in lab equipment. "I wonder if he makes new spells on his own."

"You are way too interested in this guy," Rainbow Dash interrupted, stepping in. "Reading his things? Going through his stash and COMPLIMENTING his work? Twilight, he just took over the world in one sentence!"

"Like I said," Twilight reiterated, "he's just like a storybook villain. That's what interests me so much. And I am not TOO interested! You make it sound like…just…no!"

"Twilight," Fluttershy asked, "when you read fairy tales, what do you think of the villains?"

"Well, I…" Twilight felt blood rising to her face in embarrassment. "I do like a story with a good villain. Who doesn't? But facing them in real life is a completely different thing!"

"…so we destroyed the lamp for good," Aladdin finished.

"So he came back from being completely destroyed?" Pinkie asked.

"Well…it did happen once before," Aladdin said. "He came back completely. But that time, someone had cast a spell that almost…reversed everything that had been done. The Genie was back in his lamp, I was on the streets again…we all remembered that things weren't supposed to be like that, but we had to do it all again anyway. Jafar made the same wish to become a genie, so I guess he decided being trapped in a lamp was worth having all that power."

"Like Mozenrath decidin' his power was worth dyin' over," Applejack said.

"Yeah," Aladdin confirmed. "It was just like everything had been…reset. And now Jafar's been reset again."

"RESET!" Twilight's attention was distracted from Mozenrath's personal belongings. "Oldest foes will be reset! Jafar came back! The young one takes it on with pride! Mozenrath has his wishes now! First he wants and gets control…" Twilight paused. She smiled slightly. "This world you will again make whole…"

"We can still stop him!" Rarity cried.

"We just gotta figure out where he went," Applejack added.

"His domain is everywhere," Jasmine pointed out. "Anywhere we go, we'll find his rule."

"Then we should start with Agrabah," Aladdin resolved. "Then we can see what he's done."

Rarity looked towards Cassim. "I'm sorry he didn't accept your generosity," she said sympathetically.

Cassim sighed. "I should not have expected any different."

"I still can't believe…" Aladdin shut his eyes. "No. No! I don't even want to THINK about how he looks like our mother!"

"At least you tried," Rarity reassured Cassim. "It was the right thing to do."

"And anyway," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "if we hadn't shown up with the Hand of Midas, we wouldn't have seen him use the lamp, and we wouldn't know what he was up to!"

"But how did it get reset?" Fluttershy asked.

"The Old Ones make a deadly bet," Twilight remembered. "It must be their work! We need to get back to Agrabah as soon as possible!"

"Let's go!" Pinkie agreed. "ROAD TRIP! Er, SKY TRIP!" She turned and ran from the laboratory, heading for the door so they could take to the air once more. The others had no choice but to follow. The zombie Mamluks left them alone, having done their job already.

Before she left the room, Twilight took one last glance around at Mozenrath's laboratory. He hadn't been what she'd expected at all, that was for certain. And as villains went, he was an impressive one. She shook her head and left the laboratory behind, though her memory of that smirking face would be harder to ditch.

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN THE BORDERLANDS OF THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Why would you DO that?" Mozenrath yelled angrily. "I HAD them!"

"No," Jafar said plainly, "they had you."

"There isn't a single piece of magic on this world that can overcome me!" Mozenrath argued.

"There's much you don't know about this world or any other, boy, and I won't put up with you acting as though you do!" Jafar spat. "Those were the Elements of Harmony, and more importantly, this time, they number six. On their own, the Elements of Harmony are one of the most powerful forces in the multiverse. If they should happen to be the prophesied six…"

"You'd better start making sense, old man," Mozenrath growled.

"All of the Overtakers were warned about them," Jafar explained. "They have the power to destroy those who work towards our mission to usher in the age of chaos and darkness!"

"And an Overtaker is…"

"Something you need not know about."

"And in this age of chaos and darkness," Mozenrath said to make sure, "I would be…"

"Your agenda matches with the age of chaos and darkness," Jafar said, "at least from appearances. Your lust for power certainly fits the description."

"I always wanted to play the villain," Mozenrath said with a shrug. "The more power I gain in the process, the better! After all, I do have an entire kingdom that never sees the sun, a well-stocked fortress, and an army of the undead, all of which must impress you."

"Pittances," Jafar said.

"I controlled the sun for a day!" Mozenrath tried. "I also had under my control the legendary Wind Jackal!"

"Then I presume you've already ravaged the land with burning sun and devastating winds?" Jafar smirked.

"No…" Mozenrath admitted, "but I would have if it weren't for Aladdin!"

"So we have a common enemy."

"I'm sure we actually have a lot of things in common…"

"I highly doubt that."

"I've modeled my life after you!" Mozenrath cried before immediately clamping his right hand over his mouth. Jafar regarded him with a look of disgust. "I mean…you set a standard that any villain worth his salt should follow in the beginning. I built up from there."

"Never mind," Jafar muttered. "Take it from me: stay away from the Elements of Harmony. Destroy them if you can find a way. Especially the one in the blue robes. She had all the marks of the Element of Magic…the most powerful."

"Wait," said Mozenrath. "There's an Element of Magic? Is magic her pure essence?"

"It is her gift," Jafar explained. "At this point, it may be in a beginning stage, but she is powerful nonetheless. She will only grow stronger."

"She could be useful to me," Mozenrath mused. "Well, in the meantime, I have an entire world to exploit." He was suddenly aware of a strange weight around his neck. He removed a gold necklace with a cube-shaped amulet, staring at it in confusion. "And this would be…"

"A little something that goes with being the lord of this land in particular," Jafar said.

Mozenrath suddenly realized what he held in his hand. He'd read about it in several scrolls. He grinned widely. "THIS is just too good!" A thought occurring to him, he glared at Jafar. "You could have at least had the sense to bring Xerxes, you know."

"Xerxes?"

"My familiar. He's annoying, but I've become rather attached to him."

Disgruntled, Jafar held out his right hand. In a puff of red smoke, Xerxes appeared in his palm, curled up. The eel disorientedly lifted himself up into flight again. "Don't expect any more free bonuses," Jafar told Mozenrath. "Now, we have a lot of work to do. I will expect you to follow my instruction insofar as you have no knowledge on any subject." Jafar turned and stalked away.

Angered at his patronization, Mozenrath bit his lip hard, nearly drawing blood. Xerxes floated at his side, about to say something; Mozenrath slapped the eel, sending him to the ground, before storming after Jafar with determination.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

The Carpet and the Genie-jet sped back to Agrabah as quickly as possible. They didn't even need to get all the way there before things changed. The sky was suddenly overcast with dark gray clouds that appeared to have a faint sheen of royal blue. A torrent of rain poured down upon the Carpet and the Genie-jet, and lightning crashed in the surrounding skies.

At last, the Carpet and the Genie-jet touched down in Agrabah, all passengers scrambling off. The Genie transformed into his more humanoid self, and the group looked around to see the damages. The rain had ceased inside the city walls, but a chilling wind blew, and the clouds still hung heavy and dark overhead.

Screams emitted from the streets. Running on instinct, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Genie, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie rushed toward them, Cassim, the Carpet, Abu, Iago, and Fluttershy following. They emerged into one of the town squares to see bright red wildcats with flames protruding from their backs prowling, swiping at people's garments and terrifying them.

"Those must be Mozenrath's too!" Rarity cried.

"No," Aladdin said. "Those belong to Mirage."

"MIRAGE!" the Genie cried. "This situation has officially become a Code Octarine!"

"A Code Octarine?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What's a Code Octarine?"

"That means RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" the Genie screamed.

"No!" Aladdin refuted. "We can beat them! They feed on fear! We just can't be afraid!" He rushed out into the fray, drawing his sword and facing down the cats. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"

The cats looked at him and hissed. Instead of backing down, they grew in size, swiping at Aladdin. Aladdin only managed to dodge out of their paws' way and roll into safety just in time.

"They're feeding off the fear of the others!" Twilight realized. "That's why it won't work!"

"Aladdin!" Jasmine yelled. "STOP!"

"RETREAT! RETRAT!" the Genie added.

Aladdin returned to the group, and as one, they turned and ran from the square. "Why can't I beat them?" he asked in disbelief.

"They're taking fear from everyone else!" Fluttershy squeaked. "Probably even me!"

They crossed paths with two others who ran; those two slowed to a halt. Rarity recognized them first, and she also stopped, prompting the others to do so. "Minos!" Rarity cried. "Fatima! What's happened?"

"The clouds, the winds, and the creatures appeared all at once," Minos said. "Evil forces have arrived in Agrabah."

"Not just Agrabah," Jasmine clarified. "The whole world!"

"We were going to seek refuge in the high tower," Fatima said. "Where we gathered during our first return to Agrabah."

"Refuge! There's an idea!" Iago cried.

"We need to find somewhere to stop and think about this!" Twilight pointed out.

"Let's go!" Aladdin commanded, and Minos and Fatima led them through the twisting alleyways, avoiding crowded squares where the fire-cats roamed, until they arrived at what appeared to be the highest tower in the city, almost as tall as the palace itself. They entered, running up the spiral stairs until the stairs ended at a spacious room up top, one with windows that provided a view of the entire city. However, this group wasn't the first to reach this room.

"Father!" Jasmine cried, recognizing the Sultan. The six Equestrians had to stare at him a while before they too recognized him; he was dressed not in the white robes of royalty, but in the rags of a peasant. Most of the members of the royal guard were present as well, dressed similarly.

"Jasmine!" the Sultan said, rushing to embrace his daughter. "You're safe! Now, can somebody tell me what in the world is going on?"

"This world just got hijacked," Applejack explained. "Some djinni callin' himself Jafar turned up outta nowhere, and he crowned a new overlord!"

"Jafar!" The Sultan did a double take. "But…how can this be? He was destroyed twice!"

"Apparently living twice wasn't good enough," Aladdin sighed. "He had to go for a third."

"Why are you dressed like a commoner?" Rarity asked.

"The royal guards and I found ourselves outside the palace all of a sudden, with no explanation!" the Sultan explained. "We were dressed like this!"

"Like you weren't the Sultan of Agrabah," Rarity said.

"Because you aren't anymore," Applejack concluded.

"We tried to re-enter the palace," the Sultan went on, "but those monstrous cats blocked our path! We were forced into the city streets!"

"How did you make it back here?" Pinkie asked.

"I showed them the way." Sadira pushed past the guards, showing herself. "When I saw that they were in danger, I brought them back here. I've used this tower as a substitute lair before. I knew it would be safe."

"Thanks, Sadira," Aladdin said with a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we can count on you."

"Hey," Sadira said casually, "I can't just let my friends' dad get eaten by fire-cats, can I?"

"Pardon me for my interruption," Razoul said grumpily, "but who exactly is responsible for this mess?"

"Mozenrath," Twilight said. "He's Jafar's new master. He controls everything now."

"Wait," Sadira said in disbelief. "Mozenrath? He actually DID IT?"

"I didn't think we'd ever mentioned him to you," Jasmine pointed out.

"You didn't," Sadira said. "Has he been bothering you for a long time now?"

"He's threatened Agrabah constantly," Aladdin explained. "And only now, I figured out that he's my brother."

"YOU'RE the brother?" Sadira gaped.

"What are you talking about?" Jasmine asked.

"I knew him," Sadira said. "Way before you. Well, not before Aladdin, I guess. When I was a kid growing up on the streets, he was the closest thing I could call a friend. The kind of friend that makes you not need enemies, anyway. I kinda took pity on him because he was a little weakling. He was always talking about becoming something bigger and more powerful, but I never actually took him seriously. I didn't think he could actually pull it off. I mean, I had to save him from the shadow-walkers and everything…"

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

SEVEN YEARS AGO

"You could have shown up sooner, you know."

"That's the thanks I get for saving your life?" the child Sadira snapped. "You should probably go home in case something else decides to eat you and I decide not to be nice."

"I don't have a home anymore," Mozenrath informed Sadira, steel in his voice. "My mother is gone."

Sadira was taken aback. "I didn't know…I'm sorry…"

"Don't pity me!" Mozenrath yelled. "Don't you DARE pity me!"

"What are you going to do?" Sadira asked.

"I'm leaving Agrabah," Mozenrath said. "The sooner, the better. I'm going to make something of myself."

"You'll die."

"Thanks for having faith in me, Sadira."

"Did you not see what just happened five minutes ago?"

"I'll find a new home," Mozenrath resolved. "And someone who can teach me real power. If only the royal vizier actually had the backbone to take over from that lazy Sultan…"

"Where's this coming from?" Sadira inquired.

"Rumors say he's naturally deceptive, and no one knows why the Sultan chose him for the job," Mozenrath answered. "Probably because the Sultan's an idiot. If the vizier was really as bad as all the rumors say he could get, I might consider him. Instead, I'm going to have to go for someone better. Someone who actually has vision." He stared past Sadira, down an alleyway through which the city walls were visible, imagining that he could see through them. "I want to find Destane."

"The warlord of the Black Sand?" Sadira asked. "Even I know he'd kill you on the spot."

"Not if I go to him saying how much I want to follow in his footsteps," Mozenrath theorized. "He probably only kills dissenters. I bet he loves worshipers!"

"I still think you're gonna die. How are you gonna walk all the way to the Black Sands, anyway?"

"I'll find a way," Mozenrath vowed. "It was the land of my mother. I belong there more than I ever belonged here. I'm leaving tonight, Sadira."

"What? Just like that?"

"The sooner I leave this pit behind," Mozenrath sneered, "the better." He began walking.

"Hey!" Sadira walked alongside him. "Are you sure about this? I mean, you just came up with the idea! Aren't you going to think it through?"

"It's already thought through. I know what I'm doing. It's like you don't even know me."

"You might have book smarts," Sadira insisted, "but you are NOT prepared for what is out there!"

"Don't underestimate me," Mozenrath growled.

They walked in silence until they reached the back gate of the city. Sadira stopped before she could cross into the sands outside. Mozenrath didn't even slow down, and he didn't look back, not even when he realized Sadira wasn't behind him.

"You're not even going to say goodbye or anything?" she cried.

He didn't turn around as he answered, "Don't get eaten by tigers."

Sadira crossed her arms. She turned away in a huff. She stormed toward the abandoned building she was squatting in that week, holding back her tears. Now she was truly alone.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

PRESENT TIMELINE

She smacked her fist into her palm. "I'd like to knock him off whatever high-and-mighty throne he happened to get himself on," Sadira grumbled in remembrance. "Don't get eaten by tigers, indeed. Though now I can see why he never introduced me to that famous brother he hated." She smirked. "He didn't want me to know he was the ugly twin."

"He isn't ugly!" Twilight cried, and everyone in the room turned to look at her. "I mean," she amended, "that from a purely objective standpoint, he looks – "

"Ain't no 'objective' in findin' a fella handsome," Applejack pointed out.

"Yes there is!" Twilight insisted. "There are criteria! I can list them!"

"Twilight's crush on the bad guy aside – " Rainbow Dash began.

"I do NOT have a crush on the BAD GUY!" Twilight interrupted.

"Whatever," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Anyway, what're we gonna do about all this?"

"I think the prophecy said we had to make the world whole again," Rarity said. "I can't think of how we're supposed to do that short of reclaiming every throne one at a time."

"Then that's what we'll do," Aladdin resolved.

"That seems a bit tedious," Rarity pointed out.

"But if we don't go around and save all the kingdoms," Pinkie pointed out, "Mozenrath will rule them forever and ever! There might not be a quicker way!"

"But we can't even take back Agrabah," Fluttershy pointed out. "Not with those awful cats running around…"

"Those fire-cats are only able to control the city because they find more people that are scared of them than people that are courageous in any given area," Twilight pointed out. "If we could teach everyone not to be scared…or even just get a group of people that would bravely stand up to them…"

"That's it!" Rainbow Dash cried. "A group to stand up! What if we got ahold of everyone else from that day we were working on the burned-up street? We could make an army!"

"Yes!" Pinkie agreed. "Find ALL our friends! Then we could be brave together and run those fire-cats out of town!"

"But that's gonna take some time to find everypony in this chaos," Applejack pointed out.

"Everypony?" Sadira repeated.

"Habit of speech," Applejack retorted without bothering to explain. "While we build up an army here, Mozenrath's runnin' around the world makin' things worse!"

"Unless," Aladdin figured, "we go after Mozenrath while everyone else gathers here to build an army. If he or Mirage or whoever doesn't have fire-cats running through every kingdom, we might be able to liberate a few of them while our resistance is building back here."

"Then we come back and TAKE NO PRISONERS!" the Genie finished.

"Who is this 'Mirage', anyhow?" Rarity asked. "That name's come up twice now."

"She's the incarnation of all that is evil!" the Genie explained. "If you thought it was unlucky for a black cat to cross your path BEFORE…"

"Incarnation of evil, huh?" Twilight repeated. "Looks like we found our Old One."

"We'll deal with that later," Rainbow Dash insisted. "Right now, we need to get going! Sultan, Sadira, are you okay with building up the resistance here?"

"Of course!" Sadira bowed. "I'll show that jerk how far his power really goes. I'll find Deluca and bring her back here right away!"

"I will seek out Dandi and Eden," Minos promised.

"And I will go with you," Fatima vowed.

"Sultan," Razoul pointed out, "you had best stay here. We can protect you."

"Nonsense!" the Sultan insisted. "I'm perfectly capable of combating those creatures!"

"You almost got toasted," Sadira reminded him.

"I believe the girl and your captain are right," Cassim told the Sultan. "I too shall remain here."

"But, Dad – "Aladdin began to argue.

"No buts," Cassim insisted. "I caused this. The least I can do is offer my help where I know it is valuable, and stay out of what I risk ruining for you. Under my protection, the Sultan shall see no harm."

"Great idea!" Iago said enthusiastically. "You stay here, and I'll stay with you! Because we're partners in crime and everyth – "

"You're coming with us," Jasmine insisted. "You know Jafar better than anyone."

"Besides," Aladdin added, "you were part of the old team, Iago. We couldn't have done half of what we did without your help. Aren't you ready to relive the old times?" He winked.

"Ohhhh, sure," Iago moaned, "drag the parrot through another death-trap adventure. Why does this always happen to me?"

"If you don't wanna go," Rainbow Dash told him, "you can stay back. Flake out on your friends if you have to. I mean, if you really ARE one of our friends."

"That's a mite harsh, Dash," Applejack pointed out.

"I never said I wasn't your friend!" Iago said defensively. "I just…I mean…it's dangerous!"

"It is dangerous," Fluttershy agreed. "And I'm very frightened. I don't want to go chasing after a madman. But my friends need me to help, and I know they'll help protect me on the way. That's why I'm going."

"Fine," Iago sighed. "When you put it that way. Count me in for what is hopefully one last road trip."

"One small problem," the Genie brought up. "We don't know exactly where Mozenrath is."

A silence fell over the tower as everyone contemplated that point, a silence punctuated only by the howling of the wind. That was what jarred Iago's epiphany. "The wind!" he cried. "The clouds! The rain! I KNOW WHERE MOZENRATH WENT!"

"Where?" everyone asked in interest.

"You don't just get to control the weather by being the king of any old place," Iago reminded his friends and explained to the newcomers. "There's only one spot in this world that directs the weather for the entire planet. And that spot is in Thundra's rainforest! He must have her amulet!"

"Who's Thundra?" Pinkie asked.

"The bird that controls the weather," Iago replied. "Or did before the Mozen-brat came along. She's a real loudmouth…but not bad once you get to really know her. Nice plumage, actually."

"Is she your special somepony?" Applejack teased.

"On a long-distance basis," Iago said somewhat embarrassedly. "We run into each other now and again."

The Genie transformed into a Cupid-like cherub. "She's stolen Iago's heart!" he emphasized, shooting a blue arrow with a heart-shaped tip at Iago.

The macaw dodged the arrow deftly, obviously used to the Genie throwing odd projectiles at him. "What matters is that Mozenrath's stolen all her powers," he emphasized.

Rainbow Dash smacked her fist against her palm. "Then let's go take 'em back!"

The Genie transformed into a jet once more. "All aboard!" he cried. "Next stop: the rainforest of Thundra!"

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity climbed into their usual seats. Abu settled in on Fluttershy's shoulder. Iago took Cassim's empty seat all to himself as Aladdin, Jasmine, and Twilight settled on the Carpet once more.

"We'll take care of things here while you're gone," Sadira promised.

"We'll be back," Jasmine vowed. "And Father…stay safe."

"If you insist," the Sultan said stoically.

The Genie-jet and the Carpet flew out of one of the high tower's wide windows.

"It really gets me that he thinks he can mess with the weather," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Back home," Pinkie explained, "Rainbow Dash was in charge of our weather!"

"And I made sure it was in balance!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "Not an irresponsible mess like this! When I catch up with Mozenrath, I'm gonna teach him a lesson in weather-handling that he's never gonna forget! No matter how much Twilight likes him!"

"I DO NOT LIKE HIM!" Twilight screamed. "LOOK AT THIS MESS! DO YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE A CRUSH ON THE KIND OF PERSON THAT WOULD CAUSE THIS MESS?"

"Bad boy appeal," Rainbow Dash said simply.

"AUUUGGGGGH!" Twilight groaned.

The Genie-jet and the Carpet sped back out into the rain, setting out East to cross the ocean.

* * *

The rose tree had been growing for quite some time in the palace gardens. Its leaves formed a bulbous ellipse, one that almost resembled a cocoon. Had anyone suspected what would come of it, someone might have alerted the rest of the palace long ago. However, what came was completely unexpected.

The cocoon split. From it stepped a curious creature: ten feet tall, he looked to be humanoid, but every part of him was made of a plant. His hair was a pouf of leaves. His beard, a long trail of moss. His hands and fingers, thick vines. His skin was green, and his robes were red and green, trimmed with thorns. Upon his breast there was a red rose; he stroked it protectively, remembering what had happened the last time someone had severed it.

That someone, he realized, had the good sense to plant the flower. Why would they have done that? After all, they were the ones who had severed it in the beginning. He was also surprised to find himself in the garden of the palace. That man's palace. He had to find out why. He set out for the palace to ask.

Inside, Mirage settled upon the golden elephant-head-shaped throne of the Agrabah palace, listening to the screams of the peasants and the roars of her Echthroi through the walls. "Life is good," she said to herself.

The plant-man entered the throne room to see her there. "You!" he yelled, pointing to her. "What is your business inside this palace?"

"I might ask the same of you," Mirage said. "Aren't you the floral sorcerer? They said you had died."

"As strange as it is to believe," he replied, "I think I'm alive because of THEIR kindness. Frankly, I'm not sure whether I want to thank them or strangle them all for putting me in my situation in the first place."

"It matters not," Mirage said with a smirk. "They are not in charge anymore, and if all goes well, they will soon all be dead. Evil rules this world now. Prepare yourself for the reign of destruction!" She grinned. "Even the plant life will not be spared."

"Have you no respect for life? For beauty?"

"None whatsoever."

"MONSTER!" He raised his hands. His powers were weakened, but still very present. Vines as thick around as Mirage's waist burst up from the floor, cracking the stone. They shot towards Mirage in an attempt to bind her.

She slashed at each vine with her hands, green fire glowing. Every single vine fell down dead. With a vicious yowl, Mirage leapt up from the throne and rushed the plant-man, reaching for the rose upon his breast.

In fear, he summoned a bunch of vines to shoot up from the floor and wrap around him, taking him down underground before Mirage could harm him. Mirage stared down at the gaping hole in the throne room floor, silently vowing revenge.

* * *

The cloaked man arrived at the city gates after his long journey. He stepped out of the rain and into the icy wind, the chill running over his newly formed human skin. He heard the screams of the people emitting from within, and looked up at the dark clouds above, watching lightning flash in the blue-tinged gray intermittently.

"What has happened to my city?" he asked himself, regarding the tragedy before him. He knew that whatever the case, he would have to fight to return it to its peaceful state. Even though his original goal was complete, and he was human once more, he now had new reason to do good: to protect the city he expected to reclaim as home.

* * *

Chapter 6:

· The Genie's throwaway joke about this being based on G-rated source material actually gives me a good opportunity to talk about how I'm going to handle some of the rating stuff. I want to try to keep everyone in character, so characters who don't swear in canon won't here, even if it's a situation that would cause most to swear. Characters from more mature material will be allowed to swear. For example, if Ron Weasley and Pinkie Pie both made the same archenemy, they would describe him/her respectively as "that damn bloody git" and "that meanie-face". Just a note. I'm mostly pulling the same rule for sexual content. After all, when dealing with, say, Cadance being pregnant (will I or won't I?), it's no use pretending she and Shining Armor didn't have sex. Same with other characters who are official couples in G-rated material.

· I. Loved. Writing the scene where they all point out how Mozenrath and Twilight are similar. There's a reason I ship it so hard. And yes, those are BOTH their crazy monologues word-for-word, from the ATAS ep "The Hunted" and MLP "Lesson Zero".

· I decided that Mozenrath and Twilight's favorite color is blue because they are both associated with it so much. Mozenrath's traditional outfit is blue, as is most of the interior décor of his fortress and many of the crystals he owns. Most of Twilight's outfits have been blue – her Gala gown, the cape from the end of "Secret of My Excess", and while the dress from "Sweet and Elite" was yellow, Rarity was GOING to make it blue (with gold accents, which is ALSO reminiscent of Mozenrath's outfit – I was already shipping it by then, and I was so ticked that Rarity never finished that dress because I was sure it was going to turn into a total Mozenrath-dress). Rarity made all these things with Twi's personality in mind, which leads me to believe that Twi likes blue.

· I really want to avoid giving Mozenrath a Freudian Excuse because I want to believe that he's always wanted to be evil, but if he's going to be Aladdin's brother, he's got to have that hatred of brotherhood pre-instilled, and I also like the idea that if Cassim favored Aladdin, his wife gave Mozenrath the attention he wouldn't get from his father. So I want to make it very clear: he doesn't like it when other people, especially Mirage, want to replace his mom, who he respects. He doesn't want to be reminded of brothers. But his family issues are NOT the reason he's evil. He's evil because he likes evil.

· Xerxes is his canon familiar. Xerxes sometimes annoys the heck out of me.

· Jafar/Mozenrath is another of my favorite Mozenrath ships. I kind of ship him with EVERYONE. I have this love of playing that ship in a kind of fanboy/idol way, which should become clear soon enough. Anyway, the current love triangle (lust triangle?) is Twilight - Mozenrath - Jafar, though NO ONE wants to admit it.

· "Echthroi" is a term from Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet (A Wrinkle In Time and its sequels), which I like a lot and want to use to build this universe. If you're unfamiliar with the term, I'm actually NOT going to define it here because I'm going to define it in-story.

· The magic detecting crystal streetlamps are canon. I did not make those up.

· I apologize for having the heroes JUST STAND THERE while Mozenrath releases Jafar and makes his first wish. I had to have that happen without interruption.

· "The Overtakers" is a name coined by the Disney book series "The Kingdom Keepers" to describe Maleficent and her allies. I chose her to be so prominent because I needed a villain that was as instantly recognizable to the Internet as the ponies were. And of course, Discord is the other major player for the forces of evil and the rep for the Old Ones. I'm also planning to add in several other evil factions – we can't have a multicrossover universe with only TWO great forces of evil that encompass everything – but that comes later. Anyway, I'm using "Overtakers" to describe the league of Disney villains that Maleficent runs, and I'll reveal who's all in it…eventually. Jafar was a given. But…WHO IS THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS?

· The gold amulet is significant for people who know ATAS; for those who don't, I'm going to explain it in-story later, so again, you must be kept in suspense.

· The fire-cats…that's not their technical name, but it's what I call them. I think they do have a canon name that I just never found… In canon, the way to defeat them is to approach them and not be afraid of them. If you can't do this, they will mess you up.

· Octarine is the eighth color of the rainbow as stated in Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Because it isn't a crossover multiverse in my mind without PRATCHETT.

· Minos, Fatima, and Sadira actually all started out villains, but they reformed when they realized that having relationships was more valuable to them than power. This is canon. (Same goes for Deluca and Amal, actually.) In the ep with Minos and Fatima, they take over a high tower for their lair. In one of Sadira's eps where she's still evil, she's seen casting a spell from what I believe to be the same tower, even though she has a well-stocked lair elsewhere. That's why I picked it as a rendez-vous point.

· Sadira and Mozenrath have never interacted in canon, but actually, they're one of the most popular ships among the fans. I don't really like it that much, but I can see where it comes from. I like the idea that they knew each other as kids, even though it's completely fanon. Again, trying to show that Mozenrath was obsessed with evil and power even as a kid. I also used this flashback scene to, implausibly as it is, also begin his obsession over Jafar, though at that point in time, no one actually knew Jafar was going to try to usurp the Sultan. I just assume that a lot of people suspected it.

· Had Cassim stay back and Iago come along because in the show, the main adventure team was Al, Jasmine, Carpet, Genie, Abu, and Iago, with Iago ALWAYS as the one who didn't want to go but was dragged along anyway.

· Thundra is a character in the show who's in charge of the world's weather. And her powers even give her a rainbow that follows in her wake…Rainbow Dash much? Anyway, she is Iago's canon ship, though they only interact occasionally and neither one makes a commitment to change locations to be with the other. They're both pretty independent anyway, so I decided a long-distance, on-off relationship would work for them. I like to think that during Cassim's travels, Iago has them sail over to the rainforest to visit Thundra every now and again.

· The plant-man and the cloaked man are both people that would immediately be familiar to the fans of the series. For those unfamiliar, again, I'll reveal more in-story, so I'm going to keep vague on that. I'll only say that bringing the plant-man back is actually cheating. They made it pretty clear that he was dead for good, or at the very least, if he did come back the way I said, he'd probably have to start smaller and grow back up. But I wanted him badly. So I'm calling my fic, my rules.


	7. The Coatl

1. The Coatl

THE RAINFOREST, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Above a lush canopy of green trees dripping with dew, a cloud in the shape of a monumentous steppe pyramid rose in the sky, a throne of white atop its highest platform. From this throne, the great waterfall was visible where the clouds stopped one by one to fill up with rain and turn dark. They did so at twice the normal rate now, speeding off to all corners of the world. Some of them filled with Arctic wind, turning the rain inside to hail and snow before taking flight.

Mozenrath sat upon the cloudy throne, running his fingers over the square gold amulet that allowed him to direct all these meteorological patterns. Resting on the arm of the throne under his right hand was a leather-bound codex that listed all the types of weather possible to make; it was turned to a page describing destructive lightning.

"I got my sun and my destructive winds back in a single day," Mozenrath said with a smile. "I think this more than makes up for what I lost way back when. Controlling the world's weather is a pretty nice setup."

Jafar stood at the side of his throne dutifully, looking out upon the rainforest and the clouds that filled with dangerous precipiation. "Flashy as it may be," he admitted, "your mastery of the weather is certainly impressive."

Mozenrath held back from smiling ever more earnestly, instead saying, "I know."

From below, a dark shape rose. Out of the corner of his eye, Mozenrath glimpsed the rising, winged shadow. "The thunder bird again?" he sighed, turning to look. To his surprise, the creature that alit beside his throne was not a bird. It was a large, charcoal-gray snake, nearly twenty feet long and proportionately thick, with a mane of dark hair falling from the back of its head and a pair of wings with scaly feathers spreading from its back.

"And you are?" Mozenrath sighed.

"Allow me to introduce myself, senor," the snake said in a rich, deep voice. "I am Malcho, the rightful keeper of the weather of the world."

"Really?" Jafar was suspicious. "I had thought that was the thunder bird."

"She stole the amulet from me most ungraciously," Malcho replied. "Her ways were inhibited…unimaginative. Your mastery of the weather is most admirable, and if you would return to me the amulet that is rightfully mine, I can continue in your legacy."

"I don't think so," Mozenrath replied curtly. "Did you really think it would just be that easy? Fly right up to the lord of the world and ask for the amulet back? Please. Take your smooth talk somewhere else before I blast you with an Arctic wind."

"Not to interrupt your most fascinating conversation," Jafar said, "but it appears the brats have found our location."

"WHAT?" Mozenrath stood and walked to the edge of the topmost cloud steppe. He saw two distant blue dots, unmistakable, flying toward the rainforest quickly.

"I suggest you find a way to stop them before they reach this throne," Jafar advised. "Lest the Elements of Harmony best you."

Mozenrath watched the Carpet and the Genie-jet fly closer and closer, thinking over his options. The last thing he wanted to do was waste one of his precious remaining wishes. At last, he turned to Malcho. "I've decided you can have the amulet," he said, "on one condition."

"Yes? Yes?" Malcho leaned forward excitedly.

"You use it to get rid of them," Mozenrath commanded. "Also, the book stays with me."

"Of course, senor!" Malcho agreed.

Mozenrath removed the golden amulet from around his neck and tossed it at Malcho; it fell neatly around Malcho's neck. "I shall not disappoint you!" the feathered snake cried before taking flight.

"Are you sure that was wise?" Jafar asked.

"He doesn't get to keep it," Mozenrath explained. "He'll just have to figure that out the hard way after he gets rid of our pest problem. Besides, I doubt he has the entire canon of weather spells memorized." He returned to his seat and patted the book protectively.

Xerxes, hovering nearby, watched Malcho fly away in dismay. "Hate Malcho."

"Don't worry," Mozenrath sighed. "He's not going to replace you."

At that, Xerxes' guard relaxed, as that had been his exact worry.

"Now," Mozenrath resolved, "when we have the amulet returned, where should we strike next? Snow in the Sahara? Melting the Frozen North? A hurricane over Getzistan? Choices, choices…"

* * *

"There it is," Iago pointed out. "The rainforest that makes all the world's weather. And boy, is it cooking up the storm of the century!"

"The waterfall probably does make things easier," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Back home, we have to funnel the water up ourselves with a cyclone."

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said, pointing ahead. "Somebody else that leaves rainbows like you!"

A grayish figure was headed toward the Carpet and the Genie-jet quite quickly, leaving a rainbow in its wake.

"That's not Thundra," Aladdin realized in horror.

"No," Iago clarified, "THAT'S MALCHO WEARING THUNDRA'S AMULET!"

Twilight began, "Who's Mal – "

By that time, the feathered snake had reached the Carpet and the Genie-jet in the air. He spread his wings wide. "You will not survive the wrath of Malcho!" he boomed. Dark clouds gathered around him, and many-branched forks of lightning shot out at the Carpet and the Genie-jet. The Carpet was hit, its rear threads ignited, and it shot straight downward. The Genie-jet took a blast of electricity that shocked everyone aboard before falling out of the sky as well; everyone plummeted down through the tree canopy and out of Malcho's sight.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Help me out!" She leapt from the Genie-jet, grabbing onto one of his wings and spreading her own wings, causing a hard drag against the air. Fluttershy clambered out of her own seat, spreading her wings for the first time through the sleeves Rarity had provided. She took the Genie-jet's other wing and dragged as well, causing him to come to a halt just before all crashed into the ground.

In the meantime, Twilight created a forcefield of purple around the Carpet, slowing its descent enough that it could touch the ground without any harm coming to Aladdin, Jasmine, or Twilight. Twilight pointed at the flames, and a small blast of ice shot onto the burning, causing the fires to fizzle out.

"Everypony okay?" Applejack asked.

"I think so," Aladdin answered.

"What WAS that thing?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"Malcho," Aladdin explained. "An old enemy."

"He used to control the weather before Thundra did," Iago continued, "and lemme tell ya, the results weren't much better than when Mozenrath got ahold of that amulet. He's been tryin' to get it back ever since!"

"He and Mozenrath must be in an alliance," Jasmine deduced. "Why else would he give him the amulet?"

A crackling in the branches above alerted everyone to Malcho's descent through the tree canopy far above to look for them. Aladdin beckoned for the others to follow before setting off at a run.

Some distance into the forest, the group stopped, certain that they'd lost Malcho temporarily. "He's…a coatl," Twilight panted.

"A what now?" Applejack asked.

"A feathered snake," Twilight clarified. "They can be fire elementals, water elementals, or even gods. That's the first coatl I've ever seen in real life!"

"That's nice," Iago snapped. "I'll be so glad to know the exact name of the thing that's trying to kill us right before he zaps us into extra-crispy ten-piece meals!"

A gasp emitted from the forest somewhere to the left. Everyone turned to see what was approaching, and Rainbow Dash drew both her swords in preparation for the arrival of another monster.

A great green bird, one twice Iago's size, winged her way through the forest. She wore a great headdress of gold topped with green feathers. "Thundra!" Iago cried.

"I knew I heard your voice, my little giblet!" Thundra rushed to embrace Iago in her wings, striking an interesting figure with her larger height. "Things are muy terrible!" The pair settled onto a branch where they could hold each other without having to worry about flight. "Ever since that villano Mozenrath appeared in the rainforest, my precious weather has been nothing but destruction!"

Iago stepped back out of the embrace. "You got nothin' to worry about, sweet-beak," he assured Thundra. "I have come to defend the rainforest!"

"Ahem?" Twilight raised her eyebrow.

"With my backup team, of course," Iago amended. Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Where is Mozenrath, anyway?" Aladdin asked.

"He has been sitting atop the throne on the highest cloud," Thundra explained. "My amulet and the weather book vanished from me, and somehow they fell into his hands!"

"That's because he wished to be lord of the world," Jasmine told Thundra. "Including the rainforest."

"And he doesn't have the amulet anymore!" Pinkie added. "He gave it to that big mean old Malcho!"

"NO!" Thundra placed a wing over her chest in shock. "Not Malcho! He will certainly bring ruin upon the rainforest!"

"Speaking of which," the Genie said, pointing upward, "HERE HE COMES!"

"I will find you all, little parásitos!" Malcho vowed, crashing through the tree canopy. "Ahh…I see you have met Thundra! You may all die together!"

"NO!" Twilight yelled, pointing up at Malcho with both hands and firing small blasts of ice. As they hit Malcho's skin, the coatl flinched.

"What are you DOING?" Rainbow Dash yelled. "That's not gonna help anything!"

The Genie transformed into a large race car with two humanoid arms up front; he used these arms to scoop Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Iago, the Carpet, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and Thundra onto the seats. "On your mark…" he said, "get set…DRIVE FOR YOUR LIVES!" He sped off into the forest.

Rarity gathered the Carpet into her arms. "You poor thing!" she gushed. "You've been all but burned away! We simply must repair you!"

After losing Malcho yet again, the Genie stopped beneath the dense canopy that almost blocked out all light completely. He transformed into a humanoid once more. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up!" he admitted.

Abu squeaked in fear, clinging to Fluttershy's arm. "It's okay," Fluttershy said, stroking Abu's head with the opposite hand. "We'll think of something…" She didn't feel quite convinced of that herself.

"You know what that thing is," Applejack told Twilight. "How do we get rid of it?"

"Coatls can be associated with a lot of elements," Twilight said, "but they're all firey at the core from sharing the sun's heat. They've been that way ever since Xiuhcoatl, the turquoise serpent. If you add that to the fact that all reptiles are cold-blooded, that means that they're very sensitive to ice! That's why I tried to blast it with a blizzard earlier!"

"That was supposed to be a blizzard?" Iago smacked his forehead with his wing. "That was a SNO-CONE!"

"Well, excuse me," Twilight snapped, "but I've never had to make a spell that big before! I've never had this much trouble with my magic before, and I can't help it if the only things I can even do right are reflection and telekinesis!"

"It's all right," Rarity reassured her. "This is the first time you've had to use your magic against powers like what we've seen. Just because your magic isn't very strong against what can be found in this world doesn't mean – "

"Magic is my element!" Twilight insisted. "It's supposed to be the thing I'm better at than anything else! How am I supposed to be the Element of Magic if I can't even do good magic?"

"You stopped us from crashing," Jasmine reminded her.

"And you do have a point about Malcho and ice," the Genie added. "First time we faced him, we got him to chill out with the Arctic wind before sending him to the Frozen North!" He cracked his knuckles. "One Genie-powered blizzard should make a popsicle outta that snake!"

"He is muy powerful," Thundra reminded the Genie. "You are only semi-phenomenally, nearly cosmically powerful! He could break through your ice in an instant! The only thing that could possibly stop him is the Arctic wind! If only my book of weather were not in the hands of that Mozenrath, and my amulet not taken by Malcho, I could freeze him!"

"Wait," Rainbow Dash said. "Just to see if I've got this…all you need is the book Mozenrath has and the amulet, and you could have the weather back in control again?"

"Si," Thundra confirmed.

"No problem," Rainbow Dash said with a wave of her hand.

"What do you mean, no problem?" Thundra said worriedly.

"I can get that amulet off that snake," Rainbow Dash said confidently. "All he needs is a taste of his own medicine!"

"And the book?" Thundra asked.

"I have a plan for that too," Rainbow Dash admitted. "Of course, I'm gonna need Twilight's help for that. You in, Twilight?"

"If I could even do a decent spell at all, I would be," Twilight grumbled.

"You said yourself you could do tele-whatsit! Moving stuff!" Rainbow Dash reminded her. "You just need to move the book out of Mozenrath's hands and into yours! Come on, you can do this. I've seen you move entire orchards' worth of apples off their trees!"

"I…can probably do that," Twilight relented. "But I'd need to be able to see it."

"And that's where Fluttershy comes in," Rainbow Dash concluded.

"But what of Mozenrath?" Thundra asked. "Once Malcho is defeated, we will still have to face his evil magic!"

"When we teamed up with the Elements of Harmony, he and that djinni of his flew the coop," said Rainbow Dash. "They know they can't beat us!"

"And that's why he gave the amulet to Malcho!" Iago realized. "To get rid of you six! And you know what that means…"

"We can beat him really easily?" Pinkie suggested.

"I was going to say that ditching you six would mean the rest of us could get away from Malcho," Iago admitted, "but I like your version too."

"While you're all hatching your death-defying stunts," Rarity said, "I'd like to figure out a way to repair the poor Carpet. I think I can tell what sort of weave he's made of…now, if only I had magical thread…"

The Genie waved his hand, and a gigantic spool of blue and gold thread appeared in his palm. "You mean THIS magical thread?"

"PERFECT!" Rarity cried.

The Genie transformed into an old woman sitting in a rocking chair, attaching knitting needles to the blue thread. "Now, most people would use a provisional cast-on," he said in a high-pitched voice, "but I just think the thumb method holds together so much more nicely! Don't you? Oh, here, don't forget your knitting needles, dearie!" He handed a second pair of needles to Rarity, who took them up with earnest.

"All right," Rainbow Dash said, beckoning Thundra, Twilight, and Fluttershy into a circle. "Here's what we're gonna do."

* * *

"You cannot run forever," Malcho muttered, floating over the canopy. "Soon, I will find you, and you can avoid the wrath of Malcho no longer!"

"Hey, featherbrain!" Rainbow Dash called out, rising from the trees. "Betcha can't catch me!"

"What's this?" Malcho regarded Rainbow Dash. "You have flown directly into your doom!"

"I don't think so," Rainbow Dash teased. "Man, are you slow! Your rainbows aren't even as cool as mine!"

"I am fast enough to catch you!" Malcho retorted.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash challenged. "Wanna bet?" She took off directly upward at one of her highest speeds. "CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, SLOWPOKE!" she yelled down to Malcho.

Malcho, already offended that one of his targets was flying away from him so quickly, gave chase.

Rainbow Dash ducked down toward the waterfall, where the rain clouds moved out, filled with fresh precipitation. "Let's see if I still have the old Rainbow Dash touch," she muttered, kicking each cloud as she passed it. Lightning emitted from each cloud she kicked, shooting toward Malcho; the coatl had to slow down to dodge each bolt.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash giggled, "I still got it!" She sped up; Malcho pursued, and the two rainbows raced through the sky.

"What is he DOING?" Mozenrath yelled from his place upon the cloudy throne.

"I believe he is having trouble capturing one of the Elements," Jafar observed. "However, this means they have split up…which lessens the threat towards us."

As Mozenrath and Jafar watched Malcho chase Rainbow Dash round and round the sky, Fluttershy winged her way up to the top steppe, away from where their sights were turned. She carried Twilight by the underarms, though not without difficulty, as Fluttershy lacked upper body strength. Unable to hold her friend anymore, she dropped Twilight on the cloud. "Sorry," she whispered.

"I can take it from here," Twilight whispered back. Fluttershy nodded, ducking back down. Twilight crept closer to the cloudy throne; the book lay on the arm of the great white chair. Mozenrath's right hand lay protectively over it, but loosely. Twilight knew that if she worked fast, she could capture the book before Mozenrath had time to secure it.

"Are you sure you're a feathered snake?" Rainbow Dash taunted Malcho, beginning her climb high into the air. "You're more like a feathered snail!"

"I will not tolerate insults!" Malcho roared, following Rainbow Dash straight upward, clouds gathering at his sides.

Twilight extended her hand; the codex glowed with a bright pink aura. In one whiplike motion, she snapped her hand backward, and the codex flew out from under Mozenrath's hand and toward her. Startled, Mozenrath turned to see Twilight standing on his cloud. "YOU!" he cried.

"Me," Twilight said, catching the book and clutching it to her chest.

"The so-called Element of Magic," Mozenrath said, standing; by now, Jafar's attention was also upon Twilight. "I've been told you're some sort of famous hero. I must admit, after hearing about you, I find that move with the book a little underhanded."

"It wasn't yours to begin with," Twilight retorted.

"It isn't yours either." Mozenrath flung a sphere of blue energy at Twilight. In a panic, Twilight immediately cast the reflection spell she knew she could trust, and the sphere ricocheted back at Mozenrath, who ducked it. His eyes widened. "Impressive counterspell!" he nearly laughed. "And here I was beginning to think you only dressed the part."

"You're not so bad at this yourself," Twilight said, knowing she had to keep Mozenrath and Jafar's interest held until Rainbow Dash completed her gambit. "Your methods are a bit destructive for my taste, but of all the things I could say about you, I couldn't say you were a lousy sorcerer."

"I appreciate it," Mozenrath countered, trying a different tactic; he made a beckoning motion with his hand, and the book, surrounded with a blue aura, wrenched itself out of Twilight's grip and floated back toward him. "Now, if you'd just give me back that book, I could show you what I can REALLY do. Up until now, I've only been getting warmed up."

Twilight cast her hand out; the book's aura took on a curious purple mixture of the blue and pink auras before the pink took over and the book floated back toward her. "Sorry," she said, "but I'll have to shut you down before the second act." She clutched the book tightly once more.

Rainbow Dash had flown so high that the thinning atmosphere began to make her dizzy. It was time to pull off the final phase of the plan. She'd assured everyone else that she could still do her signature trick even in this new body, but she wasn't quite sure of that herself. Now she would find out.

Malcho caught up to her. "Now you will DIE!" he roared.

"I don't think so!" Rainbow Dash began her descent, speeding downward on a path toward the steppe pyramid. The air around her began to push back, the pressure increasing along with her speed. That was good. Malcho dove as well, following her – equally good.

Mozenrath couldn't quite comprehend that he'd run into someone whose telekinetic pull was stronger than his own. "Well, that's interesting," he finally said. "What do they call you, anyway?"

"Twilight Sparkle," Twilight answered.

"ENOUGH OF THIS FLIRTING!" Jafar roared, stepping in between Mozenrath and Twilight.

"We weren't flirting," Twilight and Mozenrath argued in synchrony.

"Surrender the book," Jafar threatened, "or pay the consequences!" He raised his staff, sending a bolt of red lightning toward Twilight – something he'd been unbidden to do, but felt the need to destroy the young witch outweighed.

Twilight summoned another reflection; the pink aura shattered immediately upon contact with Jafar's spell, and the red lightning grazed Twilight's arm, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Not so powerful against a genie, now," Jafar taunted, "are we?" He lifted his staff once more.

The air around Rainbow Dash was now at its max pressure. She knew it was going to work. All it needed was the final push. She pumped her wings, throwing herself into the descent, until the BOOM.

The rainbow and the sonic boom at once: the Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow Dash's favorite stunt sent a rainbow-colored shockwave through the air that blasted Malcho with intense pressure, sending him spinning head over tail down toward the trees. The boom reached all the way to the steppe pyramid, knocking both Mozenrath and Jafar over and pinning them to the cloudy floor. Twilight also toppled, clutching the book tightly to her chest. Rainbow Dash, careening on the extra speed granted her by the boom, soared over the cloudy pyramid and scooped Twilight up bridal-style, having more than enough muscle to carry her easily.

Jafar and Mozenrath scrambled to their feet. "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Mozenrath fumed.

"Rainbow…go boom?" Xerxes offered.

"I was caught off guard!" Jafar huffed defensively.

Malcho crashed through the canopy of the trees, hitting the forest floor with a thump and going unconscious. Thundra winged her way to him, plucking the amulet from around his neck and placing it over her own. Rainbow Dash sailed down to the ground nearby, setting Twilight down; Twilight handed the book over to Thundra.

"Graçias, mi amigas!" Thundra said, taking the book into her wings. "Now, Malcho, what in this book would give you the chills?"

Malcho, completely unconscious, didn't answer. Thundra waved her wing over his prone form, and a blast of icy wind assaulted him, freezing him in a block of ice.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash pumped her fist in the air. "We did it!"

Thundra flew up to the top of the steppe pyramid alone, staring at Jafar and Mozenrath. "This rainforest no longer belongs to your tyranny," she growled; dark clouds gathered around her.

"NO!" Mozenrath cried. "I MADE THE WISH! THAT AMULET IS MINE!"

"Learn to cut your losses, boy!" Jafar scolded before sweeping his staff to form another portal; the pair was again gone.

The clouds slowed down. Fewer thunderclouds formed. Far away, in the Seven Deserts proper, the clouds cleared away to form a path for the sun; icy winds subsided, and rain ceased.

Thundra flew back down to the ground, where Rainbow Dash and Twilight had rejoined the main group. "What was that you did in the air?" she asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, that?" Rainbow Dash bragged. "Just a little hometown specialty I like to call the Sonic Rainboom."

"You did wonderfully!" Jasmine congratulated.

"I actually don't think I could have done it better myself," Aladdin admitted. "I mean, of course I could have done it, but it would've taken me a lot longer to figure out."

"It's finished!" Rarity cried, holding up the repaired Carpet. The Carpet leapt from her grasp and did a little dance on the ground, using his tassels as feet.

"Great!" Aladdin replied. "Now we can go catch up with Mozenrath and Jafar wherever they struck next!"

"I'll be looking forward to it," Twilight said, clenching her fists. "That Mozenrath is…SOMETHING for sure."

"Somethin' special, huh?" Applejack said with a wink.

"Oh, he's special, all right," Twilight said before realizing what Applejack meant. "Wait, NO! Not like that!" She felt the blood rise to her cheeks. "I've just never had to face down another powerful sorcerer before. My telekinesis is stronger than his, you know. Even he was impressed."

"So he likes you too!" Pinkie deduced.

"Nooooooo," Twilight groaned. "We're enemies, okay? He's my first actual mortal enemy!" She thought that over. "Hmm…that is kind of cool. I have a real archnemesis!"

"You are not staying?" Thundra asked Iago disappointedly.

"Lo siento, baby," Iago replied, "but this world is still in danger, and as long as there is corruption, I'll need to be around to triumph over it."

"Excuse me?" Aladdin interrupted.

"With my trusty backup team, of course," Iago amended.

"Adios, giblet," Thundra said, planting a gentle kiss upon Iago's beak – a strange sight for the six Equestrians, who had never thought it possible for two birds to kiss. "I shall await your return!"

"I'll be back eventually," Iago promised. "You know, as soon as the world isn't under impending doom and all."

"In the meantime," Thundra said thoughtfully, "perhaps I should practice this…'Sonic Rainboom'."

"It ain't as easy as it looks," Rainbow Dash warned.

"You see?" Fluttershy told Abu. "Everything turned out all right."

Abu squeaked his approval.

The Genie became a jet once more, and everyone boarded either the Genie-jet or the carpet. The two crafts lifted into the air, and everyone waved a goodbye to Thundra as they took off.

"Where do we go now?" Jasmine asked.

"I don't know," Aladdin admitted. "But I have a feeling we'll find out soon. Those two can't get far without having to show off, after all."

With that, they soared back in the direction of the Seven Deserts proper.

* * *

Chapter 7:

· In the realm of this canon, there are many kingdoms. There are six I want to visit on the quest to chase Mozenrath off all the thrones; the rainforest is #1.

· Malcho, who is based on Quetzalcoatl, used to hold the weather amulet a long time ago. He had a reign of tyranny. Thundra took it from him and used it to control the weather responsibly. This is canon. Also, they both speak with Spanish accents, and the verbal tic of mixing Spanish with English is canon. Between that and the fact that Malcho is a feathered serpent, I'm pretty sure the rainforest is in South America.

· "Coatl" is actually just Nahuatl for "snake". However, there are a lot of feathered snakes of all varieties in Nahuatl lore. I'm using "coatl" to describe them in the same way that most people use "kitsune" to describe nine-tailed trickster foxes, even though "kitsune" is just Japanese for "fox". Also, the weakness to ice is something I made up, though Xiuhcoatl is an actual myth and the inspiration for my giving coatls a weakness to ice.

· Twilight's magical weakness is indeed foreshadowing…however, it's proven in canon that telekinesis is her strength, ESPECIALLY in episode 4, where she literally does clean an orchard of apples.

· The Genie can't freeze Malcho because I needed to do the complicated plot.

· The Sonic Rainboom is one of the stunts that Rainbow Dash can pull off in canon, albeit with difficulty, and it does create an explosion of rainbow in the sky. Sonic booms DO create pressure fields – I looked this up – so I don't think it unreasonable that a sonic rainboom could knock over anyone that was unlucky to get hit with the shockwave. I also took the liberty of making RD more easily able to perform the Rainboom because she's done it a lot in canon by now.


	8. Playing Games

1. Playing Games

SOMEWHERE IN THE SEVEN DESERTS

The sunny skies now shone over the bright golden sands of the Seven Deserts, free of rain clouds. Visibility was clear, meaning that the multicolored cloud of sparkling dots heading toward the Carpet and the Genie-jet was immediately noticeable from far away.

"Oh, no," Iago groaned. "Not…THEM…"

Twilight gasped in glee when she realized what was headed toward them. "Those…those are real sprites!"

The tiny creatures, each a fuzzy humanoid with pointed ears, overall small enough to sit comfortably in the average human palm, surrounded the Carpet. "Aladdin!" a pink sprite squeaked. "You have to help us again!"

"Because after those words, everything just goes SO WELL," Iago groaned.

"What happened?" Aladdin asked.

"We found a place where everyone wanted to play games all the time!" the pink sprite explained, the flock of sprites now flying in pace with the Carpet and the Genie-jet. "It was really fun!"

"Games all the time?" Jasmine repeated. "Do you mean…Getzistan?"

"Yeah, that's the place!" The sprite nodded. "But Mozenrath went there with a mean genie, and he said he was the new Sultan! He started winning all the games until there wasn't any money left for anybody! Now everyone's sad, and no one wants to play anymore!"

"Tell me he didn't get Club Nest Egg!" Iago moaned.

"Everything! He got everything!" The sprite spread her arms wide to demonstrate.

"At least that's one less trip to Getzistan that's filled with you trying to get us to help you cheat at the casino," Aladdin told Iago.

"What's in Getzistan?" Pinkie asked.

"It's a rich and colorful city whose economy is fueled by gambling," Jasmine explained. "Iago always wants to go and try to win money from them, but he keeps asking us to help him cheat, even though our faith doesn't even allow gambling in the first place."

"Then how come the people at Getzistan could set up a casino?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused.

"They're mostly Ashurists," the Genie replied. "And Ashur never said anything against gambling. He was kind of a lenient god in that respect."

"They have their way," Aladdin said with a shrug, "and we have ours. Relations between our two kingdoms are pretty good, so we don't have any reason to fight over it."

"Let me guess, then," Rarity deduced. "By using his own powers to cheat at every casino, not to mention taking over the royal treasury, Mozenrath completely disrupted the economy?"

"Everybody else wears rags!" the pink sprite confirmed. "Icky rags!"

"Well, we know where to find 'im, then," Applejack stated.

"Setting a course for Getzistan!" the Genie-jet announced. "Full speed ahead!"

"We'll go with you!" the pink sprite said, and the multicolored sprites swarmed the two aircrafts.

"I can't believe it!" Twilight gushed. "Real sprites! Can you actually lift things into the air with levitation magic?"

"Sure we can!" the pink sprite answered. "Want us to show you?"

Before Twilight could agree, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Genie-jet, and Iago all screamed "NO!" so loudly that Twilight figured there must have been some horrible incident stemming from sprite levitation in the past.

* * *

GETZISTAN, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Of all the buildings in Getzistan, the Club Nest Egg casino was probably the second-largest and second most lavish – next to the palace, of course. It was painted in all hues, and the inside was festooned with lanterns to light once the sun went down. In this building's spacious gambling area, Mozenrath, bedecked in new white robes that sparkled and glittered with all the colors of the rainbow from every angle to match the flamboyance of the city, leaned over a roulette wheel, spinning it boredly.

"This is why I didn't go for Getzistan right away," he sighed. "Its money is so easily won…and then what? I don't have any control over the weather. I don't have access to any new magic."

"But you do have the entire kingdom," Jafar pointed out. "You are the sultan. You have complete control over the economy, and you can ensure magically that no one will ever win it back from you in any gambling contest – the same way you ensured yourself the victory over it in the first place. You have complete authoritative power, and the people of Getzistan are reduced to begging in the streets."

"I still don't understand why you couldn't let me fight for the amulet," Mozenrath snapped. "It was rightfully mine!"

"A genie's wish is not a permanent contract," Jafar reminded him. "Once Thundra had reclaimed the amulet, she regained mastery over the rainforest. Had you remained to fight, the Elements would have overtaken you. If I were you, I would stop your insolent whining. It seems you can dress a brat in the finest robes in the world, and he still remains a brat."

"What happened to 'Oh, Mozenrath, your mastery over the weather is so impressive!'?"

"It was," Jafar retorted, "but your arrogance is most unbecoming."

"I'm no more arrogant than you."

"I believe having phenomenal cosmic powers entitles one to be arrogant…condemning oneself to a slow death for similar abilities does not."

"I control you!" Mozenrath yelled, standing to his full height. "I still hold the lamp! You do MY bidding!"

"An unfortunate circumstance," Jafar groaned.

"Why don't you go outside and torment the peasantry or something? And that was NOT a wish!"

"I shall return whenever I feel like returning," Jafar said, turning to leave the casino. "A reprieve from your complaints will be most welcome." He exited the room, leaving Mozenrath and Xerxes alone.

"Jafar disrespectful," Xerxes growled.

"You said it," Mozenrath replied, turning back to the wheel, which he spun again and again, now feeling less bored and more disappointed. "It seems nothing will impress him," he sighed. "We'll just see how he feels after I finish with my three wishes. We'll see who's calling who the whiny upstart. We'll…see."

The doors to the room burst open; a host of imps, creatures half the height of the average human and with the features of anthropomorphic animals, marched in, a bird-headed imp at the head of the group. "Are you the new sultan of Getzistan?" the bird-headed imp asked.

"That would be me," Mozenrath answered tentatively, again standing to full height, his multicolored robes sparkling in the light.

"I am Nefir Hasenuf," the bird-headed imp introduced with a sly smile.

"All these puns are beginning to bore me," Mozenrath snapped.

"I have somewhat of a special relationship with Getzistan," Nefir continued, ignoring that comment. "My imps can build anything at lightning speed, including this entire city, should anything ever happen to it! It would be a pity if something happened to it, wouldn't it?"

"Let me guess," Mozenrath predicted. "You have some way of destroying the city that you think I couldn't possibly suspect. You've come to sell me insurance on it so that I can pay you to rebuild the city every time you knock it over. For bonus points, I'm going to also say that this is something the old sultan finally figured out and wouldn't let you get away with anymore, but you thought that since the throne changed hands, it would be so easy to deceive the poor, young, clueless new sultan. Don't bother giving me any prizes for that – I've won everything else in this city already, and I don't need any more clutter."

Most of the imps' jaws had dropped. Nefir took a moment to clear his throat and regain his composure before saying, "Your intuition is very good! However, that won't stop us from destroying the city, and we won't rebuild your hard-won kingdom unless you can pay us the proper – "

"You know what will stop you from destroying my city?" Mozenrath said angrily, clenching his right fist and raising it. "Me destroying you."

The imps slowly started to back off. At the same time, Jafar stormed back into the room.

"I'll give you one guess as to what arrogant young hero just flew into the city walls with his band of misfit friends and six powerful cosmic forces," he announced.

"Hmm…" Mozenrath looked towards the imps again. "You can build anything, you say?"

"Y-yes," Nefir stammered, sweating from fear. "Anything you desire! There's no need to destroy us!"

"Good." Mozenrath smirked. "I have a few pests I'll need you to help me clear out. Listen close."

"Boss," one of the imps said, "you don't really think this guy can destroy – "

"I've known the legends of the Seven Deserts far longer than you," Nefir snapped, "and I know that gauntlet far too well! You'd best be quiet and take directions!"

"I'm glad there are no misunderstandings," said Mozenrath. "Now, here's what I want you to do…"

Even Jafar had to admit that the instructions Mozenrath gave the imps were clever indeed.

* * *

The Carpet and the Genie-jet touched down in Getzistan, the Genie once again reverting to his humanoid form. By this time, the sprites had dissipated, fluttering away throughout the city. Everyone was shocked at the stark contrast. The city itself was filled with ornate, towering buildings of all shapes and colors, standing out brightly and suggesting extravagance. However, everyone in the streets was dressed in torn rags, and most people were selling dingy goods from rickety carts.

"Everyone really is in rags," Jasmine said softly.

"Aladdin!" A voice came from one of the peasants, who rushed toward the group. "Princess Jasmine! Thank goodness you're here!" This man was short, rounded, and bearing a flowing black mustache.

"Sultan Pasta Al-Dente?" Aladdin identified, taken aback with the man's appearance.

"Okay," Twilight sighed, "these puns are really beginning to bore me."

"More like EX-Sultan!" Pasta moaned. "I don't know what happened! I was suddenly dressed like a commoner and standing out on the streets, and there was this strange young man on the throne! He had a tall advisor and a flying eel with him! He claimed to be the new sultan, and then he entered every one of our casinos and bet everyone all the money they had! He and his advisor then used magic to cheat at every game and win everything, but since they're the highest authority in Getzistan, there wasn't anyone to stop them from cheating!"

"Sorry for being Captain Obvious," Rainbow Dash brought up, "but why didn't everypony just STOP PLAYING once they realized they were being owned?"

"Everyone likes to believe they can win," Pasta explained. "Even at an impossible game. The more they lose, the harder they try to get it all back! By the time anyone had the sense to stop playing, we were all selling the few things we had to try and get money for food! And since everyone's poor, no one's buying!"

"And that leaves Mozenrath in charge of everything," Twilight finished. "And worst of all, I bet he's actually not happy with it."

"What makes you say that?" Rarity inquired.

"He's already won," said Twilight, "and there isn't any magic for him to control like the weather from the rainforest. He's probably bored."

"We need to find him," Jasmine resolved, "and set things right!"

"Last time I saw him, he was pacing around Club Nest Egg," Pasta informed the group.

"No!" Iago moaned. "He can't besmirch such a place of beauty!"

"Let's go," Applejack commanded, and everyone set off down the street.

* * *

According to the memories of Aladdin, Iago, and the Genie – the three who had seen the building before – Club Nest Egg was located deep within the city, and the group had to take several turns of the street in order to make way toward it. They observed the people of Getzistan along the way; most were selling their last prized possessions from broken-down carts, but some had set up shop inside small boutiques alongside the road.

One street was curiously empty of people outdoors. "It's quiet," Applejack remarked. "Too quiet."

"Apples!" a vendor's voice suddenly rang out. "Finest apples in Getzistan! Please help me! I've lost everything, and all I have to sell are the apples I grew!"

Applejack peered into the shop from which the voice had come. Immediately, she began salivating. The store was filled with the largest, juiciest apples she'd ever seen, ranging from red to green to golden. "Well, I'll be!" She stepped inside the store. "I'm just gonna look around a bit in here. That okay with y'all?"

"If you find anything you want," Jasmine told Applejack, "let me know. I'll get you the money to pay for it." She lowered her voice. "We probably should help some of these people out, after all."

"I'll let ya know, princess!" Applejack returned to her browsing of the shop.

"Fine fabrics!" another voice called. Rarity looked into the shop across the street and gasped. This room was lined in silks and satins of all colors.

"I weaved them myself," the imp behind the sales counter informed Rarity. "They're all I have to sell!"

"I'll be with you all in a minute," Rarity promised the others, stepping inside the shop. "I just HAVE to look at these! Ooh, this thread count is to DIE for!"

The group progressed down the street. Not long after passing the apple shop and the fabric shop, they heard a voice cry out, "Won't somebody please buy a flower from me? Homegrown flowers of all sorts!"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a look," Fluttershy said as she stepped into the shop that had emitted the call. Abu tried tugging at the fabric over Fluttershy's shoulder, attempting to squeak something to her. "Don't worry," Fluttershy told the monkey. "We'll get all these people back on their feet. Things always work out for us, remember? Oh, my…" She was stunned by the array of flowers in the shop: lilies, hibiscus, periwinkles.

"Candy of all sorts!" another voice called out from the shop across the way.

"OOH!" Pinkie skidded inside the store, salivating at the sight of peppermints striped in every color.

"Is something about all this weird to you?" Twilight asked as she, Rainbow Dash, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Carpet, Iago, and the Genie continued down the street.

"What's weird about it?" Aladdin asked.

"How this street happens to have a store for everything we love," Twilight said. "Well, at least us six from Equestria."

"Don't be silly," Rainbow Dash said. "There hasn't been a store for you or…me…" Rainbow Dash's eyes suddenly widened as she caught a glimpse of the interior of the next store along the way. She rushed inside to see a gleaming display of curved swords, each one longer and shinier than the two she held in her belt. "So…awesome!"

"Parchment scrolls!" a voice called out from the store across the way. "From my own personal library! Scrolls of math! Scrolls of science! Scrolls of mythology!"

"And that's for me," Twilight muttered under her breath. "Well, I'm not falling for it."

"I want to see scrolls with all that cool stuff!" the Genie cried, rushing into the shop.

"There is something weird about this," said Aladdin. "I looked in all those stores as we walked past. Did you notice that every one was being run by an imp?"

"Are imps native to Getzistan?" Twilight asked.

"No," Aladdin answered. "The only imps I've ever seen here belonged to a gang run by a miser who wanted to extort money out of everyone…Nefir Hasenuf."

"And it figures it would be another horrible pun," Twilight moaned. She turned to look down the street she'd just walked. "Hey, everypony! I have a really bad feeling about this!"

Fluttershy, afraid Twilight had detected a real disaster, turned to rush for the door – only to scream in horror as the door disappeared before her eyes, bricks covering it up at a speed she wouldn't have thought possible to put up bricks. "Is…this what you were warning me about?" Fluttershy asked Abu.

"Ah-hah," Abu nodded.

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash yelled, pounding on the wall of bricks that had just gone up over the door to the weapons shop. "What gives?"

"NO!" Applejack cried, staring in horror at the bricks that encased her in the apple shop.

"WHAT?" Pinkie screeched in terror upon noticing her own brick wall.

"Let me out!" Rarity wailed, realizing she too was trapped.

Inside the scroll shop, the Genie regarded the wall. "So you think you can trap a Genie, eh?" He shot a blast of magic at the wall, only for the burst of energy to explode when it hit the bricks and then fizzle into nothing, the bricks untouched. "Okay…so you know you can trap a Genie…"

Twilight, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Carpet, and Iago had seen the imps put up the six brick walls faster than they could approach even the nearest imp. "What are you doing?" Twilight yelled at one of the imps, the one who'd just covered over the scroll shop.

"Sealing a trap," the imp replied.

Aladdin and Iago recognized the imp at once. "NEFIR!" they cried in unison.

"I must admit, I was hoping you'd fall for the scrolls," Nefir told Twilight, "but we did get the Genie, and the Elements of Harmony are split up. Oh, don't try breaking down the walls…we used magic-proof cement!"

"Split up!" Twilight gasped.

"You're working for Mozenrath!" Jasmine realized.

"This should be enough to convince him not to destroy us," Nefir went on. "In fact, for sealing up the Genie as well, we might even get a little payment out of him! He did only ask to split up the Elements."

"Let our friends go," Aladdin demanded. "Now!"

"I can pay you as much as you want!" Jasmine offered.

"No deal," Nefir said, folding his arms. "Even if you could pay for our safety from Mozenrath, he could pay us double what you ever could using the treasury of Getzistan!"

"So he has you working out of fear," Twilight realized. "If we stop him and make sure you and your friends are safe, will you let our friends go then?"

"No!" Nefir insisted. "What would I get out of that deal?"

"Your safety!" Aladdin pointed out. "Or are you just going to be so greedy that you won't stop until you get half the treasury of Getzistan?"

"Half the treasury!" Nefir cried happily. "Now THERE'S an idea!"

"There's no reasoning with him," Jasmine said. "Not unless he doesn't have a chance of being destroyed OR paid by Mozenrath. We have to keep going!"

"Don't think we're going to forget about them, Nefir," Aladdin insisted. He, Jasmine, Twilight, and Iago turned and doubled their pace on their path toward Club Nest Egg.

* * *

Mozenrath stared at himself in the mirror. "Still bored," he groaned with a brief, meaningful glance back at Jafar. "Can't we move somewhere else?"

"Where is it you would go?" Jafar asked.

"Somewhere there's actually magic worth using," Mozenrath answered. "And these robes aren't right at all!" He waved the gauntlet over his clothes; while the glitter, sequins, and jewels upon them still represented a variety of colors, over half were now blue. "Much better."

"Much, much better!" Xerxes agreed.

"Finally feel like a pretty princess now, Mozenrath?" Aladdin taunted from across the room.

Startled, Mozenrath, Jafar, and Xerxes turned to see Iago, Jasmine, and Twilight standing in the room with them. "How long have you been standing there?" Mozenrath cried.

"Long enough to figure out I was right," Twilight said. "You ARE bored. I didn't think this was quite your style."

"Now this is interesting," Mozenrath retorted. "It looks like my trap worked on everyone but you. And…am I mistaken, or did you lose your GENIE?"

"He fell for the trap that was meant for me," Twilight explained.

"I should have known you'd be the one that would catch on," Mozenrath replied. "To tell you the truth, I was actually looking forward to your next move after our little spat in the rainforest. Of course, you don't have your little friends with you anyway, so I'd still call this my victory."

"You haven't won yet!" Aladdin snapped.

"Oh, haven't I?" Mozenrath raised one eyebrow, smirking. "I own Getzistan. The people are in absolute poverty thanks to me…and, credit where it's due, to Jafar."

"What, exactly, do you propose you are going to do about it?" Jafar questioned. "The throne of Getzistan isn't as simple as trading an amulet."

"You MONSTERS!" Iago accused. "How DARE you turn my precious Nest Egg into…this!"

"Oh, we're still open for business," Mozenrath said. "If you care to try your luck at anything."

"Let me guess," Twilight said. "Flagrant disregard for your religious beliefs?"

"No, actually," Mozenrath admitted with a shrug. "I'm a Mithraist now. Though I tend to side more with Ahriman. I'm not breaking any tenets whatsoever."

"Glad to know you respect something," Twilight spat.

"Hey!" Iago interrupted. "The man said the Nest Egg is still open, and I'm not gonna let my last chance slip by!"

"You're STILL on about that?" Aladdin groaned. "Iago, he has everything rigged so you'll lose!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Iago cried. "I have to bet something! Anything! He's sitting on the fortune of Getzistan! I'd even wager the Agrabanian throne if I could for cash like that!"

"Wager the Agrabanian throne?" Jafar laughed. "Now, there's an idea! You don't even have the Agrabanian throne anymore!"

"Maybe not," Twilight realized, "but we could wager the throne of Getzistan!"

"What do you mean by that?" Jafar was suddenly suspicious.

"You're open for business," Twilight said. "It's how you won the entire economy. What if we challenged you to a game for the throne of Getzistan? Winner gets the seat of power, and can give it to whoever he or she wants – even if the winner wants to give it to Pasta Al-Dente."

"What are you doing?" Aladdin yelled at Twilight. "He has everything rigged!"

"He'll never agree to it!" Jasmine added.

"He only won because of his and Jafar's magic," Twilight pointed out. "I have magic too."

"Since we already have the throne of Getzistan," Mozenrath inquired, "what else would we get if you lose?"

"Don't be a fool!" Jafar chided. "You wouldn't wager this kingdom on a silly game!"

"You've won everything else in this kingdom," Twilight said, staring directly into Mozenrath's eyes. "You're bored with what you've got. You can't possibly tell me you don't want to win just one…more…game."

"Don't fall for her trickery!" Jafar warned.

"She's overconfident," Mozenrath replied, momentarily glancing at Jafar. "She'll never win. And I don't take orders from you. I hold the lamp, remember?" He locked eyes with Twilight once more. "Let's up the stakes. If you win, you get to do whatever you want with the throne and the treasury of Getzistan. But if I win, I get to do whatever I want…with all of you as my prisoners."

"I can only agree to letting myself be your prisoner," Twilight said. "You'll have to be all right with that, or the bet's off."

"Then the bet's off," Mozenrath said.

"Finally," Jafar sighed, "some sense – "

"I'll be your prisoner as well if you win," Aladdin said.

"Can you even wager?" Twilight asked him worriedly.

"This isn't an ordinary gamble," Aladdin pointed out. "It's for the good of all the people we saw, who need their lives back."

"I'll be your prisoner as well," Jasmine said.

"Hang on," Iago said. "I do not agree to this!"

"I would have thought you of all of them would have been the most eager to rejoin the ranks," Jafar taunted. "After all, you know where you belong."

"HEY!" Iago snapped. "I don't care HOW many years we had together! How many stupid portraits we had painted of us! How many schemes we hatched! I am NOT your stooge anymore!"

"Wait…" Twilight looked from Iago to Jafar and back. "You two…were friends?"

"So much so, I'm surprised at his current disrespect," Jafar told Twilight. "I might even consider it…betrayal."

"I betray whoever I want!" Iago insisted. "And the crowd I currently run with is better to me than you EVER were!"

"Really?" Jafar challenged. "Do any of them truly appreciate you and your lust for power? Do any of them admire the way your mind works so deceitfully? Or do they regard you as a beast of burden? If you want my perspective…well, I've been much worse off without you. I've had to replace you with such fools as Abis Mal and this joke of a sorcerer."

"I STILL OWN YOU!" Mozenrath yelled.

"Your words hurt me, Iago," Jafar said melodramatically.

"I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO!" Iago argued, though Twilight, Jasmine, and Aladdin could tell that he was faltering. "I…I mean…I run with the King of Thieves now! I don't need you! I never needed you!"

"Then make it quite clear where you stand," Jafar told the macaw.

"With Al and Jasmine and all of them!" Iago cried. "Fine! I wager myself as your prisoner too!"

"In the case of our victory," Jafar told Iago, "I assure you that you will be seen as more than a mere prisoner. You will have the chance to rejoin me…to return to where you know you were truly meant to be."

"I said prisoner," Iago replied coldly, "and I meant prisoner."

"In that case," Mozenrath said happily, "we should let the games begin! NEFIR!"

"Yes, your highness!" Nefir skidded into the room.

"Build us an arena outside the city walls," Mozenrath commanded him. "Paint it like a giant backgammon board. You remember when we used to play backgammon on the sly when our parents weren't looking, don't you, Aladdin?"

"I remember you always winning," Aladdin replied, "now that you mention it. And I'm starting to think there was never a time you didn't cheat."

"For an arena of that size," Nefir said, "I will require a little incentive. Perhaps fifty denarii to start – "

"Your incentive is that your heart keeps beating," Mozenrath told Nefir.

"I-I'll get on that right away, sir," Nefir promised, darting from the room.

Mozenrath returned his attention to Aladdin, Jasmine, Twilight, and Iago. "Even with your ridiculous luck," he told them, "the odds are against you. You'll be seeing the inside of my dungeon before long, and I'll be on my way to bigger and more powerful things."

* * *

The sun began to set over the desert, signaling the end of a long day. The backgammon board, made of perfectly polished tile, spread out over 100 yards in the desert outside the Getzistan walls.

"I hate to ask," Twilight said, "but what are we using for pieces?"

"Actually, I'm glad you asked!" Mozenrath replied. "Jafar, why don't you show them?"

"Gladly." Jafar tossed a cloud of red smoke into the air; it surrounded all present. When it cleared, Twilight found herself standing next to Aladdin, Jasmine, the Carpet, and Iago on one end of the board, lined up like five backgammon pieces. Across the way, on the opposite point, Mozenrath, Jafar, Nefir, and two imps lined up. Twilight looked down the board to see ten imps and ten sprites arranged on the board; the sprites were set up to be part of the same set as Twilight, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Carpet, and Iago, while the imps were aligned with Mozenrath, Jafar, and Nefir.

"This is your home board," Mozenrath told the others, gesturing to the side on which he stood, "and that side is our home board. The usual rules apply, with a twist. When a piece gets hit…it gets hit HARD. You have a chance to defend yourself and send the other piece to the bar, but it's not likely you'll actually make it."

"We'll take the honor of going first," Jafar said with a smile, tossing a pair of dice in the air. He shot the dice with a blast of red energy from his staff, and they enlarged to the size of crates, landing on optimal numbers for his team. Mozenrath and another imp made their moves.

"Cheating already?" Aladdin asked, looking at the dice.

"The Sultan makes the rules," Mozenrath said with a shrug. "Magically altering the dice isn't cheating."

"Good!" Twilight yelled, zapping the dice to take her turn. They came up with optimum numbers for her as well, and she moved out, as did one of the sprites.

"This is fun!" the sprite squealed.

Mozenrath zapped the dice again, and this time, they came up with an eight and a ten, despite the original dice only being numbered with one through six. After his "pieces" made their moves, Twilight rolled double elevens.

It took a while before the first hit. Aladdin moved onto the point Mozenrath occupied. "Now, what did you mean about hits?" Aladdin asked.

"Apparently that you were too slow to take yours," Mozenrath quipped, striking Aladdin with his gauntleted hand. In a burst of blue, Aladdin skidded all the way to the bridge at the board's center and lay there motionless.

"ALADDIN!" Jasmine cried.

"I'm…fine…" Aladdin grunted, sitting up.

"So if he'd managed to beat up Mozenrath," Twilight thought out loud, "Mozenrath would have gone to the bridge like in the original rules."

The next hit came when Nefir hit Twilight's point. Twilight simply levitated Nefir in a beam of pink energy, gently setting him down on the bridge. Nefir gaped, shocked at his utter inability to counter her magic.

"Playing the pacifist, are we?" Jafar taunted. "A little late for someone who sank to our level by fixing the dice even higher!"

"Don't let him get to you!" Jasmine told Twilight. "It's the only way to win! For the people of Getzistan!"

"Okay…" Twilight muttered, though she now felt quite uneasy. She lifted the dice into the air, dropping them so they would fall randomly. Before they could settle into place, a red aura surrounded them, and they rotated speedily, finally turning up a one and a one. Twilight glared daggers at Jafar, who only laughed.

"It pains me to do this to you," Jafar said as he hit Iago's point.

"Nothing pains you, you lying snake!" Iago spat.

Jafar tried to zap Iago with the red lightning from his staff, but Iago dodged it once, twice, three times. "Go whine about your fake friendships on the bridge!" he yelled, divebombing the staff and attempting to wrench it from Jafar's hands. He'd underestimated his own strength, however; Jafar simply stared as Iago tried to drag the staff away. Eventually, a blast of red sent Iago flying toward the bridge with a scream.

"HEY!" Mozenrath yelled, using his gauntlet to try and claw at the sprite that had levitated him by flying circles around him after hitting his point. "This isn't fair!"

"You're funny!" the sprite replied, dropping Mozenrath off at the bridge.

As soon as Mozenrath left the bridge, within one turn, he'd hit Jasmine's point. "What are you going to do to me, princess?" he taunted.

"This," Jasmine said, socking him in the face. He was sent back to the bridge.

The game continued until the moon was high in the night sky. Half of Twilight's rolls were now given to chance; half, she rigged. Still, it seemed an even match. Soon, both sides were bearing off, having reached their home boards. However, Twilight soon noticed that Mozenrath's team was bearing off much more quickly than her own.

Time passed. Three remained. Twilight was four points away from bearing off, and the Carpet six. Mozenrath was only three points away from bearing off, and he was next to roll.

"Looks like I'm going to win," Mozenrath announced with a smirk. "I must admit, I'm looking forward to watching my great and powerful brother lick the dirt off my floor."

"You haven't won yet," Twilight asserted.

"Oh, haven't I?" Mozenrath launched the dice; they bounced on the board twice.

"NO!" Twilight suddenly yelled, shooting a bolt of pink at the dice. "YOU DON'T GET TO CHEAT THIS TIME!"

Blue and pink energy competed for the dice, merging into purple. The dice spun wildly. Twilight felt the strain of her own magic being pushed against by Mozenrath's, but she held on as long as she could. Finally, neither could bear the pressure any longer, and the aura completely disappeared from the dice as they hit the board.

A one and a one had turned up.

"No!" Mozenrath cried. "NO! HOW?" He turned and pointed at Twilight. "You…you will pay for rigging that…"

"I didn't rig it," Twilight said proudly. "I just stopped you from changing the numbers. I couldn't have fixed the numbers if I wanted to, with all that resistance from you. But I didn't want to. I want to win this with at least one turn that's fair and square."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Mozenrath said. "You won't bear off in one roll. Even if I left it to chance, my next roll is my win."

"Then you won't mind if I double the stakes," Twilight said.

Mozenrath laughed. "Every time I think I have you figured out!"

"I mean it," Twilight said. "If you win, you don't just get me. I'll give you treasures you could only have dreamed about. Did you know that I have a guide that describes almost every world in existence? How about that I have an engine that can take me anywhere I want in space and time?"

"How do I know you're not lying?" Mozenrath asked.

"Because I don't want to lie anymore," Twilight answered.

He could see that she meant it. "Go on."

"But if we win," Twilight continued, "you have to let out all our friends. Take down the walls."

"Why not?" Mozenrath shrugged. "You're only going to play fair anyway. You won't win."

"Twilight, NO!" Aladdin yelled. "He's right! You can't make it!"

"MOZENRATH, YOU FOOL!" Jafar screeched. "She has a plan!"

"No plan," Twilight confirmed. "I'm playing fair. The dice decide. That's why I'm only betting on myself. And if I don't have Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie with me…the Starlight is useless to me anyway." She levitated the dice, bringing them higher and higher into the sky. Then she let them simply drop.

Each die hit the board with a near-deafening BOOM. All eyes but Twilight's focused on them, watching them bounce until finally, they lay still. Twilight squeezed her eyelids shut, not wanting to know.

Then she heard the first sprite: "She won! SHE WON!"

"HUH?" Twilight's eyes flew open. The dice read four and six. The Carpet was already in the process of bearing off. It took Twilight a while to realize what she'd actually done, and only then did she leave the board.

"No!" Mozenrath yelled in disbelief. "NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! NO ONE'S THAT LUCKY!"

"Looks like Getzistan is ours to do whatever we want," Aladdin said with a smirk.

"And you have to let all our friends go," Jasmine added.

"NOOOOOOO!" Mozenrath cried. "It isn't fair!"

"I told you it was a stupid wager!" Jafar grabbed the collar of Mozenrath's robes with both hands and hoisted him upward by that alone, shaking him. "You've cost us the entire kingdom, boy!"

"Just…take us…somewhere else," Mozenrath croaked. "And that's NOT a wish."

"We'll go somewhere even your imbecility couldn't ruin us," Jafar hissed, dropping Mozenrath and conjuring another portal with his staff. He and Mozenrath were soon gone; back at Club Nest Egg, Xerxes vanished as well, though no one was around to see it.

"All RIGHT!" Aladdin yelled. "We did it!"

"I didn't imagine that, right?" Twilight gasped. "I really won, right?"

"Of course you did!" Jasmine reassured her. "Looks like playing fair really did work in your favor."

"MUST we take down the walls without any payment?" Nefir sighed.

"According to the rules," Jasmine insisted.

"And what happens if we don't want to follow the rules?" Nefir challenged, only to find a gaggle of sprites surrounding him and raising him into the air. "NO! NO! PUT ME DOWN!"

"You're funny!" the sprites giggled. "We don't wanna put you down unless you play by the rules!"

"Fine!" Nefir growled. "I'll let them out! Just let me DOWN!"

The sprites relented, and Nefir led his imps toward the city in a huff. Aladdin, Jasmine, the Carpet, Twilight, and Iago turned to follow.

"So…" Twilight asked Iago softly, "were you two really good friends? You and Jafar, I mean."

"Eh, we had our moments," Iago said, "but it was nothing special. I'm better off now. I don't miss one thing about that jerk."

While Twilight knew that Iago preferred his present company, she felt he wasn't being quite honest regarding his feelings toward Jafar. She could tell by the way he flinched: it had been a friendship that had left a mark.

* * *

"Thank goodness!" Applejack sighed. "I thought we were gonna be trapped in there forever!"

She had been released, along with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Abu, and the Genie. The entire group now stood before Pasta Al-Dente, and they had informed him that he held control of the throne once more.

"I'll have to redistribute the contents of the treasury right away!" Pasta announced. "We need to keep this economy running! In the meantime, is there anything I can do for you in return for your acts of heroism?"

"Well, we are all pretty tired out," Aladdin admitted.

"And most of us haven't had anything to eat all day!" Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Well, then!" Pasta agreed. "A feast and bedchambers in the palace for all! Right this way!"

On the way to the palace, Rarity asked, "So did you have any idea of where those two went afterward?"

"Not a clue," Twilight admitted.

"But we will soon enough," Aladdin theorized. "After all, it was easy to figure out the first two times, right?"

"Hey," Pinkie suddenly brought up, "I wonder how everypony back in Agrabah is doing! You think they got enough help yet?"

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"I just fear that the group we're gathering may not be enough," the Sultan admitted to Cassim. "After all, we're overrun with Mirage's magic. Who could possibly join us that has that much knowledge about defeating magical creatures of great power?"

The shape startled them when it lunged through the window, having climbed up via a rope attached to a grappling hook. At first, it was barely visible, enveloped in shadow; the Sultan, Razoul, and Cassim could only make out that it was vaguely humanoid.

"Perhapssssss," it hissed, "I can be of some asssssissssstanccccce."

* * *

Chapter 8:

· The sprites are more characters from the series. Their quirk is that they like to play all the time and are never serious.

· Getzistan is like the Aladdinverse equivalent of Las Vegas. Now, this was a bit of a difficult one to write around, since technically, Islam forbids gambling. I realize Disney isn't one for historical accuracy, but even in the face of impossible adversity, I will try to world-build realistically. I did realize that in the three episodes that featured Getzistan, Iago is the ONLY one of the Agrabanians that shows any interest at all in gambling, and the others are constantly turning down requests to go with him and help him cheat. So, technically, no one from Agrabah actually gambles. And as for Iago, I see him as more of a…well, as much of an atheist as you can be while knowing that at the very least there exists a goddess of evil. Now, I picked Ashurism, an ancient Mesopotamian religion, for Getzistan because it's the biggest pagan religion from the ancient days of the Middle East, and while it's gone now, it did coexist with early Islam. I'm pretty sure no pagan religions ever banned gambling. I will explain the backgammon exception later on.

· On the topic of religion: since this is a multicrossover universe, I have to concede that all religions are right. All of them. The monotheistic ones AND the polytheistic ones. How does that work? I have no freaking idea. But there are way too many pieces of popular fiction where pagan gods interact with mortals (Percy Jackson, American Gods) and way too many pieces of popular fiction where God interacts with mortals (Chronicles of Narnia is the biggest example) for either to be wrong. The best way I can explain it is that there are gods, and there is God. The Percy Jackson series probably came the closest to what I'm gonna have to do by saying that there are pagan gods all over the place, but there's an even higher level of the divine. (I could go the route of Dante Valentine and say that the monotheistic religions were exposed as wrong, but that feels unfair, and I didn't like those books enough to even get all the way through the first one.) I know that technically means there ISN'T monotheism at all, but…monotheism isn't wrong. It can't be. Because Aslan, that's why.

· And because Getzistan is Vegas, Mozenrath is pretty much dressed like an ancient Persian Elvis. (Sidebar: fandom has decided the Land of the Black Sands is Persia, and I have to agree. His style of dress matches, as does the use of the name "Xerxes".) That outfit doesn't exist in canon – it's there for you to imagine the most ridiculously flamboyant robes possible. And because I have a fashion fetish.

· I decided Genies' wishes aren't permanent contracts based on one canon example and something a little fanon: in an episode of the series, Eden grants a wish for Abis Mal, but tells the heroes they can undo it because he didn't specify "forever." My fanon – in the first movie, I consider Jafar to have lost his claim to Sultanhood after he turned into a Genie himself.

· Nefir is another minor villain from the series, and his game is tricking people into paying him for services they shouldn't need. Imps are also really fast at construction.

· Pasta Al-Dente is, in my opinion, the SECOND worst pun-name in the Aladdinverse. The worst pun-name is yet to show up. And will be mocked.

· It took me a while to pick a store for RD because she isn't really into material things in canon – she prefers intangibles like winning, fame, speed, and athletic ability. I chose to give her a fascination with weapons because, as I've kinda implied already, I want her to be the team swordswoman. I just think it really fits – and yes, this is partially based on fanart I've seen of her wielding Buster Swords.

· I originally hadn't even planned on touching on Iago and Jafar's relationship, but I realized that in a story that's so much about friendships, I couldn't leave it out. In the first movie, they're legitimately best friends. This can't be denied. It was actually a weird move on the part of the writers to split Iago from him and have him join the heroes, even though I like it. I can't see Iago's view of Jafar as anything but a scar that's still healing now. Jafar, of course, is damn near heartless. Also, his reference to Abis Mal was from the second movie, where Abis Mal ended up with his lamp and essentially was his replacement sidekick.

· To me, Mozenrath is a Mithraist/Zoroastrian, but in reverse. It was the prevalent religion in Persia, and involves the conflict of pure good, Mithras, versus pure evil, Ahriman. True Mithraists/Zoroastrians are on the side of Mithras, but I could sooooooo see Mozenrath being all Team Ahriman. My view is that he was raised in an Islamic household and switched to Mithraism/Zoroastrianism after spending time in the Land of the Black Sands/Persia and getting closer to his roots on that side. (Aaliyah may or may not have been a Mithraist/Zoroastrian.) And this is ALL my fanon.

· The backgammon exception: since it's Getzistan, which is Vegas, I knew I wanted the central conflict to be over a game. And giant board games with human pieces are COOL. I searched explicitly for board games that are played in the Middle East, and backgammon is THE GAME that was invented in the Arabic nations. While Islam has technically prohibited it, a lot of Muslims in the Arabic nations play it anyway. Also, there is a clause in Islam saying you can wager on archery contests or races as long as you are a participant and not a spectator. I figure that while purists wouldn't allow it, people who play backgammon anyway would find it OK to make a wager if they were literally participants in the game, especially if said wager is over the well-being of an entire kingdom. Oh, and yes, I had NO IDEA how to play backgammon before I started writing this fic.

· Why didn't Mozenrath and Jafar fight for the throne after losing it, and instead actually stick to the rules? Because a magically binding blah blah blah I needed the heroes to win, okay?

· The hissing character in the last paragraph is, again, someone fans of the series will recognize right away, and for those unfamiliar…I'm keeping it under wraps for the sake of suspense.


	9. Earthshaken

1. Earthshaken

GETZISTAN, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Five more minutes…"

"Come ON, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shook her friend's shoulder quite hard. "You can't sleep in today! We have to go reclaim another throne in the Seven Deserts!"

"Can't we do that tomorrow?" Rainbow Dash rolled over.

"Noooooo," Twilight groaned. "Are you really telling me you don't want to go on another adventure? Fight more villains?"

"All right, I'm up," Rainbow Dash groaned, sliding slowly out of bed. "Were there even any signs overnight of where your boyfriend went?"

"Not my boyfriend. And no."

"Then why are you getting me up so early?"

"So we can LOOK for signs!"

"All right, all right…" Rainbow Dash yawned.

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN THE SEVEN DESERTS

The Carpet and the Genie-jet sailed over the golden sands without direction until the rift happened.

The ground split in a wide crack; a creature, a giant man made of dripping mud, clambered out quickly.

"No!" another man yelled, grabbing the first by the back of the neck. "You'll dry out!"

True to the warning, the first man's arm hardened in the sun and cracked into millions of sandy pieces. He hurried back underground, and the two disappeared from sight.

"The Al-Muddy?" the Genie said confusedly, looking down at the crevasse in the sand.

"The who?" Twilight asked.

"Giants made of mud," Aladdin explained. "They live underground and lure humans down to eat them."

"I think that was our sign," Rainbow Dash stated.

"They were running away," Jasmine agreed. "And if there's something that could make the Al-Muddy run in fear…"

"It's Jafar and Mozenrath," Aladdin finished.

"As far as I'm concerned, we can let them have this one," said Iago. "It's about time the Al-Muddy knew what it was like for someone to torment THEM."

"Iago!" Fluttershy scolded. "That isn't right! If they're in trouble, we have to help them!"

"But they'll try to eat us," Aladdin reminded Fluttershy.

"I don't care," Fluttershy said, crossing her arms. "We can't let anypony down when they're in danger. It wouldn't be kind."

"KIND?" Iago screeched. "THEY EAT PEOPLE! YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT KIND?"

"We ate baby sheep," Applejack pointed out. "Ain't it the same principle?"

"No," Twilight sighed. "Do I have to go over it again? There are talking animals, animals with a lowercase A if you want to get specific…"

"What Applejack is trying to say, I think," Rarity clarified, "is that they can't help having a different diet. They're just as much sentient beings as you or me."

"You're…right," Jasmine realized.

"We're just gonna have to figure out a way to talk things out with them without being eaten first!" Applejack finished.

"Then let's go underground," Aladdin resolved. Down dove the Carpet and the Genie-jet, all the way down to the dark caverns below.

* * *

THE CAVERNS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

The group now moved on foot down the rocky passageways.

"These caves are huge," Twilight noted. "But then again, so were the Al-Muddy we saw."

"I'm just waiting for them to show up and eat us," Iago moaned worriedly.

"Relax," Rainbow Dash reassured. "Nopony's gonna just try and grab us without giving us a chance to – "

At that moment, up from the ground rose three of the men made of mud. All three glared at the group hungrily, and the one standing in the middle growled.

"Hi," Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and my friends and I are here to help you – "

"Look," the man on the right said. "A full-course meal!"

"This should make up for not being able to get at the ones in our palace," the one on the left said.

"I'm starving!" the one in the center moaned. "Let's get them!"

"Wait!" Fluttershy said hurriedly. "Can't we talk?"

The man in the center rushed forward to pick Fluttershy up in one great moist fist. "We don't talk to our food," he informed her. "Didn't your mom ever tell you not to play with your food?"

Fluttershy squealed in fear.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash drew her swords protectively.

"That won't have any effect on them!" Jasmine warned Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy swallowed hard before looking her Al-Muddy captor directly in the eyes. "Just because you're bigger doesn't give you the right to be so mean," she said coldly. "Put me down…NOW." She stared him down without wavering. He let go, and Fluttershy turned and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

"Let's go!" Aladdin called out, waving the others on as they followed Fluttershy.

"How could you have let her go?" the man on the right chided. "She was right there!"

"She stared at me," the man in the center defended. "I didn't like it…it was scary…"

* * *

Down several twists and turns, the group finally stopped in a dark side tunnel. "Are we safe here?" Pinkie asked.

"This tunnel doesn't look like anyone uses it on a regular basis," Jasmine observed.

"Well, we tried!" Iago squeaked. "We failed! Let's go!"

"No," Fluttershy insisted. "Not now!"

"We don't even know if the psycho-sultans are here!" Iago tried to argue.

"But we do," Twilight realized. "They said that they couldn't get to humans in their palace. Only one human could have turned up in the palace of beings that eat humans without being caught…and he'd have brought with him a djinni that looks human and a flying eel thing."

"Well?" Rarity threw up her hands in frustration. "How do you propose we get to them without being eaten?"

"We have to forge an alliance with the Al-Muddy somehow," Twilight muttered.

"Somehow, I don't think they'll listen," said the Genie. "After all…you did have the same plan with Saleen…"

"I know, okay?" Twilight snapped. "But she was one nasty mermaid. Not all the Al-Muddy are unreasonable."

"They just see us as snacks," Applejack reiterated. "We gotta let them know that if they don't eat us, we could help 'em out!"

"I'm trying to think of what a cupcake could do to me so I wouldn't eat it," Pinkie thought out loud.

"Great," Iago sighed. "We're in the hands of this genius."

"Let her finish," Aladdin chided.

"Hmmm…" Pinkie considered it. "I wouldn't eat a cupcake that was vinegar-flavored. That would be gross!"

"So if we taste disgusting," Aladdin realized, "no one would want to eat us!"

"What's disgusting to one of the Al-Muddy?" Jasmine wondered.

"Ever seen any of them eat an apple?" Applejack tried.

"Of course not!" the Genie scoffed. "EVERYONE knows that the Al-Muddy don't use plants except in seasoning! They can't stand the taste of fruit!"

"So you make us all taste and smell like apples," Applejack suggested. "Make us like walkin' apple trees. Then Fluttershy can finally get her wish."

"The young lady wants to be a tree?" the Genie asked with a wink. "Shall I make it literal?"

"Oh, not today," Fluttershy turned down. "Just making us smell and taste like apples will be fine."

"All right," the Genie said, throwing a great cloud of smoke over everyone. The sweet smell of apple juice soon filled the air. "Voilà! But don't ask for the recipe…I have to keep some things a secret!"

"Hey, everypony!" Pinkie cried. "Now I'm…APPLE PIE! Ooh, let's try it with your names too! Appleshy, Apple Dash, Twilight Apple, Applety, and…awww, it doesn't work with Applejack…"

* * *

"Figures that when we actually wanna get caught," Rainbow Dash sighed, "nopony actually comes out to get us." She walked along with the others down the same main tunnel as before.

"Give it time," Aladdin replied. "They'll notice us eventually…they always do."

One of the Al-Muddy, larger than before, loomed up in front of the group. Another appeared behind. "Well, look what walked right in!" the first said.

"Ewww!" the second cried, and it was only her voice that let everyone know she was female. "Don't you smell that? They smell like fruit! They're probably all sour!"

"Unfortunately," Aladdin said with a mock sigh. "It's our curse. To forever be sour and inedible."

Pinkie licked her own wrist for emphasis. "Ewwwwww!" she cried dramatically. "I taste so terrible!"

"This just isn't my day," the male of the Al-Muddy groaned. "First we get kicked out of the main village by humans that smelled ESPECIALLY delicious, and now we catch a bunch of them that aren't even any good to eat!"

"The ones that kicked you out," Jasmine inquired, "were they a young man dressed in blue and a taller man in red?"

"Friends of yours?" the female asked.

"Not exactly," Twilight replied.

"Delicious?" the male asked.

"Very," Iago said before Rainbow Dash lightly pushed him in chastisement. "What? It's not like they're on our team!"

"We've kinda been chasin' those two around the world and fightin' 'em," Applejack explained.

"They've been taking over all the humans' kingdoms too," Fluttershy asserted. "We've tried to help everypony get their kingdoms back. Including you."

"How do we know we can trust you?" the female asked. "Maybe you're planning to get into our resistance so we can take you to them and you can hide in the palace too!"

"Why would they do that?" the male chided. "They aren't even edible! They don't need to hide! And you don't just go telling people willy-nilly about the resistance!"

"Resistance?" Aladdin, Twilight, Jasmine, and Applejack said at once.

"See?" the male threw out his hands in frustration. "Now they know, and they probably want in on it!"

"We definitely want in on it," Rarity insisted. "They're our enemies as much as yours."

"Should we at least take them to Shale?" the female asked her companion. "Then he can decide what to do with them!"

"All right," the male sighed. "Let Shale make the decision!"

"Pardon me," Fluttershy said, "but what are your names?"

"I'm Feldspar," the male said, "and that's Andalusite."

"You probably haven't traveled through the ground before," Andalusite said, "have you?"

"I thought that's what we were doing," Pinkie admitted.

"No, no, no," Feldspar sighed. "Like this…"

He and Andalusite spread out their bodies, enveloping the group in mud before dragging them down into the ground.

* * *

Feldspar and Andalusite resurfaced far underground, and Aladdin, Jasmine, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Abu, Iago, the Carpet, Rarity, the Genie, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie breached the surface of the soil.

"That was positively awful!" Rarity moaned. "Look at this! My clothes are completely filthy! And my…my…" She realized where she stood and swallowed her words.

The group stood in the center of a large cavern packed with Al-Muddy. There had to be roughly a hundred of them staring down from varying heights from twenty to seventy feet.

Rainbow Dash drew her swords again, but Twilight pressed both her wrists down, muttering, "Not now, Rainbow Dash…"

"Why did you bring them here, Feldspar?" one of the Al-Muddy groaned loudly. "They smell disgusting! Are those even edible?"

"They are not," Andalusite confirmed, "but they wanted to know about our resistance. It seems they know the humans that kicked us out. We thought Shale would know what to do with them."

The tallest of all the Al-Muddy worked his way to the front of the crowd, immediately identifiable as Shale. "What did you want me to do?"

"Let us help you take your throne back," Aladdin announced.

"I know you," Shale said. "You're Aladdin, are you not? You killed my father."

"He was trying to kill me!" Aladdin defended.

"Now, now," Twilight said, "I'm sure we can resolve this difference if we just talk about it. Obviously, Aladdin was intimidated by your father's desire to eat him, and – "

"I know," Shale said. "I also know this smell of apples is some sort of trick. However, at the moment, I care not. You know the pair that overtook our throne?"

"Unfortunately," the Genie confirmed.

"One of them's my personal archnemesis," Twilight added. "Just so you know."

"They ordered us out of the kingdom and turned our own mastery of the earth against us," said Shale. "The younger one has powers that I once had as ruler of the Al-Muddy and controller of the earth. We have tried time after time to remove them since their appearance this morning, but they thwart us constantly. As much as I wish we could recover our own throne, it seems we need a different tactic. An advantage, perhaps, in knowledge of our enemies' weaknesses. I am willing to forgo our past differences if we can come together on this point."

"But Shale!" one of the others of the Al-Muddy protested. "They're all humans! Well, and a bird and a monkey and something blue that looks like a human. Plus what looks like a walking dinner napkin. Are you sure – "

"I am sure that they can communicate with us," Shale retorted. "They are just as much sentient beings as you or me. It would be more to our advantage to enlist their help than to eat them. Perhaps after we reclaim the throne, we can consider it. Besides…the one who killed my father is strong and clever. That, we will need."

"So…you're not mad?" Twilight asked. "About…your father and all?"

"I'm incredibly displeased," Shale admitted. "But in the cycle of predator and prey, it often happens that one must live and one must die. For just this once, I will overlook what has happened. As I said, however, once we reclaim the throne…"

"How did Mozenrath and Jafar manage to force you all out of the main village?" Jasmine asked.

"We will show you," Shale said. Without any more warning than that, he melted into the ground. The other Al-Muddy did the same, and Feldspar and Andalusite washed over the small group of heroes, dragging them down on another journey through the mud.

* * *

They resurfaced at a cavern entrance that overlooked a vast underground chamber. Visible in this chamber was the great palace of the Al-Muddy, a monstrous structure with glowing crystals set in the walls and rocky spires that twisted up toward the impossibly high ceiling of the chamber. Dotted around the palace were small stone houses, accessorized by glowing crystals that had naturally formed in the spaces between them.

"How…how can anything this huge even EXIST?" Twilight gasped.

"Oh, now look at this!" Rarity griped. "These stains will NEVER come out!"

"The intruders have control of this entire cavern," Shale explained, "and over the earth element I once controlled."

"Explain controllin' the earth element," Applejack told Shale.

"We Al-Muddy have a mastery over the earth, so long as we remain underground," Shale said. "The king in particular has the greatest power. We use it to build oases on the surface world to lure in foolish mortals to eat, but more importantly, to construct our civilization here."

"You b-build oases that are traps?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Yeah," Aladdin confirmed, "and we fell into one of them once."

"Using his new mastery over the earth," Shale explained, "the usurper has set up a defense to make sure none enter the cavern. We know not what else he plans to do with his newfound power."

"We saw a couple of you trying to climb to the surface," Pinkie remembered. "Were they on the run from him?"

"The third wave of defense in the lineup was a pocket of magma that the usurper had managed to unearth before the palace," Shale explained. "Some of our resistance made it past the first two lines, and he chased them quite far with the magma. Had it reached them, he could have solidified them permanently and then broken them down. The surface must have seemed like a viable way of escape. However, once Feldspar came to his senses…"

"That was you?" Fluttershy asked Feldspar.

"My brother Chalcedony stopped me from going to the surface and found us an alternate route of escape," Feldspar admitted.

"But we saw you lose your arm!" Jasmine recalled.

"I made a new one," Feldspar said with a shrug. "Still getting used to it."

"So what are these lines of defense?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I bet I can pass 'em! Lava's no big deal!"

"It's only called 'lava' when it's aboveground," Twilight corrected. "Underground, it's mag – "

"Same difference, the hot glowy stuff!" Rainbow Dash groaned.

"The magma pocket was run dry," Shale informed, "but the other two lines of defense are still in place. Where do you think you're going?"

Rainbow Dash had spread her wings. "To check it out."

"You'll learn about the defenses the hard way."

"Don't care!"

Rainbow Dash lifted off, speeding out into the wide expanse of the cave before her.

* * *

The seat of the actual throne of the Al-Muddy was comparable to the size of a living room. That was why, instead of sitting on it proper, Mozenrath had turned the throne into a workspace, spreading out several sheets of parchment on it and crawling through the papery labyrinth on his hands and knees, sketching diagrams furiously with a quill pen.

"…and we would raise the levels here, turn this into a floodplain and fill it with water, start a series of earthquakes along this fault line…and before you know it, Getzistan is crumbling to pieces, Quirkistan is swimming, and Agrabah is tilted almost completely on its side. If that doesn't win me respect, I don't know what will."

"I had my doubts," Jafar admitted, standing over the mass of parchment, "but your ideas about how to use the earth powers of the Al-Muddy to your advantage are admittedly brilliant."

"They're still in the planning stage," Mozenrath replied, not looking up to give Jafar the benefit of seeing his smile, "but once I have everything balanced out…it's going to be my masterpiece. You'll regret ever having doubted me."

"Intruders!" Xerxes barked, sailing over the throne.

"Must they always interrupt me when I'm working?" Mozenrath sighed. He set down the quill pen and stood, closing his eyes and remaining perfectly still. In a sudden movement, he raised both hands and flicked his wrists outward; a shockwave radiated through the palace.

"Now go tell me if I need to activate the second wave," Mozenrath ordered, and Xerxes flew back to his observational post.

* * *

"Some defense," Rainbow Dash muttered. "I'm flying right out in the open and nothing's even – "

From the ground, a wave of mud bubbled upward, one far less sentient than the people who had lived in the now-empty houses. It shot up to the ceiling of the cavern, then arced downward like a tidal wave.

"WHA – " Rainbow Dash cried just before the wave of mud hit her. She was propelled all the way back to the edge of the cavern along with several tons of dirt. Once she hit the wall of the great cavern, the mud abated, and Rainbow Dash saw blearily that it had been a circular wave that had risen throughout the whole cavern so that no matter which way she'd come from, she would have been hit. She weakly winged her way back to the tunnel where the others watched.

"Okay," she admitted, "he has good defenses up."

"The wave has pushed back all but the strongest of us," Shale admitted. "His second wave of defense taps into the water resources we use to form the oases. Any closer to the cavern than the origin point of that wave of mud, and the lower half of the cavern fills with water…which dissolves most of us."

"Rarity!" Rainbow Dash suddenly barked. "Do you HAVE to do that now?"

Rarity had been wiping the mud from the wave off Rainbow Dash's face. "You're positively filthy!" she argued.

"So you can't cross the water," Aladdin thought out loud, "but the rest of us…we can. And the lava's run out, right?"

"Magma!" Twilight corrected.

"If we could just find a way to get through that first wave…" Aladdin trailed off.

"A little mud should be no problem for a Genie!" the Genie bragged.

"Hmm…" Rainbow Dash looked up to the high ceiling of the cavern, then down to the faraway floor. "There's an aw-ful lot of space here." She smirked. "Space to pull off another Sonic Rainboom! Hey Genie…you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"That hot cocoa would be really delicious right now?" the Genie guessed.

"That's what I'M thinking!" Pinkie announced proudly.

"Actually," Rainbow Dash explained, "I was thinking that if you did some of your magic at the same time that I caused a huge pressure blast with a Sonic Rainboom, we could tear a big hole in that wave and get everypony over to the palace!"

"Where you do what?" Iago challenged.

"Try the Elements of Harmony again?" Pinkie suggested.

"If I can get through the mud after blasting it," Rainbow Dash said doubtfully.

"I just have one question." Twilight turned to Shale. "Does the mud do that on its own if you tell it to, or do you have to actively set it off each time?"

"It isn't automatic," Shale informed her. "The usurper would have to know whenever an intruder has arrived and set off the defenses at the right moment."

"So if we could somehow distract Mozenrath from the defenses long enough," Rarity realized, "then you could come back in and take your own throne!"

"Which shouldn't be hard to do," Rainbow Dash said with a meaningful glance at Twilight.

"What?" Twilight snapped. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"You know why. You're the expert at distracting lover boy."

"He's my archnemesis," Twilight reminded Rainbow Dash. "Of course I'm going to be good at distracting him!"

"Technically," the Genie thought out loud, "isn't he Al's archnemesis?"

"Hey," Aladdin said with a shrug, "I'm always up for sharing."

Rainbow Dash turned to the Genie. "You ready to clean up?"

A vacuum cleaner materialized in the Genie's hands. "Genie magic is proven to clear away 90% more dirt than the leading brand!"

"Then let's go!" Rainbow Dash and the Genie took off flying. In the meantime, Twilight, Aladdin, Rarity, Jasmine, Applejack, the Carpet, Iago, Fluttershy, Abu, and Pinkie Pie began the climb down the cavern entrance, from which there was a slope to the bottom of the great cavern.

Rainbow Dash began with a climb toward the stalactites of the ceiling. Once at the very upper limits, she turned to look down and waited. The Genie was positioned much lower on the ground with the vacuum.

The group of heroes made their way on foot through the village of the Al-Muddy. "Any time now…" Twilight muttered impatiently.

The ground before them bubbled. The wave of mud began to rise, stretching up toward the ceiling. Seeing his cue, the Genie turned on the vacuum, sucking the wave of mud into it and creating a gap. Up at the ceiling of stalactites, Rainbow Dash turned to make her quick descent. Used to the process now, she more fluidly escalated her speed until another Sonic Rainboom was produced, blowing the gap in the wave of mud even wider. Her friends on the ground, save the Genie, proceeded through this gap at a run.

"YEAH!" Rainbow Dash cried just before pulling out of her dive to find herself faced with a towering wave of mud. Once again, she was hit and thrown back toward the wall, this time with the Genie alongside her.

"It isn't any less uncomfortable the second time," Rainbow Dash sighed when the wave of mud went down.

Meanwhile, the others moved on toward the palace. Now geysers of water were gushing upward from the ground, and the cavern that had seemed impossibly huge began to fill with water. The trek through the town was accompanied by the water level rising higher and higher; while at first the group had to wade, they were soon paddling through the water.

At last they reached the palace, the water levels at the height of one of the upper windows. Twilight and Aladdin took the lead, and the others followed them inside.

* * *

"Intruders past second wave!" Xerxes reported.

"AGAIN?" Mozenrath replied angrily. "They should have been melted! How did they do it? Did they build another boat to float across like those last two?"

"Not Al-Muddy," Xerxes said.

"What did you just say?" Mozenrath replied.

"Aladdin, Princess, monkey, parrot, flying rug, and five Elements!" Xerxes reported.

Immediately, a beam of blue caught the eel and dragged him down to Mozenrath's eye level. Mozenrath then released Xerxes from the beam and clutched him by the neck, shaking him roughly. "AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS EARLIER?"

"Mozenrath never asked?" Xerxes squeaked.

Mozenrath cast the eel to the ground. "It doesn't matter," he muttered. "We'll just have to thwart them by covering the bases where previously we failed. After all, they don't have all six of the Elements."

"So long as you don't challenge them to another game," Jafar said casually, "defeating them should be easy."

"I'd think twice about that if I were you."

Mozenrath, Jafar, and Xerxes' attention was drawn to one of the great arm rests of the throne, where Twilight stood and looked down upon them.

"Too perfect!" Mozenrath cried. "I was hoping you weren't the one left behind. You're far too interesting, after all. Beating you will be all the more fun."

"Leave her to me," Jafar insisted, raising his staff.

Twilight pointed down at Jafar suddenly with both hands. Jafar prepared to block a spell, but then he realized she wasn't launching one. He figured out far too late that what she'd done was release the levitation spell she'd had on a great glass jar that had been hanging in the air over him. The jar, lifted from the Al-Muddy palace kitchen and large enough to hold three people, plummeted down and landed atop Jafar, where he found himself unable to break the glass with any amount of magical energy.

"It's a well-known fact that the powers of djinni are weakened when they're encased in unnaturally forged containers," Twilight said victoriously, crossing her arms.

"Very clever." Mozenrath slowly clapped, applauding her knowledge. "Coatls, genies…is there anything you can't beat? Well, besides me."

"I beat you twice!" Twilight pointed out.

"This time is different," Mozenrath argued coolly. "There's no talisman that bears the ownership of the throne that you can take from me…and I know better than to challenge you to another contest. Far better. You'd actually give me a run for my denarii! And that's not something I can say of most people. Usually, I reserve it for Aladdin and the Princess. Speaking of which, I know they came here with you. Are you all going to give up and show yourselves, or do I have to call olly-olly-oxen-free?"

One by one, Jasmine, Fluttershy and Abu, Pinkie Pie, Iago, Aladdin, Rarity, Applejack, and the Carpet clambered over the edge of the arm rest from the other side, joining Twilight atop it. "Are you really going to take on all of us at once?" Aladdin asked tauntingly.

"Gladly," Mozenrath said, telekinetically swiping all his paperwork off the throne and clearing a space.

His opponents charged all at once. Aladdin sprang first, having worked out with the others beforehand that he would get the first shot, and tackled Mozenrath, pinning him to the ground until the sorcerer deftly kicked him away. Mozenrath quickly struggled to his feet only for Applejack to grab his right wrist and twist it behind his back, pinning down his gauntleted hand; she would have been able to keep her hold if Xerxes hadn't bitten her on the shoulder, causing her to scream and let go. Mozenrath then faced Applejack and fired three quick blasts of magic at her, which she deftly outstepped. Jasmine darted in from the side, taking hold of Mozenrath's right elbow and trying to peel the gauntlet away from him; the two of them struggled for a while before a zap of blue energy sent Jasmine reeling away with a shock.

Now Mozenrath turned to face Pinkie Pie, who grinned widely at him. "And what are you going to do to me?" he asked condescendingly.

"Say hello…to my PARTY CANNON!" Pinkie cried, swishing the fabric of her skirt. The cannon stood beside her, as tall as her waist.

"How did she even get that thing in here?" Iago asked in disbelief.

"Nopony really knows that," Fluttershy admitted.

Pinkie punched a button on the cannon, and it fired a blast of confetti, streamers, and glitter that sent Mozenrath reeling and disoriented him.

"STOP PLAYING AROUND, BOY!" Jafar screamed from his glass prison.

"I'm…not…PLAYING!" Mozenrath yelled in retaliation, regaining his balance and raising his right hand, blue energy crackling around it.

A small hand seized his wrist. "Don't you dare," Fluttershy said, staring up into Mozenrath's eyes. "Don't you dare shoot that at any…of my…FRIENDS!"

"Or you'll what?" Mozenrath asked tauntingly. His question was answered when Fluttershy's knee connected with his face. Reeling, he hit the ground once more.

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said, backing off. "That looked like it hurt…I'm just going to go stay in the corner now."

Before Mozenrath could get on his feet properly again, he was swept into the air; Aladdin and Jasmine, riding the Carpet, had grasped onto the edge of his cape and were now dragging him along on the flight. "We know you're not playing," Aladdin said with a wink. "You're just not that strong."

"Put me DOWN!" Mozenrath cried, partially out of anger and partially out of fear; once the Carpet left the area above the throne, it was quite a long way down to the floor.

"Hmm," Rarity pondered, watching the scene while holding Xerxes back. "This is really making me think that capes aren't all that practical in battle situations…"

After dragging Mozenrath through the air for a fair amount of time, Aladdin and Jasmine dropped him back onto the throne; he hit the stone and rolled before standing once more.

"Release me!" Jafar commanded. "Don't be foolish anymore!"

Finally realizing he couldn't possibly take the onslaught on his own anymore, Mozenrath turned to the jar and prepared to shatter it with a blast of blue. He gathered the energy, shot it forward…

Twilight skidded in between him and the jar, firing a blast of pink that met the blue, and the two rays of magic met in the middle, causing an ongoing collision of deep purple. "Now, where have I seen this before?" Mozenrath asked sarcastically.

"Just give up!" Twilight replied. "No matter how many times you try and take over another kingdom, we're going to take it right back away from you! And fighting us all the time can't really be that pleasant, can it? We don't like having to fight you all the time."

"You're saying you don't know the thrill of victory when you send the one you hate to the fate they deserve?" Mozenrath asked, half serious.

"No," Twilight said honestly. "I fight to help people, not to hurt people! I don't even want to hurt you. And given what we've been through, that's saying something."

"It speaks to how sentimental you are."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"In other circumstances, you could have been a powerful sorceress," Mozenrath informed Twilight. "You might have even had a shot at what I won."

"I don't want power," Twilight insisted. "I want friendship…I want knowledge…but I don't need to rule over anything!" She felt her hold on the pink beam begin to falter again.

"And that's what makes you so interesting," Mozenrath admitted. "Foolish…but fascinating. Of course, it shows that you haven't tried to gather power. You're not nearly as strong as me, after all. You're about to break right about…"

She slipped; the pink beam broke. She ducked so that the blue wouldn't hit her; the glass jar shattered.

"It's about time!" Jafar hissed, storming forward to take on the many opponents.

"I'd say so," Aladdin said as he stepped off the Carpet onto the plateau of the throne. "Just enough time for…"

The floor shook. The members of the Al-Muddy resistance rose up in a great wave, staring down at the throne and growling at the usurpers.

"YOU FOOL!" Jafar snarled at Mozenrath. "How could you have let down your defenses?"

"It's not like you were reminding me!" Mozenrath countered. "Xerxes, watching for intruders was YOUR job!"

Xerxes couldn't answer, as Rarity was spinning him round and round by the tail while humming the Levan Polka. Eventually she let him go, and he soared through the air in a graceful arc.

"We've come to reclaim what is ours," Shale announced. "As the rightful king of the Al-Muddy…I suppose it's my right to have the tastiest morsel."

"NO!" Mozenrath cried as Shale swept him up in one giant fist; he struggled, but Shale's grip was unbreakable.

"You're scrawnier than the fare I'm used to," Shale told him, "but I'm sure you'll taste the same."

Shale's fist exploded in a great blast of magic; Mozenrath dropped to the throne below. In a burst of red, Jafar transported himself, the young sorcerer, and the flying eel quickly away before the other Al-Muddy could attempt to make a meal of them again.

"Now that we've set things right," Shale said, "the natural cycle can take its course. Unfortunately, that means you are all on the menu as well."

"But we JUST helped you out!" Twilight protested.

"It's only the natural food chain," Fluttershy said softly.

"But…but…we taste all apple-y!" Applejack argued.

"The scent is likely a trick," Shale replied. "I let it go because we needed to work together."

"Now, let's not be hasty…" Aladdin said tentatively, backing away.

At that moment, the Genie, again in the form of the jet, sailed through the window, Rainbow Dash seated in her usual spot. "Come on!" she yelled, understanding the situation. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Abu, Rarity, Iago, and Applejack immediately climbed aboard while Aladdin, Jasmine, and Twilight boarded the Carpet, and both crafts lifted off, speeding away from the Al-Muddy, out of their palace, out of the cavern, and eventually up to the great expanse of desert above ground.

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN THE BORDERLANDS OF THE SEVEN DESERTS

"I don't need to hear it," Mozenrath sulked, crossing his arms as he sat on the stone throne of the next kingdom. "I should have let you take control earlier. Rest assured…I won't make that mistake again." It nearly killed him to say, but he knew that had he released Jafar earlier, he would have come from the last battle victorious.

"Finally," Jafar sighed, "some sense. I see great potential in you, boy. Your plans to reshape the desert only proved it. I would hate to see that go to waste."

"So you'll work with me," Mozenrath restated, and this time he couldn't hide his expression in time; Jafar caught his quick but earnest grin.

"Yes," Jafar relented, "but you must realize that here, you are the inferior. I am the one with the phenomenal cosmic powers and the knowledge that comes with experience…not you."

"But you still have a soft spot for me, old man," Mozenrath teased, feeling it was safe to point out what he thought was obvious. "Or you wouldn't have saved my life from that Al-Muddy rebel."

"I haven't the faintest what you're talking about," Jafar replied in confusion.

"Don't act like you don't know!" Mozenrath snapped. "It was just before you brought us here!"

"While I don't want to waste what potential you have while living," Jafar asserted, "it would have made no difference to me had you been…" He smirked proudly. "What now, are you crying?"

"NO!" Mozenrath screamed – he hadn't been aware that the unvoluntary tears had been visible. What a silly thing to cry over, he thought, not quite understanding why that had been his initial reaction and determined to stop it from happening. "I just want to know one thing. If you didn't do that…then who did?"

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN THE SEVEN DESERTS

"When I said I didn't want to hurt him," Twilight said softly, "I meant it. I don't want to really hurt anyone. I don't want to see anyone die. And Shale's hand was going to grow back anyway, just like Feldspar's arm. That's why I did it, okay?" She wrung her hands, looking down at them. "That's the only reason…why I saved him. And Rainbow Dash, if you're going to make any more jokes about him being my boyfriend, you can just…NOT SAY ANYTHING!"

"I wasn't going to," Rainbow Dash replied somberly. "I get it, Twilight. I wouldn't have wanted to see anybody get eaten either. I'm…kinda glad you did it."

"No one judges you for it," Jasmine reassured Twilight, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"LIES!" Iago barked. "BLATANT LIES! It's like Al and Shale's dad. It's a jackal-eat-jackal world out there, and it's gonna come down to either us or them. Why are you giving THEM the fighting chance so that they can eventually destroy US?"

"Because we don't work like that," Rarity countered.

"If no one can die," Twilight muttered, "if no one has to…"

"If I had powers like yours," Aladdin admitted to Twilight, "I would have done the same thing."

"Really?" Twilight met his eyes.

"Really. I even did try to save him once before. He…kinda took advantage of it to try and kill me, but I wouldn't have done any differently. Looking back on it, maybe, deep down…part of me knew. Who he was." Aladdin shrugged. "Anyway, it hardly seems right if some disaster isn't impending over Agrabah. He's one of those disasters I've just come to expect."

"Nobody thinks you did anything wrong, Twi!" the Genie added.

"And if I've been too hard on you with all the teasing," Rainbow Dash said, "I didn't mean to make you unhappy. I'll stop, okay? You don't have a crush on the bad guy. You just saved him from being eaten 'cause you're a hero!"

"Thanks, everyone," Twilight said. Still she stared out to the horizon. Everypony else, she thought, was convinced that she had blasted Shale's hand and stopped him from eating Mozenrath out of her general respect for others, out of her general hatred of harming others. Everypony else was convinced that she really didn't have any strange feelings, special ties toward him. The only one not convinced was Twilight herself.

* * *

Chapter 9:

· And invariably I dig myself into the moral dilemma hole by using the Al-Muddy. As previously stated in my tirade about Changelings, I hate the whole "evil race" concept. The Al-Muddy have generally been monsters in the Aladdin canon because their natural diet is human beings. However, they – or at least one of them – have human sentience and the ability to speak to humans/other sentient beings. Also, I couldn't really justify their human-eating the way I could justify the Changelings' love-eating this time, since there's really just no way around that. So I tried my best to write it as…debatable. The point was just to get the Al-Muddy and a group from aboveground to work together just the once in the spirit of friendship and doing the right thing.

· Why did I pick the Al-Muddy in the first place, since they're only in about two episodes proper? Because in "The Citadel", Mozenrath's intro episode, he offhandedly lists it as one of the kingdoms he wants to conquer. NOT having him do so if he had the chance would just have felt like an oversight. (Slight spoiler in that when it comes to where else is on my list…)

· Fluttershy's scary stare is canon. She's stared down a dragon and a cockatrice, and both were so freaked out by her scary stare that they stopped attacking her friends. It's totally canon that she's the Beware the Nice One.

· The thing about Al-Muddy hating fruit? Made it up. I just figured that creatures of the earth with a taste for meat…well, I don't know what that kind of being would find disgusting, actually. Might as well be apples.

· As far as I know, the one Al-Muddy that spoke didn't have a canon name. I had to give the ones here names, of course. Meet my OCs who I promise are only here because OCs were needed to fill in the space: Feldspar, Andalusite, Chalcedony (referenced only), and Shale. I figured rock-themed names were probably the most accurate.

· Since the one Al-Muddy who spoke lived in the giant castle, I assume he was the king. He was killed at the end of his ep by going up to the surface and drying out in the sun.

· There actually aren't houses in the cavern. I made that up. It just makes more SENSE if there are. I mean, where do they live if not in houses near the castle? Maybe creatures of mud just kinda live in puddles. But in that case, why the castle with the incredibly well-stocked kitchen? My fic, my rules, I put houses there.

· It's never clear exactly how much control over the earth the Al-Muddy have…I took some liberties. In his monologue, Mozenrath obviously thought their kingdom more magically valuable than Agrabah. And the oasis trap is canon.

· Also canon that genies, even free ones, can't get back out on their own if you put them in a jar/bottle/etc.

· Writing the battle scene was difficult but fun. The Mane Six probably aren't big fans of violence, but I'm kind of a battle-minded person by nature when it comes to facing down villains. And there used to be a pretty popular fangame in development called "Fighting is Magic" where they had fight movesets, partially inspiring some of the skills I gave them here. (Fighting is Magic was eventually destroyed by a copyright debacle.) Canon: Fluttershy is a martial arts expert (though she prefers to use her powers to massage giant animals), Applejack has ridiculous muscles, and Pinkie never leaves home without her party cannon

· Rarity spinning Xerxes is a reference to the Leekspin meme. 'Cause I felt like it.

· I feel like I'm making things ridiculously over-emotional with the love triangle, but…I like writing drawn-out tsundere romances.


	10. Fighting With the Heart-Muscle

1. Fighting With the Heart-Muscle

SOMEWHERE IN THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Nothing, nothing, and nothing," Aladdin sighed. "We've been flying for how long now, and still no sign…"

"We could start looking ahead of time," Twilight suggested. "You know, check out all the kingdoms in the Seven Deserts and see if they're there."

"We haven't got much of a choice," Jasmine admitted.

"Charting a course for the borderlands!" the Genie-jet announced. "We'll make a sweep of the whole area!"

Almost as soon as they turned toward a specific direction, they spotted the little gray dot on the horizon approaching them. As they grew closer to the dot, they realized it was a large, shaggy yak being ridden by a husky, bearded man sporting leather, animal pelts, and a horned helmet.

"Friend Aladdin!" he hailed.

"He's one of the Odiferan military," Aladdin explained quickly. "Genie, Carpet, let's make a landing!"

The group descended to meet the yak rider, who slowed his steed. "I've been sent to bring back help!" he said hastily. "Odiferous has been taken over by someone even stronger than all of the Odiferan military combined!"

Rainbow Dash began laughing. "I don't know who took over this guy's kingdom, but it's definitely not the guy WE'VE been chasing. Mozenrath, stronger than an entire military?"

"Magically speaking, it's possible," Twilight pointed out.

"Technically, it's the advisor to the new king who's the strong one," the Odiferan messenger clarified. "When he told us all that the person with him was our new king, Prince Uncouthma challenged them immediately. They both seemed such tiny men compared to us Odiferans! But the advisor transformed into a spirit with giant muscles!"

"Jafar," Aladdin hissed.

"He can do…that?" Rarity asked, trembling slightly at the thought.

"He is a djinni," Twilight reminded her. "Most of them do look more like our friend than like Jafar. I'm guessing he can switch between whatever bodies he likes."

"What's been going on in Odiferous since then?" Jasmine asked.

"It's horrible!" the messenger moaned. "The new king has overtaken our entire economy, and has threatened several times to cause a crash in it if we do not serve him! He has made us begin forging weapons to wage war on other kingdoms! And he has banished Prince Uncouthma and his family to the peasantry!"

"Why would he be wagin' war?" Applejack asked. "He done got control of everywhere!"

"Except for the rainforest, Getzistan, and the underground," said Twilight. "Let me guess. This kingdom…"

"Odiferous!" the messenger reiterated.

"…first of all," Twilight sighed, "probably smells terrible."

"How did you know?" the messenger asked.

"Yeah?" Pinkie parroted. "How DID you know?"

"Thesaurus," Twilight replied simply. "Second, Odiferous…is it one of the leading kingdoms in weaponry?"

"Of course!" the messenger said. "Odiferous has one of the strongest militaries in the world!"

"And I'll bet weaponry is the chief export!" Twilight concluded. "That's not only why Mozenrath went here next…not just to seize the arms-based economy…but to get back the places we took!"

"Oh, he definitely wants to wage war on the places you mentioned," the messenger corrected, "but our economy isn't based on weaponry. Our economy is based on cheese production! We can only buy the metal to make the weapons with the profits from our yak cheese!"

"Wait…what?" Twilight shook her head.

"Let's go," Aladdin commanded. "Don't worry, sir. We'll get things in Odiferous back to the way they were!"

The Carpet and the Genie-jet rose once more, speeding towards the northern kingdom ever quickly.

"A cheese-based economy," Twilight repeated. "Wow. Once again, that has to have made Mozenrath extremely…"

* * *

ODIFEROUS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"…bored."

The yaks grazed in the fenced pastures, an idyllic accessory to the view of blue sky, green grass, and gray mountains on the horizon. Farmhands rushed between yaks, making sure to collect the milk as quickly as they'd been ordered. Watching the cornerstone industry of his new kingdom, Mozenrath sat on the fence, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. For the effect of atmosphere, he'd abandoned his usual blue robes for the traditional dress of Odiferan royalty: leather shoes, loose blue pants, a fur pelt draped over his shoulders, a bronze helmet with sharp horns, the usual gauntlet, and no shirt to speak of. "Still bored," he muttered. "Can't they forge weapons any faster? I should be launching a conquest on the lands we lost by now…not overseeing yak husbandry."

"Patience," Jafar reminded him. "Soon, we will have raised an army great enough to take on even the Al-Muddy. In the meantime, I suggest you not fail to manage the yaks. Your military only goes so far as you can control their economy. Should it become apparent that you cannot keep up production no matter what, they will have no incentive for which to follow your orders."

"They will if you keep besting them in their little wrestling matches," Mozenrath pointed out.

"To hold power in this kingdom is twofold," Jafar replied simply.

"I know, I know! Cheese production…this is even worse than gambling. Why do these kingdoms NEVER export elemental crystals?"

Xerxes sailed over the fields full of yaks. "Intruders again!" he reported.

"Aladdin and his Elements of Harmony?" Mozenrath asked, his interest piqued.

"Yes, yes!" Xerxes confirmed.

"Separate them," Mozenrath ordered Jafar. "I don't care how!"

Jafar bowed, smirking. "Your wish – "

"THAT WASN'T A WISH! Fine, I'll do it myself!" Mozenrath hopped down from the fence.

* * *

The Carpet and the Genie-jet sailed over the city walls, touching down in the main square. Odiferous was far enough north that it had avoided the desert climate, instead set amongst grass and mountains. The houses were made of gray brick with thatched roofs, and the streets were cobblestone of a matching color. Peasants hurriedly hustled carts piled high with cheese back and forth; they were mostly dressed in leather and furs, and the men sported copious facial hair. True to Twilight's prediction, the entire kingdom was pervaded by a sort of stink that mellowed out once one got used to the atmosphere.

"Well, I'll be," Applejack said, noting the carts of cheese flying by. "Now, my family tried our hooves at some cheesemakin' a while back, thanks to the generosity of some cows, but I'm lookin' forward to seein' how the professionals do it." She snatched a morsel away from a cart, popping it into her mouth. She made a face. "Now I'm no expert…but that ain't good at all."

The peasant wheeling the cart halted temporarily. "I thought everyone in the kingdom had heard!" he panted. "The great yak farm no longer belongs to Princess Brawnhilda! Instead, a man calling himself Mozenrath claims to be our king, and he has sped up production past the point of quality! He doesn't even know the first thing about caring for the yaks! However, if any of us slow down, we face the consequences! Now, if I don't deliver this on time, I'll be shocked or frozen by his magic! Or BOTH!" The peasant resumed his pace.

"Pssst!" a soft voice called from around a corner. A tall, muscular blonde woman sporting a red and white shirt and a short dark skirt was beckoning the group to follow her into a door down an alley. "This way!"

"Princess Brawnhilda?" Jasmine identified.

"Looks like she wants our attention bad," Applejack noticed. "Let's go!"

The group hustled down the alley and into the door through which Brawnhilda had disappeared. In an abandoned tavern, the aforementioned princess stood alongside an enormous man sporting a brown mustache and the garb of a peasant. A redheaded boy was there as well, small by the standards of the two adults beside him but actually over waist-high to Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Equestrians.

"Prince Uncouthma!" Aladdin greeted in surprise. "What's going on?"

"Friend Aladdin and Jasmine!" the man, obviously Uncouthma, replied. "You have brought even more friends!"

"I like him already!" Pinkie Pie laughed. "Of course we're friends!"

"We've heard your kingdom is in trouble," said Rarity. "Let's just say that we're no strangers to the ones that have taken over your throne. I'm guessing you woke up to find yourself dressed like peasants while they claimed to be the new royalty?"

"Yes!" Uncouthma lamented. "And it seems like they deserve to be the new royalty!" He hung his head. "I don't deserve to hold the throne anymore."

"Why would you think that?" Jasmine asked.

"The throne of Odiferous has always belonged to the strongest family in the kingdom," Odiferous sighed. "I was the strongest until now. I tried to challenge Mozenrath for the throne, but his advisor…he was stronger than me!"

"And we had thought them both so dainty," Brawnhilda added. "Especially that Mozenrath, who is…alluringly dainty…"

"Don't tell me I've lost you to him too, my princess," Uncouthma sighed.

"No, never!" Brawnhilda insisted, putting her arms around Uncouthma. "Your frail heart-muscle will always be first to me!"

"I hear you were in charge of the cheesemakin' until Mozenrath and Jafar came along," Applejack interrupted.

"I was," Brawnhilda confirmed. "But now they have control of the farm, and are using the yak cheese to bring in money to forge weapons! They've also threatened that they could stop production at anytime, leaving us without cheese!"

"Control of Odiferous has two parts," Uncouthma clarified. "The strongest family takes the throne and controls the military and the laws. But the economy is controlled by whoever controls the yaks! Brawnhilda owned the largest yak farm in all of Odiferous. She had such a way with them, too. Nobody could make yak cheese like her…and even the yaks loved her!"

"Don't worry," Aladdin promised. "We'll get your throne back. Somehow."

"By smashing Mozenrath to little bits!" the boy insisted. "And Jafar too!"

"Trust me, kid," said Iago, "smashing Jafar ain't as easy as it looks."

"I don't get one thing," Twilight said. "You said the throne belongs to the strongest family. Mozenrath and Jafar aren't related."

"Well, Jafar said that Mozenrath was the king, and since he's the strongest, he can enforce that," Uncouthma replied. "Besides, we all thought Jafar was his father!"

"He only wishes," said Aladdin.

"Does the kid really not realize what's comin' to him?" Iago griped. "As soon as Jafar's done with him, he's gonna get dropped like an overripe date off a tree. That's just how Jafar works!"

"But Mozenrath has the lamp," the Genie pointed out. "And by subsection A of genie clause 136, that gives Mozenrath control over him."

"Doesn't matter," Iago retorted. "He'll find a way to throw him out. He always does."

"Am I sensing some kind of story here?" Rainbow Dash asked, having not been present during the ordeal in Getzistan, as Twilight realized.

All of a sudden, Applejack cried, "I got an idea! I know how we can get back at least one of the ways of controllin' Odiferous!"

"Great!" Twilight cried. "I knew we'd think of something! And when we take back the throne, I can look Mozenrath in the eye and tell him the speech I've been working on while we were flying up here." She cleared her throat, pointing at the wall as though it were her enemy. "Your time as king has come to a close, so you can just…KNOCK IT OFF!"

A silence fell over the tavern.

"I like it," Uncouthma said. "Simple, but effective!"

"I had thought it would be a bit wordier," Rarity admitted.

"I tried, okay?" Twilight defended. "So, Applejack, how are we going to defeat Jafar in – "

"Hold on now," Applejack said. "My plan's about the yaks. I got no idea how we're gonna beat Jafar!"

"The Elements of Harmony!" Pinkie remembered. "Even he's scared of what will happen if we're all together!"

"Can six go against one in combat?" Twilight asked Uncouthma.

"It's generally against the rules," Uncouthma admitted.

"You're thinking about RULES at a time like THIS?" Rainbow Dash criticized.

"Rainbow Dash is right," said Aladdin. "If they don't play fair, neither should we! Besides, a lot of us have a chance at beating Jafar! I mean, we have our own Genie!"

"Who experienced a significant downgrade in power after being freed," the Genie brought up.

"I can smash 'im!" the young boy insisted.

"You're too young, Bud," Brawnhilda said, though lovingly. "Though you are very strong."

"Maybe we should start with Applejack's plan," Fluttershy suggested, "and think about fighting big scary genies later…"

"What is your plan, tiny Applejack?" Uncouthma asked.

"Well," Applejack said, "the way I figure…"

* * *

Armed with ideas, the group, now with the former Odiferan royal family added to the ranks, left the alley and walked out into the main square.

He was already waiting.

"GAH!" Twilight cried, taken aback at the sight of Mozenrath in the Odiferan royal dress…lack of shirt included.

"Oh, were you having a little get-together?" Mozenrath mocked. "It's just too bad that I have to break up the party!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THE REAL MEANING OF PARTY!" Pinkie screamed.

"And as of right now," Mozenrath replied, "you don't know where your friend is."

Before anyone could react, he clenched his right fist, throwing it out in the direction of Rainbow Dash and shooting a blue beam at her. Instinctively, Rainbow Dash reached out and clutched at the nearest living being to her: Iago. The two were engulfed in blue before they disappeared.

"WHERE DID YOU TAKE THEM?" Aladdin yelled.

"Don't worry," Mozenrath said offhandedly. "They're somewhere safe. What would be my use in destroying them now when I know you'll do anything for them? Go on, try to find them. They could be anywhere. They could be with the weapons forges, and you could find them if you joined up and helped me make weapons to take back what you made me lose. They could be in the yak farm, and you could find them if you took a pail and started milking. Now that would be entertaining…the once-mighty Aladdin and Prince Uncouthma reduced to farmhands. Or they could be in the palace, which you couldn't get to without going through Jafar…and you can't do that!"

"We'll never give in to you!" Rarity cried. She nudged Twilight. "Go on! Give him the speech!"

"Guh…" Twilight blinked, shook her head, and tried to recollect her thoughts from earlier. Instead of what she'd rehearsed, a rather unfortunate reversal came out: "Mozenrath, your time as king is a knockout, and YOUR CLOTHES ARE OFF!" She immediately realized what she'd said. "Wait, NO! I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!"

That sent Mozenrath into fits of laughter. "I'm actually looking forward to your next move, sorceress," he managed between laughs before vanishing in a blaze of blue.

"Rainbow Dash!" the Genie cried. "Ohhh, this is bad…"

"What if he destroys her?" Rarity wailed. "Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the! Worst! POSSIBLE! THING!"

"No," Twilight said, coming out of her shirtless-Mozenrath-induced stupor. "He won't kill her as long as there's something he could get from her. I say we go on with Applejack's plan."

"But what could he possibly want with Rainbow Dash?" Jasmine asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Twilight said. "The thing that's been stopping him so far."

* * *

Mozenrath materialized in a flash of blue in the dungeons of the Odiferan palace, facing Rainbow Dash, who was chained to the wall by her wrists and ankles. Iago was locked up next to her in a single cuff that encased his entire body.

"YOU LET ME GO RIGHT NOW!" Rainbow Dash yelled, struggling against the chains.

"Or you'll what?" Mozenrath taunted. "To be perfectly honest, you have something I want."

"Awesomeness?" Rainbow Dash guessed with a smirk.

"A weapon," Mozenrath corrected. "Xerxes tells me you used some kind of 'rainbow boom' to clear out the mud waves underground. That sounds a lot like what you used to take out my coatl."

"The Sonic Rainboom?" Rainbow Dash clarified. "You…want the Sonic Rainboom?"

"With a weapon like that," Mozenrath admitted, "I could probably take back the rainforest without using any Odiferan arms at all. Now, I don't currently have with me the crystal I use to steal others' magic, but somehow, that doesn't seem like the whole picture anyway."

"You need lots of speed to be able to pull one off," Rainbow Dash said. "Like, sooooo much speed. Enough to break the sound barrier! It isn't magic like Twilight's that just happens on command."

"That's exactly what I thought. Which is why you're going to stay under my control until I figure out how to replicate it."

"Riiiiiight," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"I suggest you get used to those chains," Mozenrath told her. "You're going to be there for a long time, Rainbow Dash." With that, he disappeared.

"Yeah, right," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Like I'm gonna stay down here."

"So what," Iago snapped, "are you just gonna break through these chains?"

"I wish," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I guess if nothing else, I know everypony else will eventually come find me. But I'd rather break out on my own. I'll just have to think of something." She paused, checking to see if any ideas sprang to mind immediately; none did. "So," she said to pass the time, "what was the big deal with you and Jafar?"

"We used to be business partners," Iago said sharply.

"Business partners?" Rainbow Dash faced her companion in capture. "You're sure that's it?"

"Yes! Why?"

"Because you're really defensive about it."

"We might have been friends once, okay? But that's over now! I was done with him, and he was done with me. Now I fly with Cassim. What happened in the past stays in the past!"

"Were you close?"

"WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING?"

"I think it's important," Rainbow Dash admitted. "I kinda wanna know if we're fighting your friend."

"He WAS my friend," Iago informed her. "Not anymore. Yeah, we were close. ONCE."

"So he ditched you, huh?"

"More or less."

"I know how that feels," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I mean, maybe not to the same extent, but…I had this friend back home. Gilda. We grew up together, and I thought we were best friends. That was in our hometown. Then Fluttershy and I moved to the town where I met Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight. Pinkie and I were just starting to get real close when Gilda came down to visit. I thought Gilda would get along great with all my other friends, but…she bullied them around. And she picked on Pinkie because of some stupid prank I pulled. That was too far. I told Gilda to get out. We haven't spoken since. I mean, there are a lot of times I miss her and how we used to play together when we were fillies. But she grew up to be such a bully! I couldn't let her push my friends around! So…yeah, I kinda know what it's like. Though Gilda hasn't tried to actually kill any of my friends. Yet. It's one of those things that's so long ago, it shouldn't matter, but it still hurts to think about, right?"

"Exactly," Iago confirmed. "Add into that the way I betrayed Jafar, and – "

"You betrayed him? Come on. I don't care what you did. I've seen that guy. I've seen how he acts. You didn't betray him any more than I betrayed Gilda. Gilda was the one that betrayed me, and Jafar was the one that betrayed you."

For once, Iago was struck speechless.

"But I'll go easy on him," Rainbow Dash finished. "You already know we're not planning on killing him. I don't care what anypony from Agrabah thinks. I'm not going to hurt your…Gilda."

"It'd only be what he deserves, you know," Iago pointed out.

"I know it's what he deserves," Rainbow Dash replied. "But as much as I'd like to serve him a big old slice of tail-kicking, he still meant something to you. And you're my friend now too."

"I don't have a good track record with friendships. Just warnin' ya."

"Well, I'm the Element of Loyalty. Challenge accepted."

Rainbow Dash sent Iago a broad, earnest smile, and he returned it.

* * *

The new farmhand slipped quietly into the fenced pasture, wearing a thick fur coat and a face-obscuring hood.

"I need to figure out how to weaponize her," Mozenrath told Jafar, sitting once again at his post of boredom on the fence.

"Your judgment differs from my own," Jafar admitted. "I would have destroyed her…but in this case, you actually have the better idea. A Sonic Rainboom of our very own…"

"Can't you just conjure one up? You're a genie, after all."

"Not without knowing its nature," Jafar admitted. "The amount of pressure required, the effect of her weather-related abilities…I could eventually, but this is magic the likes of which I have never encountered. Even then…perhaps it is best to leave her alive. Subject her to humiliation so long as she lives."

"At least as long as we have her, we still have our bargaining chip. I already used her to suggest that her little friends could join the smithy or the yak farm to try and find her, but they turned me down. Later, we could use her to drive a little bit of a harder bargain."

The farmhand slipped in between the yaks, sitting down at one with a bucket. Mozenrath was only barely paying attention to what was going on in the field. He certainly didn't notice that the farmhand was getting up to switch yaks every few seconds.

"Why don't we just take her amulet?" Mozenrath asked. "Isn't that the source of her power?"

"You do not understand," Jafar replied. "She embodies Loyalty itself. If we took her amulet, it would temporarily hinder her, but one day she would eventually figure out how to use its power without its presence. Were I to guess…she probably generated it herself."

"How do you know all this? The ever-mysterious Overtakers again?"

"We have long planned for a force like this to appear," Jafar said enigmatically.

"And…this is why, exactly?"

"It is none of your concern."

The farmhand sat down at another yak, milking only a few drops before getting up to move to the next yak, closer to the gate of the fence.

"I'd say it's my concern," Mozenrath argued. "After all, I'm not about to be overshadowed by these 'Overtakers', whoever they – YOU THERE!"

He pointed at the farmhand, who froze.

"Can't you fill that bucket any faster?" Mozenrath ordered.

The farmhand nodded before returning to work at the yak nearest the gate.

"You will have your place when the time comes," Jafar reassured Mozenrath. "It may be a larger role than even I had originally anticipated. In the meantime…"

"In the meantime, how do we make the rainbow one squirm?" Mozenrath asked with a grin.

The farmhand stood quickly, undoing the latch to the gate. The farmhand, looking back at all the yaks, turned to face the city of Odiferous and let out a piercing whistle. In response, a piercing whistle came right back, but this one caused all the yaks to look up.

By the time Mozenrath and Jafar realized something was going on, the yaks had already begun to thunder out of the pasture and move toward the city. "WHAT?" they yelled in unison.

The farmhand cast away her fur coat, smirking at the two men. "Man, your security sure ain't what it could be," Applejack said before taking off and running toward the city alongside the yaks.

"NO!" Mozenrath leapt down from the fence and tried to run alongside the yaks; he slipped and fell among the stampede, instinctively clutching his delicate right wrist so none of the yaks could trample it. Jafar lifted Mozenrath out of the fray in a beam of red.

The yaks and Applejack rushed down into the city, following the repeated sound of the piercing whistle through the streets. They pooled into the town square, where Applejack rested against a cart. Aladdin, Jasmine, Uncouthma, Bud, Abu, the Genie, the Carpet, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy watched on.

Brawnhilda gave one last whistle. The yaks surrounded her, lowing appreciatively.

"Ya see?" Applejack said, gesturing to the yaks. "Even the yaks know who their real friends are. Now Mozenrath don't have any leverage…but you got the economy back!"

"But what if they capture the yaks again?" Brawnhilda asked worriedly.

"I reckon that as long as these yaks're still alive, they're gonna answer to your call," Applejack replied. "And ain't nopony gonna kill the source of the economy."

"Now do we smash the bad guys?" Bud asked.

As if to answer, a great red cloud of smoke appeared in the center of the yaks, and Jafar stepped from it angrily. "I would not recommend it," he growled. "How many times must I teach you that I am the one in control?"

His entire shape glowed, morphed. In a matter of seconds, he no longer resembled a human being, but instead a bright red genie, torso rippling with muscles, as large as an Odiferan house.

"Perhaps THIS will get the message across!" he cried, reaching down with one great left hand and slapping Uncouthma. Uncouthma flew across the yak-filled square, landing so hard against the cobblestones that they broke.

"UNCOUTHMA!" Brawnhilda shrieked.

"DAD!" Bud cried in response.

"The wise will leave," Jafar threatened, "before I have to destroy another one of you to prove the point!" He then disappeared in another cloud of red.

"That…" Twilight stared in horror at the place where Jafar had been. "That's what he looks like…for real?"

"This ain't the time!" Applejack chided, and everyone rushed to the side of Uncouthma.

"Uncouthma!" Brawnhilda nearly sobbed, kneeling before her unmoving husband. "My darling!"

"This can't be happening," Aladdin said in shock. "He…he can't really…"

To everyone's surprise and relief, Uncouthma slowly blinked his eyes open. "Brawnhilda…Aladdin…"

"You're all right!" Jasmine and Rarity chorused.

"Of course," Aladdin realized. "Because genies can't kill!"

"Every single muscle hurts," Uncouthma complained, "but I'm alive."

"Oh, my frail dear!" Brawnhilda clutched his hand lovingly. "How much does it hurt?"

Uncouthma attempted to rise to his feet, but was wracked with pain. "I cannot stand," he admitted.

"Don't worry," Brawnhilda said. "You need me. I will protect you." Her brow furrowed. She stood up, looking toward where Jafar had appeared and then vanished. "I will protect you…by making sure he can never hurt you again!"

"WHAT?" nearly everyone cried.

"I will fight Jafar!" Brawnhilda resolved. "He hurt my Uncouthma! I must stop him!"

"Didn't you see him?" Twilight asked in awe. "You can't possibly take him on!"

"I have many muscles," Brawnhilda argued.

"Maybe this is one of those times that calls for using your head-muscle instead?" Aladdin suggested.

"We could not fight him with the muscles in our bodies," Brawnhilda retorted, "and we cannot fight him with our head-muscles. I must fight him…with my heart-muscle!"

"Brawnhilda," Uncouthma said weakly, "don't! I lived, but you might not! And living without you would be even more painful than this!"

"I must," Brawnhilda insisted.

"I kinda get her point," Applejack admitted. "All y'all know that if any one of ya got near killed by somepony, no matter how magical, I'd go and fight until I knew y'all were safe again! In fact…that's what I'm thinkin' I should do now."

"We could defeat Jafar," Twilight pointed out, "if we only had Rainbow Dash. Then we could use the Elements of Harmony! If we couldn't defeat him that way, at least he'd run away again! As we are now, there's no way we could defeat him."

"You know a lot about magic creatures," Aladdin told Twilight. "Isn't there any way to weaken him enough so that we have a fighting chance?"

"Not unless we can put him in another jar," Twilight sighed.

"And we haven't a chance of finding Rainbow Dash unless we stumble upon her by chance…or somehow get Mozenrath to tell us," Rarity added.

"Hang on!" The Genie produced a scroll from almost nowhere. "I may have something! The imps' shop really did have a library of magic, including some texts I've never seen before! I…may have taken just a tiiiiiiny little scroll. Oh, come on, it's not like they didn't steal it from somewhere else! This scroll happens to be a compendium of magical and anti-magical items used by Mukhtars against genies!"

"Mukhtars?" Twilight was taken aback. "You mean the djinni's only natural predator?"

The Genie transformed himself into a bearded professor-type figure, pointing to a chalkboard suspended in midair. "In their natural habitats, Mukhtars can be seen overtaking hapless genies with all sorts of techniques!" He sketched on the board first what looked like a clamshell with teeth, then a rope with a weight on each end. "Everything from the living manacles to the magic-repelling bolas! Of course, these things are most effective on free genies. In their original milieu of confinement, the unfreed genie can often eventually break even the strongest of Mukhtar-built restraints."

"HEY!" Bud interrupted. "Why is everybody talking boring stuff? I wanna go smash the guy that smashed Dad!"

"No, Bud," Brawnhilda said softly. "You are too young and delicate."

"You're just a kid!" Pinkie added. "Why do you wanna go fight anyway? Jafar's all scary and dangerous!"

"He hurt my dad!" Bud insisted.

"Wait," Twilight said. "Things are…coming together!"

"What's that mean?" Aladdin asked.

"I'm using my head-muscle," Twilight said. "I think I have a plan so that Brawnhilda can fight Jafar after all! But we'll need to give her the proper equipment first…as well as a few other things."

"What must I do?" Brawnhilda asked.

"Just be patient for now," Twilight told her. "We have some magical gadgets to make. Genie, we can make these things, right?"

"In any traditional forge, provided they have the right kind of magic," the Genie affirmed, reverting to his normal shape. "Even the kind of magic a certain sorceress possesses…hint hint, it's you! According to the scroll, your repulsion and telekinesis powers are exactly what go into making these things!"

"Then we need to make both a set of living manacles and a magic-repelling bolas," Twilight said. "Maybe even a couple of the bolas."

"Even with that many restraints, Jafar still has enough power to eventually break them," the Genie warned her. "He is unfreed, after all."

"I'm not even thinking of using that many restraints on Jafar," Twilight admitted. Before anyone could ask what she meant, she turned to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, I'm eventually going to need you on the field with us, but for now, you need to help Uncouthma. You always do really well with nursing animals back home back to health, and you even helped me set my leg the one time I sprained it."

"Right," Fluttershy said confidently. "Abu, are you with me?"

Abu squeaked happily.

"I will help you," Brawnhilda told Fluttershy. "After all…he needs me."

"You probably know more about healing broken bones than me," Fluttershy admitted. "Your husband probably has a lot of those."

"I will teach you how to set broken bones!" Brawnhilda offered happily.

"What about me?" Bud whined.

"Your part is gonna be important," Twilight assured Bud. "But first we'll need you to go through…training. Special training! Pinkie, can I see you for a minute?"

Twilight took Pinkie aside. "Pinkie, you're the best foalsitter of all of us. You always do really well with Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake back home. We're going to need you on the field too, and once we have Jafar restrained, we might even be able to let Bud take a shot. But for now, letting him at Jafar is way too dangerous. Do you think maybe you could distract Bud for a while? Play a few games with him?"

"Playing games!" Pinkie gasped. "You've come to exactly the right Pinkie!"

"That's what I was hoping for," Twilight said.

Pinkie ran over to Bud. "General Pinkie Pie, reporting for duty!" she said with a great smile. "Follow me to start special training!"

"Oh, boy!" Bud cried as he followed Pinkie down one of the alleys.

"Do not worry," Brawnhilda told Uncouthma as she, Fluttershy, and Abu settled down beside him. "We will ease your pain."

"It is already better now that you are here," Uncouthma told Brawnhilda. "And you also have the tiny healer to help you!"

"We'll have you patched up in no time," Fluttershy said confidently.

"Okay," Twilight said to Aladdin, Jasmine, Rarity, Applejack, the Carpet, and the Genie. "Here's what I need the rest of you to do…"

* * *

Pinkie finished stacking the small, flat sticks in the tower shape on the table in the tavern. "First we test dexterity!" she said. "You have to get me to smash my tower by accident before you do!"

"Huh?" Bud was confused.

"Like this!" Pinkie removed a stick from the middle of the stack and placed it on the top so the tower was slightly off balance. "Now you try!"

Bud did the same, and the two continued their game until Pinkie drew a stick that caused the tower to collapse. This sent both her and Bud into fits of laughter, and Bud cried, "Again, again!"

Pinkie gladly reset the tower.

* * *

Twilight, Aladdin, and the Genie entered the forge, where a crowd smiths shuffled back and forth, pouring weapons into molds and then shoving them into fires. They worked quickly, filling every mold and every fire, though not in an orderly fashion at all – they often crashed into each other and dropped molds.

"We're never going to get anywhere if they're this disorganized!" Twilight moaned.

"HEY!" Aladdin yelled. "Aren't you all tired of making weapons for your new so-called king?"

"But we must!" one of the smiths insisted. "Or he will punish us severely!"

"What if you had a weapon that could best him?" Aladdin asked, but the smith had moved on.

"How could we get one of those?" another smith asked, putting a crudely forged axe into the fire.

"We happen to have—" Aladdin couldn't finish before the smith had moved away; the axe was shoddily constructed, but at least a complete entity. Aladdin tried again and again to speak to different smiths:

"Listen, if you could just let us—"

"We can save Odiferous if—"

"You can make the right weaponry! You just have to—"

"How would we even make those weapons?" One smith finally stopped to answer Aladdin's explanations. "We are all far too busy working on these weapons, and we wouldn't know the first thing about making those others!" He rushed away.

"All this disorganization is making me dizzy!" the Genie complained, his head spinning round and round for effect.

Finally, Twilight stepped into the center of the forge. "EVERYPONY…STOP!" she yelled.

Now all the smiths halted, looking at her.

"We have one chance to get Odiferous back from Mozenrath and Jafar!" Twilight commanded. "But we need to make special weapons in order to defeat them, and we need to make them fast! I'm going to need a set of cords, and you three" –she pointed at a trio of smiths—"are going to weave them together into the ropes for bolas! You over there, get me four molds for spherical weights and two for manacle cuffs, and start pouring metal!"

"Spherical?" one of the smiths asked.

"The circles!" Twilight barked. "You over there, start up the fires and don't move anything else into them! You, get me some cold water for standby to finish them! And you"—she turned to point to the Genie, but stopped, softening her tone. "Um…can I please see that scroll again so I know when we need to add magic?"

As the Genie handed Twilight the scroll, Aladdin gave her a laudatory smirk. "You really know how to get people organized, don't you?"

"Believe me," Twilight replied, "if I can get an entire town on track for clearing away the snow of Winter and bringing in the weather for Spring, I can handle one smithy." She turned back to the smiths. "Now, let's GET TO WORK!"

* * *

Uncouthma had been transferred to the bed of some willing civilians who reassured him they still recognized him as the true leader. Here, Fluttershy wrapped his limbs in bandages while Brawnhilda prepared an anesthetic of nightshade and hemlock, diluted well so as not to be poisonous. She soaked a sponge in the concoction before giving it to Uncouthma to inhale; he passed out.

"Now he will feel no pain," Brawnhilda told Fluttershy.

"You wouldn't happen to have any kind of plaster," Fluttershy asked, "would you? That would help the bandages keep the bones in place."

"We can find plaster easily!" Brawnhilda told Fluttershy. "I will find some. You stay here and keep tending to my darling's wounds."

Fluttershy dipped a rag in a bucket of cold water and began cleaning off the cuts Uncouthma had received from the chipped stones.

* * *

"Sky five!" Bud guessed, marking the position on the plank that stood upright before him.

On the other side of the plank, Pinkie cried, "You zapped my weather pony! You win!" She cleared the boards of the BattleClouds game. "You wanna play again?"

Rarity entered the tavern. "Ahem," she said. "Twilight, Aladdin, and the Genie are finished up in the forges, and we're about to move to Phase Two, so you might want to move to the next training arena…"

"Right!" Pinkie saluted. "Okay, Bud! We're going to take your training to the next level! Extreme hopscotch outside the castle!"

"All right!" Bud cried, rushing from the tavern.

Pinkie followed him closely. "Wait! Don't get too close to the castle! Just close enough that we can see the door! Um…training regulations! It's in the rulebook!"

* * *

"There," Fluttershy said, setting the last cast in place on Uncouthma. "Did…did I do all right?"

"You did wonderfully!" Brawnhilda congratulated. She looked over her sleeping husband. "My poor, dainty dear…I hope he knows that every wound only makes him all the more precious, but his life is the most precious thing to me of all."

Jasmine entered the room. "Everyone's ready," she informed Fluttershy and Brawnhilda.

Fluttershy squeaked, unsure if she could handle what lay ahead. Abu tugged on her sleeve; she looked down to where he stood on the floor. He swung his fisted paw decisively, giving a squeak that sounded vaguely like "You can do it!"

"Right," Fluttershy said. "Let's go."

* * *

Inside the Odiferan castle, Mozenrath drummed his fingers on the arm rest of the throne – a much smaller affair than that of the Al-Muddy. "Are you sure they're not just going to take that as incentive to fight you?" he snapped at Jafar.

"Who will fight me?" Jafar asked. "The boy who has failed time and again to thwart me?"

"Don't underestimate Aladdin," Mozenrath warned.

"What about the precious princess of Odiferous?" Jafar mocked.

"Don't…say THAT…either," Mozenrath shot back. "Take it from me: every time you say that there's no way the delicate little princess could ever defeat you…she figures out a way to make you hurt like never before."

"And the little girls," Jafar teased, "helpless without their Element of Loyalty, when even the most powerful of them is not even powerful enough to stand against a genie? Such a weak sorceress—"

"You didn't have your magic up against hers back in the caverns!" Mozenrath snapped. "She isn't weak."

"She was easily overtaken in the rainforest," Jafar reminded Mozenrath.

"Do NOT underestimate her either," Mozenrath replied without explanation. "Just be ready to take whatever they throw at you at a moment's notice. You know…" His lips curled into a smile. "I think I like the genie look on you. It's very dashing."

"A fact I well know," Jafar said with a returning smile. "For the record, shirts don't do you justice. Are you blushing, boy?"

"N-no!" Mozenrath hastily defended, turning to look at one of the coats of arms mounted on the wall.

Xerxes flitted into the room. "Aladdin is here!" he announced. "At door of castle!"

"What does he want?" Jafar said gruffly. "Who is with him?"

"Genie!" Xerxes informed. "And sorceress girl!"

"I shall make short work of this," Jafar resolved, striding out of the throne room.

"HEY, JAFAR!" Aladdin called out, pounding on the door of the Odiferan castle. "Do you really think you're stronger than everybody here?"

The door opened of its own accord; Jafar stood in the atrium beyond. "It is not so much a matter of thinking," he said, "as it is a matter of knowing."

"I bet there's someone in this kingdom that's stronger than you," Aladdin countered. "Why don't you come out and fight to prove me wrong?"

"I could take on this entire kingdom and come out on top, boy!" Jafar boasted, striding out of the castle as Aladdin moved aside.

The area before the castle was cleared; most of the civilians, hearing what was to happen, were gathered in a circle around the great space where Aladdin and Jafar stood, waiting to see what would happen.

"I don't suppose you are the one with the claim to greater strength," Jafar taunted. "We have unfinished business anyway, don't we?"

"Yeah," Aladdin agreed, "but I'll have my chance to beat you again later. Right now, the one you need to worry about…"

"Is me!" Brawnhilda stepped through the crowd, and the Odiferans gasped. Aladdin stepped aside, merging with the populace.

Jafar burst into raucous laughter. At last, he managed to gasp out, "The princess? Oh, how I tremble in fear! Not even a muscle-bound hulk of a woman like you could match powers with me!"

"I shall still try!" Brawnhilda asserted. "You hurt my love, and now he needs me to make sure you will never do it again!"

"Just try me, Princess." Jafar morphed into the shape of the red genie. "Let the rest of your people see what happens when you challenge the true strength of Odiferous!"

"Hey Jafar!" Twilight's voice rang out from the crowd. "Didn't anypony ever tell you to fight fair?"

Jafar glanced downward, to the ring of spectators. Aladdin was at the very inner edge of the crowd, Twilight and the Genie to either side of him and leaning an arm on either of his shoulders. Aladdin held a small casket in his hands, and Twilight and Genie each had a free hand on the casket's lid. Upon the signal of a nod from Aladdin, they pulled the lid up sharply. From the casket erupted two strange objects – like hairy, tooth-lined clamshells in appearance, and flying upward to Jafar, clacking their teeth all the way. Before Jafar could react, one of them bit his left wrist and transformed into a metal cuff. He instinctively shook his left arm to see if he could rid himself of it; this turned out to be a mistake. The other one clasped his right wrist, also becoming a cuff, and because of Jafar's reactionary flailing, both his hands were behind his back when the chain appeared between the two cuffs and shortened, drawing his wrists together. Jafar then felt an enormous draw upon his inner energy, flowing from his soul into the manacles. He could no longer keep the form of the great red genie and instead shrank back into the human form he was given in his original mortal life, the manacles shrinking as well so that his wrists could not slip free.

"What trickery is this?" Jafar hissed.

"Living manacles," Aladdin said casually. "Standard genie-hunting fare. Of course, you're so powerful you can hold your own even without all your powers…right?"

"YOU WILL PAY!" Jafar made to run at Aladdin, the Genie, and Twilight, but Brawnhilda stepped in front of him.

"You will not hurt my friends!" she insisted in her soft voice while dealing a hard punch to Jafar's face: and so the battle began.

* * *

"What was I thinking," Mozenrath asked Xerxes as he rose from the throne, "letting him go out there alone? He's probably already in some kind of trouble from underestimating our enemies. Xerxes, he might actually need me." He couldn't help but clasp his hands and smile. "I could end up saving his life! He'd have to be grateful for that, right, Xerxes? He'd learn not to underestimate Aladdin or Twilight, and, more importantly, he'd learn not to underestimate me. What do you think, Xerxes?"

Xerxes regarded Mozenrath with confusion. "Certain?"

"Of course I'm certain! He'd have to be grateful to me! I'm surprised he isn't already, for me holding that lamp of his so no one can destroy it. But I'm wearing him down, Xerxes. He may have given me the cold shoulder at the beginning, but he's starting to see what I'm really made of. And in a short time – "

Mozenrath was interrupted when three women came flying through the windows of the throne room, feet first, via pole-vault. Jasmine, Rarity, and Applejack landed on the stone floor.

"What do YOU want?" Mozenrath snapped. "I don't have time for this!"

"Now that's just too bad," Applejack said, taking a coil of rope – a bolas – from her waist and flinging it at Mozenrath. "'Cause we're about to hold you up a few more minutes!"

Jasmine also whipped out a bolas, flinging it at Mozenrath. The two ropes collided, wrapping around him tightly.

"You think that can hold me?" Mozenrath growled, his gauntlet surging with power. The magic rebounded on him, shocking him with a painful blue aura. Through his yowls of pain, the words "NOT AGAIN" were audible.

"This's happened to him before?" Applejack asked Jasmine.

"Technically, one bolas would have been enough," Jasmine admitted. "It held him last time. But you're an even better throw than me."

"Your throw wasn't bad," Applejack complimented. "Heck, we could sure use rope-throwin' like that back on my family's farm!"

"Well…I had a little practice with a whip. There was sort of an incident where I thought I was the most powerful villain in the Seven Deserts…"

When the blue energy abated, Mozenrath toppled to the floor, struggling against his restraints. Rarity stood over him. "I suppose we've defeated you quite properly now," she said. "After all, you can't get free of those restraints on your own, and you can't use your magic. We've won!"

"Not by a long shot," Mozenrath growled. "Jafar is still unbeatable, I still have Rainbow Dash in the dungeons, and soon I'll have enough weaponry to take back the kingdoms you stole from me!"

"Twi was right," Applejack said in astonishment. "He really does brag up a storm when ya push him to!"

"WHAT about Twilight?" Mozenrath asked.

"Oh, this was just part of her plan to reclaim Odiferous for Uncouthma and Brawnhilda," Jasmine told Mozenrath.

"Tying me up does nothing!" Mozenrath replied angrily. "There's still Jafar!"

"We know that, dear," Rarity said with a wink. "We just needed a way to get you to brag about everything you'd done…including where you put Rainbow Dash."

"To the dungeons!" Applejack cried, and she and Jasmine took off.

Mozenrath, realizing he'd been outsmarted, gaped at them as they left. Before Rarity could follow, he yelled, "You! The one with the purple curls."

"Yes?" Rarity asked with a sigh.

"Just tell me one thing. Did Twilight really orchestrate an entire plan to take back Odiferous?"

"She's quite the organizer," Rarity replied. "You'll see soon enough. Oh, and one more thing…leather gauntlets are NOT in vogue this season." She then took off after Jasmine and Applejack.

After lying on the ground stunned for a while, Mozenrath rolled over so that he could look up at Xerxes, who floated overhead helplessly. "I'm beginning to think she's really a match for me," Mozenrath told the eel.

"Mozenrath's perfect match!" Xerxes agreed.

"NO! I MEANT HER POWER IS A MATCH FOR MINE!"

"Whatever Mozenrath say!"

* * *

The battle was largely one-sided. Jafar's only advantage was his reflexes; every now and then, he could dodge a blow. However, Brawnhilda's fighting skill was far superior to his own; she kicked out, threw punches, knocked him to the ground.

Yet the manacles were beginning to loosen. Jafar dared not give up the fight, as he could feel the cuff on his right wrist beginning to split, to turn back into the clamshell.

The Genie noticed it as well, having been watching it by extending his eyes into blue binoculars. "Uh-oh!" he announced. "We got a malfunction in the right manacle!"

"Stay here and keep an eye on them!" Aladdin commanded the Genie. "Twilight, let's go!"

Aladdin and Twilight charged through the crowds until they found Pinkie and Bud standing before a hopscotch board marked out on the cobblestone with charcoal.

"That's not hopscotch, silly!" Bud said, erasing a few squares. "THAT's a hopscotch board!"

"So THAT'S how you play with only two feet!" Pinkie said in realization.

"Bud!" Aladdin cried. "Training's over! You still wanna smash the guy that beat up your dad?"

"YEAH!" Bud yelled.

"Well, come on!" Aladdin beckoned Bud to follow, and the two ran towards the scene of the fight.

"You wouldn't believe how much fun we were having!" Pinkie gushed to Twilight. "We played BattleClouds, and—"

"Pinkie," Twilight interrupted, "we need to line up. Applejack and Rarity could find Rainbow Dash at any minute!"

"Ooh, right!" Pinkie chirped. "General Pinkie, awaiting orders!"

"I need you to go find Fluttershy and bring her here."

"Okie-dokie Loki!" Pinkie promised, running back toward the house where Brawnhilda had left Fluttershy and Abu to look after her husband.

Back in the battle ring, Jafar was stunned when the redheaded blur that was Bud rammed into him headfirst and knocked him over.

* * *

Jasmine, Rarity, and Applejack found the dungeons easily: in the basement of the castle, sealed by a door with iron bars inset in a small window up top and a thick metal padlock on the handle.

"Good thing Abu didn't mind me borrowing this," Jasmine said as she produced a lockpick and used it to force the padlock open. She repeated the process on the door of the first cell and opened it to find Rainbow Dash and Iago inside.

"I've…almost…got it!" Rainbow Dash grunted, tugging at the cuff that held her right ankle. "I can feel it!"

"You got nothing!" Iago criticized.

Rainbow Dash suddenly noticed her rescuers. "Jasmine! Rarity! Applejack! How'd you find me?"

"Mozenrath's a motor-mouth," Applejack answered.

"Here," Jasmine said, setting to work at the locks of Rainbow Dash's chains. "We'll get these off you."

"And here I was half expecting Rarity to saw off the chains with a nail file," Rainbow Dash joked.

"Getting an all-purpose file wouldn't be a half-bad idea…" Rarity considered.

Soon Rainbow Dash was free of her chains. "Let's go!" Applejack told her. "We need all six Elements of Harmony up for the big finish!"

"No!" Rainbow Dash protested. "Not until I'm sure Iago's okay!"

Jasmine had already begun to work on the cuff holding the macaw. She bested the lock, and he fluttered into the air. "Stop worrying about me, kid," he barked, "and GET OUT THERE BEFORE JAFAR TURNS US ALL INTO ROAST FILETS!"

"Right!" Rainbow Dash said, and the five rushed out of the dungeon.

* * *

The right manacle broke.

"It looks like your time has run out, Princess," the highly bruised and battered Jafar told Brawnhilda as he felt his power resurging; he struck her shoulder with a handful of red energy, and she fell, hitting the ground hard.

"Any time now…" Twilight muttered. As if in response, Pinkie and Fluttershy skidded in at her left.

"I have still beaten you!" Brawnhilda insisted. "You are not the true ruler of Odiferous!"

The other Odiferans in the crowd began to murmur their assent. Their princess had, in their eyes, proven her strength over the usurper's advisor.

"It doesn't matter," Jafar told her as the left manacle broke. He rose before her in his genie form.

Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash ran towards Twilight from her left, panting from having hurried.

Brawnhilda, now on her feet, rushed toward Bud, kneeling over him to shield him.

"Protecting the child?" Jafar taunted. "How touching." He gathered an enormous sphere of red between his hands, preparing to throw it.

"NOT SO FAST!" Twilight yelled.

Jafar looked down in horror to see all six of the Elements standing in the Odiferan crowd. "No…it can't be…"

"Let's do this," said Rainbow Dash.

As the six glowed with bright light, their amulets growing, Jafar snarled, "HOW CAN THIS BE?"

Still doubly tied up, Mozenrath laboriously hopped out of the castle's front door. He began to warn, "Jafar! They found—"

"I CAN SEE THAT VERY WELL!" Jafar screamed.

The Odiferans gasped as the six Elements' feet left the ground. The rainbow burst forth from the light that surrounded them.

"NO!" Just before the rainbow could touch down, Jafar performed another escape in the nick of time; he and Mozenrath were gone in a cloud of red as the rainbow connected uselessly with the cobblestone.

The light subsided; the Elements' feet touched ground. "He got away again!" Pinkie groaned.

"I thought we had him!" Rainbow Dash growled.

"That doesn't matter!" Brawnhilda cried joyously. "The usurpers are gone!"

"Brawnhilda has proven herself stronger!" someone yelled from the crowd.

"Uncouthma's family should really be the rulers!" someone else cried.

"Looks like we won another one," Aladdin remarked. "Nice thinking, Twilight."

"Oh, it was nothing," Twilight said embarrassedly. "It was just a set of lucky ideas, that's all."

"Oh, but even Mozenrath was impressed with your ideas," said Rarity.

"He was?" Twilight asked excitedly. "I mean…that's good. He should know that I haven't given up on beating him. And next time, he better not distract me again by not wearing a shirt! Seeing that would make ANYPONY mess up!"

"Thank you," Brawnhilda said. "You are forever friends to the Odiferans! Oh, and Fluttershy, how is…"

"He woke up," Fluttershy reported. "I told him you were fighting for him. He was very worried for you. He loves you a lot, Brawnhilda."

"I must go and tell him I am all right!" Brawnhilda cried anxiously, and she took off running for the house where Uncouthma was held, the others following.

* * *

Soon, Uncouthma was transferred to a bed inside the castle, and Brawnhilda and Bud had moved back in where they belonged. Applejack had helped Brawnhilda guide the yaks back to their pasture, and now the group just waited inside for the chance to part.

"I cannot thank you enough!" Uncouthma insisted. "You all have shown that you have very strong head-muscles and heart-muscles, even if you are all frail! In order to thank you, I have had the guards place several crates of our finest vintage cheeses outside the castle door for you to take on our trip!"

"I…don't exactly think we can take all of that with us," Aladdin said hurriedly. "But thanks anyway!"

"I don't want General Pinkie to leave!" Bud whined. "She's the most fun general ever!"

"I had fun with you too!" Pinkie said honestly. "But we have to go save the rest of the Seven Deserts!"

"I won't forget what you taught me," Fluttershy told Brawnhilda. "Nightshade and hemlock!"

"Good luck on your journey!" Uncouthma wished.

"We'll need it," Iago sighed.

"Nothing we can't handle," Aladdin said casually. "We'll see you sometime, Uncouthma."

With that, the group left the upper chambers of the castle, working their way down.

"Twilight?" Rarity nudged her friend gently. "You've been awfully quiet. Is everything all right?"

"I'M FINE!" Twilight burst out, blushing heavily. "I'm just thinking about…how we can get Jafar to hold still while we fire the Elements at him! And the next speech I can give to them! You know, something like…things may be heating up, but it's time for you to cool off!"

"I'd avoid anything that might involve the word 'hot'," Rarity said. "Just a suggestion. We don't want anything to be misconstrued again, is all."

"Right," Twilight said, trying to force from her mind the image she'd been trying to picture when Rarity had interrupted her – how exactly it must have looked when Mozenrath was tied up in the throne room, still without a shirt.

Crates of cheese were indeed stacked up at the front door. Applejack took a morsel out of one of them, popping it into her mouth. Her eyes widened. She swallowed. "Now that…THAT'S GOOD STUFF!" she complimented. "Okay, I gotta take some of this." One of the crates held small crocks of the cheese; Applejack chose just one.

"Now boarding Genie Air, flight number twenty-two, destination unknown!" the Genie announced, transforming into the jet once again. Applejack cradled her new treasure as she climbed aboard. Everyone took their seats again on either the Genie-jet or the Carpet, and the two lifted into the air until they were nothing but a blur on the horizon to the Odiferans.

* * *

Chapter 10:

· Originally, I was going to include something about the peppermint lizards in Odiferous, but I didn't have the time/place.

· While the episode "The Way We War" suggests that Odiferous doesn't actually make its own weapons and instead buys them from imps, there is canon evidence that they had metal mallets, maces, and cheese-bombs before the imps ever got involved. Ergo, I don't think it's too much license to say that they make weapons.

· I…have no idea why Uncouthma and Brawnhilda are still called Prince and Princess. They're obviously the rulers, so why not King and Queen? That's the ATAS writers' plot hole, not mine! Anyway, those two are huge characters in the Aladdin canon (figuratively and literally), and Bud got an episode, so I say he's important too.

· Notes on Odiferous: canonically, it's based on barbarian tribes (who I have no qualms with making fun of, since that's probably my heritage as far back as you can trace it), and they all value strength above every other quality. The cheese thing is canon, Brawnhilda having the yak farm that's the hub of the economy is canon, Brawnhilda's thing for weak men who need her protection is VERY canon, and everyone in the kingdom is huge, so they refer to foreigners as "dainty" or "frail" all the time. The royal family has the verbal tics of calling all friends by the title of "friend _" and by referring to the brain as the "head-muscle" and the heart as the "heart-muscle".

· Okay, I HAD to get some Brawnhilda/Mozenrath shipteasing in there, even if it's just a temporarily one-sided observation from her. I wouldn't want to break her up with Uncouthma – they're too cute – and I have better people to ship Moz with in the long run, but I ship him with FREAKIN' EVERYONE, and since he always ends up in danger, I figure Brawnhilda would find that attractive.

· For the record, Al is WAY off when he thinks the relationship Mozenrath wants with Jafar is "father". But you all knew that.

· The outfit I describe for Mozenrath is pretty much what Uncouthma wears, which is why I decided it's royal dress. Of course, I added the blue, since he needs blue on him at all times. And let me pause to accentuate one more time: MOZENRATH IS SHIRTLESS. Okay, so that's pretty much just Author Appeal…

· Yes, Moz has the power to teleport people places, and I'm trying SO HARD to eliminate any circumstances in the plot where anyone could ask, "Well, why didn't he just teleport _ to _?" If I miss any…I'm only human.

· "The! Worst! POSSIBLE! THING!" is Rarity's catchphrase from "Lesson Zero". She says it whenever some little bad thing happens, such as her forgetting to bring the plates to a picnic.

· I made up the rules about Moz not being able to directly leech RD's powers off her. Mostly because it would be a story-breaker if characters could just Sonic Rainboom whenever they wanted without having the right expanse of sky to pull it off.

· The Gilda thing is from the ep "Griffon the Brush-Off", and I added nothing. That's how it went.

· The thing about the six not needing the amulets is part fanon, part canon. They did cause the amulets to originally appear by embodying the concepts they represented, and used that alone to defeat Nightmare Moon. However, they needed the amulets to beat Discord, and failed to beat Chrysalis because they couldn't get to them. It was my belief that the amulets are just physical constructs that represent the essence of each bearer, and that the six just don't know that they don't need them. S4 Jossed this, but I'm going to keep running with it anyway for the sake of the story. (And for the record, I DID like how S4 had the Mane Six have to give up the Elements, and the premiere and finale were both beautiful. I just can't use S4 in this story as it stands.) Jury's out on whether AJ overheard Jafar say they didn't need them at that moment. I'll decide that later.

· If yaks really do have no sense of loyalty, I apologize. Artistic license.

· Genies can't kill. It's a rule.

· Soooooo…the imps having a directory of Mukhtar gadgets that can be forged with Twi's level of magic is totally me pulling a Deus Ex Machina…the Mukhtar is a character who lives to hunt genies, and the living manacles and magic-repelling bolas are both canon things he wields, albeit from separate episodes. The manacles were perfectly effective on the Genie, but he's downgraded in power. Since Jafar still has full powers, I decided he could break the manacles so as not to have a plot-breaker (you know, they get the manacles on him, he's defeated, storylet over). Also, I'm going to take huge liberties with what mythical creatures Twilight could encounter in Equestrian bestiaries.

· Fluttershy is a healer partially as a reference to the ep where she tries to care for Celestia's pet phoenix and partially as a reference to the fandom idea of pairing her romantically and/or platonically with the Medic from TF2. And yes, if I get there, I'm going to take full advantage of that crossover as well.

· Pinkie is a babysitter because of the ep "Baby Cakes", where she does take care of the two foals named.

· And Twi's ability to mobilize people into organized fashion is an homage to "Winter Wrap-Up," where she discovers her main talent is organizing others to do big projects.

· There actually is an ancient Arabic technique of anesthetic by soporific sponge using mandragora and hemlock. I use the term "nightshade" instead of "mandragora" because in this crossover universe, "mandrake" is usually the living kind.

· "BattleClouds" is the game from the MLP ep "Read It and Weep." It's basically a weather/pony-themed Battleship. The game was never named in canon, probably because no one could think of a good pony pun for Battleship. "BattleClouds" is the best I got. Jenga, on the other hand, I think can exist in Equestria without the need to pony-theme it.

· Every time Moz calls Jasmine the dainty/precious princess in canon and implies that she's weak, she kicks his ass. This has happened at least twice. I figure he's learned by now.

· I really wanted to emphasize that the women in this story don't need to be saved by the men. Like, REALLY EMPHASIZE IT. Hence RD gets an all-female rescue team, and Brawnhilda is the one to fight. I'm sort of a girl power advocate. I'm not going to short the male heroes or anything, but I want the women of my story to be very active.

· In canon, Mozenrath was caught up in the Mukhtar's magic-repellent bolas in the ep "The Hunted." It had the same effect there too (actually, I went easy on him; in canon, he knocked himself unconscious that way).

· Jasmine really is canonically a whip-wielder. The ep "Forget-Me-Lots" had her go amnesiac and think she was a villain, and honestly, she quite possibly could have been the most powerful villain in all the Seven Deserts at that point. Funny trivia: when she thought she was evil, she changed her outfit to one the same shade of blue as Moz's. And this was many episodes before his debut.

· The "Royal Canterlot Wedding" ep did feature briefly a hopscotch board with several extra squares for players with four hooves. I don't know if it actually could have functioned, but bronies did take screens to point it out and ask, "HOW DOES THIS WORK?" So we know they do canonically have four-footed hopscotch.

· Abu is known for having a ton of lockpicks. They're used as Deus Ex Machinas in ATAS canon all the time, so I have no shame about doing this here. The only shame I have is not figuring out an actual way for RD to break her chains before her rescue team showed up, but that couldn't be helped.

· DID I JUST MAKE A REFERENCE TO TWILIGHT BEING INTERESTED IN BONDAGE? I think I did. I…couldn't help it. TIED UP AND SHIRTLESS. SOMEPONY HAD TO BE INTERESTED. (I still think the animators totally knew what they were doing when they had him encounter the bolas with his shirt ON in The Hunted…)

· Interesting trivia: the next place we visit, I was going to have last, but I switched them out because the plot worked better to have the one I was originally going to do last.


	11. Smile, Smile, Smile

1. Smile, Smile, Smile

QUIRKISTAN, THE SEVEN DESERTS

The throne room of the palace of Quirkistan had wide windows that overlooked the kingdom's vast golden dunes, emerald trees, topaz sky, and expertly constructed houses. It was upon this vista that Mozenrath looked, now dressed in his usual blue clothing rather than any themed ensemble.

"Did you ever hear about the powers of the king of Quirkistan?" he asked Jafar, who stood some way behind him, surveying the same view.

"I have traveled to this land many times," Jafar answered. "Whosoever holds the throne of Quirkistan has sway over the physical nation itself based on his mood."

"And right now, I'm pretty happy," said Mozenrath. His brow furrowed. "Too happy. This kingdom needs…anger. This kingdom needs what I feel whenever Aladdin bests me at a scheme."

Gray clouds moved in over the formerly pristine sky, and thunder rumbled before great forks of lightning crashed downward, unaccompanied by rain.

"What I feel…when I think of my father."

The green leaves curled up into brown husks and dropped off all the trees.

"What I felt when Destane never gave me my due! What I felt when Khartoum betrayed me! WHAT I FELT WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT MY BROTHER HAD A GENIE DROPPED ONTO HIM OUT OF NOWHERE WHILE I HAD TO WORK FOR THE POWER I HAVE!"

A chilling wind blasted through the dark air. Great cracks appeared in the earth, and from them, columns of fire burst toward the sky, lighting up the darkened land. Screams of terror could be heard from the village outside.

"That's more like it," Mozenrath growled.

"Fine work indeed," Jafar complimented, stepping closer to Mozenrath to admire the wasteland outside the window. His right hand brushed against Mozenrath's left.

Immediately, a piercing ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, and a patch of sapphire blue flowers sprouted where it touched the earth. Jafar glanced at Mozenrath with suspicion; Mozenrath bit his lip in embarrassment. The temperature of the room began rising. Without a word, Mozenrath turned to walk to the window set in the opposite wall, recalling his anger; the temperature plummeted, the clouds obscured the sun, the flowers withered and died.

Now Jafar was sure of his new master's feelings toward him. That, he knew, would be advantageous.

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Pinkie Pie asked, pointing toward the horizon. The clouds had concentrated in one dark spot where she indicated, and bright flashes of light, far too large to be ordinary lightning, emitted at intervals.

"That's the direction of Quirkistan," Aladdin informed her. He then realized what that meant. "Oh, no…"

"What?" Twilight asked. "What is it?"

"Quirkistan changes based on its king's mood," Aladdin told her.

"So do a lot of countries," Twilight answered obliviously.

"No, not like that. It's more like…if the king is happy, Quirkistan is sunny. If the king is sad, it rains. If the king is angry…" He pointed back out toward the dark spot on the horizon. "That."

"Let's go!" Jasmine commanded.

* * *

QUIRKISTAN, THE SEVEN DESERTS

The Carpet and the Genie-jet descended at the edge of Quirkistan. Now that they were up close, they could see the horrors imposed upon the land. Clouds completely obscured the sun, shooting down vicious forks of lightning. Chilling winds tore through the atmosphere as thunder boomed. Dead trees were split by lightning, or simply twisted into grotesque shapes. The palace was visible on the horizon's edge, houses surrounding it. Every now and again, columns of fire burst from the earth between the group and the palace.

"Oh, the humanity!" the Genie cried dramatically as he shifted to his human form.

"This is Mozenrath, all right," Aladdin confirmed.

"Big deal!" Rainbow Dash said with a wave of her hand. "I'll have this sky cleared in ten seconds flat."

"No, Rainbow Dash!" Aladdin warned. "You don't understand—"

"Ten. Seconds. Flat," Rainbow Dash insisted before spreading her wings and shooting up into the air. She circled the dark clouds, trying to kick them out of the way; they resisted, springing back and refusing to move. A flash of lightning came too close for comfort, and Rainbow Dash landed. "What's up with these clouds?" she complained. "I can't move them!"

"Not even Thundra could move these!" Iago cried. "We're at the mercy of whoever's on the throne! And there is no winning this one back with battles or games!"

"Then what do we do?" Rarity moaned. "Of all the worst things that could happen—"

Aladdin cut her off. "When I come up against something that seems impossible, I can usually talk my way out of it," he said. "But I don't know if there's anything I can say that can get us out of this!"

"I just feel bad for poor Mozenrath," Pinkie said, which caused everyone to turn to her in surprise.

"I'm sorry," Iago said, "it sounded for a minute there like you said you felt bad for Mozenrath."

"But I do!" Pinkie insisted. "If he's making Quirkistan angry all the time, that means he's angry all the time! And if he's angry all the time, that means he can never be happy!"

"That's it!" Aladdin realized. "He wouldn't settle for not turning Quirkistan into a complete mess…but that wouldn't leave him any room to gloat over it, because that would mean being happy about it! We just have to get him to see it that way!"

"I'll get us to the palace in no time!" the Genie promised. "This could be our easiest victory yet!"

Rainbow Dash, however, had been watching the clouds above. "BLIZZARD CLOUD!" she suddenly yelled, running away as fast as she could. The other five Equestrians, knowing what that meant, followed suit.

"Hey, wait up!" Aladdin called, following them.

"Rainbow Dash!" Jasmine yelled, running alongside Aladdin. The Carpet sailed after them, Abu on board, and Iago came last.

"Huh," the Genie said, not moving. "Wonder what's got her all—"

The cloud above hailed down a shower of snow and ice that completely obscured the area below it. The others watched in horror as the Genie was obscured from view. When the cloud finished precipitating and visibility cleared, the Genie was encased completely in a block of ice.

"GENIE!" Aladdin and Pinkie screamed.

"It was a blizzard cloud," Rainbow Dash said shakingly. "I know exactly what they look like. I knew it had a ton of ice in it. I should have told you…I thought we could all make it…"

"It's okay," Aladdin told her. "You didn't have time."

Jasmine, Twilight, and the Carpet rushed to the frozen Genie, attempting to chip away the ice. Twilight found that she didn't have a spell for such a situation, and Jasmine discovered that even the sharpest rocks on the ground could only dent the ice block.

"We might have to go without him," Jasmine realized.

"No," Aladdin retorted, picking up a rock and trying to tear away the ice. "I'm not going without Genie!" However, he too was defeated by the thickness of the ice.

"We have to go," Twilight realized. "We'll come back for him. I mean, that ice couldn't kill him…could it?"

"No," Aladdin admitted. "All right. Let's go. The sooner we can get Mozenrath to stop messing around with Quirkistan…the sooner we can set Genie free."

He, Jasmine, Twilight, and the Carpet walked back to where the others stood next to a towering cliff. "Looks like the fastest way we can go is if some of us take Carpet," Aladdin realized, "and the rest of us—"

The group was suddenly shaken by a violent earthquake. Rocks tumbled down from the cliff overhead. Boulders landed on the ground with a great cloud of dust in their wake.

Once the ground ceased moving, Twilight called out, "Everypony okay?"

Upon surveying the scene, she saw that the rocks had spared all but one. The Carpet was pinned beneath a mammoth boulder about the size of a small house. "Hang on," she said, surrounding the boulder with pink magic. She tried hard to lift it, but its mass was too great, and it didn't budge. "I'm sorry," she panted after the third attempt.

"We're bein' picked off like fish in a barrel!" Iago realized.

"We better get movin' before some other disaster strikes!" Applejack ordered.

"But Carpet!" Aladdin argued.

"Will be fine once we clear up this mess with Mozenrath!" Applejack insisted. "Now let's go!"

The group, down one genie and one flying carpet, turned toward the palace and began the long trek through the wastelands.

* * *

The ground shook again.

"Another earthquake!" Twilight called out.

"At least we aren't near any mountains," said Rainbow Dash, thinking the worst that could have happened was another rockslide. She was about to be horrifically corrected.

The ground began to split in two, with Aladdin, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie on one side of the crack and Iago, Jasmine, Fluttershy, Abu, Rarity, and Twilight on the other. A great wall of fire, seeming to stretch eternally to both sides, shot up from the crack and refused to subside.

The fire blocked the way for the latter group to get to the palace. "Hang on!" Twilight yelled. "I think I can reflect this!"

She stared at the fire, focused. She put out her hands, directing energy through them. A tunnel of pink appeared in the fiery wall, leading a way through the flames. She rushed to the center of the tunnel in order to hold it up from a better point of equilibrium. "Go!" she ordered.

Iago wasted no time flying through the tunnel. Fluttershy ran through next, Abu on her shoulder.

Beads of sweat ran down Twilight's face. She was magically drained from trying to move the boulder, and holding up the flames was pressing on her ever harder.

"Twilight?" said Rarity, coming halfway through the tunnel to meet her. "Are you all right?" Behind her, Jasmine entered the tunnel.

Cracks appeared in the pink aura. "I…I can hold it…" Twilight grunted.

"Don't!" Rarity warned. "It's going to collapse! You'll be burned!" She turned to Jasmine, crying out, "Go back!"

"NO!" Twilight insisted as the tunnel became riddled with cracks. "I…can…do this!"

"Twilight! Get out! NOW!" Rarity insisted, backing off.

Twilight closed her eyes, steeled herself—

The cracks gave way. Rarity turned and rushed from the collapsing tunnel.

Twilight realized she'd overestimated herself. Expecting to become engulfed in flame, she waited for the pain, for the end. Instead, she felt herself dragged a short distance, then laid down on the ground. She opened her eyes to see Pinkie hovering over her.

"Twilight!" Pinkie cried. "Are you okay?"

"Did you…did you save me?" Twilight croaked.

"I ran in when the tunnel started falling apart!" Pinkie answered. "My Pinkie-sense told me it was gonna break!"

"Rarity," Twilight realized. "I…I couldn't save Rarity…"

"RARITYYYYYYYYY!" Pinkie called to the wall of flames.

"I'M HERE!" a voice answered from the other side.

"JASMINE!" Aladdin called out. "SAY SOMETHING!"

"I'M ALL RIGHT!" Jasmine yelled back.

Twilight sat up. "I can get them across," she said weakly, putting out her hands. Several flashes of pink crossed the fire, but Twilight was unable to make another tunnel.

"GO ON WITHOUT US!" Jasmine yelled. "WE'LL GO BACK TO GENIE AND CARPET!"

"But that splits up the Elements!" Rainbow Dash realized.

"We've beaten Mozenrath and Jafar when you were split up before," Aladdin reminded her. "We'll just have to do it again."

"Ya think Rarity can really make it all the way back across Quirkistan with all the weird weather and stuff?" Applejack thought out loud.

"She has Jasmine with her," Aladdin pointed out. "Jasmine can protect her from anything."

"Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy asked softly, "what are you looking at?"

"Just the fire," Pinkie admitted. "It's so bright! Maybe Mozenrath is on to something with having fire powers!"

"You know what the last thing we need is?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Giving the crazy one in pink fire?" Iago replied.

"You read my mind," Rainbow Dash sighed.

Twilight stood up shakily. "We have to go on," she resolved.

So they did.

* * *

Next, a roaring river blocked the way. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Iago flew easily over the raging waters; Fluttershy carried Abu. "Can you make it?" Rainbow Dash called over the thundering of the river.

"I know I can swim this," Applejack said. "Al? Twilight? Pinkie?"

"No problem," Aladdin boasted.

"I…don't know…" Twilight looked hesitantly at the water. Pinkie put in a foot to test it and was nearly dragged away by the current from that alone.

"Hang on!" Rainbow Dash flew back to the other bank, seizing Pinkie under the arms. "I got ya!" She lifted Pinkie into the air, carrying her over as Aladdin and Applejack descended into the rushing water. Fluttershy followed suit with Twilight, barely getting her to the opposite bank without dropping her into the raging rapids.

The intensity of the current picked up. Applejack was finding it harder to stay on course. The waters plunged her under several times, and she struggled just to keep her head above the surface.

After a short but laborious journey, Aladdin reached the opposite bank. He clambered onto land, then extended his hand toward the water. "Applejack! Take my hand!"

Applejack was still in the middle of the river, fighting the current. "I can't!" she cried. "Go on! I'll be…GAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The rapids washed her downstream and out of sight.

"APPLEJACK!" Aladdin, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy yelled.

"It's okay," Twilight muttered to herself. "It's gonna be okay…she can make it…"

"We gotta find her!" Rainbow Dash cried, setting out to run downstream. Pinkie and Aladdin stopped her by each seizing one of her arms.

"We don't have time!" Pinkie reminded her. "Quirkistan is getting more dangerous every second!"

"You know the only way we can stop this!" Aladdin added.

"Then let's get to that palace already!" Rainbow Dash wrenched herself free from their grip, taking off running in the direction of the palace.

* * *

The winds became more intense. Twilight covered her face with her sleeve, trying to protect her skin from the biting cold. Fluttershy cradled Abu close to her stomach to warm him. Rainbow Dash had taken to the air for a change of pace, and Iago flew alongside her.

Twilight kept her focus on the path ahead. Just as far as the palace, she thought, and then—

Fluttershy screamed.

Aladdin, Pinkie, and Twilight looked to Fluttershy, who pointed upward. The three watched as a great blast of wind caught Rainbow Dash's outstretched wings, blowing her up, up, into the cloudy sky and out of sight. With a yell of terror, Iago was blown in the same direction.

"NO!" Aladdin, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight cried in unison.

"Not Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy nearly sobbed. "She was too strong! There shouldn't have been anything that could do that to her!"

Despite their double loss, Aladdin, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight, and Abu agreed that the only thing to do was go on.

* * *

At last, the remaining five reached the houses surrounding the palace. They walked quickly up the main street, palace in view.

A small, dark-skinned boy dressed in rags ran out of one of the houses. "Aladdin!" he cried.

"King Mahmoud?" Aladdin replied.

"That was the king?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know what's happening!" Mahmoud sobbed as he reached the group. "I'm not doing this! I swear I'm not!"

"I know," Aladdin told him. "We know who is. We're going to get your kingdom back, Mahmoud. I promise."

"Aren't you pretty young to be a king?" said Pinkie.

"No!" Mahmoud snapped, his demeanor turning angry. "I'm just the right age to be king! My advisors say so! And I'm learning how to be an even better king every day!"

"Mahmoud," Fluttershy inquired, "would it be all right if…if I stayed with you while the others went to the castle?"

"Fluttershy!" Twilight cried in surprise.

"I'm sorry!" Fluttershy gushed worriedly. "But the Elements are already split up, and…I'm so scared! Rainbow Dash is gone, and so is Jasmine, and I…I can't do it! I can't go on!"

"But we're almost there!" Twilight encouraged.

"Anything could happen!" Fluttershy moaned. "You can manage!"

"She's really scared, isn't she?" said Mahmoud.

"Yeah," Aladdin confirmed. "It wasn't easy getting this far."

Mahmoud approached Fluttershy. "You should stay in shelter with me," he told her. "Will that make you less afraid?"

"A little," Fluttershy admitted.

"Don't worry!" Pinkie told her. "We can get Quirkistan back!"

Fluttershy set Abu on the ground. "You can go with them if you want," she told him.

"Fluttershy?" Abu squeaked. He pointed to her, indicating that he wanted to stay with her.

"He will come with us too!" Mahmoud insisted. "I will take good care of both of you!"

"We'll fix this, Fluttershy," said Aladdin. "I promise. Now stay safe. You too, Mahmoud. And take good care of Abu for me, will you?" This last, he said with a wink.

Mahmoud led Fluttershy to the house where he'd taken refuge, and Abu followed them.

Aladdin, Pinkie, and Twilight looked up toward the palace, knowing this was their last chance.

* * *

"…when I first discovered the decoy Shamash had set for anyone who tried to find his source of power…when the sprites went on strike and refused to work for me…when Xerxes knocks things over in my lab…" Ticking off more memories of anger, Mozenrath reclined upon the throne, watching the outdoors become more and more violent.

"Excellent," Jafar hissed to himself, still posted at the window.

"Being the king of Quirkistan is hard work," Mozenrath sighed, "but someone has to do it."

Suddenly, the door to the throne room burst open. Pinkie Pie leapt into the room, doing a pirouette as she sang, "My name is Pinkie Pie, hello! And I am here to say, how ya doin'? I'm gonna make you smile and I will brighten up your daaaaaay!"

"What is this?" Mozenrath asked in annoyance.

"'Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile, yes I do!" Pinkie sang.

"Shall I blast her?" Jafar asked.

"I…don't even know what's going on…" Mozenrath admitted.

"Pinkie," Twilight said, entering the room alongside Aladdin, "that's not how to go about this…at all…"

"Oh, come on!" Pinkie protested. "Everypony loves the song!"

The scenery outside changed drastically. The flashes of fire disappeared. The wind changed directions rapidly, blowing first West, then East, then West. A spot cleared in the clouds, and where the sun shone through, rain also fell from completely nowhere.

"Huh?" Aladdin looked to Mozenrath, whose gaze was fixated on Twilight.

"Confused?" Xerxes asked.

"I'd say that's accurate," Aladdin admitted.

"What?" Twilight barked. "What are you CONFUSED about?"

"Nothing," Mozenrath said hastily. He hadn't expected that reaction. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was an appropriate description of how he felt when he thought about Twilight…sun and rain at once. "Except…how you could have possibly gotten all the way here."

"It wasn't easy," Twilight retorted. "Do you have any idea what it's like out there?"

"Assuming everything went to plan," Mozenrath answered, "it should be barely livable."

"That's an understatement," Twilight grumbled.

"You've sure made a mess of things," Aladdin interrupted. "Pretty angry, huh?"

"I've been thinking about our childhood," Mozenrath snapped. "That should explain a lot to you."

"You must be proud of the level of power you have now," Aladdin went on. "Oh, wait…you can't be! Everything outside is still angry, so I guess you're not happy with it."

"Of course I'm happy with Quirkistan!" Mozenrath rose from the throne and crossed to the window. "I finally own something you can't take away from me. All…of this."

As he said that, the clouds began to lighten and clear away from the sky. Green leaves sprouted on the trees.

"I was wrong," said Aladdin. "You're happy with what you've got after all."

"It shouldn't BE like that!" Mozenrath brought to mind his collection of angry thoughts. The clouds returned. Thunder boomed.

"Are you going to listen to his words of deception?" Jafar asked.

"I'm onto your game," Mozenrath told Aladdin. "You're trying to trick me into getting my emotions mixed up."

"But it isn't a trick!" Pinkie insisted. "It's true! As long as you want Quirkistan to be all stormy and fiery, you can't ever be happy! And a Quirkistan that's fiery and stormy will never make you happy! So as long as you're the king of Quirkistan, it has to make you angry all the time! Nopony wants to be angry all the time!"

"Don't listen!" Jafar hissed.

"That's where you're wrong," Mozenrath told Pinkie. "I…" He suddenly realized he had no comeback to that. He couldn't logically think of a way around what she'd said.

"Face it," Aladdin concluded. "You've bought yourself something you can't pay for. After all, what was the point of all this conquering besides being happy with taking it over?"

"There HAS to be a way around it!" Mozenrath yelled at Jafar. "Tell me the way around this! What do I have to do to be happy with this place?"

"Be content with being discontent!" Jafar snapped back.

"That isn't even possible," Mozenrath told him.

"There's no way you can keep this place up in the long run!" Pinkie insisted.

"This entire kingdom is worthless to you," Twilight added.

Mozenrath turned to stare her down. She glared at him. The winds blew in circles; the clouds lightened while pouring down a torrent of rain.

"Fine," Mozenrath gave in. "Take it back. No, that boy can have it back."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Jafar bellowed.

"Giving up something I don't want anyway," Mozenrath told him. "We have other kingdoms to control. Let's go."

"But this means they've won!" Jafar argued.

"I don't care," Mozenrath replied. "I told you being the king of Quirkistan was hard work. I don't want it anymore. Now let's GO."

Before Jafar could protest, it was Mozenrath who took them both away this time, spiriting himself, Jafar, and Xerxes away in a flash of blue.

"I do like making others happy!" Pinkie said, beaming. "I hope he finds someplace he can actually be glad to conquer!"

"Did she really just say that?" Aladdin asked Twilight.

"She did," Twilight sighed.

"The important thing is," Aladdin said, "we won!"

Outside, the sky turned light gray, and a slightly chilling breeze shook the leaves of the trees. "Mahmoud must still be scared!" Pinkie realized in horror. "Come on! We gotta go tell him he got his kingdom back!" She rushed from the throne room.

"What does it mean?" Twilight asked Aladdin. "Sun and rain at the same time?"

"If I had to guess," said Aladdin, "I'd say happiness and anger at the same time."

"I'm…not sure how I feel about that."

"Judging from the sun and rain? I'd say you're not the only one."

* * *

Mahmoud returned to his throne gladly, and the weather cleared instantly. The sky became topaz blue once more. The trees grew leaves shining with dew. The ground became a whole of golden sand once more.

Aladdin, Twilight, Fluttershy, Abu, and Pinkie had a much easier trek back to the edge of Quirkistan, across much tamer lands. When they arrived at the starting point, they discovered not only that the ice had melted from the Genie, but that Jasmine, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Iago had all made it back to him.

"You did it!" Jasmine congratulated.

"We were right," Aladdin informed her. "Mozenrath couldn't argue with our logic. He wanted something he could be happy with. So he gave it up."

"Now that you're finally back," Rainbow Dash broke in, "we can get that rock off the Carpet."

The group surrounded the great boulder. The Genie and Twilight combined their magic, forcing the rock to roll while the others pushed it. Eventually, it rolled off the Carpet altogether, and the enchanted rug practically leapt into the air with happiness.

"I wonder where they went now," Twilight said, staring back out at the deserts outside Quirkistan. She looked up into the vast sky…

…and spotted the arrow just in time.

"GAAAAH!" Twilight dodged the golden arrow as it stuck in the ground.

"What the—" Rainbow Dash didn't even have time to wonder before another arrow of the same make stabbed into the ground near her. Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie each dodged a golden arrow as well.

"What is the meaning of this?" Rarity cried.

Her question was soon answered. Shadows fell upon the group, and everyone looked up to see the women, clad in short white dresses and black sandals that laced up their calves, riding five pegasi above them.

"Now that," Rainbow Dash said at the sight of humans riding the winged horses, "is just plain wrong."

* * *

Chapter 11

· The chapter title comes from the fan favorite of Pinkie's songs.

· Canonically, Quirkistan's weather changes based on the mood of the king. Fire included. It's never really clear whether that's something that comes with the title or whether King Mahmoud just had those powers. I decided it comes with the title.

· Quirkistan is another place that doesn't feature all that heavily in the series, especially compared to Odiferous, but Mozenrath put it on his conquer list in "The Citadel." It's inconceivable that he would leave it alone.

· "When Khartoum betrayed me" = reference to the ep "The Book of Khartoum," where a more powerful sorcerer tricked Moz into releasing him and then tried to destroy him.

· "Ten seconds flat" = Rainbow Dash's boast that she could clear the sky in the first MLPFIM episode. It's become kind of a meme among bronies to say you can do something in "Ten. Seconds. Flat." You'll also notice I had Rarity start to say it was the worst possible thing again.

· There's no canon evidence that RD can identify the kind of precipitation in a cloud, but she's worked with the weather in Equestria A LOT.

· Pinkie-sense: Pinkie has this intuition that tells her when certain things are going to happen, most often when things are about to fall from the sky or a door is about to open and hit someone. Little things like that.

· Foreshadowing the connection I'm building between Pinkie and fire…

· The other things on Moz's list of complaints are mostly references to "Lost City of the Sun," where he tries to get the sprites to dig up an ancient power for him, but they go on strike, and the sorcerer that previously owned that power was a MAJOR troll in leaving clues to where it was.

· The song Pinkie's singing is the one from the chapter title. She canonically has almost an obsession with making others happy. I figure that can extend to villains as well.

· I suppose if you want, you can attribute the "confusion" to Moz seeing Al as well, since they seem to enjoy being enemies a lot. (It's actually a very popular ship among those that don't do the "brothers" theory. I personally have it ingrained in my mind that they're twins, but I also can see a LOT of evidence for the ship.)

· ATAS fans know what the golden arrows mean and who the riders are. For those who don't, all will be revealed next chapter.

· And this is the first time any of the now-human ponies have seen anyone ride a horse. Needless to say, RD is horrified.


	12. Warrior Women

1. Warrior Women

QUIRKISTAN, THE SEVEN DESERTS

One of the pegasi descended, and a tall, statuesque woman with a brunette coif and several deep wrinkles that betrayed her age dismounted. Fluttershy could only stare at the pegasus, transfixed by the non-talking animal that she was used to seeing in droves at the marketplace back home, gossiping and bartering.

"So you are the ones," the tall woman said, looking directly at the area where the six Equestrians had gathered.

"What ones would that be?" Applejack asked with suspicion, raising her eyebrow.

"The ones who can help us reclaim our kingdom," the woman said, deadpan. "The arrows did choose you, did they not?"

"They're on Galifem," Jasmine realized.

"If the 'they' to whom you refer includes an arrogant youth dressed in blue, his heartless advisor in red, and a particularly curious sort of flying sea creature, then yes, 'they' are on Galifem," the woman said. By now, the other pegasi had landed, and the other four women dismounted as well. One of them, a short, plump woman sporting a metal breastplate and a shock of red hair, rushed to her taller counterpart's side.

"You can't take our friends into your army!" Jasmine barked, causing confusion amongst the six Equestrians.

"Whether they shall remain permanent fixtures in our army is yet to be seen," the tall woman informed Jasmine. "I would like to remain in the present moment."

She turned to the six Equestrians. "I am Queen Hippsodeth of Galifem," she introduced.

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave a slight snort.

"What was that?" Hippsodeth raised a brow, staring down Twilight.

"Nothing," Twilight muttered. "Just that the hurricane of puns never stops blowing…"

"Show some respect!" Applejack hissed, elbowing Twilight in the stomach so she was forced to bow; Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash bowed as well.

"When the usurpers overtook our land," Hippsodeth explained, "we found ourselves outmatched. After all, the advisor is a powerful genie, and the young one has access to all of the defense mechanisms we once put in place to defend ourselves from outsiders. Our military has long been determined by the golden arrows; they seek capable female warriors, and from their decision, we have added to our ranks. With no other choice, we fired a volley of arrows into the air in hopes that they would lead us to aid. All but six returned to us."

"Well, you look like new faces around here!" the redhead said excitedly in a high-pitched tone. "We've certainly never seen you before! Oh, I'm Scara, Queen Hippsodeth's lieutenant, and I'm hoping we'll get along just fine!"

"So…you just drafted us into your army," Rainbow Dash clarified. Then she shrugged. "Cool."

"Not 'cool,' Rainbow Dash," Aladdin corrected. "Once the Galifems pick a warrior, they keep her forever and never let her go home unless she fights her way out."

"It's a little bit of a shock at first," Scara added, "but soon you find you fit right in!"

"Actually," Hippsodeth clarified, "in light of recent events pertaining to your princess, we are considering abandoning that practice in favor of letting those chosen by the golden arrow decide whether to stay with us or remain in their homelands. It is, however, only a consideration. Many of us will soon be leaving Galifem, and we must have warriors to take our places."

"But why only women?" Applejack inquired.

At this question, Hippsodeth's eyes seemed to be focusing on something only she could see rather than where her face was pointed. A slight melancholy overtook her voice; "Galifem was created as a sacred space. A land where women could have strength rather than be relegated to the handmaidens of our brothers. To think that our land has been taken over by these…these men…"

"Oh, I thought the younger one was quite handsome," Scara interrupted.

Hippsodeth glared daggers at Scara before continuing. "It is unforgivable."

"What's with the man-hating?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Isn't that kinda unfair to lock out all men?"

"No, Rainbow Dash…" Twilight responded. "I…I think I kind of understand. You see, not everywhere is like our Equestria. In lots of places, men hold a lot of power that women don't get. Think about it. Except for the rainforest, everywhere we liberated had a king in charge. I think these women needed a place where they wouldn't have to worry about that."

"I still think it's unfair," Rainbow Dash insisted.

"You may think that," Hippsodeth told her. "I will not fault you. I will, however, say that we Galifems do not hate men. Quite the contrary. If any of us should fall in love with a man, which has often happened, we have the right to leave Galifem, authority such as myself permitting, and join the kingdom of our lover. It is something I myself have considered…though, again, it is only a consideration. Time will tell whether or not a marriage with the one I desire would indeed prove fruitful."

"Marriage…to my father?" Jasmine broke in, which caused the Equestrians to do a double-take.

"You're in love with the SULTAN?" Pinkie asked incredulously.

"His playful demeanor hides an inner strength I admire," Hippsodeth replied. "As for his outward cheerfulness, it is refreshing to me. He is the only one who has ever defeated me in combat, and from the looks of his daughter, he would not stifle the strength of a woman."

"I had to do a little convincing to teach him that I could do just fine on my own," Jasmine admitted, "but he knows that I can take care of myself…and the same for Hippsodeth."

"When I leave my post," Hippsodeth stated, "I was to pass the throne on to my lieutenant, Scara. However, it seems that she too has fallen in love with King Pector…who SHOULD be the one on her mind instead of certain vain intruders…"

"Oh, no, no, no, I LOVE Pector!" Scara insisted. "I'm just saying that the usurper is…pretty! From an, um, objective point of view?"

"Been there," Twilight huffed.

"No one could replace Pector for me!" Scara insisted with such force that those around her knew she spoke the truth.

"It shall fall to Scara to select an heir," Hippsodeth concluded. "However, all that is lost if I do not have our throne to begin with, and if the usurpers continue to use our defenses to torment us. Will you warriors join us in the reclamation of Galifem?"

"I'm there!" Rainbow Dash volunteered.

"Count me in," Rarity agreed.

"Same here," Applejack said with a nod.

"Um…I'll try my best," Fluttershy said timidly, ducking behind Pinkie Pie.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Pinkie cried as she hopped up and down.

"Of course we'll help you get your kingdom back," Twilight promised.

"And we'll help, too," Aladdin added.

"I don't know," Twilight told him. "I kind of think…this is something just the women should do."

"But I can help!" Aladdin insisted.

"It's important that they have their place back," Twilight insisted. "We can handle it on our own."

"I still don't get why it's just gotta be women," Rainbow Dash admitted, "but you guys could use a break anyway."

"At the very least, I can go," Jasmine spoke up. "But I'm not staying in your army forever."

"That we understand well, Princess," Hippsodeth replied. "In that case, shall we be off?"

"Let's all go together at least to the edge of Galifem!" Scara suggested. "Then we can split up from there after we give the new girls their training!"

"Training?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"You will need to be armed for this battle," Hippsodeth informed her.

Fluttershy didn't respond; instead, she trembled and let out a small squeal of trepidation.

"Charting coordinates for Galifem!" the Genie announced, transforming into the jet. Hippsodeth, Scara, and the other three warriors remounted the pegasi, causing Rainbow Dash to cringe, and the rest of the group took their places on either the Carpet or the seats of the Genie-jet. The pegasi lifted off first, and the others followed.

* * *

GALIFEM, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Now this is an example," Mozenrath said with satisfaction, "of what I call satisfactory power without magic."

He stood before an array of ropes and levers situated around a stone counter in the palace of Galifem, a white, pillared building that resembled a temple. The throne at the atrium's center was ignored, some feet away. Mozenrath flipped a few switches at random and pulled several ropes, smirking as he imagined which booby traps he'd activated across Galifem and who had fallen prey to them.

"I've been thinking," he continued; Jafar watched him from a few paces back. "Given the track record, we can pretty much guarantee that Aladdin and his little Elements of Harmony are going to show up. When, not if, that happens, I'm going to pull out all the stops on the defenses to keep them from getting here. Of course, there's a large chance that won't work, and they'll march in and we'll have to run. I could track them down and separate them again, but we all saw how well that worked last time…and this time, I have a much better idea."

"And that idea is?" Jafar asked out of curiosity.

"First, we wait to see if we can stop them on our own," Mozenrath replied. "Then, if we fail, which I'll admit is likely, I'm going to take us back to the Black Sands. We'll leave a trail for them to follow, and they'll come running…right where I want them." He clenched his right fist. "Into the palm of my hand." He smirked. "I think I know what I want my second wish to be."

"And what would that be?" Jafar inquired.

"You'll see," Mozenrath answered cryptically. "After all…you'll be granting it."

* * *

The land of Galifem was gorgeous from above; even those who knew of the dangers that lay within it had to admit that. The sight of the neon-green gardens dotted with gleaming white marble buildings and statues pierced through the cloud cover as the fleet of pegasi plus one Carpet and one Genie-jet descended to a small white building on the very edge of the realm.

The building looked like a warehouse of some sort—blocky, made of smooth marble walls and sealed with great double doors adorned with carvings of gorgons, chimaeras, and a host of other magical creatures. Once the traveling heroes were on foot, Hippsodeth gestured to the building. "The only place we never outfitted with defenses," she said before hauling one of the great doors open and leading the others inside.

An entire army of women, clad in the same short white dresses and black sandals, looked toward the door at Hippsodeth's approach. "We have found the new warriors," she announced, and a murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd gathered in the empty storeroom. "With the right training, they should be able to determine our success when we relaunch the attack upon the palace. I will need six targets set up, and six warriors to donate their spare bows and quivers. No arguments."

Hippsodeth led Scara, the other three Galifems from the Quirkistan expedition, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Genie, the Carpet, Abu, Iago, and the six Equestrians inside the warehouse. "This was where we kept our practice targets," she said offhandedly. "We did not feel the need to worry about anyone stealing them. After all, we are more used to practicing on…moving targets."

"Please tell me she means bullseyes on pulleys," Applejack whispered.

"Nope," Aladdin whispered right back.

"Ah, here we are!" Hippsodeth exclaimed as her soldiers retrieved six bullseyes from the back of the storeroom and set them up in a line, backing off. Six soldiers reluctantly handed over golden bows and quivers filled with golden arrows; Hippsodeth placed a bow and quiver before each target. "Take your places. Jasmine, I see no need to train you, as you have already undergone our regiment."

"I don't know about this," Fluttershy protested softly. "I'm just not very good with weapons…at least, I don't think I am. I've never tried to fight anyone."

"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said sternly. "You are one of the best fighters I know. You beat up and flipped a bear!"

"Oh, but that was only a misunderstanding," Fluttershy retorted. "He had an awful cramp in his neck, and I had to use some of my more extreme massage techniques."

"You can do this," Rainbow Dash insisted. "Just…just watch me, okay?" She walked over to one of the bows, picking it up as well as an arrow. "You just put the arrow in the bow like this—"

"Not so fast," Hippsodeth interrupted. "These are no ordinary arrows. With concentration, you should be able to bend them to your will."

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash was confused.

"You mean she can use them like magic?" Twilight asked.

"They are a sort of magic," Hippsodeth confirmed. "A sort that even the nonmagical can use."

Rainbow Dash fitted the arrow to the bow, drew back the string, and let it fly. The arrow hit just off center of the bullseye. "Well, that didn't seem very magical."

"You're not doing it right," Twilight chided. "You have to find this…place in your mind. A special place where you channel what you want to do, and then you let it…come out. Watch this." She took her position before another target, picking up the bow and an arrow. She clumsily set the arrow in position in the bow before drawing the string back and letting it snap forward. The arrow missed the target, eventually plunging into the wall behind it, but in the middle of its flight, it blazed with a glowing light, and it sunk far deeper into the wall than an ordinary arrow would have been able to do. The Galifems applauded.

"Not bad, for a first try," Hippsodeth congratulated. "Though your aim needs work."

Twilight grinned sheepishly.

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack took up posts at the targets, hoisting up bows and arrows. Applejack was the next to let an arrow fly; midway through flight, the shaft turned green and sprouted tendrils. The arrowhead pierced just outside the middle of the target, and the tendrils grew on, clutching at the edges of the bullseye until they were choking it. This drew more applause from the Galifems. "So that's what usin' magic's like," Applejack remarked.

"I'll get it eventually!" Rainbow Dash grumbled, loosing two more arrows. They hit the bullseye, but neither changed form.

"WHEEEEEEE!" Pinkie loosed arrow after arrow, watching each of them burst into flame before hitting the bullseye. "This is fun!"

"Careful, Pinkie Pie!" Twilight gasped. "You'll set the whole place on fire!" She aimed her next arrow at Pinkie's target, willing it to become a spray of water that doused the flames.

"Awwww, my fire…" Pinkie mourned before picking up another arrow. This one burst into flame even as she set it on the bow.

"No more fire!" Twilight snapped.

Pinkie reluctantly willed the flames away. However, when the next arrow hit the target, the entire target exploded, and Pinkie clapped victoriously. "WOOHOO!" Twilight couldn't help but grin at her happiness.

"I've…almost…got it!" Rainbow Dash growled, loosing another arrow with no results. She sighed and turned to face Fluttershy. "Well, at least I can show you how to set it. Just put it in the bow like this." She nocked another arrow.

Fluttershy copied her movements with shaking hands, her arrow trembling upon the bow.

"Hold it as steady as possible," Rainbow Dash said, "and then…let it fly." She let go of the string. The arrow once again thudded directly into the bullseye with no extra magic about it.

"Okay…" Fluttershy said weakly.

"And don't forget to put your will into it as you're letting it off the bow!" Twilight reminded; her own shots were getting closer and closer to the middle of the target.

Fluttershy gulped, then closed her eyes as she let go of the bowstring. The arrow zipped through the air, transforming into a small cyclone during its path; the circular winds hit the target, spinning it round and round before collapsing it.

"Did I do okay?" Fluttershy asked without opening her eyes.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said incredulously. "You just caused a mini-tornado!"

"I did?" Fluttershy looked at the fallen target. "Did I really do that?"

Meanwhile, Applejack glared at Rarity, who was constantly readjusting her arrow's position on the bow. "You gonna actually shoot," she snapped, "or you just gonna fix your aim all day?"

"Patience, Applejack." Rarity raised her arrow by a hair, then lowered it by a smidgen. "Perfect." She let it fly; it transformed into a jet of water that hit the target dead center.

"A little water?" Applejack teased. "That all you got?"

"It's clean," Rarity defended proudly.

"I wanna try something," Twilight suggested. "Rarity, can you fire another one of those?"

"Surely," said Rarity. She nocked another arrow, adjusting its aim up, down, left, and right. When she had a perfect lineup, she let the arrow fire.

At the same time, Twilight sent an arrow flying toward Rarity's target. It turned into a streak of snowflakes that intercepted Rarity's arrow just as the latter became water. As a result, a spear of ice penetrated the bullseye.

"Wonderful!" Rarity cried.

"Mind if I borrow your eye?" Twilight asked embarrassedly. "I'm…not doing so well." None of her arrows had hit the center yet, and a few more had planted in the wall.

"Of course not, dear," Rarity said. "Shall we practice that again?"

"AAAAUUUUUUGH!" Rainbow Dash was close to snapping her bow in frustration. "Why isn't this WORKING?"

"Oh, it's difficult at first," Scara assured her, "but you'll be shooting like a pro in no time!"

"But I don't get it!" Rainbow Dash complained. "What are you even saying? Magic? Will? I know how to fire an arrow, and that's it!"

"Try thinking of it like a Sonic Rainboom," Twilight suggested. "You know how you have to focus completely on where you're going? You put that kind of focus into…whatever you want to happen. Whatever you think you're good at."

"Like I haven't been trying that!"

"Giving up is only a sign that you do in fact lack the proper focus," Hippsodeth chided.

"I know you can do it, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "You can do anything! I believe in you."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "All right…I'll give it ONE MORE go. For you, Fluttershy." She nocked another arrow, but this time gave it some thought before simply loosing it. Twilight had said she needed to find a place in her mind, a special focus. Simply looking at the arrow wasn't going to do it. She visualized the arrow becoming more than a simple arrow. She made it the sole focus of her thoughts.

Then she found it. Aided by the arrow's ability, she stumbled upon the place in every magic worker's mind from which the will comes and is made real.

"So that's what it's like," she muttered before loosing the arrow.

The arrow still remained a golden arrow, but it zipped toward the target at double speed, leaving a rainbow trail in its wake. It not only hit the bullseye dead center, but pierced through it and kept going until it stuck in the wall.

"And that's how it's done," Rainbow Dash boasted as she slung the bow over her shoulder and folded her arms.

"NICE!" Twilight congratulated.

"I knew you could do it!" Fluttershy squealed before turning her attention back toward making a lightning bolt out of her next arrow.

"You are doing well," Hippsodeth said. "Soon you will be ready. Normally, the next steps in your training would be the obstacle course and, in the more old-fashioned days, the living targets, but our obstacles are currently in possession of the one we intend to become our living target."

"Bring it on," Rainbow Dash said. "We'll be ready!"

"I think I can finally do it!" Fluttershy said happily.

Twilight let off her last arrow of the day with a special vision in mind. It transformed into a bolt of pure blue that made her target explode the way Pinkie's had. "Let's see how he handles this," she muttered.

* * *

"Are we clear upon which route we will take?" Hippsodeth asked.

Twenty-some of her warriors, now with Jasmine, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy among them, nodded, bows slung over their shoulders. A seventh spare had been rustled up for Jasmine, but she found no need to practice, as Hippsodeth had thought.

"Then we shall go forth," Hippsodeth said, pushing open the doors. "NOW!"

The warriors rushed to their pegasi, mounting the beasts that could only whinny. The seven newcomers doubled up on other warriors' saddles, and the fleet lifted off.

"It's okay," Twilight muttered from the back of the saddle of Scara's steed. "They're non-talking horses. Lowercase-H horses, if you want to get technical. It's fine…"

"What are you talking about?" Scara asked.

"Horses?" Twilight replied with a sheepish grin.

The pegasi made a beeline for the high ground upon which the palace rested. "Prepare for evasive maneuvers!" Hippsodeth called out.

"Evasive maneuvers?" Fluttershy didn't like the sound of that.

From below, several marble statues of archers with their arrows pointed heavenward turned on their bases so the arrows aimed at the flying horses. The arrows then launched into the air.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Rainbow Dash screamed; the warrior flying her steed only reined the horse in to a sharp turn to avoid the onslaught of giant stone arrows.

"That," she answered sharply, "was something we installed to keep the likes of him OUT."

The Galifems were soon overloaded with the bitter taste of their own medicine; whenever an arrow was launched, another one would spring from the base of its statue and launch from the stone bow. Steering the winged lowercase-H horses became increasingly more difficult. Hippsodeth sensed that with the quantity of stone arrows in the air, it was not safe to continue on the first path the group had agreed upon. However, they had come up with an alternate route.

"TAKE THE LANDING!" she ordered, steering her pegasus directly downward. The other Galifems did the same, and all dismounted on the green grass at the nadir of the palatial mountain. The statues stopped firing arrows, as they could only point upward and there was no one in the sky to shoot at.

"They're watching us," Jasmine deduced.

"Then let's give 'em a show!" Pinkie cried gladly.

"ONWARD!" Hippsodeth ordered, beginning to run up a path built into the side of the cliff. "Do not forget!"

As the others followed, the path became progressively steeper until it was clear that this was not the natural formation; the ground was shifting so as to cause the ascending warriors to slide down. At the base, where they had begun, several spinning blades shot up out of the ground to await any who slid to the bottom.

Scara, Jasmine, Applejack, and Rarity were quick to fire their arrows behind them, willing the arrows to become ropes and forming a net that shot diagonally from the edge of the path that ran off the cliff to a point up the rock wall to the side. This caught most who slid down, but one had been unlucky. Jasmine gasped in horror as she saw that Pinkie Pie had fallen behind the net and was sliding quickly down to her doom.

At first, Pinkie screamed, seeing only the spinning silver blades that awaited her. Then, coming to terms with the fact that her end was near, she decided to make the most out of the ride. As she slid down ever faster, she closed her eyes and earnestly screamed "WHEEEEEEEE!"

Rainbow Dash swooped in just before Pinkie's feet could touch the blades, hoisting her into the air and carrying her back to the point above the net. "You know, you oughta be more careful," she teased. "Were you really yelling 'whee' on the slide of death?"

"It was a fun slide!" Pinkie answered. "Except for, you know, what was at the end."

They touched down where the army was struggling to not slip on the steep path. Twilight closed her eyes and breathed deeply, concentrating on what she knew she needed to do. "I can only hold it for a little while," she said, finishing a speech Pinkie and Rainbow Dash had missed, "so you're all going to have to go fast."

When Twilight opened her eyes, they had again become two orbs of pure light with no iris or pupil. Flat squares of pink energy appeared up the path, forming stairs on the previously non-navigable surface. One by one, the Galifems, Jasmine, and the other Equestrians ran up the stairs. Twilight was the last to run up, able to hold them just long enough to reach the top of the cliff; the steps faded once she stepped off.

Now the army stood upon another grassy plain, this one unadorned by statues. The palace was in sight across a river that poured down the cliff in a great waterfall.

"So, water," Applejack murmured, "we meet again. Only this time, I got the upper hand."

"Allow me," Rarity said, pushing past her. She knelt and set up her bow, looking past it to the exact point she wanted to shoot. "Twilight, won't you?"

Twilight knelt beside Rarity, inquiring, "On three?"

"Only if you count me off."

"One…two…THREE!"

Water and snow collided again, forming a bridge of ice across the river. "This one should hold longer," Twilight assured, and the army rushed across.

"Only the main road remains!" Hippsodeth called out. "You know what to do!"

The army turned onto the path, rushing between double rows of nearly sky-high columns. As Hippsodeth warned, the columns began to rumble and tip over to crush whomever was in their path; the determined women steeled themselves and outran every pillar, though the BOOM of each column that hit the ground sounded just behind Pinkie's heels.

At the end of this run, Pinkie suddenly cried, "WHERE'S FLUTTERSHY?" The entire company stopped, looking around for their smallest.

Fluttershy was spotted behind them, hopping over the tops of the fallen pillars; she'd waited for them all to collapse. "I knew I wouldn't be able to make it," she admitted when she joined the rest.

"This is as far as we have been able to come without assistance," Hippsodeth announced. "Inside the palace, the genie has thwarted us. Admittedly, however, this time we endured far fewer injuries on the way up the cliffs. I shall take this as a good sign."

The palace, stunningly shining white beneath the golden sun, loomed overhead. Without a second thought, the army charged forth toward the throne chamber.

Immediately, the great red genie that was Jafar appeared in his usual cloud of red smoke to greet them. "I see you have attempted to thwart us yet again," he boomed. "We've been keeping a little magical eye on you, and you've done rather impressively this time around."

"The Galifems have us this time!" Applejack cried.

"Really?" Mozenrath stepped into view. "I don't think so." He pointed at Rarity, and blue light shot from his finger toward her, surrounding her. Rarity screamed as Mozenrath lifted her into the air and spun her round and round. "Try using your little elements now," he challenged.

"FIRE!" Hippsodeth ordered, and the Galifem warriors, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash raised their bows, firing a volley of golden arrows. With a sweep of his muscled arm, Jafar brushed away most of the arrows, be they fire, vegetation, or ice, but Rainbow's arrow of super-speed pierced his flesh and caused him to flinch, while Pinkie's also stuck in his arm; Jafar thought nothing of the latter until it exploded.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "WE COULD USE SOME HELP!"

"I…" Fluttershy quivered, the bow and arrow in her hands shaking. "I can't…"

"NOW YOU WILL BOW TO ME!" Jafar bellowed, casting a wave of red light over those who threatened him. The Galifems, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were forced into kneeling positions. Fluttershy ran away in terror, dropping her bow and missing the attack. Twilight, however, quickly fired a magically charged arrow into the path of Rainbow Dash's arrow; the resulting combination shot through the wave of red at top speed, negating it in one area.

Mozenrath laughed gleefully as he spun Rarity round and round. Her screams entertained him until the flying kick to his waist knocked him over. His assailant pinned him to the ground, planting his face into the marble floor. "You want to try and attack another one of my friends?" Jasmine hissed. In the meantime, Rarity, dropped to the ground, scrambled to her feet to join the frontlines against Jafar.

"No," Mozenrath grunted. "I want to try to attack YOU!" He rolled over, throwing her off him, and fired a blast of blue that she immediately dodged; he charged to try and pin her, but she pushed him away by kicking him square in the chest.

His next shot didn't miss. Jasmine, enveloped in blue, rose into the air and flipped upside down. "LET ME GO!" she insisted.

"Not on your life, Princess," Mozenrath taunted.

"Um…excuse me?"

Mozenrath looked over his shoulder to see who had spoken, still keeping his hold on Jasmine. Upon seeing Fluttershy, he flinched. He already knew what was coming.

"I think what you're doing is really mean," Fluttershy stated assertively. "So stop it!"

Mozenrath decided to be daring. "And if I don't?"

She rushed toward him with a speed he didn't know she possessed, the heel of her hand hitting the back of his neck. Her toe dug swiftly into his Achilles tendon, and Mozenrath fell to the ground, letting Jasmine drop.

"Don't hurt my friends," Fluttershy insisted before she and Jasmine rushed to the frontlines.

Twilight willed the next arrow to become rope again, but she remembered the magic-resistance she had helped cast upon the bolas she'd crafted in Odiferous. She added two more arrows, then fired the triad over the Galifems to her left; a magic-resistant net fell over them, and the red light disappeared, allowing them to stand once the rope disappeared. Twilight did the same for her friends and the Galifems to her right, then turned to fire a magic-resistant net at Jafar. He stopped it with his open palm, balling it up. "A fine parlor trick," he taunted, "but not enough to stop me!"

Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were now at Twilight's side, and all six were shooting arrow after arrow in succession. "Should we use the Elements now?" Pinkie asked, and Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash looked eagerly to Twilight for the answer.

"We need to time it!" Twilight replied. "Stop firing arrows! Hopefully everypony else can give us enough cover to start it up!"

Twilight knew it wasn't a good sign that Jafar had, for whatever reason, begun to laugh almost uncontrollably. "Now!" she yelled, and the six stood together, ready to summon up the rainbow once more.

"NO!" Mozenrath stumbled between the army and Jafar. "You may have won this time, but after we've put together what I have in store in the Black Sands, we'll have taken back Galifem…and everything else you stole from me!" He slashed at the air with the gauntlet, ripping a great seam in space; he quickly ducked through it, and Jafar followed, with Xerxes slipping in just before the seam closed.

"YES!" Twilight cried, raising her bow in victory.

"What just happened?" Scara asked confusedly.

"They knew they couldn't beat our powers put together," Applejack explained, "so we won!"

"Except for whatever it is they're planning back at the Black Sands!" Rarity worried.

"At least we know where they are now!" Pinkie pointed out.

"You all have done incredibly," Hippsodeth congratulated. "Are you six sure you would not like a permanent position in our army? Especially you…Fluttershy, was it?"

"Oh, we couldn't," Fluttershy said softly.

"But when it came time to protect your friends," Hippsodeth reminded her, "your strength showed. You could definitely keep up."

"It isn't that," Fluttershy told her. "We have a lot of friends to protect, and we can't do that if we stay in Galifem. But we'd be awfully glad if you agreed to be our friends."

Hippsodeth smiled. "What a strange request. This friendship does not come with extraneous terms, does it?"

"No," Fluttershy replied. "It's just friendship."

"Then we are friends," Hippsodeth confirmed. She turned to Jasmine. "You and I especially. I shall not press you about service in our army. It has occurred to you that with you, I need to get off on the right foot more than ever. After all, there is a very small chance that I could become your mother."

"Well…you're strong, you're confident, and you know how to protect the ones you love," Jasmine replied. "I'd say you're a pretty good fit to be my mother."

"Perhaps I will pay the Sultan of Agrabah a visit, if that is the case," Hippsodeth suggested.

"But he isn't the Sultan!" Pinkie wailed. "Not anymore!"

"Mozenrath's wish did the same thing to him that it did to you," Jasmine told Hippsodeth. "My father is now a commoner fighting for his life on the streets. Evil beings are running rampant in Agrabah!"

"And you're not back home defending it?" Scara asked in awe.

"Our friends are buildin' up a resistance," Applejack answered. "We need to get a lot of people together to fight the fire-cats that showed up. Nasty little critters feed on fear, and there's way too many scared people in Agrabah to drive 'em out. So we're gettin' an army that won't be scared of 'em!"

"I do wonder how the effort is coming along," Rarity pondered. She then shook her head. "They will be able to handle themselves, of course. They have Cassim and Sadira. On the other hand, we don't know what's going on in the Black Sands!"

"Then we have to go there," Twilight resolved. "We have to stop whatever Mozenrath's building up for us!"

"I must thank you for helping us reclaim Galifem first," Hippsodeth said calmly. "I do hope your further endeavors are as successful."

"No problem!" Pinkie replied, beaming. "And I hope you and the Sultan eventually get married and live happily ever after!"

"And that's enough of Pinkie Pie talking about others' love lives for one day," Rainbow Dash quickly broke in.

As the six Equestrians and Jasmine rushed back to the warehouse to find their male companions, Hippsodeth muttered to herself, "Agrabah in trouble? Building an army? That is indeed interesting…"

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Back in his laboratory, Mozenrath couldn't understand why Jafar was laughing with such abandon. "And…all this humor is coming from where exactly?"

Jafar eventually was able to speak relatively calmly. "They still think they've won," he told Mozenrath, grinning meaningfully. "How wrong I was…how wrong indeed!"

"What happened back there, exactly?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with," Jafar declared. "You have plans of your own for them. What exactly do you have in mind?"

Mozenrath gave Jafar his trademark smirk before replying. "Just to make sure I have this right…you don't have to be dead to go to the Netherworld, am I right?"

"Of course not," Jafar answered. "Many mortals have found themselves in the Netherworld…with simply tragic results."

"Good." Mozenrath's smirk grew wider. "Simply tragic is what I was going for."

* * *

Chapter 12:

· The Galifems are also antagonists that became heroic later. I only just now realized how often that happens in this canon. I guess friendship really is magic! Anyway, they're basically a parody of the Amazons.

· The first ep with the Galifems involves them choosing Jasmine for their military via the golden arrow. They want to keep her for life, but while Jasmine is acing training, she's plotting escape, and Al and the rest eventually show up to help her break out.

· I knew I wanted to go deeper into why they're all women. I worry that they're sort of straw feminists (characters that hate men to the point of getting the audience to resist feminism as a movement), but they never actually state that they HATE men—they use male prisoners for live target practice (although in that incident, they SPECIFICALLY ordered Aladdin and his group killed, and they were technically invading in order to get Jasmine back), but they never say they hate men. And, in fact, the pairings of Hippsodeth/Sultan and Scara/Pector (puns…and no, these still aren't the worst puns in this canon) are eventually canon, so they're open to having relationships with men and even inviting male suitors to their door. So I don't know. I gave them that backstory about creating a female space all on my own. There isn't actually a rule saying Galifems have to leave if they marry. That's my headcanon, and it makes sense, since you don't see any men around. This also gave me a chance to give Jasmine some limelight by having only the women go. Anyway, I had RD hate the idea and think of them as man-hating and Twi understand the need for feminine space because I wanted both points to stand out as possibly valid, as I know readers of this are probably divided in similar ways on the issue.

· I COULDN'T HELP DOING JUST ONE LITTLE BIT OF IMPLICATION OF SCARA/MOZENRATH. I SHIP THAT TOO. It's easier to list the characters I DON'T ship with Mozenrath, actually.

· The Galifems' arrows work pretty much exactly as I said in canon. Some of the powers I gave them are new, like the plants and the rainbow, but they really are arrows that can take on the magical qualities you will them. In canon, they've been turned into ropes, flames, and water jets midflight.

· Now, pay attention. Pinkie likes to set them on fire. AJ's arrows sprout roots in a very EARTHlike way. Rarity shoots water. Fluttershy makes cyclones. Am I foreshadowing something?

· Do you know what I love about Galifem? It's rigged with booby traps all over. And the best part? I didn't add any. All the traps I put in have been featured in one or more episodes.

· I really just wanted Jasmine to have at least one solo paragraph of fighting. Because she is a ninja.

· In my ideal headcanon, Hippsodeth would marry the Sultan and become Jasmine's stepmom. I really want to believe that eventually happens. I originally wanted to do a "what happened to Jasmine's mom" thing here, because that would be foreshadowing for something else, but I didn't have room.

· And more importantly, no, you're NOT supposed to know what Jafar found hilarious. You will find out LATER. On the other hand, what Moz is planning to do, I just plain spelled out.


	13. Dark Shadows

1. Dark Shadows

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Tell me again what exactly he said," Aladdin demanded as the Carpet and the Genie-jet carried the usual crowd toward Mozenrath's fortress.

"They're going to use some sort of plan to take every kingdom back," Twilight replied worriedly. "I think they have some kind of weapon!"

"That wouldn't surprise me," Aladdin told her. "Mozenrath always has some kind of weapon…and Jafar always has a backup plan."

"But we can stop them," Jasmine insisted. "We've done that every time so far."

"I'm just worried that they've got something worked out that will beat us," Twilight admitted. "We keep chasing them around. They know they have to split the Elements up somehow. Eventually, they're going to stop targeting kingdoms and start targeting us."

"So we'll stop them before it happens," Aladdin assured Twilight.

Twilight wrung her hands. "I hope so."

* * *

The Mamluks had come out in full force, surrounding the gateway to the fortress. They drew their swords threateningly. They hadn't counted on the six Equestrians having retained their bows from Galifem and using the arrows, transformed into ropes, to tie them up. The Genie helped out here and there, encasing the zombies in ice blocks and occasionally halting them by making their shoes tapdance furiously, which Pinkie found hilarious.

Eventually, the group fought their way past the thick army and into the fortress. Aladdin and Twilight led the charge toward the laboratory; Jasmine, the Genie, the Carpet, Iago, Abu, and the other five Equestrians followed.

Aladdin and Twilight threw open the laboratory door. The room was empty. "Where are those two snakes?" Aladdin wondered out loud.

"ELEMENTS!" a familiar raspy voice cried out; everyone turned to see Xerxes staring at them. The eel quickly turned and dashed down a hallway; the others pursued. Xerxes led them all the way to another door, which he quickly ducked behind.

Twilight pushed to the front of the group, and the others let her take that position. She wrenched the door open, yelling, "GIVE IT UP! IT'S OVER!"

The room beyond was circular, with light blue walls, and it contained only two things. One was Mozenrath, arms folded, grinning. "It is over," he said. "For you."

The other item in the room was a great blue crystal, twice the size of a human being, set in a golden stand. At first, Twilight was stumped. She didn't recognize it. When Mozenrath called out "IXTALA!", however, she remembered what she'd read about it.

She screamed in terror.

Aladdin reached out to her, but a translucent red wall went up in the doorway, cutting Twilight and Mozenrath off from everyone else. A great beam of blue light emitted from the crystal; Mozenrath pressed against the wall so as not to be captured by it. The light surrounded Twilight and physically dragged her toward the great blue stone; she dug her feet into the floor, trying to resist.

"What IS that thing?" Rainbow Dash cried.

"A Crystal of Ix!" Twilight cried, still fighting the drag of the beam. "It entraps magical creatures and—NOOOOOOO!"

The beam swept her off her feet. She could fight no longer. A brilliant flash of blue filled the room, blinding everyone who watched; once it cleared, Twilight was inside the crystal, frozen and motionless.

Mozenrath, now safe, stepped away from the wall. "As your friend was saying," he explained, "the Crystal of Ix traps anything magical inside it, and anyone on the outside who knows how to use it can drain the magic of whatever's in it for themselves. Now, what do you think I could do with the very Element of Magic herself? No, no, don't tell me. I want to get creative."

"YOU LET TWILIGHT GO RIGHT NOW!" Pinkie screeched.

"Set her free," Aladdin added, "and I MEAN IT!"

Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "I needed to split up the Elements if I was going to win," he sighed. "I thought you all knew that. I couldn't take any chances, even with the plan I have set up for the rest of you."

"The rest of us?" Iago repeated, horrified. "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO THE REST OF US?"

"It's simple," Jafar said, materializing behind the group. "He is going to use his second wish."

"Of course, I couldn't wish you all dead," Mozenrath embellished, "but I had to get you out of my way SOMEHOW. So I picked the next best thing. Jafar, for my second wish—"

"NO!" Aladdin cried, realizing what was coming; he lunged at Mozenrath; but was blocked by the red wall.

"—send all of them to the Netherworld," Mozenrath finished.

"Your wish is my command," Jafar replied happily.

For a moment, all was red, as though a great red light had flashed. When it faded, the same hallway came back into view, but the colors were muted.

From inside the Crystal of Ix, Twilight couldn't move, couldn't call out, couldn't react at all. She could only watch and listen as she saw all of her friends disappear at once.

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE NETHERWORLD

The hallway appeared the same, albeit a bit lighter in color. Twilight was still frozen inside the Crystal of Ix, and Mozenrath and Jafar were now walking towards each other. Jafar called off the wall of red so Mozenrath could leave the room.

"WHY YOU BIG MEANIE!" Pinkie screamed, lunging at Mozenrath only to pass right through him. "Huh?" she exclaimed, hitting the floor.

"They really did it," Jasmine realized. "They sent us all to the Netherworld! Even Genie!"

"SAY IT AIN'T SO!" the Genie cried.

"What's the Netherworld?" Fluttershy asked cautiously.

"One of the places you can end up when you die," Aladdin told her. "Mortals can go there too, but it means we can't interact with anyone or anything in the living world."

Mozenrath passed right through the entire crowd as though they were air. "This just might have been my best idea yet!" he gushed, moving toward Jafar with his right hand outstretched as though to casually clamp the genie's shoulder. His voice had a strange reverberating sound to it, as though heard through a tin can; all sound came through that way.

Jafar walked past Mozenrath, brushing off the attempt at physical contact. "Are you sure it was wise to keep her?" he asked, approaching the Crystal.

"Relax," Mozenrath replied. "Her powers will come in handy. Besides…you know as well as I do that if we didn't split them up, they'd use their powers to knock out everything in the Netherworld."

"Fair enough," Jafar resolved, admiring the expression of horror on Twilight's motionless face.

"Oh, and the best part is that while we can't see the dead," Mozenrath pointed out, "the UNdead definitely can. That should be a warning to any lost souls that are still around and listening."

"Uh-oh," the Genie squeaked.

"We have to get out of here without any of the Mamluks seeing us!" Jasmine realized.

"Quick! Let's go!" Pinkie turned to run, dashing down the hall and around the corner.

When the others caught up to her, they found her standing in the hallway, staring ahead in terror. Mozenrath's undead servants faced her in droves, seeing her with perfect clarity.

"Um…oops?" Pinkie squeaked.

"Don't worry!" The Genie gave a wave of his hand. "Their weapons are in the physical realm! They can't do anything to us!"

In a mass gesture, the zombies all tossed their swords over their shoulders. They charged forward, and two of them seized Pinkie Pie in their rotting hands.

"Of course, their bodies are sort of between worlds," the Genie added, "and that could be a problem…"

"HELP MEEEEEEE!" Pinkie squealed.

A THUD was heard; vines began growing around one of the zombies that held Pinkie, binding its arms together so it couldn't hurt her. Pinkie managed to squirm free of the other one's grasp only because of its undead nature—its arms fell off of its body, and consequently off of her.

"EEEEEWWWWW!" Rarity cried.

Applejack fitted more arrows to her bow, sending out more of the growing tendrils as the zombies advanced. "Wanna help me out here, Genie?"

"No problem!" The Genie fired sparks at the zombies, pushing them back. However, more surged forward. He then snapped his fingers, and a brick wall appeared between the zombies and the not-quite-dead heroes.

"Ya think that'll hold 'em?" Applejack asked.

The bricks were kicked down from the other side and scattered; zombies surged forward.

"Nope," the Genie squeaked.

Aladdin drew his sword, and Jasmine struck a battle stance, holding her fists outward. However, before either could touch the oncoming horde of the undead, Pinkie skidded in front of them, wheeling out the party cannon.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she yelled, mashing the cannon's button and spraying confetti, streamers, and glitter over the zombies. Many were bowled over, confused.

"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" Iago screamed, and the group turned and ran from the undead horde that pursued.

As it turned out, the fortress was packed with even more zombies. They seemed to come from every corner, blocking access to most hallways. Soon, the group was cornered in a storeroom filled with barrels.

"Looks like we'll have to fight our way out!" Aladdin determined.

"I'm ready!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, drawing both her swords.

The zombies clashed with the trapped mortals. The Carpet wrapped them up, spinning to dizzy them. The Genie fired more tap-dance spells. Pinkie fired the party cannon again and again. Jasmine and Fluttershy dealt out roundhouse kicks. Rarity and Applejack fired more arrows. Rainbow Dash became a maelstrom of punching, kicking, and bladework, leaving quite a few of her opponents in pieces, well aware that they could just put themselves back together. Aladdin, knowing the same, slashed out with his sword. Iago and Abu hid behind the stacks of barrels like the cowards they were.

In the chaos, barrels were slammed into and knocked over. They spilled out a substance that seemed at first to be tar, but upon closer inspection was actually made of bubbling, wet black sand. "DON'T TOUCH IT!" Aladdin warned; this became harder to do as the sand spread across the floor.

Even the undead knew not to touch it. They backed off, allowing their opponents to edge out of the room. The battle continued out in the hallway and into the atrium.

As the fighting went on, many of the zombies began to realize they were outmatched, and ran. Those that didn't ended up falling to the floor in brittle pieces, their arms crawling about to try and pick up all the fallen fragments before they made their own escape. At last, the heroes stood in the Netherworld counterpart to the atrium of the fortress of the Black Sands, completely undeterred by zombies.

"We…we did it," Aladdin panted.

"Let's agree never to do that again," Rarity huffed. "That was quite disgusting."

"So this ain't the worst possible thing that coulda happened?" Applejack teased.

"The day is young," Rarity replied haughtily.

The sound of slow applause from one pair of hands caused everyone to turn. Standing in the hallway was a man who looked undead, but his colors were vibrant and the sound of his applause unmuffled, implying that he was entrenched firmly in the Netherworld and nowhere else. His skin had a purplish tinge to it, and his robes were even more brilliantly violet, including a ragged cape held in place by a skull-shaped brooch. A tall gold headdress completed the picture.

"Well done!" the purple man congratulated. "I didn't know if you could fend off an entire army of the undead. Turns out you can! Too bad for you, that was just the warm-up act!"

"Rarity?" Aladdin croaked.

"Y-yes?" Rarity stammered.

"Now you can say it's the worst possible thing."

"Who is that?" Fluttershy asked, trembling.

"Oh, you must be new!" the purple man gasped with realization. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ayam Aghoul, and you happen to be traveling with all of my worst living enemies! Which, of course, makes you also my worst living enemies!"

"Now how'd a thing like that come about?" Applejack asked. "Some argument you never settled?"

"A funny thing," Aghoul told her. "First, I wanted to marry the princess without her consent, but apparently that crossed some sort of line, so I was banished to the Netherworld. After that, I tried conquering this world through the Shadow Realm, but, alas, THAT was also deemed offensive, so it was back to the Netherworld for me. All I wanted was a little revenge after that. Was that too much to ask? So I tried to kill Aladdin and his friends here a few times. But again, Ayam Aghoul was declared a naughty, naughty boy, and once again…Netherworld. But now that you're all here with me, and there's no way you can possibly banish me to the realm of the living, I can finally have the revenge I've been wanting so badly!"

"He is BAD NEWS!" Iago insisted. "You can't take him! That's it! We're doomed!"

"I'd like to see him try," Applejack replied, nocking an arrow and shooting it.

From nowhere, Aghoul produced a large scythe, which he used to cut the arrow down midflight. He then whistled. Also from nowhere, a horde of skeletons appeared, filling up the atrium of the fortress of the Black Sands. About ten dog-shaped reptilian creatures appeared alongside them. The zombie Mamluks also reappeared from every entry, aware that their army was now bolstered.

"Oh, Mozenrath's soldiers have been my friends for a long time," Aghoul explained. "After all, HE wouldn't listen to them about their undead concerns. No, it's all, get me this! Get me that! Stop my brother from getting into the palace! Personally, I'm a fan of you all being in the palace. It makes my job that much easier!"

"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked softly as Aghoul walked forward, scythe in hand. The skeletons and reptiles of the Netherworld, along with the undead of the Black Sands, also closed in.

"Just play along," Aladdin hissed. He turned back to Aghoul. "Oh, no! It looks like you've finally captured us all!"

"What are you playing at, boy?" Aghoul snapped.

"Oh, nothing," Aladdin said with a shrug. "Only that…oh, NO! Sultan! Not you too! How'd you get all the way here?"

"THE SULTAN WHO ALSO HAS THWARTED ME?" Aghoul raged. "Oh, he definitely won't get out alive." He and all his minions turned to face the point where Aladdin was staring. Of course, no one was there at all.

"RUN!" Aladdin commanded, and Jasmine and Fluttershy quickly broke through the circle of undead warriors at its thinnest point with a double kick. The group rushed back down the hallway from whence they'd come, with the Genie, Applejack, and Rarity looking over their shoulders to fire a shower of sparks, a plant-based arrow, and a water-based arrow respectively at the now-pursuing horde of zombies, skeletons, and reptiles.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" Aghoul commanded from the back of the group.

The group of heroes skidded back into the same room that had held the barrels; the floor was almost completely covered in the menacing black sand that bubbled like magma now.

"What IS that awful substance, anyway?" Rarity asked.

"Some enchantment of Mozenrath's!" Jasmine said quickly. "He uses it to transport prisoners to another dimension where they sink into the sand!"

"And the zombies won't go in?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Of course not!" Iago pointed out. "IT'S A DEATH TRAP!"

"No," Applejack corrected, "the death trap is behind us. We got one choice, and we know they ain't gonna follow!"

Before anyone could protest, Pinkie leapt up into the air, gripping her knees and yelling "CANNONBAAAAAAAAAALL!" before hitting the surface of the black sand with a great splash.

"It's our only choice!" Jasmine confirmed before jumping into the sands as well. Fluttershy, Aladdin, Applejack, the Genie, Rainbow Dash, Abu, and Iago quickly followed.

"You can't be serious!" Rarity moaned, looking at the sands before her into which all her friends had just disappeared, sinking down farther than the floor should have allowed.

She looked back over her shoulder to see Aghoul gaining ground, swinging his scythe. "You're a pretty one!" he called out. "I might spare you if you become my next wife!"

"That's even MORE disgusting!" Rarity cried before doing a swan dive into the black sand.

Aghoul skidded to a stop before the bubbling sands, the zombies, skeletons, and reptiles halting alongside him. He briefly considered following his quarry into the realms below, but he'd been told by the zombies in the way of communication only the dead share what lay down there. "Eh," he remarked. "They're as good as dead anyway." He shrugged, turning to leave them.

* * *

THE SINKING SANDS, THE REALM OF DARKNESS

Falling out of a pitch-black sky, Pinkie Pie landed with a splash in a knee-deep sludge of black sand, sinking up to her neck as she was still curled in a cannonball position. Jasmine, Fluttershy, Aladdin, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the Genie soon fell into the sands alongside her, landing on their feet. The Carpet swooped in above them, Abu grasped onto Jasmine's shoulder, and Iago hovered.

"PINKIE!" Aladdin cried, reaching down to grab Pinkie by the shoulders and hoist her out of the sand and into a standing position. "These are sinking sands! You were almost sucked in!"

"Oh my gosh!" Pinkie gasped.

"What is this dreadful place?" Rarity asked. "It's all…dirty!"

"This is the place Mozenrath sent his prisoners to once," Jasmine explained. "I think he enchanted it somehow. The sinking sands will keep pulling us under!"

"Never fear!" The Genie snapped his fingers, and everyone was suddenly seated inside a large wooden rowboat, the Genie now wearing a fishing hat, jeans, and a flannel shirt. However, relief was short-lived; the boat collapsed into planks that were immediately eaten by the sand.

"Carpet can hold three!" Aladdin realized.

The Carpet, sensing its cue, swooped down to the others.

"So who's gonna get on?" Applejack asked.

"You go," Aladdin told her. "I can manage this."

"No," Jasmine said. "Aladdin, you have to get on Carpet."

"If no one else will, then I will!" Rarity insisted, scrambling on top of the floating rug.

"You two go together," Applejack told Aladdin and Jasmine. "After all, you're the leaders of your kingdom. If you sink, who's gonna rule?"

"But if you sink, what happens to the Elements of Harmony?" Aladdin retorted.

They were interrupted when a voice suddenly echoed throughout the darkness: "This way!"

"That voice," Aladdin said. "I…I know it from somewhere."

"Look!" Pinkie Pie pointed.

Even though the sky and the sand were both dark, shadows were still visible, shadows that belonged to no one present. They flickered across the surface of the sand, beckoning with twisted hands for the others to follow.

"I guess we go…" The Genie's right arm turned into a giant arrow like that of a weather vane, pointing down the lane the shadows were marking. "Thataway!"

Applejack stepped toward the shadows, finding that the more she moved through the sand, the more she stayed afloat. "C'mon, everypony!" she beckoned.

"Last call for the Carpet," Rarity announced. Pinkie scrambled on next to her, but no one else took the offer; Aladdin and Jasmine simply forged ahead down the shadowy path. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spread their wings, lifting themselves out of the mud and hovering along with Iago and the Carpet; the Genie transformed into his hovering, legless form as well. Abu jumped onto Aladdin's shoulder for the ride.

"I am glad Twilight isn't here after all," Rarity told Pinkie.

"Me too!" Pinkie said emphatically. "At least she's in the living world! We can go back and save her!"

Rarity gave Pinkie a teasing smile. "But more than that, I think she would have gone completely insane at how bad that last pun was. 'Ayam Aghoul,' really!"

Pinkie stopped to think it over. "Wait a minute…AYAM AGHOUL! I JUST got it!" She collapsed onto the Carpet with laughter.

* * *

SHADOW COUNTRY, THE REALM OF DARKNESS

The shadowy path brought the group through the swampy sands until the sand thinned out, becoming shallower and shallower, and eventually disappeared, giving way to rocky ground. The sky became lighter and lighter, making the shadows clearer; some were humanoid, but others appeared to be the shadows of creatures such as Ifrits and imps. Soon, grass appeared on the ground, and Rarity and Pinkie finally felt safe enough to step off the Carpet and walk.

At last, the shadows led the group to a valley bathed in the light of a perpetual dawn, a soft sunlight over the grass and sparse trees. Mountains rose in the distance. Shadows played throughout the area.

"I know this place," Aladdin realized. "This is the Shadow World. All the shadows in our world come here at night so they can go back to us during the day. I've been here once!"

"I didn't know the Shadow World was connected to the black sand dimension," Jasmine thought out loud.

"Neither did I," the Genie admitted. "And I usually know these things!"

The voice echoed again: "You're almost there."

"Now I remember who that is!" the Genie cried. "Farabu!"

"Fara-who?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The caretaker of the shadows," Aladdin told everyone else.

From behind a tree, a tall, graceful shadow stepped out. She was only identifiable as a shadow because her body was made up of misty darkness with a slight sparkle to it; otherwise, she appeared as a solid person, even without color. Pinpricks of light formed her eyes. From her shape, she appeared to be wearing a grand robe and headdress.

"Welcome back, Aladdin," she said. "And the Genie as well. I was not expecting you."

"Are…are you Farabu?" Fluttershy asked.

"That is my name," the graceful shadow answered. The five Equestrians immediately bowed in respect.

"Why did you call us here?" Aladdin asked.

"And how did you know where we were?" Jasmine added.

"I did not know that you would be among the ones I led to the Shadow Country," Farabu admitted. "I sensed only that five of the six Elements of Harmony had appeared somewhere in the Realm of Darkness, and in a quite dangerous place at that."

"So that awful place," Rarity said for confirmation. "It wasn't something Mozenrath created?"

"No," Farabu told her. "It was only one of the many lands in the Realm of Darkness, just as the Shadow Country is."

"But I thought your world was just this," Aladdin admitted.

"The Realm of Darkness is vast," Farabu explained. "It is the source of all shadows and the culmination of darkness in the cosmos. It is in yet another country that the Shadow Walkers rest for seven years until they can walk in the worlds of light."

"So you sensed us?" Applejack reiterated.

"I did," Farabu confirmed. "After all, I am no stranger to the Elements of Harmony. Long ago, when there were but two, they visited my realm. They were two young sorceresses. One specialized in magic of light, but the other was a master of darkness, and quite fascinated by all this world had to offer. I had to warn young Luna of all its dangers."

"And the other one was named Celestia!" Pinkie cried.

Farabu was taken aback. "How do you know of Celestia and Luna?"

"They're the queens of our country back home," Rainbow Dash explained. "We kinda inherited the Elements from them, sorta."

"I would ask you to carry my regards to Luna," Farabu said, "but it seems you currently cannot return to the realms of living and light. And yet you are mortal. How did this come to pass?"

"We got wished into the Netherworld!" Pinkie told Farabu.

"Wait," Aladdin broke in. "So we can't just go back to the Seven Deserts from here? But we're not dead!"

"You were wished into a state of physical nonexistence, despite your mortality," Farabu informed him. "You cannot simply pass into a realm of living and light without a gate. You have form here because in the Realm of Darkness, everything that is formless takes on form. For instance, my beloved children the shadows."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Applejack argued. "We ain't dead! We should just be able to get back!"

"I do not make the rules," Farabu told her sternly. "It is physically impossible for you to pass into the world of the Seven Deserts as it stands. You must use a gate."

"Well, we thank ya kindly for savin' our lives," Applejack said, and the others nodded.

"I could not let the Elements of Harmony perish," Farabu replied. "And, had I known that Aladdin and his Genie friend were among you, I would have quickened the pace of my response as much as possible. After all, I owe them the value of my entire country."

"What did you do?" Pinkie asked Aladdin.

Aladdin shrugged. "Long story."

"Well?" Rarity asked. "Where are we going to find a gate from the Realm of Darkness back to the living realm?"

"For you," Farabu corrected, "you must travel back to the realm of light and living through the Netherworld, where you lost your physical form."

"Let's see," the Genie thought out loud. "There are three known gates from the Netherworld to the Seven Deserts. There's the enchanted necklace!...but we thought it was too dangerous to keep around, so we launched it into cosmic orbit. Oh, there's the figurehead of the Black Viper!...but that one was even more dangerous, so we also launched it into orbit."

"And you never thought that you might NEED those gates in case something like this happened?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"HEY!" Iago argued. "Nobody exactly plans on being mortal in the Netherworld! Take it from somebody who knows!"

"And how did you get in and out of the Netherworld?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"The Eye of Gazeem," Iago answered. "One of Jafar's old evil treasures. Of course, it was the monkey's idea to mess with it."

Abu immediately began chattering fiercely, pointing at Iago to indicate that whatever incident had passed was the parrot's fault.

"The Eye of Gazeem!" The Genie snapped his fingers. "THAT'S the third gate! I almost forgot about that one!"

"Lemme guess," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Orbit?"

"No," the Genie said, mulling it over. "We stuffed it back in Jafar's lab. Though we really should have thrown it—"

"THAT'S IT!" Rarity cried. "We can get out!"

"But it only works if someone else touches the Eye from the living world," Aladdin informed her. "When we're in the Netherworld, we can't touch it."

"What of the sixth Element?" Farabu asked. "Is he or she not somewhere in the realm you left?"

"She was," Pinkie wailed, "but then she got trapped in a big old magic-eating crystal!"

"We have to rescue her," Jasmine asserted.

"Then there is a way you can reach the Eye," Farabu announced. "It is a risk, and something that is new to me, but it seems to be the only way that remains."

"So tell us!" Aladdin urged.

"If you don't mind," Fluttershy added.

"A while ago," Farabu explained, "Ayam Aghoul found his way into this realm from the Netherworld. He had with him a spell written on a parchment scroll. It allowed him to create a living shadow, something I had believed impossible for one who was dead. You see, almost all magic is associated either with light or with darkness. The creation of a living shadow with a physical form requires a lot of dark magic. This shadow was able to go to the realm of the living and, to a degree, interact with physical objects. I will admit I have seen the technique used before, though not exactly the way he did it. If one of you could create a living shadow, that shadow could go into the realm of the living and touch the Eye of Gazeem, opening the gateway from the Netherworld to your world. However, just like all my shadows, it would only be able to go during the day, or very briefly if there was enough light at night. If it did not return to this realm by nightfall, when there is no light left to cast a shadow, it would perish…as would its bearer."

"I don't like the sounds of that," Applejack admitted, "but we ain't got any choice."

"We should at least wait for the next morning," Jasmine realized. "So we can give the shadow enough time."

"A wise decision," Farabu said. "Of course, this rests upon if any of you even have enough potential for dark magic within you to create a living shadow. If you do, I can find out easily, and help you with its creation. After all, Aghoul left his scroll here for me to read and figure out his spell. Might I?"

"Go right ahead," Aladdin told her.

She stood before Aladdin. "You have almost no magical power of your own," she told him before moving on to Jasmine. "You possess some magic…but it is all light. I cannot find any darkness within you." She then moved to the Genie. "Great power, but an imbalance toward light. You could not create a living shadow, even with all your semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic power." To Iago. "No magic whatsoever." To the Carpet. "Quite magical indeed, but again I see the imbalance toward light." To Abu, who hopped up and down on the ground to get her attention. "No magical potential whatsoever." To Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "You each have some power within you, but not enough." To Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. "Within you, there is extremely bright light and extremely deep darkness. However, you do not have enough power to channel your darknesses."

Finally, she stopped before Rarity. This gave Farabu pause. "It is you," she announced. "You have the dark magic within you required to create a living shadow."

"ME?" Rarity cried. "Why, but that's absurd! I don't have any darkness in me!"

"We all have light and darkness to some degree, with a few exceptions," Farabu told her. "We also all have goodness and badness in us. These are not synonymous. Dark magic can easily be used for evil, and that is usually its purpose, but it can also be used for good. Light magic is easily used for good…but that does not mean it cannot be warped. Your tendency toward dark magic does not speak to your character. What does is how you use it."

"I want to save my friends," Rarity said sternly.

"Then you shall," Farabu told her, "using dark magic. After all, I am pure darkness, but I watch over all my shadow children with the greatest of care. Princess Luna also had much darkness inside of her. Did she not prove herself?"

"She was driven to evil!" Rarity cried.

"Yeah," Pinkie pointed out, "but you helped us fix her and get her back to being good! And she still watches over the night! That's pretty dark!"

"Well…" Rarity thought it over. "If I must, I shall. You will help me with this…living shadow?"

"Of course," Farabu assured Rarity. She put out her arms. "Take my hands."

Rarity reached out, clasping hands with Farabu. The shadow keeper's hands felt like warm flesh instead of the misty darkness they appeared to be. Rarity felt magical energy flow from Farabu's hands into her own and throughout her whole body, and down at her feet, something snapped.

"There," Farabu said, letting go. "She is ready."

Movement in Rarity's peripheral vision prompted her to look to the right. She jumped. There seemed to be an exact replica of her, only made of the same darkness as Farabu, with just two spots of light for eyes. The shadow moved independently of Rarity, putting her hands up to her face in surprise. Rarity determined the shadow was mute, else she would have been yelping in surprise.

"Admittedly, Aghoul's shadow could speak," Farabu said, "but this is the traditional living shadow used by most dark wizards and witches. I could not grant her the same powers of speech. Take heed: most could consider a living shadow an Echthros, one of the cosmic enemies of harmony and order."

"She doesn't look like an enemy," Rarity said.

"Of course you wouldn't think so," Rainbow Dash groaned. "She looks like you!"

"Can you help us find the Eye of Gazeem?" Rarity asked her shadow. The shadow nodded.

"We left it in Jafar's lair in the palace at Agrabah," Aladdin told the shadow.

"That'd be in the Northwest tower," Iago specified. "You need directions, or can you go through walls?"

Rarity's shadow was experimenting with this very thing. She discovered that if she wanted to, she could pass right through the nearby tree as though it was not solid. However, if she wished, she could also touch the tree, slamming her hand against the bark.

"You can find it, then?" Rarity asked.

The shadow nodded.

"You may stay here until morning light," Farabu told her. "Here, you will both be safe. If your shadow should fail to find the Eye tomorrow but come home with the other shadows at sunset, you will also be safe. If it rejoins your body, it will automatically return to this realm, no matter when you reunite. But if anything should prevent her from either returning here or rejoining with your body at that time…you will die."

Rarity gave an involuntary "yipe" before clearing her throat. "It's a risk I have to take," she told Farabu somberly.

A wave of shadows began to fly in from over the horizon, and others left. "Nightfall has come upon the Seven Deserts," Farabu said. "Morning has broken on the other side of the world. Rest now, creatures of day. I will wake you at daybreak over the Seven Deserts."

"Guess we're sleeping here for the night," Aladdin yawned, lying down in the soft grass. "This isn't too bad."

"Not too bad?" Iago spat, settling down on a branch. "I've been in gilded birdcages that weren't this uncomfortable."

Everyone lay down on the ground to rest, with the exception of Iago, who preferred his tree. While the sky did not darken, fatigue swept over the group, and all fell to sleep eventually.

Rarity was the last to fall asleep, worried about her shadow's big day ahead. When she did reach unconsciousness, she lay next to her shadow, her hand intertwined with its own.

* * *

"Wake up," Farabu said sharply. "Morning has come for the Seven Deserts!"

Rarity bolted awake, her shadow doing the same. The others groggily stretched into consciousness.

Shadows were leaving the ground of the Shadow Country, taking flight. They moved en masse into the sky and out of the Realm of Darkness.

"Go on," Rarity told the shadow. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

The shadow nodded, then took off with the others, flying up into the air.

"You'd best return to the Netherworld," Farabu told the group. "Find the Eye of Gazeem there so you can leave through the gate Rarity's shadow creates."

"We kinda fell in here by accident," Aladdin admitted. "Got a way out?"

Farabu ran a hand through the air, ripping a seam in it the way Mozenrath had back at Galifem. "Through my magic, you can travel at the speed of darkness," she said. "I wish you well."

"Thanks again!" Rainbow Dash said.

"It is nothing," Farabu replied.

Everyone walked through the portal, leaving Farabu behind.

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE NETHERWORLD

"And we're back here," Applejack sighed.

"At least we're outside the fortress this time," Jasmine pointed out, looking up at the fortress on its high ground. They stood in the village below.

"Does the sun seriously never rise here?" Rainbow Dash complained. "Freaked me out for a second! I thought it was already night!"

"You remember what Farabu said about dark magic?" Iago reminded her. "Darkness was a favorite of old Destane's. He started the grand tradition of the sun never rising over the Black Sands, and I guess Mozenrath just thought eternal night went with the drapes or something. Talk about dark magic. If anything is, it's that gauntlet."

"But your magic is nothing like that," Aladdin quickly assured Rarity. "You're using your powers to help us, and Mozenrath would never do that."

"We have to get to Agrabah," Jasmine reminded everyone. "The Eye of Gazeem is waiting for us there…"

"And Ayam Aghoul is waiting for us here!" Pinkie remembered.

The Genie shifted into the form of the jet. Everyone took their usual seats. The Carpet only carried two now, and Twilight's absence stood out. However, they lifted off as though nothing was different, as though nothing was wrong.

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Rarity's shadow took refuge in the glimmering blue light of one of Mozenrath's magic-detecting crystal streetlights. It shone brightly in response to her existence, as she was a creature of nearly pure magic. She flitted from streetlight to streetlight.

At long last, she was able to escape the Black Sands, and emerged into a desert over which the sun shone brightly. She knew she could not possibly walk to Agrabah in time, but her instincts alerted her to the way of shadow travel.

She flattened against the ground, appearing as an ordinary shadow, even though she was cast by no one. In this form, she was able to speed along the desert sands even more quickly than the Ponyville Express could have gone. Watching the sky above to make sure of her position, she made her way to Agrabah.

* * *

Chapter 13:

· Moz had the zombies attack because he didn't want it to be too obvious that he was baiting the heroes to come. If there hadn't been a resistance army, suspicions would have been raised.

· BTW, you have to forgive me constantly cheating by saying "the group," "the heroes," or "everyone." It's hard to type all those names.

· The Crystal of Ix is one of Moz's favorite weapons in ATAS. He uses it in 2 eps. It really does trap magical beings and allow him to leech their power. Now, I had some trouble figuring out if Twi should be frozen. When Moz caught the Genie in it in "The Hunted", the Genie could move and speak, but he was still trapped. When Moz was accidentally trapped in it in "The Secret of Dagger Rock" (how did he get out of there anyway?), he was completely frozen. I've decided that genies/djinni can move and talk inside crystals, but humans/humanoids/ponies in human form can't.

· The Netherworld is THE place people go when they die in the Aladdinverse, but in this crossover multiverse, it's obviously not the only one (GREEK UNDERWORLD HINT HINT). Anyway, mortals CAN go there. It happened.

· I decided the zombies can see and interact with the dead because in one ep, the name of which I can't remember, Aghoul said the Netherworld was filled with zombies. When we see the Netherworld in "As the Netherworld Turns," the only dead encountered are ghosts, but Aghoul says in that one that he can summon skeleton minions if he wants.

· Canonically, Moz's zombie army is…breakable. But it doesn't hurt them to lose limbs, and I'm pretty sure they can put themselves back together.

· HELLO, WORST PUN IN THE ALADDINVERSE! Ayam Aghoul is a four-episode wonder with a huge fanbase because his schemes have ranged from forcing Jasmine to marry him to attempting to overrun the world with undead…and also, because he has a certain charisma. I feel like the writers knew they had only one chance to use the "Ayam" route, and they played it just right.

· Aghoul and Moz have never interacted in canon. That thing about Moz's zombies talking to Aghoul? My fanon.

· The skeletons are Aghoul's canon minions. The reptiles are based on one monster, "Joel," which he summons in "As the Netherworld Turns." The scythe is also his canon weapon as of that ep. I kinda gave him a level up in badass, but he's up against a big crowd including a djinni. I wanted to get across that he's a threat.

· The bubbling black sand is from the ep "Black Sand." It works exactly as I said: anyone who sinks into it goes into a dimension of sinking sand.

· The Realm of Darkness is going to be a world I cobble together out of several "darkness" lands from different franchises…like the Shadow Realm from Yu-Gi-Oh! or the realm of darkness from KH, for example. There are actually THREE different places alluded to in the Aladdinverse that are pure darkness in my eyes: Moz's black sand dimension, the Shadow World (which I renamed the Shadow Country, since it isn't a world), and the Shadow Realm, which is NOT the same thing, but instead the place where the shadow walkers go in the seven-year span.

· Farabu is from the ep "The Shadow Knows." I originally wasn't going to include her, but a comment from GAvillain inspired me, and I came up with this entire sub-arc. It allowed me to have more fun than I would have with my original draft, which was just going to have them trapped in some dungeon and at Aghoul's mercy. That's right—I wasn't even gonna use the Netherworld. I feel this version is better. Anyway, Farabu is the guardian of shadows in canon.

· I…don't actually have a list of Celestia and Luna's travels. I'm just going to throw in their backstory as I come up with it. It's mostly the "prequel" generations of everything.

· Why can't they go from the Shadow Realm to the Seven Deserts directly? Because…I needed an excuse to do the living shadow bit…

· The necklace, the figurehead, and the Eye of Gazeem are all from different Aghoul-related eps. And I checked. They DON'T destroy the Eye in canon. Which is actually really weird, because they usually have the Genie launch dangerous artifacts into orbit.

· Aghoul's living shadow was a reference to "The Shadow Knows," where he tried to steal all the shadows of the world. If they don't go to the Shadow World at nighttime, their owners die. This is canon. I added the bit about light at night so physics made sense. In canon, Farabu had no idea what the living shadow was, but I wanted her to be able to make one, so I said she just hadn't seen anyone dead use it.

· The overview. Jasmine is all light because of Kingdom Hearts continuity, where there are seven Princesses of Heart that have pure hearts free of darkness. I'm actually going to be using that device a lot, and I'll explain what I'm doing princess-wise in the second storylet, the one that comes after the Seven Deserts. Each of the Elements has SOME magical power, since they are, after all, the Elements of Harmony, and can do the rainbow thing. Pinkie and Fluttershy have "bright light and deep darkness" because canonically, they're the nicest and friendliest in a normal day, but if you piss either of them off, THERE IS HELL TO PAY.

· Rarity and dark magic. If you couldn't tell, I am going to be playing "Dark is Not Evil" HARD. After all, in Final Fantasy games, the "black mage" is nearly always one of the good guys, and just has a different and more destructive spell set than the "white mage," who is usually the healer. Farabu is darkness, and she's not bad. Most of the characters in The Wardstone Chronicles (I know it's called "The Last Apprentice" in my country, but that title sucks) are witches that use the dark arts, but many use them for good. And there are Umbra Witches, who tend to act heroically in Bayonetta (Yes, I said "Bayonetta"). I'm just gonna say they're masters of darkness who aren't evil. So yeah, I have a LOT of basis to play with this in a multicrossover. I'm just going to say that it's as Farabu said: dark magic is associated with evil because it's the most easily used for evil, and the same for light and goodness, but the two analogies are NOT EQUIVALENT. Now, why Rarity? Because she's a unicorn/witch, honestly. It works better for my story in the long run if both the main magic users among the Elements have access to the Dark Arts. And Twilight isn't here right now.

· Rarity's living shadow is mute because there seems to be a precedent of that in things like The Princess and the Frog and Once Upon a Time. Shadows just don't seem to talk.


	14. Stableholm Syndrome

1. Stableholm Syndrome

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Though the dawn had broken, you wouldn't know it. The sky was as black as ever.

Mozenrath's first action that morning was to enter the crystal room and look at his new prize. Twilight remained frozen exactly as he'd left her the night before, staring out of the Crystal with those terrified eyes.

He contemplated her for a moment, then said quite clearly, "Ixtabor."

Blinding blue light filled the room once more. When it cleared, Twilight stood outside the Crystal, swaying off balance.

"You're just not as fun when you're frozen," Mozenrath admitted.

"You…" Twilight said coldly, turning to face him. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FRIENDS?"

"Wished them to the Netherworld," Mozenrath answered casually. "You have to admit, they were getting in my way. They're probably meeting up with a fate worse than death in…well, actually, that probably happened yesterday."

"HOW COULD YOU?" Twilight cried, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Easy," Mozenrath replied. "I don't have a conscience. That's actually a goal I worked hard to achieve."

"They're all gone," Twilight said to herself. "After all this time…my best friends…gone…it was all for nothing." Now the tears came harder, faster. "YOUR OWN BROTHER!" she screamed.

"Did you think I actually cared about what happened to him?" Mozenrath responded.

"Why," Twilight said softly. "Why…did you let me out?"

"I thought I told you. You're no fun frozen. Besides, I don't have any projects I need you for yet. I can just sit back and rule the parts of the world I still have from here. Maybe I'll need your magic later. I'll put you back in the Crystal then. Until then, I wouldn't try to escape. I do have a very large army of the shambling undead waiting to stop anyone from getting in…or out."

"It doesn't matter," Twilight sobbed. "I don't have anywhere I can go! Not without my friends! Not alone!" She fell to her knees, her head in her hands. There she cried without another word.

Mozenrath left the room feeling rather uncomfortable, though he couldn't put his finger on why.

Immediately, Jafar materialized before him. "Have you gone MAD?" he screeched, grabbing Mozenrath by the front of his shirt and shaking him roughly. "Why did you release her?"

"Relax." Mozenrath gently, purposefully brushed Jafar's hands away from him. "Even she knows she's useless alone. How did you know, anyway?"

"I've been keeping a close eye on you."

"I'm flattered."

"Your fascination with your little rivalry may very well be your undoing," Jafar warned.

"I know what I'm doing!" Mozenrath snapped.

"The only ones who will go far," Jafar told him, "are those who do not let bonds weigh them down. I fear your bond with the girl will prevent you from becoming one of them."

"I can't have a little fun?"

"Is this what you always do with your enemies?"

"I'll admit, I tend to have a special relationship with the ones I hate," Mozenrath said honestly but not embarrassedly. "It pains me a little to know that I probably won't be the one who did Aladdin in personally. But I did send him to his doom—"

"I sent him to his doom at your request. Do not forget that."

"—and that's close enough," Mozenrath finished.

"Watch where you tread," Jafar told him, and it sounded like a threat.

* * *

Later, Mozenrath pored over his notes. He had laid upon his laboratory table a thick, wide blue codex in which he kept all of his sketches, plans, and observations. He'd turned to a page upon which were sketched several circles with labels and descriptions. Jafar was somewhere else in the fortress, probably in one of the reading rooms.

Mozenrath sighed. Something was bothering him, and he wasn't sure exactly what. He turned to Xerxes, who was hovering over his shoulder as usual. "What's wrong with me?" he asked in frustration.

"Lonely?" Xerxes suggested.

"Please," Mozenrath scoffed. "You know me better than that."

Xerxes didn't reply. Obviously he was convinced that his guess still had merit.

Mozenrath got up from the table. "I might as well torment my newly defeated rival," he muttered.

She was still there in the crystal room, kneeling on the floor. She seemed to have stopped crying, though. Twilight had simply run out of tears.

"Are you really going to just sit there all day?" Mozenrath asked.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Twilight snapped, looking up at him.

"I need your help," Mozenrath stated.

"What, you want me to get back in the Crystal so you can use my magic for some kind of…bomb of destruction?"

"No. This is actually something I need you to be able to talk for."

"I'm not going to help you take over anything else!"

"I don't need to do that right now!" Mozenrath snapped.

Twilight gave a groan as she stood. "I guess I have nothing better to do," she grumbled.

"Come with me," Mozenrath ordered, and she followed him reluctantly. It constantly occurred to her that he was now all she had unless she could somehow get out of the fortress and back to Agrabah…but how could she face that city without its benevolent royalty at her side? And how could she board the Starlight and sail anywhere, even Fourth Equestria, without her best friends, those she considered her sisters, at her side? She couldn't. So she followed.

"I know you're not from this world," Mozenrath said as they walked. "It's fairly obvious. What I need to know is where you're from."

"So you can take it over?"

"Not yet. Why do you keep assuming the worst of me?"

"Because it's the kind of person you are."

"Good. Then I've become exactly what I wanted. I'll chalk up a victory on that."

He led her back into the laboratory, where the sketchbook lay open on the table. He levitated a second chair from across the room, setting it next to his own at the desk. Then he took his place on his seat. Twilight just stared at the other chair.

"Well?" Mozenrath stared at her meaningfully.

"Really?" Twilight replied.

"I decide to be nice to you, and you're actually going to pass it up?"

"I don't have to sit where I don't want," Twilight asserted.

"Fine. Doesn't matter to me." Mozenrath put his feet up on the other chair, crossing his ankles and reclining on the first chair. "So tell me about where you're from."

"Why?"

He tapped the sketchbook. "For the sake of completion."

Twilight peered over at the book. The pages were open to what seemed to be a rudimentary map of the cosmos…very rudimentary. Only a few worlds were sketched out. Still, she could tell what Mozenrath was trying to do: compile all the worlds of which he knew the existence.

"That's pretty impressive," she said at last.

"I know."

"You are missing mine."

"I thought so. So, are you going to tell me, or are you going to break down and cry again? Because if you're going to do that, I'm going to have to ask you not to do it in here. I'm trying to work in here, after all."

"How are you so trusting that I won't just attack you with magic?" Twilight asked. "After all, I have nothing to lose anymore. How do you know I'm not the kind of pony that would snap?"

"You are the kind that would snap," Mozenrath told her. "You're like me in a lot of ways, I think. Don't you?"

"No comment."

"Anyway, you're in no mood to blast anyone. I can tell. You don't have that…spark of madness it takes to go over the edge. That comes with something different. Say, your perfectly cobbled plan had an adze thrown into the works. Right now, you're just depressed. You don't even know what to do with yourself. So you might as well help me out, don't you think?"

Twilight sighed. She was silent for quite a while. Mozenrath rested his elbow on the table, his chin in his palm, and he watched her while she contemplated her situation. At last, he broke the silence: "You called yourself a pony. Don't think I missed that."

"I'm usually not a human," Twilight admitted. "Not where I come from, anyway. According to my Guide, I'm probably going to stay a human as long as I go to territories where humans are the dominant sentient species. But back home, I'm different. I'm a unicorn."

"Interesting," Mozenrath broke in. "You know, if I could pick anything to be besides a human, it would be a unicorn. Very magical, after all."

"You'd probably turn into one if you went to my world. Not that I want you to."

"I couldn't get there if I wanted to."

"Good," Twilight snapped. Then, wistfully: "I miss it. Equestria, I mean. The Guide said it was called Fourth Equestria, so I guess there are three more Equestrias out there. The place I knew…there weren't humans there. We're all ponies. There are unicorns like me, pegasi like Rainbow Dash, earth ponies—those are the ones without horns or wings—like Pinkie Pie, and alicorns, unicorns with wings, like Princess Celestia. Celestia…I don't want to know what she'd think if she saw me now."

"A friend of yours?"

"Yes. My teacher. My mentor. The ruler of our land."

"Strike what I said earlier," Mozenrath contemplated out loud. "I wouldn't want to be a unicorn. Being an alicorn sounds much more…empowering. Now go on. It's a monarchy, is it?"

"We have two princesses that rule," Twilight continued. "Celestia raises the sun and rules the day. Her sister Luna takes over at night and raises the moon. Luna…was the first enemy I ever fought with my friends. She called herself Nightmare Moon. We used the Elements of Harmony on her, and she changed from the evil Mare in the Moon back to the sister Celestia loved." She glared at Mozenrath. "Although if we used the Elements on you, you'd probably stay just as rotten as ever."

"And proud of it!" Mozenrath grinned cheekily.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Twilight said hastily.

"That's fine." Mozenrath reached over to his sketchbook, taking it up into his arms. He dipped a griffon feather quill into a pot of ink and began drawing, indifferent to Twilight's presence. She watched him. Then he stopped to admire his work before putting the book back on the table.

"You know," Twilight said, "you've done some impressive writing. I looked around here the first time we ever came into this lab."

"She speaks," Mozenrath teased. "I thought you were going into the part of the conversation where you hate me silently."

"I'm trying to make the best of this, okay?" A memory surfaced in Twilight's mind. "Fluttershy once said…sometimes we all need to be shown a little kindness. I don't think you deserve it, seeing as you sent her to the Netherworld without a second thought, but I guess I could at least respect you."

"I'll take it."

"Can I…can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead. I can't guarantee I'll answer."

Twilight swallowed hard. "You…you have a lot of worlds drawn there," she said. "I want to know…how much do you know about the cosmos? What do you already know?"

"Well!" He took his feet off the second chair, straightening up in his seat before taking the book and pushing it slightly toward her. "I've collected a few bits of information here and there, and while this is nowhere near what I suspect is the real scope of things, I've found quite a few different worlds through hearsay."

Twilight walked up to the table, still not sitting, and looked at the sketch. The ink was still drying on one large circle labeled "Fourth Equestria—populated by ponies. Two princesses for day and night. Matriarchy? Elements of Harmony. 'Nightmare Moon'—has own moon." Three smaller circles surrounded it: "First Equestria—populated by ponies?" "Second Equestria—populated by ponies?" "Third Equestria—populated by ponies?"

"You see," Mozenrath began, putting his right index finger on the largest sphere, the one marked "The Seven Deserts" with several notes, "this is my world. This is where we are now. This is what I currently rule with the exception of six certain lands."

"If you're expecting me to apologize—"

"I'm actually not. You put up a good fight. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Well, I would have wanted to win, but better I lose to the likes of you and Aladdin than anyone less competent. Anyway, you've pretty much been all over this world by now. You know what it's like. I shouldn't have to explain it. Anyway, there are plenty of mortal worlds like yours and mine floating around there. Every once in a while, a couple of them slam together. There's a gate, if you will. Located in this world, there's one gate that leads to another mortal world that happens to be in an entirely different state of technological advancement than ours. That world—" he moved his finger to the adjacent sphere "—is what I like to call Olympic Greece. Well, it's bigger than just Greece, but it isn't our Greece. The gods get more involved in mortal business there. Aladdin's been through that gate, and so have I, but at different times, and for different reasons."

"What was your reason?" Twilight asked.

"I just did what I had to do to save my life," Mozenrath answered, "and that's all you get."

"Fair enough. I'd probably be disgusted with the real story anyway."

"You probably would. Anyway, it's a completely different planet, only accessible through that gate. But as far as I know, that gate has never disappeared. Strange, don't you think? Anyway, that's the world where you can find Mount Olympus, which may or may not be a separate planar entity." He pointed to a small ellipse he'd drawn over the Olympic Greece sphere and labeled "Mount Olympus." "This would be the home of one certain pantheon of gods. Zeus, Hera…you're familiar?"

"I've read about them."

"Good. Saves me a lot of trouble explaining. Now, to continue with that, this is also the closest mortal world to the Underworld." He pointed to a different circle beneath Olympic Greece. "That's where you'll find all the Chthonic gods. Hel, Osiris, you get the picture. Oh, and Hades. He has a bit of a place of honor down there."

"I know about the Underworld," Twilight interrupted. "I've read all about it. In fact, Cerberus once found his way out of Tartarus and into my world."

"Interesting!" Mozenrath cried, taken aback. "So there's a gate from the Underworld to Fourth Equestria. Who would have thought…a world of ponies connected directly to an empire of death!"

"It surprised me too," Twilight said, smiling at the memory. "Luckily, Pinkie had a rubber ball stashed away, so we led him back to the gates of Tartarus before any disasters could happen."

"You're making this up."

"It's true!"

Mozenrath gave a small laugh. "I can see it, now that you mention it. You and the hellhound. Now, Pinkie Pie is the one with the cannon, if I'm not mistaken?"

"You got it."

"Figures she'd be the one to pull out a dog toy for a hellhound, of all things."

"That's kinda how she works." Twilight's smile faded as she remembered that Pinkie was in the realm of the living no more.

"Moving on," Mozenrath continued, "the Netherworld is a sub-entity of the Underworld. Sort of like an alternate plane in the same physical space as the living world. I'm not entirely sure how it works yet, but trust me, I'll figure it out. Then there's the Realm of Darkness." He pointed to another circle. "It contains the Shadow Country, the resting place for the El-Khatib, and a little patch of sinking sand that I adapted for my own use. I must say, it's been quite useful for disposing of prisoners. Of course, that was before Aladdin broke them all out, but I should have expected that from him. He always wins." Mozenrath clenched his right fist. "Always."

"You're jealous," Twilight realized.

"Why should I be? I'm more powerful than him. He just got lucky."

"It was just a guess." Twilight knew inwardly that she'd hit upon a nerve.

"I'd like to figure out more about the Realm of Darkness," Mozenrath admitted. "After all, most if not all of my magic falls under the dark arts. The power that must be there…but that's for another day." The next circle was at the top of the page. "Then there's Morbus. That's where Mirage, the resident goddess of evil, lives. She likes to come down to torment this world every once in a while."

"I've heard of her," Twilight admitted. "She's the one that let the fire-cats overrun Agrabah."

"Yes." Mozenrath contemplated that. "You're intelligent, right? Well-read?"

"I like to think so."

"What are Echthroi?" he asked sincerely.

"Echthroi?" Twilight repeated. "Well, 'Echthros' is an old word. It basically means 'enemy.' All the sources I've ever found on the term just say that Echthroi are powerful evil beings that can only be defeated with 'weapons of the heart.'"

"That makes sense." Mozenrath turned to look up and face Twilight. "Mirage struck a deal with me, you know. She brought Jafar and me together in exchange for me letting her 'Echthroi' have the run of Agrabah."

"The fire-cats are Echthroi," Twilight realized. "Courage is a weapon of the heart! It makes sense!" Then Mozenrath's words sank in. "Wait. Mirage gave you Jafar's lamp?"

"I'm not one to look a gift camel in the mouth."

"Mirage sounds like one of the Old Ones," Twilight said. "The great immortal evils we've been trying to stand against. This was all her plan! This might all be connected to the Angel of Darkness!"

"The who now?"

"My friends and I were on this journey because Celestia said someone called the Angel of Darkness was going to rouse the Old Ones and bring an age of disharmony and chaos," Twilight explained quickly. "Well, that's as short as I can make the story, anyway. That's why we're here."

"Jafar keeps talking about a new order," Mozenrath told her. "He also keeps bringing up these people, these 'Overtakers,' who are going to be important to it. I'm betting there's no coincidence there."

"Overtakers," Twilight repeated. "I'll remember that."

Now Mozenrath was back to the map. "Morbus is a strange world. All I really know is that Mirage is there, and that seems like enough to know. Now, there was a rather strange incident a while back that led me to my next discovery. First of all, tell me…would a spirit of pure chaos count as one of your Old Ones?"

"YES!" Twilight cried. "You didn't come across any research about a draconequus, did you?"

"A part-dragon, part-equine, part-chimera?" Mozenrath reiterated. "No. Think more of a…cat with wings."

"Oh. I thought…never mind."

"This cat, this 'Chaos,' seems to call Morbus home at least part-time. Some time ago, he came to the Seven Deserts in an attempt to spread, well, chaos. According to hearsay, he was particularly intrigued to hear that Aladdin always won, no matter what…and, as established, he always does. Chaos decided to make things interesting by bringing in an evil Aladdin, one that was opposite from the one we know in every way. Now, I wish THAT one could have stuck around. He was probably more tolerable."

"You wouldn't have been able to taunt him," Twilight pointed out.

Mozenrath pointed at her, slightly stunned. "True," he agreed. "Very true. Anyway, while it is probably possible for an 'Old One,' as you put it, to create new life spontaneously, it's not likely that he would have been able to just pull an exact negative duplicate of Aladdin out of thin air in the time span of a day. No…I'm sure he had to have gotten the evil Aladdin from somewhere. Somewhere that everything is opposite. An evil Aladdin. A weak Jasmine. A version of me that isn't incomparably wonderful in every field."

Twilight had to force back a laugh at that last statement.

"That's why I made this." Mozenrath turned the page to reveal another map, this one done on parchment that had been dyed completely black before the circles were drawn on in white ink. It mirrored the other map in every way but the Equestrias and the Underworld. "My theory is that out there, there are worlds where everything is opposite from what we know. An exact negative. For now, I'm terming this the 'Negaverse.' It at least includes the Seven Deserts, but probably everything else." He turned back to the first map. "And that's what I know."

"You missed Avalon," Twilight pointed out.

"I missed what?"

"It's like a hub," Twilight explained. "A magical island that works as a centerpoint for the other worlds. The mists take you where you need to go. That's…what we used to get here. The mists."

"Interesting." Mozenrath sketched in another sphere labeled "Avalon—magic mists take you where you need to go." "You know," he said, "there is one more thing that continues to confuse me." He turned the pages of the book until he reached a sketch of what appeared to be a large key with a square head and teeth with a crown-shaped cutaway. "Have you ever seen anything like this? About the size of a sword, but a little longer."

"No," Twilight admitted. "What does that have to do with the cosmos?"

"I don't even know," Mozenrath admitted cryptically before shutting the sketchbook. "Well, there goes that idea."

"I have another question."

"And that is?"

"How did you become…this…anyway?" Twilight inquired. "This whole powerful sorcerer thing."

"I always wanted to be the villain," Mozenrath admitted without shame. "After my mother died and my father ungraciously abandoned me, I decided to make my own fate. I came here. What have you heard of Destane?"

"A tyrannical sorcerer that ruled this land. Apparently one of your undead now?"

"Exactly. He was like a father to me, you know."

"I've seen how you treat your father," Twilight told Mozenrath. "And…he told me how he treated you. If you say Destane was like a father, I'm almost inclined to think he was even worse than you."

"He wasn't a lax disciplinarian for sure," Mozenrath admitted. "If I learned one thing from him, it was low tolerance for mistakes."

"Did he…did he hurt you?"

"Not in any way that didn't heal."

"Are you sure?"

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight." Mozenrath shook his head. "Are you trying to psychoanalyze me? Do you think I'm evil because I'm broken?"

"No," Twilight admitted. "I think you're evil because you like the glamour of it. And in a weird way, I understand that. But that doesn't mean you can't be broken at the same time."

"Destane hurt me," Mozenrath said casually, "but in the end, he got his. And that's all I care about. I'm guessing your experience with Celestia was a more pleasant affair."

"She's always been tolerant of my mistakes," Twilight replied, "even when they're bad. I once managed to get all of Ponyville in terrible danger by casting a glamour spell on one of my old toys. I was just trying to start a little fight so I would have a problem to solve—you see, I wrote to Celestia every week to tell her what I learned about friendship, but I didn't have anything to say that week—but everyone in Ponyville ended up attracted to that stupid doll, and it took Celestia herself to remove the spell and break it up! I was sure she'd send me back to Magic Kindergarten, but she didn't. She forgave me."

Mozenrath's jaw had dropped. "What?" Twilight barked.

Mozenrath replied by bursting into laughter. "And here I was thinking you were some sort of goody-two-shoes!" he guffawed. "Glamour spells? Starting fights so you could fix them?"

"I was on a deadline! I couldn't miss that!"

"You and I are more alike than I thought!"

"I know, okay? Everypony else pointed it out! Now will you quit laughing?"

That shut Mozenrath up, but he still had a large smile on his face. After a moment, he couldn't hold back the laughter, and he started it up again, covering his mouth with his gauntleted hand.

Twilight groaned. "Great. Just what I needed."

"I knew you were interesting, you know," Mozenrath said when he finally stopped laughing. "You…the Element of Magic. That's why Celestia took you on, right?"

"Sort of," Twilight answered. "I found out I was the Element of Magic after many years of studying magic with Celestia. All my friends and I figured out we were the Elements of Harmony after our first battle with Nightmare Moon. That's when we got these." She touched her amulet. "They're the same as our Cutie Marks."

"Your what now?"

Slightly embarrassed that she'd let another detail about her world slip, Twilight rolled up her sleeve, showing off the arm with the pink starburst on it. "Cutie Marks," she repeated. "Everypony gets them when we figure out our special talent. Magic is mine. When we're ponies, they show up on our flanks, not our arms."

"I'm guessing you're glad that you don't have to show me your 'flank,' aren't you?"

At that remark, Twilight blushed in embarrassment and anger. She bit her lip to keep from bursting out yelling.

"Right, right," Mozenrath realized. "That crossed a line. I get it."

"So NOW you care about crossing lines? It's a bit late for that, don't you think?"

"Actually, yes. I'm disappointed in myself that I care, but I'd rather not cut this conversation shorter than it has to be." He shrugged. "Call it one of life's mysteries."

"Maybe you're finally realizing that you're lonely without real friends here, and you're just desperate to talk to someone. Maybe…" Twilight made a guess. "Maybe that's why you taunt all your enemies so hard!"

"Why does everyone keep saying I'm lonely?" Mozenrath groaned. "You and Xerxes! I don't GET lonely! I have all the power I could ever want, more servants than most of the sultans in the Seven Deserts, and…I have friends!"

"Name one."

"Xerxes."

"Pets don't count."

"He talks. I gave him that power myself."

"Because you were lonely!"

"I don't get LONELY!"

"Any other friends besides the flying eel?" Twilight teased.

"Jafar," Mozenrath answered. "Obviously."

"Fair enough." Without realizing what she was doing, Twilight settled herself into the second chair. "As long as we're talking, what's with that gauntlet?"

"This?" Mozenrath held out his right arm. "This is the source of my power. Unlike my brother, I actually worked for it. It was the usual business with powerful magical artifacts…hidden in a heavily guarded cavern, covered in protective enchantments, you know the routine. I knew the price that came with it, but it's worth it."

"And that price is?"

"My life."

"Huh?"

He spoke as though he was relating something trivial. "Every use I make of the gauntlet drains my life force. I've found some other ways to extend my life past the point where I should have died, but the gauntlet still takes what it wants. Eventually it will wear me down unless I think of a way to outwit it. And I will think of a way to outwit it."

"Why would you sacrifice your life for power?" Twilight asked in horror. "What if you can't beat it?"

"I can. I will. And if I don't, I'll know it was worth it." He gave her his trademark smirk. "You know, I hear that unicorn blood can extend a lifespan—"

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"

"You're right," he admitted. "I wouldn't. After all, we're having too much fun here."

"You're serious," Twilight realized. "You don't want to destroy me."

"Not at the moment."

"Did you ever?"

"I considered it. It wasn't appealing." A thought occurred to him. "You were the one that saved me from the Al-Muddy, weren't you?"

"I didn't want your blood on my hooves."

"It wouldn't have been. It would have been on the mud creature's."

"I don't want to watch anyone die, okay?" Her voice cracked.

"Better look away, then," Mozenrath teased. "After all, the gauntlet's still working on me. I could show you, if you needed proof."

This peaked Twilight's interest. "Show me…what?"

He reached out with his left hand, peeling the gauntlet away from his right. Twilight gasped to see the fleshless bones of his hand and forearm underneath. "It's not as bad as it looks," Mozenrath assured her. "It still functions like an ordinary hand."

"But can you feel anything with it?" Twilight asked.

"No. Then again, I always have it covered anyway."

"I see why Cassim wanted to give you a second chance with—"

"That wasn't what I wanted, and you should know that!"

"Have you ever thought that for once in your life, there might be something more important than power?"

"Only recently" was Mozenrath's sharp answer.

"Care to explain?" Twilight asked.

"No. It's something I could have alongside power anyway. I wouldn't have to choose."

Twilight curiously put out her own right hand. "Do you…do you mind if I…"

At first, Mozenrath couldn't believe what she was asking. Then he replied, with a grin, "Why not?" He extended his skeletal arm toward her.

She took his right hand in her own, bringing her left hand around as well. She turned his hand over, examining every finger, the working of the human skeleton that she had never seen before. When she was through, she let go. "I'm sorry," she said.

"I don't want your pity," Mozenrath snapped.

"That's right," Twilight remembered. "Sorry for being sorry."

"You're forgiven. I'm guessing that being the Element of Magic doesn't drain anything from you."

"You'd be surprised," Twilight replied. "This isn't the first time I thought I lost the other Elements for good, but I don't think I'll find them again as easily as last time. You see, we've become like family. The six of us together…that's the real magic. We might have started out as being forced to fight evil together, but since then, we've turned into more. We've turned into family. And they'll always stay in my heart."

"You really are useless without them," Mozenrath realized.

"Took you long enough to figure out."

"They seemed like worthy opponents, too. I almost miss them."

"Are you saying that sending them to die was a mistake?"

"I did not send them to die. I sent them to a place where it was very likely that they would die. There's a difference."

Twilight understood. "You think they're still alive."

"The way my luck runs? I know it."

"They'll probably come back to get me."

"I'll be waiting."

"You're not going to use your third wish to destroy them some other way?"

"I already know what my third wish is going to be," Mozenrath snapped, "and nothing is going to change that."

"So, what is it? To be the most powerful sorcerer in the world?"

"I already have that. I'm not telling you what my third wish will be. It's not your business. I'm already a one-man Age of Sorcery."

"I keep hearing that term." Twilight changed the subject. "What is the Age of Sorcery?"

"There was a time when sorcerers ruled this world with dark magic," Mozenrath explained. "Jafar and Destane were the last remnants. I've traced the steps of all of them. The Witches of the Sand, whose empire once stood where Agrabah now is."

"Sadira's one of them now. She says she knows you."

"Sadira…there's a name I haven't heard in years."

"You were friends?"

"The closest thing I had to a friend back then," Mozenrath said gruffly. "She doesn't matter anymore."

"You sure about that?"

"Incredibly sure."

"Okay then…"

"There was Shamash," Mozenrath went on with the list. "He controlled his own personal sun. I found it once. I had it for a day, but Aladdin took it from me. There were the sorcerers of the Black Viper, who harnessed one of the gates between this world and the Netherworld. The wizard Khufu…always entertaining to find what he left behind. He had all sorts of spells…then there was Khartoum. The only one to ever best me. He tricked me into letting me out of the book that held him prisoner, and then he destroyed half my fortress and drained my powers."

"How'd you get out of that one?"

"I'd rather not say."

"It's not like Aladdin had to show up and save you," Twilight teased. After seeing the look on his face, she gasped, then grinned. "He did, didn't he! He saved your life!"

"Do we have to talk about this?"

"No."

"Then let's not."

"So…Jafar," Twilight said, beginning a new topic. "You admire him a lot."

"He's always been a hero to me," Mozenrath told her. "He was the greatest sorcerer in the world at one point. The true scourge of Agrabah. If there's one person in this world I'd call better than me, it's him. Of course, you don't get to let that on to him."

"Trusting your nemesis? That's a risky move." Now she was the one smirking.

"Nemesis. Interesting choice of words after all this."

"You're right," Twilight realized. "What would you call me?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

"The difference between ignorance and apathy."

"What?"

"It's a stupid joke they used to tell in magic school. What's the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care!"

They both laughed before shutting up embarrassedly at the same time.

"Most of my friends wouldn't get that," Twilight admitted. "I guess it's only funny to ponies and people that spend their lives locked up in rooms full of books."

"That's what they said about me?"

"Is it wrong?"

"No."

"Anyway, I won't tell Jafar anything about what we've been talking about," Twilight promised.

"He might be watching, actually," Mozenrath said with a small shiver. "He…does that. Not that I don't think he should keep an eye on things…I'd just like to have a few things secret from him for now. I deserve that much, right? When he figures out what I really am…then I'll let him know everything else. And he'll see what I'm made of very soon."

It didn't slip past Twilight: his fidgeting, the slight flush of color in his face. "You and him…"

"What about us?"

"Do you…want him to be more than just your friend?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like…your special somepony. No, wait, that's not how you say it. With humans, the term is…boyfriend, right?"

"I…" This struck Mozenrath speechless. He turned his gaze from Twilight to the sketchbook and back, trying to formulate an answer as even more blood rushed to his face. "I…that isn't…"

"You do!" Twilight realized. "You want to be with him!"

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"What, are you embarrassed that the terrible, heartless Mozenrath actually has emotions?"

He crossed his arms in frustration. "I'm not exactly the needy type."

"I know. So, are you gonna stuff me back in the Crystal of Ix for that remark?"

"No," Mozenrath muttered. "Just…don't SAY anything."

"You're not denying it anymore."

"You think I CAN? From YOU?"

"I caught you having an actual emotion," Twilight boasted, "and you know it."

"All I'll say," Mozenrath replied, his voice becoming colder and quieter, "is that once he sees what I'm really made of, he won't see me as an arrogant young upstart anymore. And I hate it…that he sees me that way…right now."

"You should be careful," Twilight said, her demeanor switching to one more somber. "Jafar…doesn't have the best track record."

"Meaning?"

"You know Iago used to work with him, right?" Twilight asked. "They were best friends, or Iago thought so, anyway. Then Jafar ditched him and went on to become more powerful. He just…trashed their friendship. You saw how they talked back in Getzistan."

"I'm supposed to be worried because of how he treated his pet?"

"His familiar," Twilight pointed out. "Iago was to him like Xerxes is to you. Would you leave Xerxes behind?"

"If he annoyed me enough."

"Iago also says that Jafar just uses people and moves on in general," Twilight continued. "Apparently he worked with Abis Mal once, and he just used him."

"Anyone would ditch Abis Mal!"

"Except for Haroud. They're pretty solid partners."

"I still don't see why this matters to me."

"I'm just afraid he's going to break your heart," Twilight said plainly.

"The prisoner is afraid for the captor's heart," Mozenrath pointed out. "You don't see what's wrong with this picture?"

"My life is about harmony. I can't help but care about people when I think they're in trouble. Jafar is dangerous. And if he knows how you feel about him, he could use that against you."

"I can assure you, my heart isn't that fragile. If he betrays me, which won't happen, I won't shed any tears."

"But you're so sure he won't betray you. What if you're wrong?"

"I'm never wrong."

"But if you are," Twilight insisted.

"Then I…" It took him a while to come up with the response. "Then I move on."

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I promise not to eat broken glass or play hopscotch in the street."

"Ha. Ha." Suddenly Twilight closed her eyes, shaking her head. "GAH! NO, NO, NO! I thought I was better than this! And here I am, making a complete FOAL out of myself…UUURRRRRRRGHHHHH!" She stood hastily, covering her face with her hands.

"That was unexpected," Mozenrath remarked.

"Forty years ago on my world," Twilight groaned, "there was a bank robbery in the town of Stableholm. Three unicorns threatened to cast harmful spells on the earth ponies that ran the bank. They stayed there for a week. When Celestia's guard finally broke them up, the earth ponies claimed they'd become best friends with the unicorns, and once the unicorns got out of prison, they started hanging out with the earth ponies from the bank. They said that during the time they'd spent together, they became friends. Ever since then, they call it Stableholm Syndrome when prisoners and captors become friends. Everypony says it isn't real friendship, and it's dangerous. YOU are still dangerous. I'm still in danger. And here I am…MAKING STUPID JOKES AND TALKING ABOUT OUR LIVES!" She sighed deeply. "I'm a failure."

It took Mozenrath a while to find an appropriate response. "You don't have to keep talking to me anymore. I got what I needed." He pulled his gauntlet back over his right arm and got up from his chair, walking to the door of the laboratory.

"Back to the Crystal for me?" Twilight asked, lowering her hands.

"No," Mozenrath answered. He flagged down one of his undead guards. As the zombie moved closer, he said, "Tell the rest that she has permission to go wherever she wants in the fortress. Kitchens, reading rooms, dungeons, wherever."

The zombie stared at him confusedly.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

The zombie shuffled away to tell his cohorts the news.

"You heard me," Mozenrath told Twilight without turning to face her. "Anywhere in the building."

"Thank you," Twilight said softly as she passed him, leaving the laboratory.

As he watched her leave, Mozenrath thought to himself very clearly that all she'd done was relieve his boredom for a few minutes. Still, his mood was considerably improved from earlier, and he realized he'd never shown off his work to anyone else but Xerxes before. He returned to his sketchbook considerably more content.

* * *

The freedom to roam the fortress of the Black Sands was slightly awkward for Twilight. She was glad that she didn't have to fear being attacked by the undead if she left the crystal room, but at the same time, she found herself having to memorize the pathways of a structure that to her was completely alien. She got lost several times, finding strange rooms. One large storeroom was filled with upset barrels, and the floor was covered in a bubbling, tarry black substance that she knew she'd rather not touch.

Eventually, Twilight found the kitchen—another immaculate space, mostly blue, stocked with strange herbs and spices from around the world—and took only one apple. She nibbled it as she continued her exploration.

Eventually, she found Jafar. Entering one of the smaller reading rooms, she beheld him standing before a space of previously blank wall, speaking to a sort of magical window bordered in small green flames. From the angle of the door, Twilight couldn't see to whom he spoke.

"In that respect, he has potential," Jafar was saying. "However, he gives too much care and value to others, mostly his rivals, but especially and strangely myself. In this, he is weak—" He saw Twilight. With a wave of his hand, the wall became blank once more.

"You," Jafar growled at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I have permission," Twilight snapped. "Who were you talking to?"

"I think the better question is how you got permission to roam the fortress with wild abandon."

"Don't change the subject, Jafar. Who were you talking to?"

"Someone whose name you will one day hail," Jafar answered. "The only one for whom I can call myself a servant and still retain my dignity. That is all you need to know. Did the boy tell you that you could have the run of his domain?"

"If you aren't going to explain what you're doing, I don't have to explain what I'm doing."

"I despise you, girl. Keep that in mind. I know what you truly are."

"You mean the Element of Magic?" Twilight asked. "Or did you know I was a unicorn?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. I've been informed."

"By your mysterious friend from just now."

"I'm not fond of the lenience the boy has given you." Jafar's eyes pierced Twilight's directly. "If I had my way, you would be gone for good. But alas, genies cannot kill…and it would be bad form to dispose of my master's favorite toy."

"If you even think about hurting him," Twilight growled, "I won't be afraid to fight you. Even if I do know I can't win."

Jafar flashed her a smile that sent shivers down her spine. "Do you think you have some sort of connection with the boy?"

"I don't know, but I do know that my mission is to spread harmony. And from what I've seen, you're one of the least harmonious people I ever met. I already can't forgive you for what you've done to Iago. I don't even know what your story is with Abis Mal, and I even pity him!"

"I would stay out of things that are not my business, were I you," Jafar said as he stalked out of the room. "After all, you are merely a tool to us now. And soon you will not even be that."

Ignoring him, Twilight entered the reading room, finishing her apple. She held back the urge to chuck the chewed-away core at the back of Jafar's head. Instead, she disposed of it in a nearby receptacle, a wastebasket that vaporized all that was dropped into it with a deflagration spell. She perused the books on the shelf opposite the blank wall, finding many interesting titles. At last, she chose a book entitled The History of the Witches of the Sand and settled down in an ornate wooden chair to read it.

* * *

Jafar stormed into the laboratory angrily. "It is time you made a choice," he told Mozenrath.

Mozenrath looked up from his work on the sketchbook. "Meaning?"

"The girl is inhibiting you from reaching your full potential. You must choose either her or power. If you take the right path, you will be rid of her."

"If you say so," Mozenrath accepted, "she'll be out of our hair immediately."

"Good."

* * *

"Twilight."

Twilight looked up from the book on the ancient witches to see Mozenrath standing in the door of the reading room.

"Come with me," he said sternly.

"Why?" she asked.

His demeanor relaxed slightly. "I have something I think you'll enjoy seeing."

"Okay. I'll bite." She set the book down in the chair and left it, following Mozenrath out of the room and down the twisted hallways.

They walked all the way to the atrium, then, to Twilight's surprise, out the great front doors of the fortress. There, before the fortress' entrance, was an ebony-black wheeled cart pulled by a horse; a zombie Mamluk sat in the driver's seat, holding the reins.

"I've been told to get rid of you," Mozenrath explained, "so I'm kicking you out. You're free to go."

"Where is he going to take me?" Twilight asked.

"Anywhere you want," Mozenrath told her coldly. "Just away from here. Agrabah, if you want."

Tentatively, wondering if it was a trap, Twilight stepped up to the cart, climbing up into it. The zombie looked back at her, awaiting directions. Her eyes filled with tears. "How can I go back alone?" she asked softly.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Mozenrath cried. "You know as well as I do that Aladdin, HIS little friends, and YOUR little friends found some way to get out of the Netherworld in one piece! He always wins! They're probably launching some sort of rescue mission for you right now."

Twilight gave him one last honest smile. "Thank you."

"Please don't do this."

"Do what?"

"Make it look like I have a heart."

She nearly laughed. Then she turned to the undead driver. "I would like to go back to Agrabah, if you don't mind," she said confidently.

The zombie looked confusedly to Mozenrath, wondering why he was letting his prisoner just go free.

"Well?" Mozenrath barked at the zombie. "You heard her!"

The zombie cracked the reins, and the cart set off down the main street of the village at a fast pace. Mozenrath watched as the shining blue crystals lit up as Twilight passed them, detecting her magic, then doused as quickly as they'd shone. Satisfied, he turned back to the atrium, and the doors slammed shut behind him.

Jafar was waiting for him. "Wrong choice, boy."

"What do you want from me?" Mozenrath groaned in frustration. "You told me to get rid of her. I got rid of her."

"You could have destroyed her in a number of ways, and yet you let her go free!"

"It's what I like to call 'setting a precedent.' After all, I've settled on my third wish."

This brought an anticipatory smile to Jafar's face. "And what would that be?"

Mozenrath locked eyes with his ally, feeling his heartbeat quicken. He almost couldn't form the words in the beginning, but when he did say them, they sounded clear as crystal. "I wish for your freedom."

"WHAT?" Of all the things Jafar had guessed might be the third wish, that was not one of them.

"You're an independent operator now," Mozenrath clarified. "Of course, you have a considerable downgrade in power…you're now semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic. Somehow, I don't think you'll have a problem with that."

"I certainly don't," Jafar confirmed, smiling broadly. "So these are your true colors?"

"I wouldn't have you mistaking this for me being a merciful person. You're special, after all. I'm sure you know that. I think we have a certain…connection."

"Do go on," Jafar prompted.

"Your color of choice is red, right?" Mozenrath waved his right hand from his head down past his waist; following its path, all the fabric he wore that was blue changed to a bright crimson. "You and I have similar dreams, similar goals. We both want to rule the Seven Deserts. Why not together?" He stepped closer to Jafar as he spoke. "Of course, it would work better as an equal partnership than if I were in complete control of you."

"That is certainly true," Jafar agreed.

Now Mozenrath stood directly before him. "I'm sure you've seen now that I'm more than just an upstart."

"You have indeed impressed me."

Mozenrath dared to touch Jafar's shoulder with his right hand. "Good to hear. It means I can finally tell you my little secret without having to worry about my dignity."

"And what is that secret?" Jafar asked softly.

Mozenrath's hand moved from Jafar's shoulder to the side of his face; his heart nearly exploded from the contact. "All this time, I've wanted to be just like you. You set the gold standard. It's good to know I passed."

"Indeed…"

"And from now on, we don't have to play these games with each other. We can be equals." Their faces were inches apart.

"I have tired of playing games," Jafar said sternly.

Gripping his staff in his right hand, he struck Mozenrath across the face with it. Caught off guard and off balance, Mozenrath fell to the floor, stunned.

"Did you think it would really be as simple as that?" Jafar admonished. "You impress me, you free me, and suddenly I would desire to make you mine?" He planted his foot on Mozenrath's shoulder, keeping him down. "Were you not paying attention? Bonds are weakness! Love is a weakness! After all, look where your foolish love has gotten you! I could destroy you now if I so desired. Don't you even dare to fight back?"

Mozenrath was temporarily stunned into silence. When he found his words, he loaded them with anger. "You let me think you admired me!"

"An easy game to play. Your lust and affection made you easy to manipulate."

"Don't think it's easy to manipulate me!"

"Am I not free of your bonds? Am I not standing above you in every possible way?" Jafar pointed his staff down at Mozenrath, firing a ray of bright red light at him. Mozenrath flinched, expecting pain or suffering. Instead, there was nothing, or so he thought.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I've stripped you of the powers I gave you," Jafar explained. "This world is yours no more. However, soon it will be mine…and mine alone." He removed his foot, turning to walk out of the atrium.

Mozenrath struggled to his feet, absolutely stunned. He watched Jafar walk away, all the way to the door, before he screamed, "WE COULD HAVE HAD EVERYTHING! YOU'RE A FOOL TO PASS THAT UP!"

"You are the fool," Jafar replied without turning to face Mozenrath. "You shall not have this world…and you shall not have me. I must now finish what I began so long ago in Agrabah." He vanished in a cloud of red.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Rarity's shadow reached Agrabah as evening was beginning to fall. This made her nervous, even knowing that if she failed, she could always go back to the Shadow Country that night. She hastened her pace, trying not to be distracted by the sight of the city. It looked even worse than it had when Rarity had left it last. The clouds were still thick and dark overhead—if Mozenrath wasn't able to keep them there via the rainforest, someone else was bidding them to stay. Barely enough light for shadows shone through. Fire-cats ran rampant in the streets, and most buildings had gaping holes struck through their walls; whatever was flammable was burning. People ran to take shelter in the destroyed buildings, families clutching at each other in desperation as the cats grew ever larger with their constant supply of fear.

The shadow made for the palace. She picked out the tower Iago had indicated, flitting directly toward it. The walls of the palace didn't stop her; she shifted right through. Oddly enough, the palace was quite empty and silent, a direct contrast to the maelstrom of fire outside. Rarity's shadow tried not to take too much notice of this as she fled toward the tower.

Through several walls, she eventually reached what she was certain was Jafar's old lair. This place was made of dark, unpainted stone—obviously not a room used by the general palace staff. A great stone dais rose in the center of the circular room. Magical devices and weapons were visible everywhere—a crystal here, an orb there, swords spilled on this side of the floor, nautical tools hanging from that part of the ceiling.

Rarity's shadow knew the Eye of Gazeem when she saw it. Resting on a small stone shelf, it was a great purple crystal cut in an egglike shape. The shadow carried with her many of the instincts of her owner; she could sense crystals and their powers. This was definitely a gate to the Netherworld.

She reached out to touch it, but a wall of green fire shot up before her. She stepped back in fear. When the fire subsided, a strange figure stood before the shadow: a statuesque anthropomorphic cat dressed in a revealing red ensemble.

"Well, well," the cat remarked. "You aren't one of mine. Where did you come from?"

Rarity's shadow could only tremble.

"You weren't trying to get at the Eye of Gazeem, were you?" the cat said. "I don't know what you want with it, but I'm certainly not going to let you touch it. You might just ruin everything I worked so hard for."

Rarity's shadow leapt for the Eye, but the cat grabbed her by both wrists, shoving her back. The cat was able to fling the shadow into the adjacent wall before slashing at her with her hand as a regular cat would strike with its claws; green claw-marks of energy shot towards the shadow and caused her to double over in pain.

The shadow became flat against the floor once more, shooting towards the Eye, but the cat stomped down on the shadow, and she found she couldn't move, somehow held down by the cat's foot. "Please," the cat snorted. "I practically invented that one." Realization struck the cat. "It's nearly nightfall, is it not? If you don't find a way out…you're done for, and so is whoever you belong to. I can stand here until then. It isn't difficult for me at all."

Rarity's shadow struggled helplessly, unable to regain her three-dimensional form. Had she her voice, she might have been able to try and talk this strange woman out of holding her captive, but she was mute, and could not protest.

Time ticked by, and the sun went further West.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE NETHERWORLD

The Genie-jet and the Carpet touched down in the central city square. The destruction was quite evident.

"No," Aladdin said softly. "It's…horrible…"

"I know this is Mirage's doing!" Jasmine shouted.

"We'll fix it later!" Applejack cried. "Right now, we gotta get to that Eye!"

They rushed toward the palace. "It'll be easy!" the Genie assured everyone. "All we need to do is walk through the walls the way Rarity's shadow did! Piece of cake!"

They made it to the outer walls of the palace, then stopped. It would not, in fact, be as easy as the Genie claimed. Thousands of skeletons lined up between the group and the palace; for every five skeletons, there was one dog-sized reptile.

At the very front of this lineup was Aghoul, holding his scythe casually. "I couldn't let you get away that easily," he said. "So I invited some old friends around for a party!"

"This isn't the kind of party I like," Pinkie whimpered, "is it?"

"It's a dismember-the-heroes party!" Aghoul cried happily.

"I don't like those," Pinkie squealed.

Rainbow Dash drew her swords. "BRING IT!"

"Oh, I certainly shall!" Aghoul pointed at his opponents. "ATTACK!"

The skeletons rushed forth. Rainbow Dash, Aladdin, Jasmine, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, and the Carpet charged into the fray, knocking skeletons down one by one. Iago hovered overhead, once again not wanting to get involved in the conflict.

"Get them, my pets!" Aghoul commanded the reptiles. When no reptiles followed his command, he turned to the pack of creatures behind him. "Well? Get the—WHAT?"

"Good boy!" Fluttershy petted the head of one of the reptiles. "You're not so bad after all!" The others nudged at her, trying to get a turn with her affections. "Oh, one at a time!" she giggled.

"How…?" Aghoul sputtered.

"Obviously, you don't give them enough attention," Fluttershy accused.

Abu hopped up and down, pointing at Aghoul and squeaking accusatorily.

"That's it!" Aghoul growled, raising his scythe and charging Fluttershy. Fluttershy screamed in terror.

A rope tightened around Aghoul's ankles and dragged him backward. Aghoul twisted to see that the Genie had turned one of his hands into a pulley from which he reeled in the rope. "Now, that just won't do!" the Genie criticized with a click of his tongue. "Running with a scythe? That isn't safe!" When Aghoul was reeled all the way in next to him, the Genie plucked the scythe from his hand and chucked it away. "Here! Use this! This is safer!" He handed Aghoul a rubber duck on a stick. Pinkie Pie, seeing this, laughed hysterically.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Aghoul cried, though he did take the duck and give the Genie a good whack over the head with it.

"Owww!" The Genie rubbed the spot where Aghoul had hit him. "See? If you'd tried that with a scythe, you would have had a pret-ty big mess to clean up!"

"ARGH!"

Applejack and Rarity stood side-by-side, shooting arrows at the skeletons. "There's too many of 'em!" Applejack lamented. "We ain't never gettin' to the palace at this rate! We gotta think of a faster way to fight through, Rarity!" She waited for a response; none came. "Rarity?"

"I'm feeling rather faint," Rarity said softly. Her aim wavered. She shot a jet of water directly into the ground.

Applejack realized how low the sun was in the sky, even through the clouds. "Oh, no…"

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Time's almost up for you, little shadow!" the cat-woman taunted as Rarity's shadow struggled. "Whatever you were trying to accomplish, know that you truly failed. I look forward to seeing your last mome—"

The cat-woman was interrupted when a large wrecking-ball made of brass slammed through the wall of the lair.

"WHAT?" she cried, stumbling back in shock. Rarity's shadow took that moment to break free.

Abis Mal and Amin Damoola climbed in through the gaping hole in the tower. "Just like Haroud said!" Abis Mal cried, rushing to the Eye of Gazeem. "This baby is gonna make us super-rich!"

"IMBECILES!" the cat-woman cried. "Common thieves! You also will die!" She threw out her hands to either side; two fire-cats appeared, prowling forward to menace the two thieves.

With a shriek, Amin jumped into Abis Mal's arms, bridal-style. Abis Mal sighed. "Amin, what did Mechanicles say about the fire-cats?"

"They're on fire?"

"Yes…and…"

"They can't hurt me as long as I'm not afraid."

"So STOP BEING AFRAID!"

With that motivation, Amin leapt back down to his feet, drawing his sword. He and Abis Mal charged the fire-cats with blades drawn; the cats shrank to the sides of kittens, running in the opposite direction.

"Sorry to steal and run," Amin said, taking the Eye of Gazeem under his arm, "but after all, we are thieves!" He ran back to the hole in the tower, and Abis Mal followed. They jumped atop the brass wrecking ball, grabbing the chain and giving it a tug; this signaled the ball's controller to hoist it away.

Seeing her one chance, Rarity's shadow dove out of the hole in the tower, knowing that as a shadow, the fall to the ground wouldn't hurt her.

The wrecking ball was attached to a giant crane; Mechanicles was at its helm. He lowered the ball to the ground before hopping out of the crane. He, Amin, and Abis Mal converged next to the crane, where Haroud already stood.

"Eye of Gazeem," Mechanicles remarked, taking out his master checklist. "Check. You know, Mr. Hazi Bin, you have quite the knowledge of magical artifacts."

"Just be careful not to rub it," Haroud warned. "It would open a gate to the Netherworld. That is what will make it incredibly valuable on the black market, especially to sorcerers."

"I gotta admit," Abis Mal said, placing the Eye of Gazeem on the ground, "with your knowledge of magical doohickeys, Haroud, Mechanicles' inventions, my amazing skill at swordplay, and Amin's…er, determination…we make a better team than ever before!"

Rarity's shadow ran up to the four thieves. "What is this?" Mechanicles asked sharply. "A shadow?"

The shadow fell upon the Eye and began rubbing it.

"NO!" Haroud cried. "Back away! QUICKLY!"

The four thieves backed off as a swirling portal to the Netherworld appeared.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE NETHERWORLD

"Wait a second!" The Genie looked over Aghoul's shoulder, around the corner of the palace wall. He saw the crane and the thieves, but more importantly, he saw the portal. "The gate to the living world! It's right over there!"

"How is that even possible?" Aladdin cried.

"Don't question it!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Just RUN!"

The heroes turned from their skeletal opponents and ran for the portal. Aghoul and the skeletons quickly followed.

"I…I can't make it!" Rarity stumbled and fell to the ground.

Rainbow Dash immediately ran back, sweeping her up bridal-style into her arms and continuing to run. "Yes you can!" she yelled. "Look!"

A pitch-black hand, slender and delicate, reached through the portal.

The Genie swept Rarity out of Rainbow Dash's arms and flew her to the portal, setting her down on her feet. Rarity grabbed the hand, which pulled her through. As soon as Rarity reached the land of the living, she recognized the hand that held her own: that of her shadow. The shadow's feet immediately merged with her own, and Rarity's light-headedness cleared.

The Genie, Aladdin, Jasmine, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Abu, the Carpet, and Iago charged through the portal after Rarity. Pinkie turned to see that Aghoul had gained ground along with his skeletons, and were about to reach the portal.

"You can't hide in the living world!" Aghoul cried. Then he halted. So did the skeletons. Pinkie had produced her party cannon once more, and was aiming it directly at them.

She beamed brightly. "Merry Hearts and Hooves Day!" She mashed the button.

Aghoul was blasted backward in a rush of confetti and streamers of all colors.

Pinkie hopped through the portal to the living world, and it closed behind her, stranding Aghoul in the Netherworld once more.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"We made it!" Rainbow Dash cried before noticing the four thieves. "Hey, wait a minute…what are YOU doing here?"

"I'm getting all the memories of my shadow back," Rarity announced. "They broke into the tower at just the right time and stole the Eye. If they hadn't done that, my shadow would have been held until sundown by…by…" She trailed off.

"So," Aladdin remarked. "You four finally settled your differences?"

"Your little sorceress friend was on to something when she told us to stop fighting and work together," Mechanicles remarked. "Ever since we became a team, we've been able to obtain more objects of value than ever before! I'm getting through my list more quickly than I could have dreamed!" He then noticed the lingering stains of black sand on the clothes of his rivals. "Where HAVE you been? You're positively filthy!"

"I'm not happy about it either," Rarity grumbled.

"Well, it's too bad for you," Abis Mal said, "because now, you're about to meet your doom at the hands of—"

"We don't have time for that!" Aladdin yelled, turning to run away from the four thieves. The others followed him, and the group charged away, into the city.

"Did they…seriously just run away from us?" Abis Mal asked quizzically.

"It doesn't matter," Haroud pointed out. "We have the Eye of Gazeem, and—"

"Ahem, ahem!" A loud cough caused all four thieves to turn and look at whoever had interrupted. When Abis Mal and Amin beheld him, they gave twin high-pitched screams.

"A…a draconequus!" Mechanicles screeched. Haroud was stricken speechless.

Discord walked up to the four thieves. "I'll be taking that last gate to the Netherworld, if you don't mind," he told them.

"Oh yeah?" Abis Mal pointed his blade at Discord.

Discord snapped his fingers. The sword turned into a feather duster. Amin discovered that his own blade was now a rubber chicken.

Discord casually swept the Eye of Gazeem into his arms. "I can see why you chose thievery as a profession," he remarked. "This really is fun!" He then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Oh well," Mechanicles sighed. "I guess it's on to number 548 on my checklist: the shards of the Destiny Stone…"

* * *

Mirage fumed as she stared at the great hole in the wall. "Who do they think they were, just to barge in here and steal from me?" she seethed.

She was startled by a new voice: "What…what has happened to my lair?"

Barely believing what she was hearing, Mirage turned to see Jafar. "You…here…without him?"

"I might also mention that I am free," Jafar told her smugly. "It is Mirage, goddess of evil, is it not?"

"Indeed," Mirage said, giving a low laugh that sounded like a purr. "You've come back to try your hand at claiming Agrabah?"

"I have come to claim Agrabah. Not to try."

"Perfect," Mirage chuckled. "Simply perfect! I could hardly have asked for a better finale! But…what of Mozenrath?"

"You would not believe the boy's foolishness," Jafar replied.

Mirage's eyes narrowed. "Tell me."

* * *

"So I was thinking," Pinkie said. "Abis Mal, Amin Damoola, Mechanicles, and Haroud Hazi Bin were bad enough on their own. And since Twilight told them to work together, they've been even worse. But for them, that means they've been better. And they're happier! Not only that, but it came around and did US some good! If they hadn't been working together, Rarity wouldn't have found her shadow again!"

"I guess even villains and thieves need friends," Jasmine deduced.

"You never know what will happen if you just show someone a little kindness," Fluttershy added.

"Speaking of Twilight," Aladdin said as the group reached one of the larger city squares, "we have to get back to the Black Sands and rescue—"

The jet-black cart barreled down the street. Everyone gaped at the sight; one of Mozenrath's undead was driving, goading the horse at top speed, but Twilight rode in the back of the cart solo. "Whoa!" she called, and the zombie halted the horse in the square; Twilight jumped out of the cart. "Thanks for the ride," she told the zombie. The zombie, still confused, turned the cart around and drove back down the way he'd come.

"TWILIGHT!" everyone cried.

"You fought your way out!" Rainbow Dash said with glee.

Twilight considered agreeing to that, but decided it was better to be honest. "Actually…it's a bit more complicated than that. I'll tell you the whole story later. Now, why don't we go check up on how the resistance is doing?"

* * *

Chapter 14:

· Even though this chapter doesn't have as much action, it's one of my favorites. Just to have Twilight and Mozenrath TALKING for that many pages. I love writing those two together. That, of course, is news to NO ONE at this point. Anyway, I took a moment to psychologically profile Moz here. I had several goals: to keep him a believable villain with believable motivations and little to no sob story, to make his relationship with Twilight believable without diluting his villainous qualities, to show that he actually DOES have more complex emotions without pushing him into Draco-in-Leather-Pants territory, and to basically not make him so heartless that readers would be hating him throughout the entire conversation. Also, I wanted to set it up for the ship, but not actually get to the ship itself.

· Mozenrath's sketchbook is something I completely made up. But he has so many plots, so many inventions, so many legends he knows about…I can't see him as the kind of person that DOESN'T have a sketchbook.

· I actually had a small debate with myself about what spelling of "griffon" to use. I didn't bother to go back and check how I typed it earlier. If I switched from "gryphon," I apologize. I just picked that spelling because that's how Hasbro spells it in MLP canon. Despite the fact that I generally prefer "gryphon."

· The Seven Deserts are connected to Olympic Greece (Disney's Hercules, but I'm going to inject a liberal dose of accurate Greek mythology into it) as an allusion to the Hercules animated series ep "Hercules and the Arabian Knight," which was actually an ATAS/HTAS crossover that featured dead Jafar teaming up with Hades to try and knock out Herc and Al at the same time. Lots of fans, while they loved the concept, did pick up on the fact that the time periods couldn't have coexisted. So I just fixed that plot hole. The Underworld is a separate world unto itself, and I had some fun crafting that based on old concepts I had and some new ones. Also, while Al's interactions with Herc are documented as his adventure against Hades, the idea of Moz in that world is completely my fanon. Let's just say Twi's right. She would be disgusted if she knew. (Or is that "will be disgusted when she knows"?)

· The story about Cerberus breaking from Tartarus to Equestria? COMPLETELY CANON. Rubber ball and all. Featured in MLPFIM ep "It's About Time." That's one of the reasons I love that show. Because Cerberus. And ponies.

· "Weapons of the heart" is a little fanon term I made up for the Echthroi (again, the term is from Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet). It will make more sense later.

· The "evil Aladdin" thing is something that canonically happened in the ep "When Chaos Comes Calling," the only appearance of Chaos. I added the Negaverse twist myself. The Negaverse is from Darkwing Duck and refers to the world where everything is opposite. I know, other works of fiction did the "opposite world" thing earlier and more popularly, but "Negaverse" is my favorite term for it, so it stays. And Moz thinks he came up with the name himself…

· Keyblade cameo. Moz knows they exist, and that someone once appeared in his world with one, but he's mystified on the rest.

· "Destane was like a father to me" is a direct quote from Moz in his intro ep. It's common fanon that Destane was an abusive mentor, and I like it. Since I already have it set up that Moz doesn't like Cassim…the analogy wrote itself.

· If I didn't already say this, the glamour-spell story Twi tells is the summary of "Lesson Zero." That was the ep that cemented MozTwi for me, actually, because it proved that Twi has a real villainous streak.

· No one knows how Moz got that gauntlet. I have a backstory for it that will become relevant…eventually.

· "Unicorn blood can extend a lifespan" – from Harry Potter.

· I'm sure there are a lot of very sexy fics out there involving Mozenrath and…sexy situations. However, to me, just because of the symbolism—his weakness, his real self beneath the power he wields—I consider it pretty much one of THE most sensual things one can write about him if another character gets to touch his skeletal hand.

· A ton of ATAS eps contain references to ancient sorcerers that used to terrorize the Seven Deserts. They leave artifacts around to start plot devices. So I decided fanonically that the Seven Deserts must have gone through an "Age of Sorcery" when they were all afoot. All the ones I mentioned are canon in the Aladdinverse.

· The Khartoum thing—Aladdin really did have to save Moz from Khartoum, though kind of in a roundabout way: Khartoum was destroying everything, and their lives were both on the line, as well as the Genie's and Eden's. Al didn't really set out to specifically save Moz's life (though given that he tried to do so at the end of the ep "Black Sand," I wouldn't put it past him), but inadvertently, by defeating Khartoum, he did.

· "The difference between ignorance and apathy" is one of my favorite nerd-jokes. If you didn't hear it before, now you have.

· "Special somepony" is the Equestrian term for "significant other." Nopony says "boyfriend" or "girlfriend."

· (And yes, I kinda do ship Abis Mal/Haroud a little bit…)

· So "Stableholm Syndrome" is something I made up. I mean, it's Stockholm Syndrome, which I didn't make up, but that whole story with the unicorns holding up a bank? My invention. The town of Stableholm is my invention. I just knew there had to be an Equestrian equivalent for "Stockholm Syndrome," and it had to have a bad pony pun in it. I actually considered "Stockhoof" instead, but there are already too many "hoof" puns in canon AND fanon.

· Hahaha. It's funny because Twi found the room where all her friends jumped into the Realm of Darkness and just shut the door and walked away. DON'T EXPLAIN THE JOKE.

· It will VERY soon be apparent who Jafar was talking to. Though most of you can probably guess at this point.

· I should think that with all the times he's lost, Mozenrath has probably come to accept that he can't actually beat Aladdin.

· While it's not explicitly stated as one of his quirks/flaws, it's apparent from context that Moz REALLY LIKES taunting his opponents. He outright said in one ep that he would be furious if anyone else killed Aladdin because he wants to do it personally. That makes me wonder if he even wants to do that at all…I feel like his life would be empty without a rival to taunt.

· With Moz's little seduction routine, I was trying to parallel the scene in the first film where Jasmine tries to "seduce" (distract) Jafar.

· Hearts and Hooves Day = Valentine's Day in Equestria.


	15. The Snake and the Cat

1. The Snake and the Cat

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Another crystal, a sphere this time, shattered. Then a golden astrolabe. Then a stone tablet. One by one, Mozenrath launched the magical items in his laboratory into the air with his left hand, then blasted them with his right, as though breaking enough of them would somehow reverse what had happened.

When Mirage appeared in her usual flash of green fire, Mozenrath's immediate response was to turn to her and scream, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"You are an absolute FAILURE!" Mirage replied, equally loudly. "I entrusted Jafar's lamp to you with the understanding that you would turn the Seven Deserts into a realm of chaos and evil! I believed you carried bonds with no one except those of hatred! But YOU released both the prisoner AND Jafar! And for what gain? Even lust is too close to caring!"

"And what does it matter what I care about?" Mozenrath spat.

"Your wayward heart has caused you to LOSE! You were never fit to rule this world, Mozenrath!"

"MY HEART IS NOT WAYWARD!" Mozenrath roared. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE!"

In response, Mirage clawed the side of his face whilst giving a catlike yowl. He felt the searing pain of her four fingers, and his peripheral vision registered a green flash—she'd used magic. It didn't knock him over as Jafar's blow had, but it did render him speechless, fuming silently.

"You've proven yourself no better than the common thieves," Mirage hissed. "I have learned from my mistakes. I shall not entrust you with such a mission again!" Then she was gone.

Xerxes pressed himself into the corner, afraid that Mozenrath would explode with rage, perhaps incinerating the entire laboratory. Mozenrath, too, thought that was the inevitable outcome. He stormed out and towards the crystal room, knowing the Crystal of Ix was the largest thing he could smash.

He stared at the Crystal, his rage swelling. To his surprise, when it boiled over, he didn't destroy it. He didn't destroy anything. He could only lower himself to the floor and sit there, immobile.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"So when we last left them," Rainbow Dash recounted, "our resistance army had Fatima, Minos, Cassim, Sadira, the Sultan, and the guards. They ran off to get Eden, Dandi, and Deluca. You think that'll be enough?"

Aladdin, Jasmine, Iago, Abu, the Carpet, the Genie, and the six Equestrians rushed up the stairway to the tower. Before anyone could even attempt to answer Rainbow Dash, they emerged in the topmost room to find quite a large gathering, larger than they'd expected.

"You're back!" Sadira called out happily. "Took you long enough!"

"What…" Aladdin gaped. "How…how did all these people GET here?"

"Aladdin!" the Sultan cried, stepping forward. "Jasmine! Look!" He was again dressed as the ruler of the kingdom. "What does this mean?"

"I…have no idea," Aladdin admitted.

"But even more amazingly," the Sultan said, "look who turned up!" He pointed into the crowd at the tall tree-man.

Jasmine gasped. "Arbutus!"

"YOU!" Aladdin snarled, drawing his blade.

"No, no!" the Sultan cried quickly. "He has agreed to stand with us!"

"That is, if you decide to finally show me, my art, and my kind some respect," Arbutus spat.

"What's goin' on here?" Applejack asked, confused.

"Arbutus was an enemy of ours," Jasmine explained. "Well, sort of. A long time ago, my father took from him one of his most precious roses, so he kidnapped me in return. But…that rose was as precious to him as I was as precious to my father."

"Do you still have no concept of what it is like to watch a loved one be broken, only to slowly wither and die?" Arbutus snarled.

"That sounds awful!" Fluttershy burst out.

Arbutus approached the small woman, the towering size difference very apparent. "And who are you?"

"Um…I'm Fluttershy," Fluttershy squeaked. "And I don't want to make you mad. I just…I really think it's important to be kind to all things, even roses. Roses are really beautiful. I, um…I like the one on your robes."

"This is my heart," Arbutus said, covering the rose protectively with a hand. "Your words are…very flattering, to be sure. Do you truly mean them? Do you truly think my plants should be treated with kindness?"

"Oh, yes," Fluttershy said, suddenly feeling empowered. "In fact, I've always wanted to be a tree."

"She's really not kidding about that," Rainbow Dash commented.

"Hmm." Arbutus turned to the window and beckoned; several vines trailed into the room, bursting into bloom with small yellow flowers that resembled lilies of the valley. "You have inspired me," he told Fluttershy. "I am not sure why, but for you…yellow flowers. Though it feels…incomplete. Ah!" He conducted the vines with his hands; pink, four-petaled flowers in the shape of butterflies erupted in clusters of three.

"They're beautiful!" Fluttershy gasped.

"That's some mighty fine green thumb ya got there, Mr. Arbutus," Applejack added. "I happen to be a bit of a plant enthusiast myself, but I ain't got nothin' on that."

"And how are you an 'enthusiast'?" Arbutus challenged.

"You ain't got nothin' against apple buckin', do ya?" Applejack asked.

"Apple…bucking?"

"She means picking," Twilight translated.

"Of course not," Arbutus said haughtily. "Unlike the delicate flowers, the fruit is meant to leave the tree and spread the seeds so there may be more trees."

"Well, back home, my family and I make a livin' off apples," Applejack explained. "We see all sorts. I've learned to know the difference between all of 'em, and figure out what the different trees need. Everythin' from Honeycrisp to Gala to zap-apples."

"What is a zap-apple?" Arbutus inquired.

"It ain't like any other apple," Applejack told him. "It's got all rainbow colors, and the taste…I can't even describe!"

Curious, Arbutus called one of the vines up to his hand. In it, he called an apple of rainbow colors to grow.

"Yeah," Applejack confirmed. "Looks just like that!"

"This is something I shall have to use in my artwork later, when I have access to a larger canvas," Arbutus said, satisfied. "And what is your name?"

"Applejack."

"A fitting name for a master of apples." Arbutus turned back to Aladdin. "It seems you have made some new friends who understand."

"Heh…" Aladdin shrugged. "You know, I might not get it, but I can see how important these things are to you. And, like a good friend once told me, everyone needs to be shown a little kindness." He extended his right hand. "You willing to call truce?"

"Indeed," Arbutus agreed, clasping Aladdin's hand and shaking it.

The vines suddenly erupted into flame, charring to ash. Arbutus screamed as though in pain. "Those CATS!" he roared. "They have no respect for life or beauty in any form! That is why I agreed to help you stand against them! Of course, I also wanted a chance to speak to the Sultan and ask why I had been replanted in his gardens." He turned to Jasmine. "He says it was your idea."

"After I saw your garden and how important it was to you, I understood," Jasmine told him. "After your…your heart was cut out, I didn't want to just let it all die."

"It seems even humans can still surprise me," Arbutus remarked quietly, with a smile.

Meanwhile, the Genie and Eden reunited in a close embrace. "Oh, Eden, I was afraid I'd never see you again!" the Genie gushed. "Of course, it takes more than a little trip to the Netherworld to keep a good genie down!"

"I knew you'd come through!" Eden replied. Backing out of the embrace, she transformed so that she wore a lion tamer's outfit, cracking a whip and wielding a small chair. "Now I'm ready to take on some big cats!"

Dandi giggled at this, catching Rarity's attention. "Dandi!" Rarity cried, rushing forward to briefly embrace the child. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Dandi said with a grin. "And I even found a friend to help us." She gestured to a boy about her age, who stood beside her. "Wahid says he already knows Aladdin."

"Well, well!" Aladdin smirked at the boy. "You and Dandi, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Wahid said gruffly. "I'm just in it to help save Agrabah, all right!" However, when Dandi caught his gaze, Wahid did give her a brief, awkward, honest smile.

"It seems Sadira has found a new friend," Deluca said, pointing out the young witch as she practically draped over the arm of a tall, dark-skinned man wearing a black cloak with the hood down. To Sadira's credit, he was quite pleasing to the eye.

"Your friend is…pretty dreamy," Sadira admitted to Aladdin.

"My friend?" Aladdin looked into the eyes of the cloaked man, trying to recognize him.

"I do not blame you for not recognizing me," the man said. "After all, the last time you saw me as a human, we were both young. And the last time you saw me at all, I looked quite different."

"AMAL?" Aladdin realized.

"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "Like…the Amal that the shadow-walkers took?"

"I was a shadow-walker for many years," Amal admitted. "It was only by turning away from evil that I began to turn human, and I could walk in the realm of light again. With every good deed I did, I regained more of my humanity…but until I became fully human, I was too ashamed to return to the city I once called home. Now that my journey is over, I have come back…but only to find Agrabah in flames."

"Trust me," Sadira said dreamily, "we're ALL glad you're human."

"Your friend Sadira is…well, overly friendly," Amal told Aladdin with a wink. "Not that I mind."

"Now, dear, you mustn't be ashamed to have been a creature of darkness," Rarity told Amal. "After all, many others of us have as well."

"Your kind words do reassure me," Amal said.

"I just love meeting all these new people!" Pinkie squealed to Minos and Fatima. "Is that everyone? Are we all gonna go out together?"

"Not quite everyone," a voice hissed from the back of the crowd. Said crowd parted to reveal a gaunt figure wearing a brown tunic and a blue cape. While his stature was humanoid, his face was undoubtedly reptilian, with scaly flesh, lizardlike eyes, and two nostrils in place of a mammalian nose. "I have come to help ssssssettle the sssssscore."

"THE MUKHTAR?" Iago squawked. "Okay, now I've seen everything."

"I'll say, he gave Eden quite the fright when he turned up," Cassim remarked.

"I am not interesssssted in hunting the geniessss," the Mukhtar hissed. "In fact, I returned becausssse of the Genie of Agrabah. He and I ssssshhhared a moment of friendssshhhip, one that I cannot eassssily forget. If hisssss homeland isssss in danger…I mussssst protect it."

"Awww, you came all the way here just for me?" The Genie blushed visibly. "So you really DO like me! And you DON'T find me utterly annoying in every possible way!"

"Annoying, yessss," the Mukhtar growled. "But all the sssssame…a friend."

"But…Mukhtars…don't exist anymore!" Twilight cried in awe. "You…"

"Are the lassssst of my kind, yessss."

"It was your technology that helped us get Odiferous back from Jafar!" Twilight gushed, beaming. "The living manacles, the magic-resisting bolas…that was all Mukhtar technology! I've never seen magic-resistant items like that before! They're AMAZING!"

"Your wordsssss flatter me," the Mukhtar admitted. "I trussssst my work did not fail."

"Of COURSE not!" Twilight squealed.

"So…lemme see if I got this," Rainbow Dash clarified. "You're the one that goes around throwing those cool weapons around in the first place?"

"I have been trained in the art of the hunt," the Mukhtar told her. "Obssssserve." With lightning reflexes, he drew a bolas similar to the one Twilight had fashioned from beneath his cape and tossed it at the Genie, who was wrapped up immediately.

"Yup," the Genie commented. "Still got that good throwing arm!"

The Mukhtar untied the Genie by tugging the rope just once; it snapped back to him. "And thisssss isssss not even clossssse to what I can do with a blade…though there issssss no one in thisssss room on whom I wisssshhh to demonsssstrate."

Rainbow Dash's face lit up. "So…awesome!"

"I believe that as we stand, we are more than ready to take back Agrabah," Cassim remarked. "Of course, it will be that much easier if you all come with us."

"Sorry," said Aladdin, "but we have other business to finish."

"Yeah," Applejack agreed. "We gotta go down to the Black Sands and show that Mozenrath what's what before he stirs up even more trouble!"

"Um…Applejack? Aladdin?" Twilight broke in. "I…think I might have to tell you why that's so complicated right about now…"

"Then we shall wait," Cassim said.

"Wait? Are you CRAZY?" Aladdin replied. "The longer you wait, the more damage is being done out there!"

"Without all of you, we may not have a fighting chance," Cassim argued.

"But you have the Mukhtar," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Let me repeat that: you have…THAT GUY. I think you'll be fine."

"But we would make a better force with all of us together," Applejack brought up.

"The more the merrier!" Pinkie chirped.

"I too agree that we should wait," the Sultan said.

"What if we don't come back again?" Jasmine asked worriedly.

"Mozenrath does only have the one wish left," Rainbow Dash remembered. "And I doubt he's gonna use it to do the same thing twice. He'd think that would be some kinda waste. After all, if we broke out of the Netherworld once, we can just do it again!"

"Go," Deluca encouraged. "We shall form a plan of how to approach the palace."

Aladdin looked around to Jasmine, the Carpet, the Genie, Iago, Abu, and the six Equestrians. "So," he said. "Ready to face the dynamic duo one last time?"

"I really have to explain things first!" Twilight protested; she went unheard as the others cheered "YEAH!"

The Genie transformed into a jet once more, and everyone settled into their regular seats. With a sigh, Twilight climbed aboard the Carpet.

"This won't take long," Jasmine promised. "We'll be back as soon as we can!"

The Carpet and the Genie-jet took off from the tower, speeding toward the Land of the Black Sands.

"So, Twilight," Jasmine said, "what were you trying to tell us?"

"Umm…well, you see," Twilight admitted, "I'm kind of here because…because Mozenrath let me out of the Crystal."

"Can you speak up?" the Genie replied immediately. "It sounded like you said Mozenrath let you out of the Crystal!"

"That's because…he did."

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Iago fluttered over to the Carpet, landing next to Twilight. "We can NOT be talking about the same Mozenrath."

"But we are," Twilight insisted. "You see, after you all disappeared…"

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"…that's when I found all of you," Twilight finished.

"I don't like this," Aladdin admitted. "Mozenrath is…"

"Cruel and heartless?" Twilight supplied. "The funny thing is, he kept trying to tell me the same thing. So I guess you were right, Rainbow Dash. We really were too much alike."

"I…do not even know what to say," Rainbow Dash admitted. "I mean…you're here with us, so that's good, right?"

The Carpet and the Genie-jet swooped down in toward the jet-black fortress. When they landed, no undead guards rushed to meet them.

"Something's off about this," Jasmine observed.

"No duh," Rainbow Dash commented.

"Maybe they don't know we're here!" Pinkie guessed. She ran up to the door and began knocking. "MOZENRATH! JAFAR! WE'RE HERE!"

"Pinkie, stop that!" Rainbow Dash pulled Pinkie away from the door in order to get her to stop giving away their position. Still no guards appeared.

"As long as the six of us stick together," Rarity said, "we'll be able to handle them."

"Then let's go." Aladdin swung the great door open, and the group entered.

* * *

They checked the laboratory first, but that room was empty, littered in shrapnel.

"What happened here?" the Genie asked. "Looks like a sandstorm blew the entire place over!"

"It wasn't like this when I left," Twilight insisted. "Something's wrong…something is really wrong…"

They moved on to the crystal room, and there they found him. All were stunned to see Mozenrath not only dressed in red instead of his usual blue, but also sitting completely still on the floor, staring up at the Crystal's blue glow. Xerxes hovered over his head, occasionally waving a fin in his face, trying concernedly to get his attention.

"Intruders!" Xerxes barked. This got Mozenrath to look over his shoulder and see who had entered his domain.

"I suppose I better put on appearances," he sighed, standing and turning to face the door. Twilight realized right away that it wasn't one of his usual bored, standoffish sighs…his voice betrayed a certain low.

"You didn't post any guards," Twilight said.

"Why bother?" Mozenrath asked with a shrug.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Aladdin asked in suspicion.

"A trick." Mozenrath gave a forced laugh at that. "You think this is some kind of trick! And by all accounts, it should be. This should be the part where I reveal the plan or the weapon that I think will utterly destroy you. Of course, you'll find a way to outwit it, but I might have had my fun for a while, or even a hope that I might finally win. But not this time. This time, you win. Ha! You win. And it doesn't even matter."

"Has anyone else noticed that there seems to be a certain something missing?" the Genie observed. "You know…something tall, intimidating, evil, and very fond of the color red?"

"Oh, you mean Jafar?" Mozenrath replied; he was forcing a smile, and his face twitched. Twilight recognized that look; she'd seen it on herself in the mirror during her greatest upsets. "You're going to love this. He went back to Agrabah. He's probably taking over your precious palace right about…now."

"And you're not with him?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Why would I be?" Mozenrath asked. "After all, I did free him."

"YOU WHAT?" Everyone stared in confusion.

"I freed Jafar," Mozenrath explained. "And he left without me. I didn't want to go anyway."

"Keep him talking," Aladdin whispered. "I have an idea!" He slipped along the circular wall of the crystal room; Mozenrath didn't even give him a second look.

"What did he do to you?" Twilight asked, suddenly horrified at the possibilities.

"He just made it very clear that he worked alone," Mozenrath answered. "Very…VERY clear."

"What'd I tell you?" Iago groaned. "Every time. The underlings always get trashed."

"You told him, didn't you?" Twilight asked softly. "And he…"

"He might have knocked me to the ground and implied that he saw me as nothing more than dirt," Mozenrath growled. "He might have called me weak. If you want to really speculate, you might even think to yourself that after I let both my prisoner and my genie go, the incarnation of evil herself showed up to tell me just how much of a failure I was at being the only thing I ever wanted to be."

Now Twilight saw the still-healing claw marks across his left cheek. "Mozenrath…"

"For those of you who weren't paying attention," Mozenrath concluded, "Jafar cast me into the dirt and stripped me of all my powers. Mirage gave me the full lecture on how I'm no better than a common thief. In the past few hours, I've been ridiculed, I've been beaten down, I've been humiliated, and I've been REJECTED. Yes, I can see that you've been going along the wall to reach that Crystal of Ix the whole time, Aladdin. But I don't care. After all, I've lost everything. Hit rock bottom, if you will. This time, it doesn't matter if you win. Because…after all…" Now his face was alight with anger, fire burning behind his eyes. "WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY DO TO ME?"

"IXTALA!" Aladdin yelled, touching the Crystal. It roared to life in brilliant blue. A blue beam of light shot out and grabbed the first magical thing in its path: Mozenrath himself.

"There's nothing more you can do to me," Mozenrath said coldly. Then the Crystal took its hold. He was now a fixture inside it, glaring outward with cynical hatred, with barely visible melancholy.

"NO!" Twilight cried, reaching out to the Crystal. She knew, however, that she had to stay back, to not make a move.

"Now he can't make a mess of anything else," Rarity said triumphantly.

"But Jafar still can," Aladdin pointed out. "It's a good thing we came back…and a good thing we agreed to let the others wait. Jafar's waiting for them!"

"Quick!" Pinkie cried. "We gotta hurry back!"

As the group ran from the fortress, Aladdin kept pace with Twilight. "Hey," he said, "are you gonna be okay?"

"I'm fine," Twilight sniffled, blinking back tears.

"Look, I'm sorry, but—"

"But you had to do what you had to do. The villain always gets defeated in the end. I understand. I wouldn't have wanted him to hurt you. And…I've been in the Crystal. It doesn't hurt you. It just keeps you still. I honestly don't blame you."

They left the fortress, loading up onto the Carpet and the Genie-jet. They lifted off.

"I know I promised I wouldn't bother you about this anymore," Rainbow Dash told Twilight, "but…I gotta know. What did you really think of him?"

"It's complicated," Twilight answered. "It's just…complicated." She clenched her fist. "But we have to defeat Jafar, now more than ever. Mozenrath actually wanted to have a special bond with him. He thought it was actually possible. I think he…might have loved him. If it's possible for him to love." Her fist shook. "And not just for him…for Iago…for everyone he's ever hurt…I'M GOING TO FIGHT JAFAR NO MATTER WHAT!"

"We're right beside ya," Applejack vowed.

"After all," Aladdin pointed out, "we've all got scores to settle with him."

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

The Carpet and the Genie-jet returned to the tower to find everyone still waiting for them. They landed; everyone stood amongst the crowd.

"Well?" Sadira asked. "What happened?"

"We locked away Mozenrath," Aladdin informed the occupants of the tower, "but Jafar is back in Agrabah, and he's free now. He's gone back to the palace to try and take it over again!"

"Does he not ever have better things to do than challenge my throne?" the Sultan asked, miffed.

"This is what he's wanted ever since the beginning," Jasmine pointed out, "and from here, he'll probably go after the rest of the world."

"Let us not forget that cat…woman…still inside the palace," Rarity said with a shudder. "I take it that was the infamous Mirage?"

"Jafar and Mirage, BOTH waiting for us," Iago reiterated. "This is just gonna be a bed of roses…"

"But we have one thing Jafar doesn't," Twilight announced. "We have our friendships. As long as we stand together, we can beat back the Echthroi. We can put our courage together. And we can take on Jafar and Mirage."

"He isssss a genie, correct?" the Mukhtar asked. "It will be eassssy…"

"Let the Elements of Harmony take care of him," Twilight demanded. "We can put a stop to him for good."

"If you sssssso requesssst," the Mukhtar said with a bow. "However, I sssshhhhall not ssssssit idly by if thingssss ssshhhould go awry."

"Thank you," Fluttershy told him.

"And when we win," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "we'll have no problem putting the city back together. A lot of you helped us put a burned-out part of the city back up. We know what we can accomplish as a team! It'll be like Jafar and Mirage never touched this place!"

"I see no reason to doubt this," said Cassim.

"Let's go kick some tail!" Eden cried, still bearing the lion-tamer's whip and chair.

"If everyone's ready," Twilight said, looking around the room, "then let's MOVE OUT!"

* * *

A family of four, a husband and wife with two small children, were backed into an alley, three of the fire-cats approaching them with feral squalls. The beasts were even taller than either of the couple, and they were steadily growing, fed by fear. The four closed their eyes, prepared for the worst.

"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" A young woman's voice rang out. The cats turned to see Sadira, Deluca, and Amal behind them. As the trio approached, the cats felt their supply of fear declining; a wave of the trio's courage swept over them, dousing their flames. They shrank to the size of human children.

"Oh, wait, you can't!" Sadira taunted. "Now you're too small to FIND anyone your size!"

"If you're going to run," Amal told them, "do it now."

The cats hissed in tandem, arching their backs.

Sadira shrugged. "You made me!" She threw her hands into the air, and a wave of sand shot towards the sky, plunging down and covering the cats. When it cleared, the cats were even smaller.

"A perfect execution," Deluca congratulated.

The tiny red cats scooted around the trio's ankles, darting away in fright.

The man of the family stood shakily. "You have saved our lives," he said. "How can we ever repay—"

"No time, gotta run!" Sadira turned on a heel and rushed from the alley; Deluca and Amal followed.

As the group moved forward through the city, the cats backed down time after time. Cassim and the Sultan teamed up to threaten a group of them with their dual blades.

"I must say," the Sultan remarked, "as long as I have your attention, I am quite glad to have gained your son as my own. I hope you do not mind that I have also taken a claim as his father!"

"Only if you do not mind that I have taken a claim as the father of your daughter!" Cassim laughed.

Arbutus commanded a trail of vines to wrap around the ankles of the cats, tripping them up. The cats tried to burn the vines away, but as Arbutus decorated them with flowers of myriad complementary colors, Fluttershy and Applejack oohed and aahed at the designs, and the cats were left with no fear upon which to grow; the flames subsided.

The Mukhtar cut through a group of the cats, swinging his sword about; the cats fled just in time before they could be sliced. "That issssss my technique, Misssss Dasssshhhh," he stated.

"Hold on!" Rainbow Dash tried to copy his grip on the hilt of her own sword. "Like this?"

"Almosssst…"

The Genie and Eden backed several of the cats into a corner. The Genie was now also dressed as a lion-tamer, and the pair jabbed wooden chairs at the feline demons.

"You're on, kids!" Eden called out.

Wahid and Dandi rushed into the fray. "BOO!" they yelled. The cats shrank to the size of kittens, completely overwhelmed by courage.

Minos, Fatima, Jasmine, and Rarity walked together, striding confidently forward; fire-cats backed off from the fountain of bravery. "Just like you're on a runway," Rarity encouraged. "Own it!"

"HAPPY WINTER WRAP-UP!" With Iago and Abu on either shoulder, Pinkie rushed through the streets, firing her party cannon at the fire-cats.

"Looks like your luck's just run out," Razoul threatened the cats as he and the other guards ganged up on them, immediately dousing their flames.

From above, the Carpet swooped down over the cats; Aladdin and Twilight helped herd them toward the others. "Looks like we've almost got the streets cleared out," Aladdin remarked. "Ready for phase two?"

"I'm ready," Twilight confirmed.

"Hey, everyone!" Aladdin called down. "Head toward the palace!"

"Can you get me to the ground first?" Twilight asked.

"No problem!" Aladdin guided the Carpet low to the ground, and Twilight jumped to the ground.

"Come on!" Twilight beckoned. "Applejack! Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie! Let's get ahead! We have to stay together!"

The five she named rushed to her side immediately. "The Elements of Harmony are ready!" Pinkie announced.

The six Equestrians picked up their pace, making a beeline down the main street toward the palace.

* * *

Though clouds still obscured the sky, it was clear from the lack of light that midnight had crested over Agrabah. Against the darkness, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack rushed toward the palace.

He was there, walking down the stairs to gree them, tall and regal as ever. "I see you have returned from the Netherworld," Jafar greeted smugly. "There have been some CHANGES to Agrabah since you left. The kingdom is under new management: MY management."

Twilight pointed up at Jafar, unable to contain her fury. "YOU BETRAYED MOZENRATH!" she screamed. "I TOLD YOU I WOULD FIGHT YOU!"

"And so you are here to fight me?" Jafar replied. "Go ahead. Let the games begin, if you will."

"Let's do this," Twilight told the others.

"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy whispered. "He isn't afraid…he's not trying to escape from us…"

"We can beat him!" Twilight insisted. Bright light surrounded the six, and their feet lifted into the air.

Within their sphere of white light, each young woman glowed with the color of her Element. Rarity was surrounded by deep purple. Rainbow Dash gave off an aura of bright red. Pinkie Pie glowed bright blue. Applejack radiated orange. Fluttershy emitted a soft pink. Twilight was bathed in deep pink.

Then Twilight opened her eyes. A strong wind whipped around the six, blowing their garments and Rarity's loose hair. Twilight's eyes were obscured by white light.

The rainbow burst forth in a double helix from the sphere of light, arcing up into the air. It crashed down hard against the palace steps, surrounding Jafar, blinding him with its many colors. "NOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed, feeling the effects of the Elements taking place.

The white light faded. The breeze slowed. Six pairs of feet touched the ground again. The rainbow disappeared. Jafar no longer stood upon the palace steps; instead, the obsidian lamp had reappeared and sat there pathetically.

"YES!" Twilight cried. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID I—"

The ground shook. The lamp rattled. Then it shattered, fragments of black scattering. Jafar, as the great red genie, burst upward into the dark sky, once again free.

The six screamed.

"NO!" Twilight cried.

"How could this happen?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"How could it happen?" Jafar chuckled. His voice echoed, booming throughout the entire city. "I must admit, at first, you had even me fooled. I had thought you were a cosmic force to be reckoned with. I was warned about what the Elements of Harmony could do. However, I couldn't have been more wrong. You are weak! Your pitiful powers could never stand up to mine! I've known that ever since Galifem!"

"What did we do up at Galifem that got your feathers ruffled?" Applejack snapped.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't remember," Jafar taunted. "You were hardly paying attention…"

* * *

GALIFEM, THE SEVEN DESERTS

ONE DAY AGO

Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were at Twilight's side, and all six were shooting arrow after arrow in succession. "Should we use the Elements now?" Pinkie asked, and Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash looked eagerly to Twilight for the answer.

"We need to time it!" Twilight replied. "Stop firing arrows! Hopefully everypony else can give us enough cover to start it up!"

Yet the thought of the Elements invaded everypony's conscious thoughts, the ones they were using to put forth the arrows. Jafar's heart skipped a beat as he saw the arrows rocketing toward him carrying the trademark colors: plum from Rarity, red from Rainbow Dash, orange from Applejack, blue from Pinkie Pie, light pink from Fluttershy, and deep pink from Twilight. Instinctively, he raised his arm to protect his face.

The arrows sent a shock coursing through him, but nothing more happened. Of course the Elements were weakened when used as arrows as opposed to the women actually activating them, but still, they were far underpowered. Even at full strength, Jafar knew, they were weaker than he was…than he would even be were he a free genie.

And so he laughed.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

PRESENT TIMELINE

"…I knew that you could only temporarily hold me at best," Jafar finished. "A valiant effort, but you've been wasting your time on petty light shows! And to think I feared such weaklings! Now you shall watch as I destroy all of Agrabah!"

"The Elements of Harmony…weren't strong enough?" Twilight repeated, aghast. "No…it can't be…"

Aladdin and Jasmine skidded in next to them. "We saw what happened!" Jasmine announced.

"Ah, my old enemies!" Jafar crowed. "What have you got planned to stop me this time? You cannot destroy me by destroying my lamp. I am free! You cannot confine me to a lamp again. What else have you got to throw at me?"

Aladdin, Jasmine, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy stared up at Jafar hopelessly. They had no ideas.

"That's what I thought!" Jafar bellowed. "Now, it is time to teach Agrabah a lesson about who is REALLY in charge!"

His shape changed; he hunched over, melting into a new form. His body stretched out, curled, coiled. Soon, a giant cobra, its black-and-orange-striped body the thickness of a large wagon and longer than anyone could tell, was curled up on the palace steps. Its head rose into the sky, and its black hood spread. It was still unmistakably Jafar; that was visible in the eyes.

"Agrabah will BOW DOWN TO MY POWER!" he hissed, striking out.

"GET DOWN!" Aladdin, Jasmine, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack quickly pulled Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie out of the way as Jafar's reptilian body landed on the ground hard. He slithered down from the steps and out into the streets, striking the tall buildings that still stood and knocking them down to rubble. He breathed jets of fire, reigniting the flames that had been doused when the fire-cats were taken down.

"We failed," Twilight moaned. "He's going to destroy the kingdom, and after that…"

"Don't talk like that!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "We can still win this, Twilight!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Twilight snapped in return. "The Elements didn't work!"

"There's always more than one way," Aladdin told her. "We just have to…improvise."

The Carpet rushed over toward the eight. "Carpet!" Aladdin cried. "Perfect!" He drew his sword. "I'm going to try and fight him on his level: in the air."

"Aladdin, wait!" Jasmine cried, but she was too late. Aladdin had boarded the Carpet and was flying up toward the cobra's hood.

A shadowy figure darted toward the remaining seven, scuttling on all fours; he rose, making himself recognizable as the Mukhtar. "Thisssss genie," he hissed, "isssss nothing more than I can handle." He removed from his waist a glass lantern. "A ssssswift imprisssssonment…"

He opened a door in the side of the lantern, and everyone could see the red aura emanating from Jafar begin to pour into it.

"Oh, I don't think so."

The cat woman appeared in a flash of green flame, knocking down the lantern so it shattered. "A Mukhtar?" she remarked. "Cute."

"Back off, Mirage!" Jasmine threatened.

"Or you'll what?" Mirage smirked. "Oh, I have no quarrel with you, princess. Jafar can take very good care of you. As for him—"

She grabbed the Mukhtar by the throat, and they both vanished.

"MUKHTAR!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "That's it…WE'RE TAKING THEM DOWN! FOR THE MUKHTAR! BECAUSE HE WAS AWESOME!"

* * *

Atop the highest balcony of the palace, Mirage and the Mukhtar rematerialized. The Mukhtar wrenched out of Mirage's grasp, drawing his sword.

"You will fall assssss well," he threatened. "You are a magical being not unlike a genie. I will be able to defeat you easssssily."

"I am not like a genie at all!" Mirage countered, miffed. "I'm one of the Old Ones. I have more power than you've ever seen in your entire life, Mukhtar. Of course, I'll be perfectly happy to fight you…so I can rip you to SHREDS!"

She charged forth, her hands glowing green. She tried to strike out. He countered with his blade, striking at her arms; the blade left no impact. She scratched at him again and again; he ducked, kicking out to try and trip her. She jumped over his feet, aiming a punch at his face; he blocked it by catching her fist in his hand.

Thus they fought as Jafar ravaged the city.

* * *

The Genie flew up into Jafar's face. "So, trying the old turn-into-a-snake bit again, are we?" he taunted. "Well, I got news for ya, pal! You're a FREE genie now! You're only semi-phenomenal, NEARLY-cosmic! Which means you're exactly equal to me!"

"I am not your equal!" Jafar hissed, spitting another jet of fire at the Genie, one tinged with black.

The Genie plummeted to the ground, landing so hard in the street that cracks emanated from where he landed. Jasmine, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie rushed to him.

"Genie!" Pinkie wailed. "Genie, are you okay?"

The Genie coughed, a cloud of ash pouring out of his throat. "That guy's using illegal moves," he grunted hoarsely. "I have no idea what kind of dark magic he's using…I just know that it's better than mine."

"It isn't possible," said Jasmine. "He's a free genie! He and Genie are equals!"

"He might have learned new magic somewhere else," Twilight said. "Magic that…isn't of this world."

"What makes you say that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He knew about us," Twilight explained. "And…Mozenrath said he was part of some group called the 'Overtakers.' I think they're something big. I can't explain it, I just know that he's involved in something in the cosmos just like us, and somehow that's where he's getting his dark power!"

"So what do we do about it?" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"We fight, Dash," Applejack said, taking her bow off her shoulder and loading it up with an arrow. "You with me?"

Rainbow Dash stood alongside Applejack. "All the way!" She too loaded her bow. Rarity and Fluttershy joined them. They fired arrows of water, super-speed, viney tentrils, and whirling air at the snake's body; they saw his muscles spasm wherever they hit.

Up above, Aladdin steered the Carpet to fly round and round Jafar's head. "Betcha can't catch me!" he taunted before steering directly downward, crossing the snake's body at the right time to slash with his sword.

Jafar winced from the brief pain, but recovered quickly. "A mere annoyance!" he spat.

"Genie," Jasmine said, "I need to be able to fight too. I can't let Aladdin fight alone!"

The Genie righted himself, floating in the air at his usual height. In his hands, a spear appeared; he handed it to Jasmine. "Good luck!"

Jasmine charged, hopping up on the snake's back and running for his head.

"Maybe if enough of us fire at him at once, he'll get annoyed and give up!" Pinkie theorized. She wheeled out her party cannon. "Be back eventually!" she cried, rushing ahead to get a better aim.

"I need to fight him too," Twilight muttered. "I just wish I had some higher ground—"

"Higher ground comin' right up!" the Genie announced, snapping his fingers; a wooden platform appeared beneath Twilight and the Genie, rising into the air. When it reached a height slightly above Jafar's head, Twilight and the Genie pointed at the snake with both hands, firing the most powerful magic they had.

"Mind if I join you?" Eden lined up next to them, also firing her own beam, one of green. Green, blue, and pink collided against the snake.

"FOOLS!" Jafar hissed. "Even your powers are not enough to stop me!" He snapped his neck backward, flinging off Jasmine, but not before she managed to get one good stab in with her spear. The Genie moved his left hand for an instant to snap his fingers and materialize a whip in Jasmine's hands; she struck out with her new weapon.

When the Carpet passed over the ground, a figure in blue rushed alongside it, grabbing the edge and attempting to climb aboard. Recognizing Cassim, Aladdin grabbed his father's wrist, helping him up onto the Carpet. "Sorry if this isn't what you had in mind for father-son bonding," he said.

"I'll take it," Cassim said with a wink as he drew his sword.

"CHARGE!" Razoul and the Sultan led the other guards to strike at Jafar, dodging his breath of fire. With a laugh, Jafar just summoned swords to fall from the sky, making the guards and the Sultan do a deadly dance to get away from them.

"You do NOT get to do that!" Sadira yelled as she conjured up waves of sand, sending them shooting toward Jafar as Deluca and Amal stood to either side of her, bolstering her confidence with their presence.

In the cellar of a decimated building, Iago remarked, "See? Cowardice is sometimes the best way to go! And I did find the best place to hide, didn't I?"

"Your quick thinking to duck into this cellar did save the children," Fatima replied; she and Minos huddled over Wahid and Dandi.

"Why do I have to sit here and be protected?" Wahid grumped. "I wanna fight too!"

"I'm scared!" Dandi wailed, tears gathering in her eyes. "I wish Eden were here!"

"H-hey," Wahid said, spurred into action by Dandi's tears. He took her hand in his own. "They'll be fine. Aladdin and Jasmine and the Genie always save the day. Every time!"

From one of the still-standing vendor carts, Abu launched apple after apple at Jafar, hoping that would do something. Arbutus watched him in interest. "No," he finally said. "That is not how you do that at all!" He summoned vines to burst from the ground, surrounding one length of the snake's body in tendrils that burst into red flowers the color of the apples. "That is how a true visionary would do such a thing!"

However, Jafar easily broke free of the vines, causing Arbutus to immediately summon more. He pushed through the waves of sand Sadira summoned, barely impeded. He shrugged off the stab wounds, the arrows, the blasts of magic, the force of the party cannon; sometimes he would flinch, but he kept slithering on, chuckling to himself that he was stronger than all his opponents.

"It isn't enough!" Twilight cried. "No matter what we do, he's too strong! Even for all of us!"

"Don't give up hope yet, kid!" Eden commanded.

"She's right, Eden!" the Genie lamented, watching his blue magic barely able to pierce the red aura that Jafar now conjured to surround his entire body. "What we need now is a miracle!"

As soon as the Genie said that, it began to rain. Lightning bolts forked through the sky brightly.

"What's he doing now?" Twilight yelled; she had to, in order to be heard over the howling wind.

"That isn't him," the Genie realized. "That's…"

Twilight saw her at the same time as Rarity, Applejack, Aladdin, Jasmine, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. As one, they yelled: "THUNDRA!"

"WHAT?" Hearing the name, Iago peered out of the cellar. A flash of green against the dark sky, the thunder bird hovered, directing her chilling rain, icy winds, and lightning to strike at the snake below. Iago abandoned Minos, Fatima, Dandi, and Wahid, zooming up to be at Thundra's side. "What are you DOING here?" he cried worriedly. "WE ARE FACING A MAJOR CRISIS!"

"I know, my little giblet," Thundra said calmly. "And I am dealing with a major crisis!"

Electricity from the lightning bolts jolted Jafar, causing him to falter. He closed his eyes against the icy winds.

"I don't like this game!" a shrill voice said next to Pinkie. "If he keeps breaking everything, there's not gonna be anything left to play with!"

"SPRITES!" Pinkie cried with glee, noticing the crowd of the tiny flying creatures that had gathered near her. "Wanna help me play a good old-fashioned game of stop the bad guy?"

"Sounds like fun!" a teal sprite chirped. Several sprites loaded into the cannon; Pinkie fired them at Jafar, and they broke through the red aura, shocking his scales with their magic.

"I…don't believe what I'm seein'," Applejack said, jaw dropped, as she looked up to the horizon. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy looked past Jafar, past all the buildings, and they saw the same sight. Feldspar, Andalusite, and Shale had risen up, cooled enough by the lack of sun that they could move unworried around the surface, and they threw large clods of mud at Jafar, coating the snake almost completely.

"Blech!" Jafar shook the mud away. "What is the meaning of all this?"

"FIRE!" a voice boomed; a great sphere of cheese slammed into Jafar's face, assaulting all his senses. He recoiled in disgust.

"A wonderful shot!" Brawnhilda congratulated Uncouthma from the catapult where he'd launched the cheese ball.

"You got him good!" Bud added.

"All right, troops," Uncouthma told a legion of soldiers on horseback and yak-back. "Ride on!"

The guards of Agrabah, on foot, were suddenly bolstered by three armies. Heavy armor clanked on the Odiferan soldiers as they charged past on their yaks. Moving swiftly as ninjas, led by Mahmoud on a young colt, the Quirkistani army followed. Finally, the bejeweled Getzistani soldiers, headed by Pasta Al-Dente, charged past on their muscular stallions. The armies slashed at the parts of the snake they could reach, beating him with maces, throwing ropes over him to pin him to the ground along with Arbutus' vines. Arbutus even summoned flowers to grow over the ropes, completing his artwork.

Now Jafar was stymied; from all directions, he was hit with metal, with magic, with mud, with lightning, with exploding cheese. Just as he wondered how things could get any worse, another volley of arrows much like those that pierced him from the four archers below rained from the sky, as fire, as ice, as rope, as mere arrows. They all struck his hood.

"Bullseye!" Scara yelled, pumping her fist. She and Hippsodeth rode the pegasi that flew at the forefront of the airborne Galifem army.

"NO!" Jafar cried, this time not as a dramatic ruse as he had done when the Elements of Harmony attacked him. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"If you can't stand the heat," the Genie taunted, "then GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!"

Reeling from all the blows, Jafar could take it no longer. He shifted shape, curling up until he became the red genie once more. Still the assault of earth, wind, rain, arrows, blades, ropes, vines, and cheese continued. With an enraged cry, he flew straight upward as quickly as he could go. The clouds parted for him, and everyone below stopped, watching him fly up into the stars. Then he disappeared. His disembodied voice rang out through the streets of Agrabah: "You may have won this world for now…but soon, ALL WILL BE LOST AND I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

In the town square, the armies pooled. Sadira, Deluca, Amal, Arbutus, Abu, the Genie, Eden, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, the sprites, Fluttershy, Uncouthma, Brawnhilda, Bud, Minos, Fatima, Dandi, Wahid, Thundra, Iago, Feldspar, Andalusite, Shale, Aladdin, Cassim, the Carpet, Jasmine, Hippsodeth, Scara, and the Galifem army joined the Agrabanian, Odiferan, Quirkistani, and Getzistani armies, looking up to the sky.

"Where did he go?" Aladdin asked.

"From the looks of it…he completely left this world," the Genie said, putting a hand over his eyes and extending them into binoculars to look up into the sky. "Yup, he's definitely left the atmosphere."

"Does that mean…" Twilight said, hoping against hope.

"It means we won," Aladdin said. "For real. He's…gone."

A cheer went up through the entire crowd.

* * *

"It looksssssss like your genie hasssss flown away," the Mukhtar mocked.

"No!" Mirage gasped, looking out over the city from which she'd seen Jafar flee. "NOOOOOO!"

In a rush of green fire, she disappeared.

* * *

"How'd you all know what was happening, anyway?" Twilight asked the large crowd of warriors. "I mean, we didn't tell anyone except…"

"Except for me." Hippsodeth stepped forward. "It was no trouble for my warriors to spread the word that Agrabah was in danger. We flew to the other kingdoms in alliance with Agrabah and asked around. We knew Jafar would be trouble."

"I got to go to the rainforest!" Scara squealed. "I've never been that far from home before!"

"We are sorry we took so long to get here!" Uncouthma apologized. "But it took a while to fix up the cheese catapult!"

"You got here just in time," Jasmine reassured everyone.

"And we couldn't have done it without you," Aladdin added. "Everyone…thanks."

"Looks like harmony really did beat Jafar!" Pinkie cried. "We couldn't have done it without ALL our friends!"

"I must say, Hippsodeth, your actions did save my kingdom from an untimely end," the Sultan told the queen.

"You know very well that I wish no harm to come to you, my dear," Hippsodeth replied, bending over—she was nearly twice the Sultan's height—and caressing his cheek with her right hand.

"UGH!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Mushy stuff? Now? REALLY?"

A flash of green flared up; Mirage appeared in the midst of the crowd with a yowl. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" she screeched.

"Beaten you," Aladdin boasted.

"With the magic of friendship!" Pinkie added. "Oh, and some elemental magic, a lot of weapons, and some exploding cheese. But mostly friendship!"

"You," Mirage growled, looking to Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Applejack. "You must be the ones he spoke of…it is no wonder that he hates you."

"So Jafar went crying to you about how much trouble we were?" Rainbow Dash guessed smugly.

"No…oh, no." Mirage scowled. "It was Discord that warned me."

The six Equestrians gasped.

"You're lying!" Twilight accused. "You just said that to make us afraid!"

"Oh, come now," Mirage replied, "who do you think reset the lamp? Who do you think gave it to me and instructed me to pass it to the likes of Mozenrath? Who else could have orchestrated such beautiful chaos?"

"You're an Old One!" Pinkie accused. "Maybe you did all that stuff on your own!"

"Believe what you want to believe," Mirage told them. "It does not change the fact that he has resurfaced…that WE are resurfacing! And it is only a matter of time before Jafar returns to this world as well. It is only the beginning, Elements of Harmony!" In a column of green flame, she disappeared.

"She's just tryin' to throw us off, right?" Applejack asked warily.

"Who's Discord?" Aladdin asked. "Heh…first time I've asked about one of your rivals instead of the other way around. Guess it's about time we switched off, don't you think?"

"You don't wanna take on Discord!" Pinkie wailed. "He's crazy! He's mean! But he does like chocolate. That's kinda cool."

"Discord is one of our world's greatest enemies," Twilight told Aladdin. "We defeated him with the Elements of Harmony, just like Celestia and Luna did before us. But every time he was released, he turned our world into complete chaos."

"I've seen complete chaos before," Aladdin boasted. "People turning into half-kangaroos? Evil clones?"

"Worse," Twilight sighed. "Uprooting cities and levitating them upside-down."

"Cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Poor bunnies on the legs of deer!" Fluttershy wailed.

"All the roads turned into soap!" Rarity emphasized. "ALL OF THEM!"

"Day and night comin' right after each other in the same hour, then over and over again as many times as he feels like it!" Applejack added.

"And turning ponies—people—into the exact opposite of what they are without even cloning them like you said!" Pinkie finished.

"He's just as powerful as Mirage," Twilight said. "And supposedly more powerful than Jafar…but we were able to defeat him, when with Jafar, we just failed."

"Except that if Mirage is telling the truth," Rarity pointed out, "we really couldn't keep Discord locked away for that long either…"

"I just feel so…useless, now that I know the Elements weren't strong enough," Twilight lamented. "I feel like we let our princesses down."

"But you did exactly what you were supposed to do!" Aladdin insisted. "You helped us save our world with friendship!"

"Are we really gonna keep talking about it like it's THAT CORNY?" Iago complained. "Ooh, we stopped great evil from taking over our world…WITH FRIENDSHIP!"

"Your magic isssss not weak," a voice hissed from the back of the crowd. Everyone parted to let the Mukhtar through.

"MUKHTAR!" Rainbow Dash squealed. "You're okay!"

"Mirage wasssss a worthy opponent," the Mukhtar boasted, "but easssssily disssstracted. The genie…Jafar, asssss you called him…had drawn ssssstrength from other ssssourccccessss of power. If you find other ssssourcccessss…you too may become jussssst assssss sssstrong. After all, even I wasssss oncccce weak. What you ssssssee now issssss the resssssult from yearssssss of hunting."

"We'll write to Celestia," Applejack suggested, "and ask her if we can get that powerful."

Shale interrupted: "Now that we have saved your kingdom, our debt is repaid. A debt we did not realize we owed you until Hippsodeth convinced us. Now we must return to the underground. When we cross paths again…we are predator and prey." He, Feldspar, and Andalusite sank into the ground and disappeared.

"He was difficult to convince," Hippsodeth admitted, "but we were able to persuade him."

"With fire arrows!" Scara squealed. "Lots of fire arrows!"

"I preferred diplomacy," Hippsodeth sighed, "but Scara does so love her fire arrows…"

"So do I!" Pinkie broke in.

"Anyway," Aladdin yawned, "it's almost morning. I think we should get some sleep. Say, Sultan…you don't mind if we host a few guests overnight, do you?"

"Well…" The Sultan looked around to the armies, to Pasta and Mahmoud, to Arbutus and the Mukhtar, to Sadira and Amal, to Thundra and Eden. "There are a great many of them…but I suppose we can find room."

"SLUMBER PARTYYYYYY!" Pinkie screamed.

"We can get to work on rebuilding the city tomorrow!" Twilight said as the crowd moved toward the palace.

"We can stay and help you, friends!" Uncouthma suggested.

"Actually," Jasmine said, "you should all get back to your kingdoms. You have things to take care of there. We Agrabanians can handle things here."

"And of course, the six of us will stay until everything is back the way it was…and until we're sure we're rid of Jafar for quite a long time," Rarity insisted.

The crowd moved into the palace. That night, many had to sleep on the floor on piles of pillows, and quarters were a bit cramped, but the warriors of the Seven Deserts plus the Elements of Harmony got their well-deserved rest.

* * *

"Add this one to your checklist, Mechanicles," Abis Mal said, leading Mechanicles, Amin, and Haroud around the palace walls into the city. "Now that we're a fighting force of four…ooh, I like that alliteration, remind me to write that one down…I say we ravage Agrabah! Take it by storm! Rob it of EVERYTHING! Destroy it almost COMPLETELY…"

As they beheld the city before them, four jaws dropped.

"I think…someone beat us to it," Amin finally voiced.

Haroud shrugged. "There is always Getzistan."

"Yeah," Abis Mal agreed. "They're rich there!"

The four thieves turned to leave Agrabah behind, and no more disaster struck it that night.

* * *

Chapter 15:

· I finally did it! I tried to pick a chapter title that didn't spoil too much of what happened in the chapter. This was one of the harder ones to write. It was the first real "battle royale" I had to write for this fic. Later ones get better.

· Mozenrath's rage-depression. I decided that it's not out of character for him to just sulk when he's really mad/possibly hurt. After "Book of Khartoum," when Al had to save him from Khartoum and his Philosopher's Stone (yes, he had one) got shattered, he just told Al, "Who cares, I lost everything!" Moz's utter lack of sympathy coupled with his fixation on his own gain/loss made that the first episode where I really started considering the possibility that he has Asperger's. And now that's my headcanon. He totally does. Makes me feel almost special…this awesometastic villain is an Aspie just like me. Incidentally, I also have diagnosed Twilight Sparkle with it. Which should technically make their relationship even MORE complicated. Wait, where did this bullet point even start? I think I lost the point…

· I knew Fluttershy and AJ would be huge fans of Arbutus. OK, Arbutus backstory: he's the antagonist of one of the best ATAS eps of all time, "Garden of Evil." The Sultan steals a flower from him as a youth, so Arbutus returns to kidnap Jasmine several years later ("I will take your most precious treasure"). While in Arbutus' captivity, Jasmine discovers that the flowers are just as precious to Arbutus (plants are both his art medium and his family) as she was to her father, and they bond. Al shows up and rashly duels Arbutus until he cuts off the rose that is Arbutus' heart; Arbutus and his garden die. Jasmine tells Al that Arbutus wasn't really all that bad…just different and very jaded. They plant his rose in the ground in his memory. And that's where I picked up. Decided Fluttershy would share his respect for plants, as she likes all living things (though I sure hope you can live in a tree without killing it, 'cause she does) and has canonically stated that she wants to be a tree. AJ takes care of an entire apple orchard; of course she loves trees.

· Zap-apples are a canon thing from MLPFIM. They're magic rainbow apples that only grow at a certain time of year.

· Wahid is a side character from a couple eps. He's a young boy about Dandi's age, and he wants to make something of himself. He almost turns into a shadow-walker because he wants that power, but Al talks him down from it. Anyway, I realized that though he and Dandi never interact, I ship it. HARD.

· I got Amal in it! So basically, he was a shadow-walker in "The Lost Ones," but at the end of the ep, he realized that if he did good, he could slowly regain his humanity. So he went off into the world to find good deeds to do, and probably had a lot of interesting adventures.

· Sadira/Amal was an old favorite of mine. It's since been replaced.

· Also, in the original draft of these author's notes, I had explained another "rule" about this fanfic. Most of the ships I prefer are not canon and involve breaking up canon couples, but my goal in EoH is not to break up canon couples unless 1) I really dislike them or 2) I had a different couple planned out before I knew that one member of it had a canon ship. Just a thing to keep in mind. Also, there may come a day this rule just goes out the window. (But as many crossover pairings I have for Rapunzel that I like better than Eugene, I'm not breaking her and Eugene up, for example.)

· AND THERE IS THE MUKHTAR! And Dash's "So…awesome!" is actually a reference to an early ep of MLPFIM, where she said that line while making a goofy face and it turned into a sort of meme.

· I was originally going to bring in some more side characters (Deluca has a husband and three brothers), but ran out of space. Actually, THIS MANY was more than I really had room for, but I couldn't resist them.

· "I have an army." "We have a Mukhtar." OKAYI'MSORRYI'LLLEAVETHEAVENGERSJOKESFORTHEMARVELSTORYLET

· They waited at the tower because THE PLOT DEMANDED IT.

· I was originally going to have Twi keep her awkward relationship with Moz a secret, but Honesty is one of the Elements, after all.

· Yes…Twi still does consider Al a good friend, even though Moz resents him. She's loyal to each of them in her own way.

· Winter Wrap-Up is another Equestrian holiday. Their version of Christmas.

· Rarity is the only one without a headdress because CONTINUITY.

· And here is the big twist. I was always going to have the Elements not be enough to beat Jafar. After all, the Mane Six can't just have the game-breaking power, now, can they? And they have to develop their powers. Now, it might have been a stretch to say two djinni couldn't bring him down, but you have to understand the Overtakers are a big deal here.

· I decided the big battle with Jafar should feature his snake form, since I loved it in the first movie. I kinda find it more badass than his genie form, really. I gave him the ability to breathe fire because actually, canonically, he does breathe fire in the same scene where he turns into a snake—just not at the same time. Eventually he would have figured out how to combine them. Same for the blades falling from the sky.

· Yup. I'm implying that the Mukhtar might STILL have been able to capture Jafar if Mirage hadn't interfered. Because he's a frigging badass.

· The cheese catapult is canon. Yes. Also, the Odiferan army has canonically been seen, and they wear lots of clanky armor. The Getzistani and Quirkistani armies, I made up myself.

· The stinger for this chapter was originally going to be the revelation of where Jafar went, but I decided I needed to end this on a happier/more comical note. So you get the four thieves finding out that someone beat them to destroying Agrabah. *cue tinned laughter*


	16. Undisclosed Desires

1. Undisclosed Desires

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Ten more minutes, Twilight…too early to get up…"

"RAINBOW DASH, FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, GET OUT OF BED!"

* * *

THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAIN, THE ENCHANTED DOMINION

The tall sorcerer was a bright flash of color against the walls carved from pitch-black stone and studded with shadow-gray moss. His gold staff clicked along the floor as he walked. Imps and hobgoblins dressed in black and wielding axes and spears peered out at him from around corners. They recognized him as one of their mistress' closest allies.

Eventually, Jafar reached the throne chamber, a deep room whose stone seat carved in the shape of a winged demon—a reflection of one of the Mountain's owner's favorite Old Ones—sat on a raised platform far above the low stone floor so that its occupant could look down derisively on whomever stood before her. She sat there now, dressed in black as usual; her robes cascaded down her body and trailed along the floor. With one hand, she stroked the raven that stood upon the right arm rest of the throne.

"I apologize for my lateness, my liege," Jafar said with a flourishing bow, "but you have so many lairs in your possession, it was difficult for me to locate you. Would it not be simpler to confine yourself to one?"

"You know as well as I do that I am far too great to be confined to one location," the woman in black said with a slight smile. "I am glad to see you have returned. That means all is going according to plan."

"Am I the only one who has returned?" Jafar asked.

"So far…yes," the woman replied. "However, the others will soon arrive. The Overtakers will be complete in almost no time…with due credit to Discord."

"You share the credit with another?" Jafar was taken aback.

"He would not have been able to reset your state had I not released him," the woman clarified. "He does not suspect it, but all of his actions are in accord with my wishes. And while we are on the subject of the Overtakers…there is the boy."

"He is not worthy," Jafar growled hastily. "Had he the strength we require, I would not be standing before you now. He set me free of his own volition in hopes that I would repay him by satisfying his…lust."

"And still he intrigues me," the woman countered. "Much of what you have reported leads me to believe that he could still prove himself."

"You don't intend…"

"I do, in fact, intend to pay him a visit," the woman confirmed. "If he wishes to join the Overtakers, he must first demonstrate that he is worthy. I will give him the medium in which to do just that…but past that, he is on his own."

"If you think that course is worth pursuing," Jafar snarled, "I am not one to stop you."

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

First, there were goodbyes. The sprites, Odiferans, Quirkistanis, and Getzistanis had to return to their kingdoms. Their goodbyes were heartfelt, but nothing compared to the parting yet to be done.

"I am sorry I cannot stay, mi amigas," Thundra apologized, "but the weather needs me!"

"We get it," Rainbow Dash told her. "Weather's serious business."

"One day," Thundra promised, "I will master this…Sonic Rainboom."

"Good luck."

Thundra then turned to Iago. "Perhaps we shall see each other again when you are on your travels?"

"A detour to the rainforest every now and again wouldn't be too difficult," Cassim interrupted.

"Till then, you shall be in my thoughts every waking moment," Iago told Thundra melodramatically. "Well, when I'm not thinking about finding treasure or eating or sleeping or talking Cassim out of doing STUPID things like invading the Black Sands. But besides that…every waking moment!"

"All I ask is that you remember me now and again, my little giblet," Thundra said, "and I shall do the same for you."

"Geez, babe, you really think I could forget a gal like you?"

They kissed once more—still enthralling for those who did not know that birds could kiss—and Thundra flew away, up into the blue morning sky, a rainbow trailing behind her.

"Galifem needs its queen," Hippsodeth told the Sultan. "However, I would not be opposed to making a date…rather soon, in fact."

"Well," the Sultan replied, "are you free next al-Khamis?"

"Shall we meet at your palace, or mine?"

"Not to inconvenience you with the journey, but in light of recent events, it might be best if I didn't approach Galifem…after all, you did just reclaim your sanctuary."

"Then it's a date." Hippsodeth leaned downward to meet the Sultan at eye level, and they, too, kissed.

"AWWWWWW!" Pinkie squealed. "So cute!"

"Oh, Hippsodeth!" Scara called out from atop her pegasus. "Sundial's ticking!"

"Until we meet again," Hippsodeth said before mounting her own steed. "Oh, and young warriors…do not forget your training. You may keep the bows."

"Thanks a bunch!" Applejack called up to her as the Galifems lifted off; she raised her bow in the air as a salute.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Rainbow Dash groaned, watching the women fly away upon the creatures she was used to being and speaking to.

"I hate to tell you," Jasmine informed Arbutus, "but your garden withered and died on…that day."

"Then it shall be a challenge," Arbutus replied. "After all, as a true artist, I can work from a blank canvas."

"Maybe we can see it when you're finished," Aladdin suggested. "Promise we won't destroy anything this time."

"I would be honored," Arbutus admitted, "for humans to actually appreciate my work. When I have finished, you will be welcome. Of course, Applejack and Fluttershy are especially encouraged to see my handiwork."

"I'd love to," Fluttershy said sincerely.

"Me too," Applejack added. "After all, I don't think we're done here one bit. We might leave, but I'm sure we'll be comin' back."

"Then I must be off." A crevice opened in the ground, and a great leafy pod erupted from it, opening; Arbutus stepped inside, the leaves closed up around him, and the pod sank into the ground, the dirt closing over as though nothing had happened.

"I feel I owe you a bit of an apology," Cassim told Aladdin. "I…may have begun this mess."

"Ridiculous," Rarity argued. "Whoever gave Mozenrath that lamp—and I REFUSE to believe it was you-know-who until I have concrete proof—is responsible. You were merely trying to do the right thing."

"I gotta go with Rarity," Aladdin told his father. "Besides…I'm proud to have a dad that would go to those lengths for any of his sons. So…I'm guessing you're gonna set out on the road again?"

"I'm a wanderer by nature," Cassim admitted. "The stuffy palace life suits you far more than me. I hope you don't take it personally."

"Not one bit. But maybe I'll see you again someday?"

"It's definitely possible."

Cassim and Aladdin embraced for a long time before breaking apart.

"So, Iago," Jasmine said to the macaw, "one last chance to stay back here with us."

"I'll pass," Iago answered emphatically. "I mean, Cassim's a danger magnet, but I've kinda gotten attached to him and his antics. And the palace life doesn't suit me even a FRACTION as much as I thought it would. If it's all the same to you, I'm going to go along with the thrillseeker there. After all, he was like the Pinkie Pie that helped me leave Gilda in the dust. Rainbow'll get it."

"I get it," Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

"You are welcome here at any time," the Sultan told Cassim. "Regardless of the opinions of my guards."

"I'll keep that in mind," Cassim replied. "Well, Iago? Up for another round of adventure?"

"See ya later, kids!" Iago called as he followed Cassim out the door.

Remaining in the palace's atrium were the six Equestrians, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Sultan, the Genie, the Carpet, Abu, Eden, Dandi, Wahid, Deluca, Amal, Sadira, the Mukhtar, Fatima, and Minos. "Well?" Sadira asked. "Anyone else gonna leave?"

"I have finally come home," Amal told her. "I could not leave now. After all…you and I have only just met."

Sadira nearly collapsed in her dreamy state.

"I have no home," the Mukhtar insisted. "I come and go asssssss I pleassssse. I ssssshhhhall give my efforts to rebuilding the home of my friendssssss."

"Then let's go!" Applejack commanded. "We got a city to rebuild!"

* * *

With the new team working together, the destruction Jafar had caused was easily undone. Most civilians were unhurt, and what minor injuries had befallen them, Fluttershy was able to tend with Abu at her side as her assistant. Buildings were rebuilt, awnings re-woven, and families reunited with their homes.

The work took several days. Breaks were often taken for meals and just to let off stress. Jasmine took Rarity and Applejack down to the market, helping them buy silk and food to take on their travels. Applejack lamented the loss of her crock of Odiferan cheese, but somehow, Pinkie found it stuffed inside the party cannon, so all was well.

Certain groups banded together during breaks. Rarity, as promised, rejoined Dandi to design new clothing for her; she was soon able to fashion a lovely white dress from her new silks, one that Dandi wore with pride and that caused Eden to wipe away a tear because her little girl looked so pretty. Rainbow Dash had found a new favorite opponent—the Mukhtar—for footraces, and when they weren't competing, the Mukhtar was teaching Rainbow Dash how to accurately wield both her blades. Pinkie and the Sultan spent many hours in the grand toyroom, playing with the various clockwork animals. Applejack and Aladdin swapped stories of their daily adventures. Fluttershy soon found Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah, and she immediately took to a friendship with the tiger.

Twilight, now fueled by a desire to increase her magical power, often spent her breaks with Sadira; the witch helped her learn to use sand magic of all sorts. They practiced in Sadira's home, the former lair of the witches of the sand, which lay far below the city in the deep cellar of an otherwise unassuming building.

One day, Twilight told Sadira, "There's some business I have to take care of. You mind spending the day with Amal instead of me?"

"Oh, not at all," Sadira replied, that dreamy smile returning to her face.

"I didn't think so," Twilight said with a slight smirk. "You have fun, okay?"

Twilight walked through the palace until she found the Carpet and the Genie playing chess. "Um…excuse me?"

"Yes?" The Genie looked up at Twilight.

"Um…I was kind of hoping to spend some time with the Carpet," Twilight said. "I mean, I've never seen a real magic carpet before, and…"

"Say no more!" The Genie packed up the chessboard. Before he left, he pointed to the Carpet, insisting, "The score might be 32 to zero in your favor, but next time…next time, you WILL face checkmate!" Then he flew out of the room.

After making sure she and the Carpet were alone, Twilight whispered, "I need a favor from you. I'm not going to keep it a secret forever, but right now, no one can know what I'm doing. I really hate to ask you, but I can't go alone. Do you promise not to tell anyone? Or, you know, pantomime this to anyone?"

After pondering Twilight's statements, the Carpet bowed in what was obviously a nod of assent. It spread out, hovering a few feet above the palace floor, and Twilight climbed aboard. They sped out of the palace and into the air, and no one noticed.

Twilight then told the Carpet where she wanted to go. The Carpet was shocked at first, nearly halting in midair, but then it realized that it really had no right to be surprised, given all that had happened.

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Wait here," Twilight told the Carpet outside the doors to the black fortress. The Carpet gave her a salute with one of his tassels.

She entered the great bastion of black and blue; no undead guards rushed to meet her. Perhaps, she thought, they were taking the day off because their boss was incapacitated. Perhaps they thought themselves free without him and had run off to find a new place. Perhaps they were still around, but remembered that she had permission to go anywhere she wanted within the fortress.

As her feet clicked against the floor and echoed through the mostly empty building, Twilight's heartbeat increased. She'd given this decision a lot of thought. Perhaps it wasn't right, but she knew she couldn't let herself get away with not doing it.

At last, she reached the crystal room. The Crystal of Ix was just as she'd left it. She shuddered to see Mozenrath's still form in its center; he still glared outward with anger and misery, unable to change his expression. She knew, however, that he could see her entering the room.

Xerxes hovered worriedly by the Crystal, ever loyal. He was stunned to see Twilight enter. "Sparkle?"

"Yeah…it's me," she said. "He's right where I left him, all right." Drawing a heavy breath, she stepped forward to do what she knew she had to do.

Closing her eyes, she approached the Crystal, placing her hands on the surface. Making sure she didn't stumble over the word, she said softly but quite clearly, "Ixtabor." Then she backed away five paces.

Even through her closed eyelids she could see the blue light fill the room. When it abated, she knew she had to look. So she did.

At first, there seemed to be almost no difference. Mozenrath's stance hadn't changed. If depth perception hadn't betrayed to Twilight that he was standing in front of the Crystal, she would have thought nothing had happened. Then she realized that his expression of fury and loss was replaced by one of utter confusion.

"I guess my first question would be 'Why?'," he said after a thick silence.

"I seem to remember you doing something similar for me," Twilight answered.

"Yes, but I thought we understood a certain paradigm," Mozenrath argued, still confused. "I'm the villain, and you're the hero."

"I did my share of heroism already," Twilight told him. "You've been frozen for a while."

"I know. It gets boring in there, you know."

"We defeated Jafar," Twilight stated. "He fled from this world, and we haven't seen him since the night we…well, the night we put you there."

There was that old familiar smirk as Mozenrath said, "Karma hurts."

"I'm sorry he…you know." Twilight shuffled her feet slightly, nervously.

"Eh, I've had time to think over it," Mozenrath said with a shrug. "I said I would move on. And I did."

"Really?"

"Well, I still have a burning desire to rip him to shreds, but beyond that…"

"I…might have helped fight him off for other reasons than to protect Agrabah," Twilight admitted. "I promised him that if he hurt you, I'd fight him."

"Why?"

"It's…complicated."

"You still haven't told me why you let me out. Why you REALLY let me out. After all, we're on opposing sides. You seem to be trusting that I won't shoot you down where you stand. And if I'm interpreting this right, no one from Agrabah, not even your other little Element friends, even knows you're here."

"I'm taking a bit of a shot, okay?" Twilight snapped. "It just didn't feel right, leaving you behind! Especially with what you said before. The way you were…well…devastated. And back in Agrabah, we had this big discussion over an incident with Abis Mal and Mechanicles and Haroud and Amin, and how everypony, even villains, needs friends, and…" She sighed. "When we were here. When everypony else was in the Netherworld. You said that 'nemesis' wasn't the right word for us. I don't think so either. What…what do you think we are now?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Are we…" She looked down at her shoes before lifting her gaze to meet his eyes directly. "Are we friends?"

She swallowed hard. For the first time, it sunk in just how dark his eyes were, how easy it was to become swallowed by that darkness…how comforting it was, but at the same time, her heart was drumming double-time.

"You realize what you're getting into," Mozenrath told her, "right? After all…I am still the storybook villain."

"You're just a problem Agrabah's always going to have," Twilight stated. "No one needs to know how you escaped. And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure it hurts Aladdin that much. You two are going to be fighting until the day one of you dies…and it's not going to be by either of your hands." She managed a smile. "It's kinda your fate."

"He always wins," Mozenrath sighed.

"And I don't think I'm betraying him or any of the others. Not exactly. My friends don't have to like each other for me to like all of them. And I know you're not a danger to me anymore."

"How are you so sure about that?"

"You could have shot me down right here a hundred times by now. You told me that yourself. But you didn't. And you aren't even trying to taunt me, which means you don't even intend to try."

"Very observant!" Mozenrath clapped teasingly for her deduction.

"So now it's you that hasn't answered my question," Twilight insisted. "Are we friends?"

"Having an actual 'friend' would be murder on the reputation I've spent years building, you know," Mozenrath replied. "So we'll just have to keep this our little secret, don't you think? No, no, wait. You're going to want to tell the other five warriors of purity that you got through to one of the criminally insane."

"Not the details," Twilight pointed out. "Just the bare facts. And I'm not going to put it like THAT."

"Fair enough. And no one else."

"Not a living soul. Or a dead one. Or an undead one. So that's a yes?"

"It's been a yes for a while," Mozenrath realized, sounding slightly frustrated with himself about it. "You're sure you wouldn't rather use your powers for evil? After all, you and me put together…the idea has potential."

"Sorry," Twilight replied. "I'm honor-bound, and I know my standards. But I have enough of a dark side to understand the appeal. I guess we'll just have to settle for maybe matching wits in battle again in the future."

"I'll go easy on you. Not that anyone else gets to know that."

"Same goes here."

"So what now?" Mozenrath asked. "For you, I mean. Now that you've won here."

"We finish cleaning up," Twilight answered. "We say goodbyes, hopefully not for the last time. The six of us move on to…wherever else the mists of Avalon take us. We keep trying to figure out what to do. We make new memories. We never forget our old friends, even if we know we're going to see them again. That…goes for all our friends. I mean…what I mean is…well, you're kinda hard to forget."

"I don't think I'll be forgetting you either," Mozenrath admitted. "It isn't every day that a unique and intelligent sorceress like you turns up. It's even more unlikely that they get me to tell them my secrets."

"So…" Twilight was now at a loss. "I…I'm not quite sure where we go from here. I did what I came here to do, we answered each other's questions…"

"You could leave. I mean, you have things to do, and I have conquests to plan."

"I don't want to leave unless I'm sure you're okay," Twilight muttered.

"Why are you still WORRIED about me? Do you honestly think I can't take care of myself?"

"No. It's probably nothing." She flashed him what she intended to be one last smile for the time being. "I should go now before they miss me on the other side. See you around, huh?"

Twilight turned quickly, walking out of the Crystal room, suddenly aware that her face had grown quite warm. She didn't want Mozenrath to notice that. She was also convinced that if she stayed much longer, he would eventually hear how hard her heart was beating.

Then he said, "Wait."

She stopped. She turned. He'd walked after her, now standing before her.

"How did you even get me to do this?" he asked, almost accusatorily.

"Do what?"

"Every time I try to be heartless! Emotions I DON'T want always come back to ANNOY me, and before you came along—no, all the way up to before I let you out of the Crystal of Ix, I could at the very least move on like nothing was happening. But then I called you into my lab, I showed you my work, I listened to you talk about your world, I told you about Destane, I told you about JAFAR, and now I can't…stop…from TELLING you these things! Did you put a glamour on yourself or something?"

"Maybe you needed someone to talk to," Twilight suggested, "and I happened to be the right mare in the right place at the right time. Is there…something you still need to talk about?"

"I don't want to. But I HAVE to."

"Then…say it."

"I really thought he was going to take me. I thought he would see things the way I saw them. That we belonged together. I thought I would be his. And I would have been his, GLADLY. After you left, I tried to let him know that. He let me get so far as to…we almost KISSED, Twilight. No. No, I almost kissed him. He wasn't thinking the same thing at all."

"Suddenly I understand the red," Twilight realized.

"GRAH!" In a flash of light, Mozenrath transformed his clothing back to blue. "He let me get THAT CLOSE. He was always trying to get me to slip up, to get him an advantage, and he sure managed THAT, all right."

"Your third wish," Twilight said softly. "You intended to free him all along."

"He knocked me to the ground, he took all my power, and because I freed him, Mirage even showed up to tell me how weak I was. And even with all that, that's not what actually hurts. What hurts, what should be the LAST thing that mattered at ALL, is when I realized he just saw me as another pawn in his game. Like I was DIRT. And there you have it. The lord of the Black Sands, bane of the Seven Deserts, was defeated by a bruised heart."

"Not bruised," Twilight corrected. "Broken. I know you don't want to admit it…"

"Why not?" Mozenrath cried in frustration."Why not just say it now? Broken. Broken-hearted. How the mighty have fallen."

"No," Twilight said sternly. "You haven't fallen. Just because you found something about yourself that you didn't believe was possible emotionally doesn't mean you've fallen at all. You can still be great! Even as a conqueror! Even as a villain! You're still the same strong, powerful, brilliant, beautif—talented sorcerer you were before you met him. Before you met me! So you know you can't fight your emotions sometimes. It doesn't matter!"

"And how would you know?"

"Because I used to be the same way. I thought all I would ever need were my books, my mentor, and my assistant. I thought caring about anyone else was unimportant. I might have even thought it was a weakness. But then I met my friends, and…I only became better. And before you go worrying that you're going to turn into a total sap like me, I didn't lose my capacity to hate or my ambition, either."

"This is going to be one of the details you don't bring up, Twilight, but if I HAVE to have a friend, you're probably the best one I could have picked. Mostly because—"

"—we're still way too much alike. Can't run from that one anymore."

"Twilight."

"What?"

"I believe what you're saying. But it doesn't make what I'm feeling go AWAY."

She caught him blinking just a little faster. Heavens forbid that the lord of the Black Sand should cry.

Twilight knew she was the one who did it, but it still surprised her when in the next instant, she found herself tightly embracing him, pressing her head into his shoulder. She was surprised once more when his arms tentatively wrapped around her—Mozenrath couldn't believe it either.

"It'll be okay," Twilight said softly.

When they backed away from each other, they each read the awkwardness on the other's face.

"That…never happened," Mozenrath insisted quickly.

"Fine by me," Twilight agreed, just as quickly. "But seriously, you'll find somepony special to share the world with. I just know it."

"I'm not sure I'm quite that optimistic."

"Then you'll be pleasantly surprised."

That got him to smile. "Until we meet again, Twilight Sparkle," Mozenrath said dramatically before turning away from her, cape billowing as he walked away down the hall.

"Until we meet again, Mozenrath," Twilight replied with a smirk of her own before striding down to the atrium, out of the fortress, and aboard the Carpet.

As the Carpet lifted off, not asking questions—though had it a voice, it might have wanted to—Twilight looked back, watching the kingdom of darkness fade behind her.

"I know it's unreasonable, impractical, and impossible," she said to herself. "I shouldn't even kid myself. He'd never see me that way, and how would it even work? I want to protect everything he wants to conquer and destroy! But all the same…I wish that somepony special of his…" She admitted it fully to herself for the first time. "I wish it could be me."

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

No one questioned where Twilight had been. No one even suspected. She simply blended back into the fabric of Agrabanian repairs.

At last, all was as it once was. The city was rebuilt. Civilans were relocated to their original residences. It was as if Jafar and Mirage had never touched the great kingdom.

As the sun set, the crew of friends that had worked to repair the city stood upon the palace steps, admiring their handiwork.

"Great job, everyone," Aladdin said. "It's…perfect."

"No problem!" Pinkie squealed.

"And we did it together!" Applejack asserted.

"We couldn't have done it without anyone here," Aladdin agreed.

"Always glad to help!" Sadira said with a slight curtsy.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Rarity said, "but now that we've secured everything here, we Elements of Harmony need to be on our way. After all, there is a great cosmos out there waiting for us."

"On the ssssssubject," the Mukhtar added, "if my sssserviccccesssss are no longer necccessssary…I shall continue on my travelsssss come morning."

"Awwww, so soon?" the Genie pouted.

"It isssss inconccccceivable that I will not sssssee thisssss cccccity again," the Mukhtar reassured him.

"Same here," Rainbow Dash brought up. "I definitely don't want this to be the last we see of this place and everypony in it!"

"I don't know if I'll be able to find anywhere more magical," Twilight added with a wink.

"Well, you can stay one more night before you have to take off," Aladdin offered. "That is, if it's okay with Jasmine. Jasmine…hey, where is she?"

Everyone looked around. Somehow, the princess had become separated from the ranks.

"I'm here!" a voice called out; Jasmine came running up the stairs. "There was just something I had to do last-minute."

"So, can our six traveling friends stay one more night before they have to set sail in the morning?" Aladdin asked her.

For a moment, Jasmine looked at the six Equestrians with what seemed an expression of disgust. "Of course," she answered, her face softening. "Why would I have a problem with that?"

"We should all meet up one more time before everypony leaves!" Pinkie suggested. "Tomorrow morning, here on the palace steps! You too, Mukhtar!"

"That could be arranged," the Mukhtar agreed.

"Well," Aladdin announced, "we should turn in."

"Hang on," Sadira said. "I've ALMOST taught Twilight how to master sand magic. I don't think she should leave before she's gotten the hang of it."

"Well, unless you're up for a late-night lesson…" Twilight began.

"I'm in if you are," Sadira replied.

"Then let's do it!" Twilight and Sadira set off down the steps. "I'll be back to the palace later!" Twilight called out.

Minos, Fatima, Dandi, Eden, Wahid, Amal, and Deluca turned to go to their homes in the city; the Mukhtar scuttled off to an abandoned building he had called his temporary residence. The others turned to enter the palace.

In the atrium, Rajah approached to greet Jasmine and Fluttershy, but then he stopped, growling at Jasmine.

"Ugh!" Jasmine gave a start. "Why is it GROWLING at me?"

"You know Rajah," Aladdin told her. "He just loves you!"

"Right…good kitty," Jasmine said, kneeling to stroke Rajah's head.

"Did that seem a little…off to you?" Rarity whispered to Aladdin.

"Whenever Rajah gets worked up, it does usually mean something's up," Aladdin whispered back. "I'll check this out. Leave it to me." He walked over to Jasmine, putting his arm around her shoulder. "So, I'll bet you're really tired after all that work, huh?"

They walked toward their bedchamber, and everyone else dispersed.

* * *

"I think I've finally got it," Twilight said, taking a deep breath and remembering what she'd read in the many scrolls of Sadira's underground library. She twisted her hands out in front of her, manipulating the sand that covered the floor of Sadira's abode into a sculpture. When she finished, it was an accurate relief of Princess Celestia in all her alicorn glory, rearing up on her hind hooves.

"Nice!" Sadira complimented.

"YES!" Twilight cried. "I did it! I did it I did it I did it! I'm on my way to becoming a real sand…witch…" Realizing what she'd said, she groaned. "THESE PUNS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!"

"I knew you'd be a natural at this," Sadira congratulated.

"It is nice knowing that I can do a LITTLE more than just reflection and telekinesis," Twilight admitted. "Thanks again for helping me out."

"Hey, for someone as cool as you? It's nothing."

Twilight's attention was caught by something she'd never noticed in Sadira's lair before. "Hey, Sadira?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't mean to be nosy, but where does that door go? I'm just asking because we're really far underground."

"Oh, that?" Sadira waved a hand. "That just goes to some maze of tunnels that runs under the city. Not as cool as it sounds. There's nothing IN there."

"Oh, there's one thing in there," Twilight muttered. "Mind if I use it? I have a bone to pick with somepony."

"Um…sure," Sadira permitted. "I don't see why not."

Twilight stormed through the door and into the tunnels. As she'd thought, they were the same labyrinth into which Phasir had brought her early on.

"If you thought you could get away with that," she muttered, "you were so wrong."

* * *

Jasmine brushed out her hair while Aladdin sat on the bed, observing her. She was taking even longer than normal to go through her nightly routine. "So," he asked, "everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be, dear?" Jasmine replied.

"Hmm…" Aladdin was suspicious of her tone. "You just seem a little on edge, that's all."

"I don't have the right to be on edge?" She whipped around in her seat. "I'm the princess of this entire kingdom! I had to spend all day putting it back together! Of course I am on edge!" With a groan, she turned back to brushing out her hair.

"Jasmine," Aladdin said sternly, "I'm beginning to get a little worried. You're acting…different."

"I'm not acting different. Maybe you just haven't paid enough attention to me to know how I act!"

"Normally, I wouldn't bring it up," Aladdin admitted, "but you know, in the past, things have happened. Jafar and Mozenrath have each tried to trick me by turning into you. Abis Mal once cast a spell on you that made you completely forget who you were. Even Sadira once had me convinced she was you, back when she used to do things like that. I just want to make sure nothing's going on. And if you're NOT the real Jasmine, this is your one chance to give yourself up."

"How could you even say a thing like that?" Jasmine cried, throwing down her hairbrush. "My own husband, trying to say I'm not me—"

From the expression on his face, she knew he knew.

"It's not like it matters, anyway," the woman in Jasmine's form said, walking over to Aladdin and putting her hands on his shoulders. "I've got what I wanted. And soon, you won't be in any shape to tell anyone about your little suspicions."

She pressed her lips to his, drinking deeply from his heart. When she broke the kiss, he looked back at her, dazed, literally unable to say anything due to her spell.

"I did make a good choice," she said with a grin. "You love her a LOT."

* * *

Though the tunnels beneath Agrabah twisted and turned, Twilight kept an accurate mental map of the route she'd taken so that she could find her way back. Eventually, she caught a glimpse of blue: exactly who she'd been looking for. He stood tall, turned toward her as though waiting for her, though he obviously couldn't be looking at her through the blindfold over his eyes.

"Phasir," Twilight said sharply. "I've been looking for you!"

"This I know," Phasir said calmly.

"You were wrong," Twilight snapped. "You called Saleen a siren. She isn't a siren. She is a water…elemental. That has been bothering me ever since we figured out what your prophecy meant! And don't try to tell me you meant a different siren. Everything happened exactly as you said it, down to the last line, so I know we did it right. What do you have to say for yourself? Were you just short on words that made it iambic pentameter or something?"

"It was a mistake even I knew I had made," Phasir replied. "After you left, I wondered why I had said such a thing. However, now I know that all has gone exactly as planned. You would not forget the mistake, and you would seek me out the night before you would have left this world for another. You were meant to return to these tunnels, Twilight Sparkle."

"Wait." Twilight tried to make sense of what she'd just heard. "So…you made a mistake because you knew I would come down here to correct you?"

"Go farther," Phasir said, stepping away to gesture to the tunnel behind him, "and you may yet find what it is you were meant to find."

"O…kay?" Twilight cautiously stepped down the tunnel Phasir had marked for her. It took a few turns, and she wondered how much further she should go before turning back and insisting there was some mistake, when she came upon the cell.

A wall of iron bars, its door sealed with a great padlock, blocked off the large room beyond. A pillar, perhaps meant to hold something of importance, rose in the room's center, but it was bare. Skeletons lay against the walls, some of them clutching weapons in their bony fingers; Twilight was reminded briefly of Mozenrath's bare right hand and shuddered at the connection. However, when movement stirred behind the pillar, Twilight saw what it was she was supposed to see.

"Is someone there?" The princess moved out from where she'd crouched behind the pillar. "Twilight!"

"Jasmine!" Twilight answered. "What happened? How'd you get down here?"

Jasmine rushed to the bars, clutching at them. "Something captured me when I tried to go back to the palace! It brought me down here and locked me in, and then it…changed to look like me!"

"Something?" Twilight shuddered, hoping that her first instincts were wrong. "What did that…something…look like before it changed into you?"

"A monster," Jasmine said coldly. "Like an insect, with…holes…in its limbs. It wrapped me up in some kind of green slime, like…like a cocoon! I only just managed to break out of it."

Twilight saw the green slime discarded in the corner. She felt the blood drain from her face and a hollowness overcome her. She recognized that slime. Her instincts had been right after all.

"It could be in the palace right now!" Jasmine cried worriedly. "It might want to hurt Aladdin!"

"She does," Twilight confirmed. "We have to go back right now!" She looked down at the sandy floor of the tunnel and the cell. "Stand back. I'm going to try something!"

Jasmine obeyed, and, focusing on the ground, Twilight carved a large tunnel out of the sand using the spells Sadira had taught her, creating a path that snaked under the iron bars. "There," she said when she had finished.

Jasmine scooted into the tunnel and climbed out alongside Twilight on the other side of the bars. The two women nodded at each other before taking off.

They emerged into Sadira's lair. Sadira, arranging her scrolls, nearly dropped a pile of parchment onto the floor. "Jasmine? What are you—"

"An imposter is in the palace!" Jasmine yelled.

"We have to stop her!" Twilight added, and the two kept running.

"An imposter? Hurt my friends?" Sadira let the scrolls drop. "Oh, no, it doesn't! HEY! WAIT UP!" She charged after Twilight and Jasmine.

* * *

The three women barreled down the palace hallway, and as she passed her friends' bedchambers, Twilight bellowed, "APPLEJACK! RAINBOW DASH! FLUTTERSHY! PINKIE PIE! RARITYYYYYYY!"

Hearing the panic in their friend's voice, the aforementioned five burst into the hallway. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

"Changeling!" Twilight yelled without breaking her stride.

After gasping in shock, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity ran alongside Jasmine and Sadira. They sprinted all the way to the bedchamber Aladdin and Jasmine usually shared; Jasmine threw the door open, and the eight barged in.

The other Jasmine was sitting on the bed, kissing Aladdin deeply, pressing herself to his body. When the door slammed open, she let go of him; unconscious, he fell onto the bed. She observed that the princess whose shape she'd taken had arrived, as well as six of the mares she hated the most.

"So," she said. "I've been found out. I should have known it was too good to last forever. It was fun, after all. Jasmine is beloved by everyone. They practically just give their love away…a satisfying meal."

"What have you DONE to him?" Jasmine cried.

"She's put him under a spell while she eats his love for you," Twilight answered. "Isn't that right…Chrysalis?"

The false Jasmine stood, and her guise melted away. When Sadira saw her true form, she screamed. The six Equestrians were also shocked; they were used to seeing Chrysalis as an insectoid alicorn, and had expected her to become humanoid upon hearing Twilight speak her name, but her actual shape was still nothing like they could have imagined. She stood on two legs, had two arms, and was basically built like a human, but her hips melded with a bulbous abdomen that protruded backward over her legs. Her limbs, just as the six remembered, were perforated with holes that went all the way through the flesh, but now they were covered in some sort of shining black carapace, as was Chrysalis' upper body. She was almost completely nude, but other than a general feminine shape, had none of the human attributes that would have needed to be covered in traditional society; her chest was smooth, her carapace forming a breastplate. Her only clothing consisted of a green cape that fastened around her neck and waist, forming a teal sash over the latter, and a small black crown studded with teal stones perched atop her head. Her turquoise hair still hung limply down over her face and back, passing her shoulders. Her wings, great and clear like those of a dragonfly, spread out from her back. Her skin was obsidian-black, and her toes and fingers ended in points like claws. Humanoid, yes, but not human—much more insectoid. Her head was the most human part of her, with its half-lidded green eyes.

"What IS that thing?" Sadira yelled.

"A Changeling," Twilight said calmly.

"How'd YOU get here?" Pinkie asked. "We left you in Equestria!"

"After we kicked your tail outta Canterlot," Applejack nearly hissed.

"I've been expanding my horizons," Chrysalis said with a laugh. Her voice now sounded nothing like Jasmine's; it was raspier, tinnier, and tinted with an exotic sensuality. "After all, the multiverse is full of princesses who get just as much love as Mi Amore Cadenza…even more."

"I'll give you one more chance to answer," Twilight said sternly. "How…did…you…get…here?"

"With the help of a dear friend of mine," Chrysalis answered. "You might be familiar with him. After all, you did seal his fate. I never did get the chance to tell you why I attempted to invade Canterlot, now, did I? That was where you defeated him, my precious one…I had to avenge him, to take from you something of value as you had taken from me!"

"You've done this before," Jasmine reiterated. "Taken on the form of another princess and stolen the love of her husband and her friends!"

"He wasn't even married to her yet," Chrysalis bragged. "All the more of a challenge to make him think I was his beloved fiancée. Then again, while I thought an already wed prince would be less likely to suspect…this one is apparently used to impostors."

"Get out of here!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Before we MAKE you get out!"

"It matters not," Chrysalis said. "There are many more princesses in this multiverse. At this moment, there is a lucky young woman somewhere preparing for a wedding the likes of which Cadance had prepared for…and her kingdom will grant me even more love to feed upon than this one."

"Do you even need to eat love," Sadira challenged, "or do you just do it to hurt people?"

"Definitely the latter," Chrysalis said with a grin. "Go ahead…take your precious prince back. He was an amusement for a while…but I can find better."

"WHY YOU—" Rainbow Dash began to charge at Chrysalis, but in a flash of darkness, the changeling disappeared.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine rushed to where her love lay unconscious on the bed. "Wake up!"

"Hang on!" Sadira moved in next to her. "I think I can undo this! It's just a kind of mesmerism, right?"

"Right," Twilight confirmed. "It can be broken by true love—"

"But this'll be faster." Sadira took a handful of sand out of her pocket and blew it into Aladdin's face; it glittered as it landed. "There! That should reverse the effects."

Aladdin blinked his way into waking. "What…Jasmine…" He sat up. "You're not Jasmine! You're a fake!"

"It's me," Jasmine insisted, and even at those words, Aladdin knew she was right.

"We chased the fake away," Rarity explained.

"What was that thing?" Jasmine asked.

"An enemy from our world," Twilight answered. "The princess she tried to impersonate before was my sister-in-law!"

"Twilight," Fluttershy whimpered, "she said an old friend we defeated brought her here…"

"No!" Rarity snapped. "I REFUSE to believe it without evidence! It's simply a game of psychology! Anyone who knows us and who knows Discord would of course drop his name at every chance just to watch us flinch!"

"Is she gone for good?" Aladdin asked. "Or did she just run off to hide somewhere else nearby?"

"It sounded like she went to find another world to try the same thing on," Twilight stated. "Though I don't know how she could have just teleported there."

"Are you the most beloved princess in this world?" Pinkie asked Jasmine.

"I'd say so," Aladdin answered with a shrug.

"She means objectively," Twilight clarified. "Maybe Chrysalis would have moved on to Brawnhilda or Hippsodeth."

"Actually, if we are talking objectively, Jasmine is the most famous princess in the world," Sadira said. "Everyone knew all about her from the time she was born. If I was going to pick a princess to impersonate…well, okay, I actually did do that, but that was before I knew better!"

"Chrysalis wouldn't downgrade," Applejack theorized. "At least…I don't think."

"Don't let this stop you from moving on," Aladdin insisted. "Now that we know what this Chrysalis' game is, we can handle her, no matter whose form she takes. But if she's out there…"

"If she's out there," Jasmine finished, "you'll want to find her."

"Then that's where we go," Applejack resolved. "To stop Chrysalis!"

"Just relax for now," said Sadira. "If that…whatchamacallit…"

"Changeling," Twilight offered.

"If that changeling tries to come back here, I'll slam her with my sand magic."

"You should get some sleep," Jasmine encouraged. "After all…"

"We have more of a journey ahead than we originally thought," Rarity finished.

* * *

At sunrise the next morning, after Rainbow Dash had been rolled out of bed, the Agrabanians and the Equestrians gathered once more on the palace steps.

"Until we meet again," the Mukhtar said before mounting his steed, a creature structured like a large bird but covered in reptilian scales, and riding away towards the city gates.

"It was so wonderful to meet all of you!" Pinkie insisted. "We absolutely NEED to come back!"

"No hurry," Aladdin reminded the six. "We've got things under control. Thanks to you, of course."

"Besides," Jasmine added, "there are probably other people to make friends with out where you're going."

It was difficult for the six to leave this, the first world outside their own where they had settled down, but eventually they did. They walked out of the city together, boarding the Starlight.

"We need to find Chrysalis," Twilight muttered to the control screen. "Wherever the mists take us…I hope it's to wherever she's going." With that, she let the mists take control.

The ship sailed downriver, into a thick mist, until it vanished completely from the Seven Deserts.

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

In hindsight, smashing most of his most valuable magical instruments had been a bad idea, Mozenrath decided as he attempted to adhere the pieces back together in his laboratory. He focused in on the lenses of the Eye of Ra spyglass, trying to fit the glass together just so with his magic.

As soon as he had completed the lens and restored its magic properties, a rush of green flame caused him to start, dropping the lens and shattering it again.

"What do you want now, Mirage?" he snapped…preemptively. The woman who had appeared was most certainly not Mirage. She dressed like a sorceress, resplendent in black robes topped with a hood that resembled two demonic horns. Her hair was completely obscured; her face, exotically beautiful, was pale with a greenish cast to it. She carried with her a staff topped by a green, glowing crystal.

"So you are Mozenrath," she said calmly.

"And you are…?" Mozenrath replied, on his guard.

"I am the one who intends to bring upon this multiverse the new age of darkness and chaos, in which the cruel shall reign and the weak shall perish. I am the leader of the Overtakers. I am, in short, one of the most powerful forces in existence…barring, of course, the Old Ones." She smiled wryly. "Jafar has told me much of you."

"So the leader of the mysterious Overtakers finally reveals herself," Mozenrath replied coldly. "Are you here to beat me and call me a failure too? Because after so many people do it, I'll eventually get used to it, and it'll lose its effect."

"On the contrary," the woman replied. "While Jafar did warn me of your shortcomings, I believe you have great potential. Perhaps one day I could welcome you into the ranks of the Overtakers."

"And if I don't want to be an Overtaker?"

"Then you shall be my enemy," the woman said casually. "You do not want to be my enemy."

Mozenrath realized what about this woman seemed off; what, magically, felt different about her. "You're a faerie, aren't you?"

"I take it you sensed my aura. To be certain, an admirable skill."

Now Mozenrath was uncomfortable, though he did his best not to show it. Faeries were a whole different brand of magic than human sorcerers. Knowing that about her identity, he did not wish to make an enemy of her. "What would I get out of an alliance with you, besides you sparing me a lot of unnecessary torment?"

"Many things," the woman promised. "Immortality. Power. Riches beyond your wildest dreams. The ability to grasp the dark arts at their very heart."

"I might be interested," Mozenrath admitted. "But there's a catch, isn't there?"

"I do not wish to waste my time," the woman said sharply. "You must prove yourself worthy. I will give you the chance to do so, but the decisions you make must be your own. I have been fooled in the past by those I thought had what it takes. I will not be fooled again."

She swished away her draping black sleeve, revealing a mass of gemstones on the floor, gemstones that appeared to be fist-sized diamonds but sparkled even more. "Do you know what this is?"

"I can't say that I do." Mozenrath admired the jewels with interest. They gave off a nearly overwhelming aura of magic.

"This is dark matter," the woman explained. "Some will call it by other names, and many have made interdimensional transportation by refining it. Here it is in its most unrefined form…its purest form. After all, I have been told that you are mastering the ability to Apparate at the speed of darkness, but you cannot yet do so to travel between worlds. Use this…the material found in the space between…and you will be able to go wherever your heart desires. Quite unlike the mists of Avalon, I might add. Dark matter has no agenda. It will listen to you…if you make it quite clear that you dominate."

"So if I figure out how to use this dark matter to travel between worlds…" Mozenrath began.

"You will then have an entire multiverse in which to show us what you are capable of," the woman finished.

"I don't know," Mozenrath said. "I generally don't accept gifts from people when I don't even know their names."

The woman didn't flinch. She simply answered, still with her calm smile, "You may address me as Maleficent. After all, that is the name that will be on the lips of everyone once my plans have completed."

"Maleficent," Mozenrath repeated. "Well, that's pretentious."

"No more than 'Mozenrath.'"

"You can blame my father for that one. His favorite son got the name that meant 'glory.' I got the name made up of random syllables he thought 'sounded cool.'"

"Might I add that if you join my ranks," Maleficent continued, "your brother would most surely fall…and most likely by your hand. It is something to consider. I trust you will not fail me, Mozenrath. If you do, consequences will be grave."

Before Mozenrath could say anything else, Maleficent vanished in a flash of green, leaving the dark matter in her wake. Mozenrath approached the gemstones eagerly.

"Dark matter?" Xerxes said confusedly.

"Opportunity has just come knocking, Xerxes!" Mozenrath clasped his hands together victoriously. "It's time to get to work."

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

"Twilight?" Applejack asked. "What's wrong, sugar cube? You look kinda nervous."

"NERVOUS?" Twilight replied, jumping. "Who's nervous? I'm not nervous!"

"You're totally nervous," Rainbow Dash called out.

"Is something on your mind?" Fluttershy asked.

"I might have a confession to make," Twilight said shakingly. "I…I LET HIM OUT!"

"Who?" Rarity asked.

"Mozenrath!" Twilight wailed. "I went back to the Land of the Black Sands and I let him out!"

The others gasped.

"Why did you do THAT?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"I don't know!" Twilight defended. "Well…maybe I do. Even villains need friends, right? You saw how he was when we sealed him away! He was hurting! And we…well…you know."

"I don't believe this!" Rainbow Dash cried. "You actually HELPED one of the bad guys!"

"Now, now," Fluttershy said, "all Twilight wanted to do was show a little kindness."

"And they kinda got a history together," Applejack reminded Rainbow Dash.

"Besides," Twilight added, "what would the Seven Deserts be without some kind of evil to…yeah, even I'm not buying what I'm saying right now, but I just couldn't LEAVE him!"

"So…does this mean you DO want him to be your special somepony?" Pinkie asked.

"It…might," Twilight admitted, looking down at her feet again, heat filling her face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Rarity said, putting a comforting hand on Twilight's shoulder. "After all, you can't help who you fall for. And you two did have an awful lot in common. Besides, he was quite attractive, if you ask me."

"And also evil!" Rainbow Dash reiterated.

"We don't blame you, Twilight," Fluttershy said, putting a hand on Twilight's other shoulder. "You just wanted to help someone you cared about."

"DID EVERYPONY SUDDENLY FORGET THAT HE WAS EVIL?" Rainbow Dash cried in frustration.

"No," Twilight answered clearly. "But…he's still my friend."

"I don't believe this!" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. Then she shifted demeanors. "Fine. I won't judge it. You can be his friend if you want. But don't expect me to be happy about it."

"I don't," Twilight replied. "You have every right to hate him after what he did. Just…please don't hate me."

"Twilight, please." Rainbow Dash sighed. "You should know by now that I can't hate you. If I have to, I'll just let it drop. But I'm not gonna go easy on him if we meet again just because you have a crush on him."

"Deal," Twilight said.

"We should write our letter home to tell everypony about our adventures!" Pinkie reminded the others.

"Good idea," Twilight said with a sigh of relief. "We can write it together."

The six moved into a room with a spacious table. Parchment, ink, and quills had been stocked. Twilight sat down at the table with a sheet of parchment in order to dictate. "Dear everypony," she began. "We had a lot of interesting adventures in a new world…"

* * *

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"…We learned," Celestia read from the parchment before her, "that anything can be accomplished with the help of friends, even banishing great evils. We learned that when you've created a rift, you should try your best to repair it if you feel it's right. We learned that playing fair can beat even the toughest cheaters. That sometimes, different groups that hate each other have to put aside their differences to accomplish greater things. That fighting with your heart can be just as strong as fighting with any other muscle. That power means nothing if you can't be happy with it. That some people and ponies need spaces to themselves, and others should respect that. That darkness isn't evil and can be used for good. But most of all, we learned that even those we call villains need friendship, and even the people or ponies that seem the hardest have emotions.

"With that, we have one question. We were disappointed to discover that the Elements of Harmony were not powerful enough to vanquish many of the evils out there. Was that supposed to happen? How can we fix it? The Elements of Harmony are the source of our power, and what started this quest. We need to be sure of what they're actually capable of.

"With that, we hope all is going well in Equestria, or, as it's apparently called, Fourth Equestria. We miss everypony back home—give them our love! Your faithful students and friends: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, PINKIE PIE!, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack." Celestia rolled up the scroll.

Before her in the throne room, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor listened. "If you don't mind," Celestia told Luna, "I would like you to make a copy of this to send to the Apple family, Rarity's family, Spike, and the Cakes. Let it be known that if any other copies of this letter reach friends of our traveling heroes, all references to other worlds or humans must be stricken."

"Right away!" Luna agreed.

"I'm almost jealous," Shining Armor admitted. "They're having the kind of adventures I've always dreamed about!"

"But what about the Elements?" Cadance asked Celestia. "Can you help them?"

"I know their plight well," Celestia admitted. "I shall draft my response immediately. It is one of the things they need to know. Until then, I hope my little ponies remain safe…and find new friends wherever they go."

* * *

MIRAGE'S SANCTUM, MORBUS

Mirage paced the floor angrily. "How could it have FAILED?" she screeched. "It was perfect! Evil should have triumphed!"

"Well," a familiar voice teased, "you have to admit that calling Jafar in was a bit…PREDICTABLE, don't you think?"

Mirage whirled to see the blue-furred, winged cat sitting atop her throne. "CHAOS!" she screamed. "What are YOU doing here?"

"My brother sent me a message and told me to meet him here," Chaos explained. "I don't see what the big deal is unless he has some kind of plan. I'm hoping he didn't just call me here to show me up…I liked him much better as a statue, you know."

"He felt the same of you," Mirage growled.

A shimmering figure caught Mirage's eye; she turned to see a new being, one consisting of empty air in a humanoid shape clothed in a white flowing robe and a golden mask, floating into the room. "Discord called me here as well," she said; her voice reverberated through the room. "It seems he wanted a meeting of us, the Old Ones."

"Ethereal?" Mirage named the third being. "What is going on here?"

In a flash of light, Discord appeared. "SURPRISE!" he cried. "How do you like the little party I put together?"

"Explain this!" Mirage demanded.

"What do you want with us?" the Ethereal asked.

"And for the record, you're ugly," Chaos sighed.

"And that's why I almost didn't invite you, Chaos Junior," Discord replied. "However, as Mirage knows, I'm planning something big. In short, I'm getting the band back together."

"Can it truly be?" the Ethereal asked.

"Oh, but it is!" Discord cried. "Now, it seems you three are those of us who have the biggest connection to the Seven Deserts. That's as good a place to start as any. I'm thinking—"

"I have already passed my judgment on Agrabah," the Ethereal informed Discord. "I deemed it unfit to destroy. I cannot go back on my word."

"Why do you have to ruin everything with your little standards?" Discord sighed. "We have a chance to be on top again, Ethereal. I wouldn't waste it."

"Very well," the Ethereal conceded.

"Now," Discord went on, "I'm thinking that you three can do your worst on the Seven Deserts while I check out what's going on in the rest of the cosmos. See how many of us are in retirement, how many of us are still active, and how many of us are dead. And you're just going to LOVE the army of chaos I put together to help you do the job! After I get a better grasp on the situation, I'll have a plan for us. One that involves spreading what we do best to OTHER worlds." He laughed triumphantly.

"Army…of chaos?" Mirage asked.

"I borrowed a gateway to the Netherworld," Discord announced, "and I used it to find four very talented scoundrels with grudges to boot against the kingdoms of the Seven Deserts! Much more competent and original than just summoning a plethora of clones from the NEGAVERSE."

"It served its purpose!" Chaos argued. "Don't mock my methods!"

"I can't help it!" Discord grinned. "After all, MY methods are so much better!"

"Do not delay!" the Ethereal begged. "Show us who you wish us to send to the Seven Deserts!"

"And now," Discord announced, "presenting…MY AGENTS OF CHAOS!" He clapped his hands, and the room went dark. Electric strobe lights appeared, illuminating a catwalk that Discord had summoned into the room.

A short, hunched figure walked down the catwalk first. "Our master of the undead, now given a firm foothold in the world of the living that can't be reversed by any magic spices, figureheads, or gemstones, since all those methods of imprisoning him are gone! With an agenda of revenge to match no other, may I present…AYAM AGHOUL!"

The lights shone down upon Aghoul. "My, it IS good to be in the world of the living!" he cried happily. "After that last incident, I want to get my revenge on that Aladdin and his friends more than ever…including those brats with the amulets!" He plucked a piece of stray confetti from behind his ear. "Especially the one with the cannon!"

Aghoul stepped down off the runway as another figure, short but lanky, moved down the runway. "The fire of destiny," Discord announced, "with a new flame that won't burn out as easily as last time…AZIZ!"

The lights shone upon a goblin, green with pointed ears. He once had been a man, but his shape had changed to the point where that was indiscernible. "So we're spreading chaos and destruction, are we?" Aziz said with a wry grin. "I can't think of a better destiny."

He joined Aghoul on the sidelines. Now a tall, willowy female figure clutching a gold staff appeared on the runway. "Sorceress extraordinaire!" Discord cried. "One-time ruler of Agrabah! And, just for comparison's sake and not to indicate that she is in any way the lesser of the two siblings, fraternal twin sister of Jafar…NASIRA!"

The lights illuminated a thin sorceress with voluminous hair, dressed entirely in red. The resemblance to her brother was unmistakable. "Being queen suited me," she said. "I wouldn't be opposed to doing it again."

She stood beside Aziz and Aghoul as the last figure moved down the runway—a tall, muscular male figure. "He may not be magical," Discord said, "but what he lacks in sorcery, he makes up for in brute force and sheer ruthlessness! Back from the brink of irony, the only one to betray the King of Thieves…SA'LUK!"

The lights now shone upon a young man, his head shaven, with a curling mustache and a muscled chest bared by a dark vest. Over his right knuckles, a set of brass blades were fitted. "Discord asked me if I was in or out," he said. "My answer was obvious."

Discord snapped his fingers, and the room was once again illuminated, the catwalk and strobe lights gone. Sa'Luk, Nasira, Aziz, and Aghoul stood before Mirage, Chaos, and the Ethereal.

Mirage slowly clapped. "Very impressive, Discord!"

"Clones from the Negaverse WOULD have worked," Chaos grunted.

"If our little friends bearing their Elements of Harmony should come back like they say they will," Discord chuckled, "they'll certainly have their work cut out for them this time! Anyway, you all have fun and play nice. I have a royal wedding to crash elsewhere."

In a flash of bright light, he disappeared. However, his laughter stayed behind, ricocheting off the stone walls and filling the room, reminding the others that his influence could not be easily forgotten.

* * *

Chapter 16:

· I SWEAR NOT EVERYTHING IN THIS FIC WILL BE A REFERENCE TO MUSE. Just…this chapter title too.

· I'm still not tired of the running gag that is sleepy Rainbow Dash.

· Yes, canonically, Maleficent's (you all knew it was her!) throne is shaped like a demon with batlike wings and horns. Which is highly reminiscent of a certain devil/god that those who fondly remember Fantasia will know I just HAD to make an Old One…

· Mal has multiple lairs. The Forbidden Mountain is the one canonically from Sleeping Beauty. She has more. We'll get there later.

· The Overtakers are still reeling from their last defeats. After all, they're ALWAYS defeated in whatever they're in. I'm planning on having them show up one by one as they're introduced in storylets. Jafar is the first…

· "Al-Khamis" is Thursday on the Arabic calendar.

· Note a couple things: Moz never states explicitly what his sexuality is. Twi doesn't list "he's gay" as a reason that they couldn't be together. My original explanation was that Moz just radiates bisexuality so much to me. After commiserating with Ophira, I have changed my explanation to "In this fic, EVERYONE IS BISEXUAL!" It makes shipping more fun. Which may lead some of you to the question, "Has Twilight, in your headcanon, ever had a crush on a mare?" I like to think Luna or Pinkie Pie, but I'm not sure if that will be relevant at all to this story.

· At first, I wasn't even going to make it a plot point that Phasir had made a "mistake" in his prophecy. But I was always going to have somepony return to the tunnels beneath the city to find the real Jasmine. Things just kinda worked out in that respect.

· Yes. Both Jafar (in Return of Jafar) and Mozenrath (in Two to Tangle) have shape-shifted into Jasmine canonically. And Sadira used a spell to switch lives with Jasmine, making everyone think she was the princess.

· The mesmerism Chrys casts on Al is reminiscent of the same spell she casts on Shining Armor in "Royal Canterlot Wedding" (and may have been inspired by Ursula's spell on Eric in The Little Mermaid, though this cannot be proven).

· The cell is from "While the City Snoozes."

· I had fun coming up with a new design for Chrys. I knew I couldn't just make her human, as even as an alicorn, she has a ton of insectoid qualities. My design of insect-humanoid-Chrys was partially inspired by the design of the ants from A Bug's Life. And I'm actually not sure if the crown, cape, and sash were clothes or parts of her body. I guessed clothes.

· I know she gave up kinda easily, but her appearance here was more to foreshadow the next storylet than anything else.

· Sadira has the ability to hypnotize people with sand. I figure she also has the ability to un-hypnotize them.

· Dark matter: I took the name from The Pendragon Adventure. It's the stuff that makes up the interdimensional flumes. It sparkles like diamonds. I decided that the "gummi" from KH is refined dark matter. I like the name "dark matter" better, and I feel it makes sense since gummi is usually used by engineers and manufacturer types while dark matter is just THERE. And you know Mal would have her hands on the good stuff.

· "Apparition at the speed of darkness" is my term for when villains teleport. I'm sure there's a trope for baddies being able to teleport wherever they want, since it's EVERYWHERE. "Apparition" comes from Harry Potter, and "speed of darkness" comes from the second Neverending Story movie. It might be in the book—I never read it but do intend to. Yes, I know no one liked NS2. I still like the term. And Xayide is kinda cool. Plus, it had young Jonathan Brandis, so I like to watch it with my eyes closed and pretend it's a tiny Mozenrath in the lead role. After all, Brandis' character in NS2 does get ahold of ultimate power that CAN GIVE HIM WHATEVER HE WANTS BUT DRAINS HIS LIFE FORCE EACH TIME…pattern much?

· Aladdin really does mean "glory." "Mozenrath" was formed from the last names of his creators, Bill Motz and Bob Roth, so in that world, it would literally be a bunch of syllables thrown together.

· Yes, Celestia knows what's up with the Elements.

· The Ethereal was a spirit that visited Agrabah and threatened to destroy it if Jasmine couldn't prove what made it worth saving. She took down that world's version of Atlantis and Babylon because they couldn't prove to her that their civilizations were worth saving. She eventually decided that it was the people that made Agrabah valuable, and left it alone. But the way she treats such things so casually made her an ideal Old One, and so I figured it wouldn't be hard for Discord to convince her to join the team…

· Aziz is the villain from "Seems Like Old Crimes" and "Destiny On Fire." He was human once, but an enchanted gem he tried to steal turned him (and Minos and Fatima) into a monster. Minos and Fatima regained their humanity through love. Aziz was cruel through and through, but he didn't exactly mind after a while, because he could breathe fire that had magic properties. He canonically died by overusing his power and burning out until he turned into a star.

· Nasira is from the cult hit PS1 game "Nasira's Revenge." In it, she's Jafar's twin sister, and she's trying to resurrect him. She also becomes the new queen of Agrabah. She is a VERY powerful sorceress. Now, I haven't played Nasira's Revenge or watched a full walkthrough, but I did watch the opening cinematic, the cutscene where she's first revealed as the queen, and the scenes before and after the final battle. It was never really said what happened to her, but I assume she died, since at the end, the Sultan proclaimed her "defeated" and "the city saved." I do intend on watching the walkthrough before attempting to do more with her.

· And the villain of King of Thieves makes it all complete! Ohhh, you knew I couldn't just bury him for good.


	17. The Kingdom of Light

1. The Kingdom of Light

THE SPACE BETWEEN

The bathrooms aboard the Starlight were well-stocked. Fluttershy was pleased to see that all sorts of hair care products, almost as big a variety as could be found in the Ponyville spa, were aboard. Her hair was beginning to curl up as it usually did when she went a while without relaxing it; the curls didn't look at all bad on her—quite the opposite—but they were a hassle to take care of. Hence Fluttershy, already having her hooves full back home with a treeful of animals to care for and many friends that needed help, took full advantage of her weekly spa dates with Rarity to have her hair relaxed and straightened.

Fluttershy doused her hair with the relaxer stocked onboard—the process was much easier with hands—and wrapped her hair up in a soft pink towel so as not to risk disturbing her hair during the time it needed to set. She then wandered out into the hallways of the Starlight.

She passed Rarity's room, where Rarity had been hard at work ever since leaving the Seven Deserts, sewing new clothes for pony proportions based on the styles she'd seen in Agrabah, Getzistan, Odiferous, and Galifem. A few more designs, she insisted, and she would be ready to send back the first package of her new line via fireplace. She had also made sure to design some more clothes in human proportions for general wear on human-dominated territories; for now, the six just wore the clothes Rarity had modified from the Gala gowns.

Fluttershy continued all the way to the kitchen, where Applejack was hard at work pitting dates. "Howdy, Fluttershy!" she greeted. "I'm just fixin' some dates up for whenever anypony gets hungry. What'd'ya think I should do first for fillin's? Almonds, lemon peel, or…" She looked at a scroll Jasmine had written out for her during one of the break times between construction on Agrabah. "This 'tahini' stuff? It's made outta sesame seeds."

"Any sound fine," Fluttershy replied. "Um…can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure thing! What's on your mind, Fluttershy?"

"Well…um…I don't mean to be a burden on you, but…"

"C'mon, Fluttershy, spit it out." Applejack smiled warmly, encouraging her friend to speak up.

"I know you were excited to try a lot of new recipes," Fluttershy continued. "And a lot of those recipes had…meat in them. I know you really liked it, and I've been trying my best to eat it for the past few days, but…I just can't anymore! I keep thinking about the animals! I'm so sorry! You don't have to stop eating it, but I…I can't!" She nearly burst into tears.

"Hey," Applejack reassured her, "ain't no problem. I ain't offended. Well, yeah, I was fixin' to make some real great lamb dishes, but you don't have to eat 'em. Heck, I'd even switch out the menu altogether if you don't wanna look at it."

"I'll learn to handle watching others eat it," Fluttershy promised. "I just can't eat a baby sheep!"

"Only thing is," Applejack brought up, "Twilight said our human bodies need meat for nutrition and all that. Now, there's gotta be some way around that, but I sure don't know it. I'm only just gettin' used to all the stuff human bodies need in the first place. You're gonna have to ask Twilight for the details on what you can eat instead, but when you come up with somethin', I'll learn to make it. Don't worry yourself so much, Fluttershy. We got your back!"

"Thank you," Fluttershy said gratefully. "It means a lot to me."

"In the meantime…" Applejack gently tossed an almond-stuffed date over to Fluttershy. "No animals harmed!"

Fluttershy delicately bit the date in half, feeling the snap of the almond. "Good!" she exclaimed.

"Glad to hear it!" Applejack beamed.

* * *

"Please?" Pinkie asked, staring at Twilight over the top of the Guide, which the latter was trying to study while sitting atop a couch in the lounge. Pinkie stood in the lounge's center for the optimum position in which to beg Twilight.

"No," Twilight insisted. "I know you want to have music throughout the whole ship, but I just can't let you try and use the main computer to try and rig that up! For all we know, that computer is as integral to the navigation station as the engine, and we just can't risk messing that up!"

"But it's too quiet around here!" Pinkie moaned.

"Tell you what," Twilight said. "I will personally put myself in charge of a mission to find you a way to play more music onboard than just in your room. Can you be patient until then?"

Twilight was answered with a nearly bone-crushing hug. "OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" Pinkie squealed.

"Um…is this a bad time?"

Twilight and Pinkie looked to the door to see Fluttershy standing there, her hair still wrapped up. "Not at all!" Pinkie insisted.

"What do you need?" Twilight asked cheerily.

"Um…I have a question about humans," Fluttershy said, "and Applejack said you'd be the most likely to know."

"Well, I'm learning a lot about them," Twilight admitted. "What do you want to know?"

"Can humans have diets without meat?" Fluttershy asked. "I, um…I can't eat meat anymore."

"Why not?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, can I guess?" Pinkie broke in. "You think it tastes like shoes! No, no, wait, it's because you…" Then Pinkie gasped dramatically. "It's because you're thinking of the animals! I just KNOW that's right!"

"It is," Fluttershy confirmed. "I know that there's a difference between talking animals and non-talking animals, but to me, they're all animals, and I just…can't eat them. You can eat them if you want, even in front of me. After all, there is a difference, and you'd only eat non-talking animals…but all the same, I can't."

"Well, let's just do a little research!" Twilight sifted through the Guide to find information on the biology of humanoid species. "It's a bit complicated, but…it looks like there's a way around it. We just have to match up all the things you wouldn't get from meat with things you can get from other food. Looks like…" She scrolled through. "Sea vegetables, soy, almonds, cauliflower, spinach…there are a lot of things we can use to replace those essential nutrients for you. And also, you need to get a lot of sun. Hmm…wasn't Applejack working with almonds earlier?"

"She was stuffing them in dates," Fluttershy clarified. "They're delicious. You should try some."

A soft "ding" noise sounded overhead. "That sounds like an alert from the control room," Twilight identified.

"How did we hear it all the way down here?" Pinkie asked.

"There's a PA system that runs through the whole ship," Twilight answered. "I noticed it earlier."

"THERE'S A SOUND SYSTEM RIGGED THROUGH THE WHOLE SHIP?" Pinkie gasped dramatically.

"You can't use it to blast music," Twilight sighed. "It's connected to the alert system!"

"Well, what's the alert system alerting?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know. I just know it's an alert!"

"Maybe it's an alert that we need to party?"

"That wouldn't be an alert."

"Oh, well…a mare can hope…"

* * *

When Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie reached the control room, they realized they weren't entirely sure which event had triggered the alert bell: the scroll that had appeared in the fireplace, or the way the map had cleared to show that the ship was approaching a new landmass.

Pinkie picked up the scroll, unrolling it. "It's from Princess Celestia!"

"What's from Celestia?" Applejack asked; she, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had filed into the room.

"We heard the alert," Rarity explained.

"Let's see…" Pinkie looked over the letter, reading it out loud in her best Celestia voice:

"My faithful students:

"Everypony in Canterlot was pleased to receive your first report. The account of your adventures in the Seven Deserts astounded us all. You have learned so many lessons, and we are pleased to hear that you are making new friends. By 'we,' of course, I mean Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and myself. The rest of your families, as well as Spike, will be receiving a copy of your report as well.

"I should have expected that you would run into trouble with the Elements of Harmony. The Elements need to grow, and will do so with practice and learning. As your abilities in magic, honesty, generosity, loyalty, kindness, and laughter increase, so will your power. Continuing your journey will provide you with the opportunities to grow stronger. When Luna and I wielded them, we were weak at first, but our travels helped us to increase in power. Here's a fun fact—Luna wielded magic, honesty, and generosity, while I held loyalty, kindness, and laughter. However, I cannot tell you what sort of powers bolstered the djinni you faced. That will hopefully become clearer in time.

"I do regret that I did not know you were to visit the Shadow Country, or Luna and I would have sent our regards to Farabu. She was a true inspiration to Luna.

"We all wish you continued good luck on your travels. I also feel regret that I did not inform you of the transformations you would undergo. That was a fault on my part. I was afraid to tell you, fearing it would dissuade you from the journey. I would be lying if I said there were not still things to learn about your responsibility. However, it is nothing you cannot handle.

"I look forward to continued updates. I wish you all the best!

"Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia

"P.S. I have attached to this letter a royal seal. If you are to deal with royalty in your chase of Chrysalis, you may need it.

"P.P.S. While I am not usually fond of post-postscripts, I feel it is necessary to tell Twilight that while I worry for her, I do not judge her actions, decisions, or feelings. Follow your heart, Twilight Sparkle, and do not second-guess yourself." Pinkie rolled up the letter and looked back into the fireplace, where a glimmering gold seal lay on the marble. "Here's the seal, everypony! Ooh…shiny!"

"So we just need to get stronger!" Rainbow Dash stated. "Well, I'll prove to her what Rainbow Dash can do! I'll be super-powerful before you know it! And as long as you're at my side, which is always, you'll get just as strong!"

"It's good to know she doesn't judge you," Fluttershy said softly to Twilight.

"But she's still worried," Twilight moaned. "I'll do my best not to second-guess myself, but it still bothers me that she's worried. Then again, she doesn't seem disturbed that I set a criminally insane sorcerer loose on a world of magic…"

"Pardon me," Rarity interrupted, "but what is that place we're approaching? I would like to get my new line shipped off before we land."

"I'll get to work looking it up," Twilight promised. She produced the Guide, scrolling through screens to find the name of the territory that matched the coordinates onscreen. "Okay, I've got it! It's not an Earth territory, though it says a lot of the culture is similar to the Earth territories. For the most part, this planet hasn't been that central to cosmic events, though there is one kingdom that happens to be, quote, 'a source of light that shines across dimensions.' Whatever that means. The planet is known as Aestas. But it looks like we're sailing up right next to the kingdom, which is known as…"

* * *

CORONA, AESTAS

The Starlight sailed through a clear blue stretch of sea towards a medieval metropolis; the shining white buildings, especially the hilltop castle, were stunningly visible out the ship windows. As it had been when the Starlight had pulled into the river near Agrabah, the sun blazed brightly; however, Corona was most certainly not desert, as green grass was visible in flashes between the white structures and on the edge of the shore.

The ship pulled in right next to the coast, and Rainbow Dash hurried up to drop the anchor. She reported on her way down, "We're right next to a dock."

"Looks like it's time for…" Rarity ran out of the control room. The others stared after her; she'd managed to throw her new outfits into the fire and transport them back to Fourth Equestria, after which she'd uttered the cryptic sentence fragment. After five full minutes, Rarity skidded back into the control room wearing her stealth suit. "STEALTH RARITY! I'm just going for a short jaunt outdoors to see what the local civilians wear. I shall return!" With that, she left the room again.

* * *

While the others waited for Rarity to return, Fluttershy finished her hair treatment, letting the pink fluff cascade down past her shoulders. Twilight kept scrolling through screens on the Guide.

"Hey," Twilight suddenly said, "this is interesting. Hasn't anypony wondered why everypony seems to speak our language wherever we go?"

"That actually is a little bit odd," Applejack admitted.

"Well," Twilight explained, "there's something called the Babel Effect. Most sentient beings actually can't pick up on other languages like we do, and have to use aids like a 'Babel Fish.' However, certain beings, called 'Travelers,' can actually learn languages just through exposure to certain atmospheres. A 'Traveler' with a capital T is a term that used to be defined very specifically, but it's been expanded recently because of new types of Travelers. Basically, a Traveler is someone that's meant to cross between different dimensions and worlds, and so gets the Babel Effect because he or she needs it in order to, well, travel. I guess that means we're doing the right thing, huh?"

"But how do puns and rhymes translate, then?" Pinkie asked.

"I…" Twilight faltered. "I honestly have no idea on that one."

Rarity strode into the control room. "Well," she said, "I have a fairly good idea of what we're working with. The good news is, I have plenty of ideas! The bad news is…well…I don't quite know how to put this. You see, it's very in style for the mares to wear long skirts, apparently. I didn't see a single mare in pants. At all."

"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash cried.

"I already don't like where this is going," Applejack sighed.

"Oh, but you two enjoyed your skirts for the Gala so much!" Rarity protested. "Applejack, you're wearing yours right now!"

"I'm just not a fan of those flowy frilly ones," Applejack grumbled. "They ain't practical!"

"The dress you made for the Gala was beautiful," Rainbow Dash admitted. "I loved it! But that was for the Gala. That was special. This is gonna be every day, and we don't know how many days it will take to find Chrysalis. I don't wanna wear a skirt every day!"

"Well, you're going to have to!" Rarity ordered. "We don't need to stick out any more than we already do! Our hair seems to be the defeat of us when it comes to blending in. There only seem to be five types of hair color in the whole kingdom: blonde, brunette, black, red, and white, or a variant thereof."

"Well, there ya go," Applejack said with a shrug. "We stick out. Why not just wear the pants?"

"Because…well, because…" Rarity broke down. "Because I really really really want to design skirts for you two! I already have the ideas and everything! You two would have been so gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!"

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Fine…if it means that much to you…make me the stupid skirt."

"You don't need to give in like that, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight insisted.

"No," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Look at her face, Twilight. Do you think I can say no to that face?"

Rarity's eyes were wide and sparkling at the prospect of making Rainbow Dash a dress, and her mouth was turned into a wide smile.

"But you owe me cool pants later!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"But of course!" Rarity promised.

"Eh, guess there ain't that much difference in a few more inches of skirt," Applejack resolved. "Go ahead and make one for me too."

"YES!" Rarity cried. "I shall not fail!" She charged off to her chamber to begin work.

* * *

"I'm beginning to regret this," Rainbow Dash said as she looked upon her new dress. The dress had a soft blue bodice that faded down into purple in the swishy, A-liine skirt and faded into red at the off-the-shoulder sleeves trimmed in lace.

"Nonsense!" Rarity said, practically shoving the dress at Rainbow Dash. "Just try it on! You'll like it much better when you're wearing it!"

"All right…" Rainbow Dash left the room to change.

Rarity doled out the other dresses. Twilight's was also soft blue, but a different shade, not quite as bold; the bodice was adorned with a dark blue over-corset, and the skirt, the same cut as that on all the other dresses, was made of a fabric that sparkled slightly under the light. Applejack's was a deep, mossy green with a high neckline, a brown sash, and short, lacy sleeves. Fluttershy's was sea foam green with long, draping sleeves and a pattern of soft yellow flowers over the skirt. Pinkie's, a cotton-candy-pink number, had large, puffy sleeves and a short, gauzy over-layer for the skirt, cut into shapes like flower petals that flounced whenever the wearer moved. Finally, Rarity's dress, of a deep pink, had white lace trim on the hem, large draping sleeves, a white sash whose ribbon-edges trailed down the length of the skirt, and subtle maroon floral embroidery on the rather low-cut bodice.

Everypony met back up in the control room after donning the new garments. "I guess it isn't too bad," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Let's just get going already! We don't know how much damage Chrysalis has already done!"

Rarity passed out several low-heeled shoes of coordinating colors, and the six left the Starlight, letting the gangplank out at the dock.

* * *

Nopony could deny that Corona was a majestically beautiful kingdom. All roads in the city sloped upward to the castle. The streets themselves were of white cobblestone and absolutely bustling with activity; vendors haggled with customers over carts, friends greeted one another, parents carried children on their shoulders. The people here did have only the spectrum of hair colors Rarity had described, and most of them had skin on the paler side. The women all wore flowing skirts, and the men shirts and pants with the occasional vest. Among them could be seen livestock, geese and cattle. The houses along the streets were mostly made of wood, with some stone here and there, and were designed with intricate, multicolored gables, all tall enough that it felt as though the street was enveloping those who walked upon it. Strung from roof to roof were two different types of decorative strand: garlands of plants and lines of purple flags bearing a golden sun insignia that reminded the six of Celestia's Cutie Mark.

"It's beautiful!" Fluttershy gushed.

"It's like Agrabah," Twilight said, "but at the same time it's not."

"Reminds me of Canterlot!" Pinkie added.

As the six moved uphill, they passed other landmarks: a fountain, a library from whose window Twilight had to be dragged away, a wall mosaic depicting a brunette king and queen in violet finery holding a baby girl with flowing blonde hair. They walked through one of the busier squares, in which the sun symbol was set in the bricks of the street, and on to yet another square.

"How do we know what we're even lookin' for?" Applejack asked.

"I have no idea," Twilight admitted.

"Can we at least look around until we know?" Pinkie asked. "Everything here looks like so much fun!"

"I gotta agree," Rainbow Dash added. "I wanna explore this place."

"OOH!" Pinkie cried, seeing a crowd of people on the ground, drawing on the street. "Street art! Maybe we can join!"

"I don't see why not," Applejack said with a smile.

"We're on business!" Twilight insisted.

"We don't even know what business is!" Rainbow Dash shot back.

Twilight sighed. "Okay. You're right."

Rarity placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "It's all right. We'll find out what we're supposed to do eventually. I'd rather focus on our mission, but I suppose it isn't very healthy for us to forget to have some fun."

The six approached the group that drew upon the street. Four little redheaded girls used chalk to scribble multicolored designs upon the stone. Several women and a few men, all dressed in either earth tones or soft pastels, sketched tiny scenes—their selves, their homes, their families. The biggest drawing by far, a splash that looked like the night sky complete with comets and star-clusters, traced back to a young woman clothed in a vibrant purple dress. Her hands and her bare feet had turned multicolored as she used different chalk to add supernovas to her work. Her dark brown hair was cut to just above her neck in a perky way; her face had green eyes, freckles, and a smile that showed just how much she was enjoying her art.

Deciding this young woman was probably the leader of the artists, Pinkie approached her with a hop. "Hi! I love your drawing!"

"Thank you!" The young woman stood and brushed off her skirt. "We're all just kind of drawing what we want, if you want to join in. Are you new around here? I've never met you before!"

"I sure am!" Pinkie gushed. "My friends and I sailed here from far, far away!"

"Your friends?" The young woman looked over Pinkie's shoulder to see Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. "Hi! Um, welcome to Corona…are you having a nice time?"

"It's absolutely fabulous," Rarity replied.

"You know, you can sure sit down and draw if you want," the young woman said. "I just kind of wanted a day to get out and know people and do some art, so…there's plenty of chalk."

"Yes!" Pinkie immediately knelt, grabbing a few pieces of pink chalk and beginning her own piece down on the street. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy soon joined her.

Exchanging shrugs, Twilight and Rarity finally knelt down to do some drawing of their own.

* * *

A thick stretch of water separated Corona from the surrounding country; a bridge stretched from the kingdom to this other land. Here, on the other side, beaches stretched out before tangles of wilderness. Just beyond the tree line of one of these forests, looking out toward where Corona rose up from the glittering blue waters, the draconequus and the changeling stood.

"What an utterly boring place," Discord said with a yawn. "You would think that for such a distinct territory, it would have more magic in it. SOMETHING to make it less organized."

"Would we stand out in an undesirable way?" Chrysalis asked.

"Probably," Discord said with a shrug. "Oh, well. There's always…"

He shifted. Chrysalis was taken aback. Before her eyes, he became a human male, with pale skin and short brown hair. Though he lacked the facial structure of a draconequus, his eyes held the same expression within them that they always did—one of amusement, but that gave the beholder unease, as though he was laughing at whomever he looked at.

Chrysalis tried to think of what she wanted to ask first. Instead, she blurted out, "If you're trying to blend in, you WILL need clothing."

"Must I?" Discord sighed. With a snap of the fingers, he was suddenly clothed in resplendent robes of black and red.

"Have you always been able to become…that?" Chrysalis asked.

"On some planets, they actually know me better this way," Discord admitted. "Of course, under a different name and vastly different circumstances. SOME people just can't comprehend it if I don't do this! Oh, and you'll want to become something too. Don't pick one of the famous ones. We don't want to confuse anypony…YET."

Chrysalis thought over her short stint in Agrabah, when she had kidnapped the princess. She'd passed a few civilians, gleaning from them knowledge of whom they loved the most. Settling on one of the forms left in her memory, she transformed into a human woman, an Agrabanian who had never met the Equestrians, clothed in a green tunic, a green skirt, and a green hijab.

Discord applauded. "Much better! Now, to go over the plan."

"I came here because you said it was one of the most populous kingdoms in your memory," Chrysalis recapitulated. "Its princess must be absolutely adored."

"Trust me," Discord said. "She is. And just six days away from being married, too!"

"All I'll need to do is find her, dispose of her, and wed the prince myself." Chrysalis' gaze turned back out to Corona. "And all the love Corona has to offer shall be mine…mine to feast upon…"

"Ah, ah." Discord pointed out to the ship docked at the kingdom's edge. "Don't forget our little ponies."

"I shall figure out something for them when the time comes," Chrysalis replied. "There should be a window where they do not realize the difference between the royalty and myself. This time, there are no prophets around to tell them…and I'm sure that the prince isn't used to fakes."

"No prophets and no shape-shifters!" Discord confirmed. "The most magic this world's ever had was in its golden flower, but that was picked, and…well, I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you. It will be much more fun for you if you figure it out yourself!"

They both looked to Corona, dreaming of conquest, when a third voice interrupted them, a somewhat sultry female voice: "I see we are plotting a scheme most chaotic."

Discord and Chrysalis whipped around to see the slightly green-skinned woman dressed in black with the horned headdress. Discord recognized her immediately. "You again?" he snapped.

"I had thought you would be happy to see me," the woman replied with a smirk. "After all, I did release you from your stone prison."

"So that is her!" Chrysalis barked.

"You and I, we are not so different, Chrysalis," the woman said calmly. "You and I may not be Old Ones by the true definition, but we are both of the fair folk, are we not?"

"You aren't a changeling," Chrysalis spat.

"But she is a faerie," Discord pointed out. "I can tell from here. And, admittedly, faeries and changelings are, if you will, in the same bracket of supernatural being. Long lifespans, incredible powers…and most famous faeries and changelings have had a taste for chaos."

"I do not see why you look down upon me," the woman continued, "when a changeling, one of my stature in power…maybe even less so…is by your side."

"We have a bit of a history," Discord snapped. "Chrysalis was one of my best agents of chaos. All you did was speed up my inevitable release and try to claim superiority over me."

Chrysalis realized something. "How…how did you know my name?"

"I have watched your world and many others for a long time," the woman replied. "I have been preparing for a new age of chaos since…well, since the old one ended."

"You should at least tell us your name," Discord said condescendingly. "Unless you want to be completely rude."

"Of course not," the woman replied smugly. "I am Maleficent, the leader of the Overtakers."

"Who are these Overtakers?" Chrysalis snapped.

"Simply a group of like-minded beings," Maleficent answered, "whose desires match many of your own. We wish for destruction, darkness, chaos…power. If we were to commiserate…"

"And why would we do that?" Discord asked.

"You would still be a labyrinth decoration if not for me!" Now Maleficent's air of smugness was slipping; her temper was showing through. "Your release was not, in fact, inevitable. You have been asleep for thousands of years in Fourth Equestria. To some, you have only been gone a year, perhaps a month, but to others, you have been gone for eons! In all that time, I have been awake. I have been struck down, but never do they realize that I cannot, in fact, be permanently destroyed. I have gathered unimaginable powers! I have studied the warp and woof of the very multiverse! I have seen things you could only guess at! And I know of threats that have slipped under your sights. One of them lives in that very kingdom. Yes, you had planned to overtake the princess, usurp her wedding…but did you have any idea of the danger she was to you?"

"Please," Discord replied, "no flouncy little princess of a boring kingdom like this is going to be any threat to me."

"With that belief," Maleficent informed Discord, "you may very well one day find yourself sealed again."

"Not likely. I've even prepared for the Elements, after all. Are you meaning to tell me that there's something even more powerful that could stand up to me?"

"It is a distinct possibility," Maleficent replied somberly. "That is why I propose we combine our goals. All I want is for you to get what you want." The smile returned. "Chrysalis would take the form of the princess and wed the prince. You would gain control of the kingdom. And the princess' fate would be mine."

"Hmmm." Discord thought it over. "Well, we hadn't given much thought to what would actually happen to the princess…and you weren't going to interfere in our previous plan?"

"I would actually be willing to make you an offer," Maleficent said. "If things should go…awry with the Elements of Harmony, I would indeed interfere…so that you did not have to do it yourself. After all, they still do not believe that you are again awake, Discord…and that gives you power."

"And I know you would actually try to hold them back and ALSO that you have the capability to overpower them because…"

"Because it was I who showed Jafar how to gain the dark magic he currently wields."

That gave Discord pause. "YOU were the one who made him stronger than TWO other free djinni?"

"I give strength to all my Overtakers," Maleficent replied matter-of-factly. "Should anything go wrong, I would step in…and Corona itself would become an utter waste. Should I fail, you can always interfere with my intent. After all, you are more powerful than I."

"Very true," Discord realized. "All right. I'll bite."

"We shall, of course, need one more," Maleficent informed Discord. "You will appreciate her. She has caused her share of chaos. Of course, she currently makes her home in the Underworld, but I have my ways of returning the dead to life."

"You couldn't possibly!" Chrysalis accused.

"A normal faerie could not reverse death," Maleficent admitted. "Then again…a normal faerie would not have a special relationship to one of the masters of death itself. The Overtakers include friends in places both very high and incredibly low."

"Then humor me," Discord challenged. "Bring her up here. The more the merrier, after all."

"As you wish." Maleficent stepped back, creating a space between herself and Discord and Chrysalis. She passed her staff over the ground, alighting the grass with green fire. The fire rose into the shape of a mound as long as the average human being was tall. From the center outward, it subsided; it had been only a cocoon, and inside, the woman lay upon ground scorched clean of grass. She looked to be in her early twenties, with pale skin, wavy dark hair that flowed past her shoulders, and a face that, even with closed eyes that indicated unconsciousness, still betrayed a certain aura of dissatisfaction. She was clothed in a dress of deep red with gold edging and a darker red sash that tied at a circular brass buckle.

She opened her eyes. She took in the view of the trees overhead and the sun shining through. Confused, she sat up. "Well," she said haughtily, "THIS certainly doesn't look like Tartarus. Though looks have proven to be deceiving." She stood, looking around at Chrysalis, Discord, and Maleficent. "Are you here to deal out a new form of punishment? I'll have you know that rolling the rock up the endless hill is not only overdone, but would be just murder on my nails. I hope you've come up with something more creative."

"This is not Tartarus," Maleficent said. "This is the living world. In fact, it is the living world from which you came."

The new woman looked out towards Corona. "I thought I recognized that garish view."

"Your story impresses me," Maleficent told the woman. "You have no magical talents and your strength is average, yet you managed to abduct the infant princess, keep her locked up for eighteen years, use the talents of local criminals as pawns in your scheme to capture her forever, and nearly kill the prince-to-be twice…once by turning him over to the royal guard and once by your own hand. Most importantly to me, however, you have a complex connection to the princess, one I believe I can utilize. Join me…Gothel…and I will grant you that which you most wish."

"Don't think you can win me over with overdone lines," Gothel replied. "You can't give me what I want. What I want is gone!"

"On the contrary," Maleficent corrected. "The magic of the flower still lies within the princess herself, whether or not her hair has been cut. It is in her heart. If that is not sufficient, however, there is more than one way to skin a unicorn…"

Maleficent reached out, her hand glowing with a spherical green aura, and touched Gothel lightly upon the chin. Discord and Chrysalis watched in awe as some of Gothel's age lines, the few she had, disappeared.

Gothel felt the change. She grinned. "I DO like this!"

"My associates and I can grant you immortality as easily as I granted you life," Maleficent promised. "However, it does not come free of cost. If you wish any more regneration, you shall have to carry out a certain task for me…one that works in tandem with the schemes of our allies here."

"So you're going to just accept this random woman into your Overtakers," Discord criticized, "even though she doesn't have any power to speak of?"

"It is not her power or lack thereof that interests me," Maleficent retorted, "but her cruelty."

"In other words…" Gothel smirked. "You want me to be the bad guy."

* * *

Six murals now rivaled the brunette woman's starscape in size. Pinkie Pie dotted a mass of pure pink with multicolored flecks that resembled confetti. Twilight recreated the illustrations from her Equestrian history books, drawing a stylized Celestia and Luna watching over a landscape divided into day and night. Rarity formed an abstract pattern of varied colors that blended into each other the way the colors of her fashions did. Fluttershy drew bunnies and butterflies against a background of blue sky. Applejack drew her orchard, bright green trees studded with crimson apples. Rainbow Dash utilized all the chalk available to form a Sonic Rainboom there on the street, bright white in the middle and circling out into the colors of the rainbow.

By now, most of the other civilians had left, and only the six remained with the brunette woman.

"I must say," Rarity blurted, "we've come up with some simply divine decoration!"

"Your drawings are all so great!" the brunette woman gushed.

"Thanks," Twilight replied, "but yours is actually the most accurate. You have all the constellations in the right place in relation to each other! How'd you do that?"

"Well…star charting is one of my hobbies…" the brunette woman replied humbly.

"I just realized we've been drawing out here all afternoon," Pinkie said, "and we don't even know your name!"

"I should have introduced myself!" the brunette woman realized. "Well…this might sound a little bit weird, since I waited so long to say it, but my name's Rapunzel, and I'm, well, I'm sort of the princess of this kingdom. Who are you?"

Instead of answering Rapunzel's question, the six gaped at her. "THE PRINCESS?" they chorused.

"I'm really sorry I didn't mention it earlier," Rapunzel replied sheepishly. "Actually, part of the reason I came down here to draw in the first place was to get to know the people better. I don't want to be one of those princesses that sits up in the castle all day and doesn't care about her people, and making new friends who love drawing is fun anyway."

"You're getting married," Pinkie stated, "aren't you?"

"Yeah," Rapunzel replied, smiling at the thought. "It's true. I can still hardly believe it myself…I'm actually getting married to the best possible person I could ever have asked for! Anyway, you still haven't said who you are."

"We're…ambassadors," Rarity said, improvising. "From another kingdom. And we have word that you're in terrible, terrible danger!"

"Someone from our kingdom is coming here to sabotage your wedding," Twilight added, "and she'll probably try to…well, get rid of you!"

Rapunzel was stunned. "How…how do I know you're…"

"Telling the truth?" Rarity drew the royal seal Celestia had sent. "This is the seal of our kingdom, Canterlot. We were officially sent by our princess to warn you!"

"And, if all goes well, stop that nasty criminal from ruinin' your wedding and hurtin' ya!" Applejack added.

It took Rapunzel a while to come up with a response. "I believe you," she said, looking at the seal. "But you'll still have to talk to my parents about this. If someone's making a threat on Corona, they'll need to know."

"We should tell them right away!" Pinkie cried, leaping to her feet. "Like, right now!"

Rapunzel also rose. "Come with me," she said. "We're going to the castle."

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash also got to their feet. Rapunzel began walking uphill; the others followed.

"I've never heard of Canterlot," Rapunzel admitted.

"It's…really, REALLY far away," Rainbow Dash insisted.

"You still haven't told me your names," Rapunzel reiterated.

In response, the six gave their names:

"I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"And I'm Rainbow Dash!"

"Name's Applejack."

"I'M PINKIE PIE!"

"I am Rarity."

"Flutter…shy…"

Rapunzel seemed confused at first. "Guess you haven't heard names like ours around here," Twilight guessed.

"I haven't," Rapunzel admitted, "but then again, I have the same name as a kind of lettuce, so I shouldn't judge."

"If you don't mind me askin'," Applejack broke in, "what makes ya believe us?"

"You…seem honest," Rapunzel answered. "I mean, I've been tricked before, but I also learned that more people than you'd think have good intentions, so I'm trying to give the world the benefit of the doubt." She didn't add that if the six were revealed to be harmful, the palace guards would be able to defend her…after she got a few shots in herself. "So…tell me more about this Canterlot."

The six silently agreed to let Twilight give Rapunzel the version that didn't betray their origins before they figured out whether or not the princess was aware of other worlds or could conceive of ponies as a dominant species. "Well," Twilight began, "it's ruled by two princesses, one of the day and one of the night. We're students of the princess that rules during the day, and…"

* * *

On the way up to the castle, as the sun set, the six had explained their lives back home as best they could while still sounding as though "home" wasn't that different from Corona. Twilight had said she studied mythology under Celestia. Applejack had admitted to running an apple orchard. Rarity said she designed clothing. Pinkie Pie said she was a baker, and loved parties, though she did let the term "foalsitter" slip when she described her job taking care of the Cakes' children. Rainbow Dash said she was an athlete, and the best at races. Fluttershy said she cared for a variety of animals. Now the conversation had turned around to Rapunzel and how she came to be engaged.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Rapunzel said, "but I didn't always know I was the princess. Until this past year, I thought I was just an ordinary girl…well, maybe not that ordinary. I had some…special talents. And I lived in a place where I hid from the outside world because I thought people would try to hurt me and use me because of my talents. Then, one day, a thief named Eugene Fitzherbert broke into my home. He tried to tell me his name was Flynn Rider, but that turned out just to be a name he used because he thought it sounded braver and more adventurous. He actually got it out of the Flynnigan Rider books."

"What do you think, Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked. "Would you ever change your name to Daring Do?"

"Not for real," Rainbow Dash said, "but I wouldn't mind pretending to be her for a day or two…"

"Is Daring Do the heroine of the adventure books in your kingdom?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yep yep!" Pinkie replied. "Now keep going with the story!"

"Anyway," Rapunzel said, "at that time, what I wanted more than anything in the world was to go outside to see the lanterns that I saw in the sky on my birthday. So I tricked Eugene into taking me there. As we went along, well…first, he started to be a lot less of a rival and more of a friend. By the time we actually saw the lanterns, I realized I felt something much more about him. Like…seeing the light. We'd been through so much together, shared our secrets…after the lanterns went down, some complicated things happened. We ended up saving each other's lives. I found out that I was the lost princess of Corona, and that's why the lanterns went up on my birthday every year. We went together to meet my parents. After I moved into the castle, we kept seeing each other, and we fell more in love every day. Then he asked me to marry him, and I said yes immediately! Now our wedding is set to be in six days."

"That's the best story!" Pinkie gushed.

"It's certainly very romantic," Rarity said with a slight coldness. She knew it was all a matter of luck, and not fair to fault Rapunzel, but she was jealous that Rapunzel—as had Jasmine—had found true love, her prince charming, and Rarity was still waiting.

By now, the seven had reached the castle. Guards in red uniforms stood posted before the great doors. The being that came down the front path to survey the seven, however, was not human, but a horse—a tall, muscular white stallion who wore a sun-shaped medallion over his chest.

"Hey, Maximus," Rapunzel greeted.

Maximus gave her a short whinny of greeting before focusing on the six newcomers.

"They're ambassadors from another kingdom," Rapunzel told the horse. "Everyone, meet Maximus, the captain of the Corona guard!"

"Um…" Fluttershy, as the others, didn't know what to say. Maximus didn't seem quite as animalistic as the pegasi of Galifem, but at the same time, he most certainly was not a talking Animal by Twilight's definition. "Hello?"

Maximus stared down the "ambassadors." There was something familiar about them, but he couldn't put his hoof on it. He knew he'd never met any of them before. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were somehow similar to him in a way that Rapunzel wasn't.

"They have a message for my parents," Rapunzel told Maximus. "Wanna help us deliver it?"

Maximus gave a nod before falling in alongside the seven women.

The great doors opened, and the group of eight entered the wide entrance hall. Rapunzel led them down gleaming white corridors, seeking the room that held the king and queen.

Turning one corner, she ran into a young man with similarly brown hair and very expressive eyes, dressed in a white tunic and brown pants with an intricate teal vest. "Rapunzel!" he greeted. "How'd your bonding with the townspeople go? I see a few of them followed you home." He smirked, but Twilight noted it was a very different smirk than the one she was used to seeing on Mozenrath—this expression was more playful.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel greeted the man by throwing her arms around his neck, and he immediately reacted by wrapping his arms around her back. The six Equestrians knew this was the man she was to marry. Rarity felt a pang of envy; Pinkie Pie came down with a case of what she would have described as "the warm fuzzies."

Rapunzel then backed out of the embrace. "They're ambassadors from another kingdom," she told Eugene. "They say that Corona is in danger from someone they know. I'm taking them to see my parents about it. Speaking of which, how was your day bonding with them?"

"Well," Eugene replied, "I managed to beat your dad at chess three times out of eight. I let him win the other five so he wouldn't hold a grudge when the wedding came around."

A tiny green chameleon clambered up the back of Eugene's vest, settling down on his right shoulder. It gave a noise of discontent, rearing up on its hind legs and folding its front legs in condescension.

"All right, fine," Eugene sighed. "I only started winning when Pascal slipped me hints."

The chameleon, apparently Pascal, smiled and nodded his approval.

"I think your parents are still in the chess room, actually," Eugene concluded. "Onward we go! So, carrying messages from another kingdom?"

"From Canterlot," Rarity clarified. "It's a very serious matter. Your wedding is in danger."

"With eagle-eye Maximus patrolling the grounds?" Eugene said in disbelief as the group, now with him and Pascal, moved toward the chess rom. "I'd like to see the bad guy that can get past him."

Maximus whinnied his agreement.

In the meantime, Fluttershy had tentatively made her way to Eugene's side to get a better look at Pascal. "He's adorable," she said softly.

Pascal looked down at Fluttershy and gave a click of approval. Fluttershy squeaked happily.

A wooden door led from the hallway to a tapestry-laden room—most of said tapestries sewn of purple and gold thread—where the king and queen, immediately recognizable as the figures from the mosaic in town, sat at opposite ends of a chess table, the king playing black and the queen playing white.

"Mom?" Rapunzel said. "Dad?"

The king and queen looked towards the group gathered in the doorway.

"May I present," Eugene said dramatically, "their royal majesties, Queen Barbara and King Zal of Corona!"

"There's no need to be so formal, Eugene!" Zal laughed. "After all, soon you'll be calling us Mom and Dad as well!"

"Who are your friends?" Barbara asked.

"They have something kind of serious to tell you," Rapunzel began.

"Your daughter's in danger!" Pinkie cried. "And we just CAN'T let anything happen to her! She's so nice!"

Rarity cleared her throat, stepping forward. "I'll explain properly," she said. "Your highnesses, we are the students of Princess Celestia of Canterlot." She held out the seal. "A dangerous criminal from our kingdom has gone on the run, and we have very strong reason to believe that she intends to come here and harm Princess Rapunzel. She left very specific evidence that she was to strike at the time of a royal wedding, and we understand that your daughter is to be wed to Mr. Fitzherbert in six days' time. It is our aim to stop her at all costs and make sure your kingdom is safe."

Barbara and Zal were struck speechless. "This…is serious," Zal said. "However, we have received no word of an incoming threat."

"She is a master of stealth," Rarity explained. "After all, she tried to sabotage the wedding of another of our own princesses and use it to gain power over Canterlot. You probably wouldn't be aware of it when she did turn up."

"We shall then increase the guard around the castle," Barbara resolved, "especially during the wedding."

"Can't we help?" Pinkie asked. "We've dealt with her before, and anyway, we really like Rapunzel! Or, at least I do…"

The other five nodded their assent; Rapunzel had left a good impression on everypony.

"We simply do not know if we can trust you," Zal informed them. "Without evidence, we cannot let you onto the castle premises. After all, for all we know, you may be using this story to sabotage the wedding yourselves."

"We do not mean to accuse you," Barbara added hastily. "If we can be sure that we can trust you, you would of course be free to attend the wedding. It is, after all, open to most of the kingdom."

"We can find a way to show that you're trustworthy," Rapunzel told the six Equestrians. "Don't worry."

"We do thank you for bringing this message," Barbara said. "We will keep it in mind as we prepare for the upcoming ceremony."

"However, it is sundown," Zal pointed out, "and we must ask you to leave the castle grounds. You are, after all, strangers."

"Awwww…" Pinkie moaned.

"We understand," Rarity stated. "We also thank you for hearing us out."

"Maximus will see you out," said Zal.

"This isn't gonna be the last time we see each other, is it?" Pinkie asked Rapunzel.

"Of course not," Rapunzel replied. "We had so much fun today, after all. I'll probably even see you tomorrow. But for tonight, you should probably…"

"No problem," said Applejack. "We get it. C'mon, girls."

Maximus led the six Equestrians out of the chess room and down the hallways. Eugene, having left Pascal with Rapunzel, eventually caught up to them. "Even I have to get out when the sun goes down," he sighed. "I assume you've heard the story. The story of how the dashing, daring Flynn Rider, once public enemy number one of Corona, changed his ways when he met the beautiful Rapunzel—"

"We heard," Twilight said with a wink, "but in the version we got, your name was Eugene Fitzherbert. Which, by the way, Rapunzel called you when she saw you today."

"It just doesn't have the same ring to it!" Eugene complained. "Of course, if I'm going to become the prince of Corona, I have to use my legal name…Eugene Fitzherbert, prince of Corona."

"Are ya nervous?" Applejack asked him. "It's kind of a big deal, becomin' the prince. Not to mention marryin' your true love."

"Oh, I'm nervous, all right," Eugene confirmed. "I'm not exactly prince material. I grew up an orphan and a thief."

"Oh, trust us," Rainbow Dash replied, "that's prince material. We've seen it firsthand."

"O…kay…if you say so," Eugene said in confusion. "Anyway, it's all gonna be worth it just to be with her. She's some kind of amazing, you know? I mean, you were with her today. Now Rapunzel…she'll make a great queen."

They reached the exit; Maximus left them at this point. "So," Eugene asked, "you ladies got anywhere to stay? I mean, since you're from another kingdom and all."

"We can just stay on our ship," Twilight said. "It's kind of like home away from home now."

"You sure?" Eugene asked. "'Cause if you wanted to stay in town, I've got plenty of room at my place. It isn't too far from here, actually. Once I became engaged to the princess, they couldn't let me stay in the castle, but they did give me quite the manor to live in until I move into the castle officially. Besides, I know what it's like to not have a place to belong in this kingdom."

"Girls," Twilight announced, "conference."

The six huddled in a circle, speaking softly. "It would be nice to not have to go all the way back down to the ship," Rarity said. "And besides, we should get to know the city."

"Can we trust him?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think so," Twilight answered. "And even if it turns out we can't, he doesn't seem very powerful. In the magic sense, I mean. We could just turn the Elements of Harmony on him."

"Let's take the offer, then," Rainbow Dash resolved. "After all, he seems like a cool guy."

The conference broke up. "We'll stay with you," Rarity answered.

"Right this way!" Eugene led them to a nearby house. He hadn't exaggerated; it was three stories tall, twice as wide as most other houses on the street, and intricately designed.

The interior of the house was very lavish, though not quite up to the level of the palace. "You ladies need anything to eat?" Eugene asked. "I have this huge venison roast in the icebox that I haven't finished. And I mean HUGE. Plenty for all of us. I swear I didn't steal it—they've been supplying me with food from the palace ever since I became the prince-to-be."

"Thank you," Twilight said, "but Fluttershy doesn't eat meat. Do you have anything else for her? Particularly anything that has sea vegetables, soy, almonds, cauliflower, or spinach."

"That's incredibly specific," Eugene replied, thinking it over. "I think I have some fancy kelp and sesame salad they sent over. I keep throwing those out because honestly, I think they're disgusting, but if you want it, it's all yours."

"Thank you so much," Fluttershy said softly.

"Hey, no problem," Eugene replied. "Now, talking about food is reminding me that I'm honestly starving, so we should move this conversation into the dining room."

* * *

That evening, after Barbara and Zal finished their games of chess, Zal left for the master bedchamber, but Barbara detoured to her daughter's room. She entered Rapunzel's bedroom to find the princess lying awake, hands behind her head and over the plum-colored pillow, staring up at the ceiling painted with the golden sun symbol of Corona.

"Sweetie," Barbara asked, "are you all right? The news today was…disturbing."

"I'm fine," Rapunzel answered. "I'm sure nothing that bad will happen. Like Eugene said, I'd like to see the person that could get past Maximus…and even if someone did, that person would have to deal with Eugene and me. I'm actually glad I met the ambassadors today. We drew murals in the street together. They're all very friendly, especially Pinkie Pie. I know I shouldn't just trust people I meet at random, but I really feel like I should give them the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, I actually thought of a way we can see if they're trustworthy. It'll also give me the chance to tie up some loose ends tomorrow."

"So long as you're all right," Barbara said. "Good night, Rapunzel. I love you."

"I love you…too," Rapunzel said, catching herself. Old habits had nearly caused her to say "I love you more."

"I will see you in the morning," Barbara replied. "Sweet dreams." Then she left.

Rapunzel still stared at the sun on the ceiling. Her thoughts were not on the six new friends she'd made, but instead on Barbara. Though it was best that she hadn't said the phrase "I love you more," she wished she could have said it. Even more, she wished she could have truly meant it. Her mother was the kindest person she had ever met, and had welcomed her long-lost daughter with open arms; Rapunzel wanted to emotionally repay that. Still, old memories persisted. Memories of false love and of lies…of joy and of what Rapunzel had thought was love. Those memories continually got in the way between her and Barbara, and the queen couldn't even see it.

As always whenever Rapunzel thought it over too hard, tears came to the princess' eyes. She changed her focus, thinking about the drawings in the street and what she wanted to do with the six newcomers to Corona, and those thoughts eventually lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had settled in one of the spare bedrooms; Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack settled in the other. The beds were large enough to accommodate three, so they all snuggled in next to each other.

With his guests settled, Eugene made the rounds of his temporary house to make sure everything was locked up. He often thought that the place he'd been given was so big, he could probably be in the same house as a burglar all day and never notice anything was off.

A noise alerted him; he turned to see Rainbow Dash. "Um…hi," he said.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash greeted. "Sorry to bug you, but I couldn't sleep, and I just wanted to tell you that I think it's really cool, how you identified with that book character and all. Yeah, Rapunzel told me. I know you've kinda abandoned the whole 'Flynn' identity, but I still think it was cool."

"I still think it was cool," Eugene agreed. "You…you read adventure books much? Like swashbuckling tales of daring-do?"

"More literally than you'd think," Rainbow Dash replied.

"You know," Eugene said, "after dinner tonight and everything, I think you're good people. So, just because I know you'd love it and I'm not using it anymore, I wanna show you something. Come on."

He led Rainbow Dash down to a living room filled with bookshelves. He took from the shelves one of the only things in the house that wasn't immaculate; in fact, it was tattered and old. It was a book entitled Flynnigan Rider and the Island of Doom.

"Don't steal it," he told Rainbow Dash as he handed it to her. "I mean, it's just a book, but if you take advantage of me to walk away with it, I will be pretty angry."

"I…I can read it?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smile.

"You seem like the kind of person that would love it," Eugene replied with a smile. "Just let me know what you think."

"This…this is awesome!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Can I stay up and read it for a bit?"

Eugene lit one of the candles near a chair in the living room. "Knock yourself out," he said before leaving the room to go to sleep.

Rainbow Dash curled up with her new book, reading until she felt tired enough to go back to bed alongside Twilight and Rarity.

* * *

Chapter 17:

· I originally didn't have the world Corona was on as named. I started this fic before "Frozen" was a thing. I decided I did in fact want Frozen and Tangled to be on the same world, and that meant I had to give it a world name for the location headers to distinguish between the two kingdoms while establishing it as the same world. "Aestas" is Latin for "summer." I chose that word because of Corona's association with the sun and Arendelle's association with seasons.

· This takes place between Tangled and Tangled Ever After. I did see Tangled Ever After. I liked it. I accept it as canon. However, for the purposes of this story and the rule of fun, I'm going to intercept it here and do the wedding with a twist.

· Fluttershy relaxes her hair because of a headcanon based on a conversation with Ophira. It makes sense to me. After all, she meets Rarity at the spa every week, which gives her the opportunity to do it, and her hair does have that very slight curl to it. It would also make sense with her personality, in a way, as Ophira pointed out—Fluttershy spends so much time taking care of others that if her hair was at all complicated to treat, she would probably do that one thing for herself to make her daily life easier.

· Fluttershy also had to become a vegetarian. I realized this, and I'm kinda regretting not doing it earlier. I don't think I really need to explain why I made this development.

· I feel like I should have included some non-Earth foods in Twi's research. After all, it's the GUIDE. But I'm boring and the only non-Earth vegetable-based food I could think of was nipling and colly from the Diana-Wynne-Jonesverse, and that stuff is good for NOTHING. Also, in the early chapters, I didn't properly capture the Guide's snark. This was rectified later.

· There's still stuff Celestia hasn't told the Mane Six about having/being the Elements. But she's a bit of a coward because it's huge stuff.

· Babel Effect: because I needed to explain the language barrier/lack thereof. I came up with the name "Babel Effect" myself, but the concept of "Traveler" is from The Pendragon Adventure and the Babel Fish is, of course, from Hitchhiker's Guide.

· RD and AJ aren't fans of full skirts because RD hates so much as getting hooficures and Rarity's song "Art of the Dress" states that AJ doesn't care much for fashion. Now, I fully believe they enjoyed wearing full skirts to the Gala and Cadence's wedding, but those were special occasions with different circumstances. And I do see AJ as being more fine with skirts than RD. I just couldn't see them wearing pants in Corona without standing out…and more importantly, much like Rarity, I wanted to design dresses for everypony. So I owe RD a pair of nice pants.

· Discord's human form is, as you probably expected, Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation. They ARE the same being. How does this work with Discord being an Old One and Q being of a distinct alien race? We'll work that out later.

· I have this theory that changelings can "read" who others love, and this is how they can take on those forms. Chrys wears all green because it's obviously her favorite color.

· Even Wikipedia agrees that changelings and faeries are of the same supernatural ilk. Yes, its definition of "changeling" was different, but I think Chrys' version is a believable offshoot.

· Whenever Mal appears in any massive Disney crossover, she always brings with her all the other Disney villains that died in their respective canons. I'm sure she knows how to just bring them back from the dead. It's very believable that Hades gave her that ability; Mal/Hades is actually a popular pairing (and one I'll be playing with), so it makes sense for them to be close allies.

· They said they were from Canterlot because it was easier to explain that way. Plus, while "Canterlot" already sounds like the name of a kingdom of equines, "Ponyville" is even more of a dead giveaway.

· Daring Do is the Indiana Jones parody that forms a popular adventure book series in MLPFIM.

· The king and queen in Tangled technically have no names. My choices were based on the mythos of Rapunzel; the fairy tale may have been based on a Persian poem (from which the name "Zal" comes) and may have also been based on the life of St. Barbara. I Wiki'd this.

· My headcanon is that you can't live in the castle unless you're literally part of the family—and I doubt Barbara and Zal want to risk letting Eugene and Zel sleep in the same room!—but if you're important to the royal family, they'd probably set you up with accommodations and food. I suppose Eugene should have a job by now, but I don't see the point, since he's going to marry into a very demanding job anyway.

· I kept typing "Flynn" instead of "Eugene" by accident and having to backpedal. If I left a Flynn in, I apologize.

· And of course, if RD loves the adventure books of HER world and a similar series is hinted to exist in the Tangledverse, she has to be a Flynnigan Rider fan!


	18. The Princesses

A/N: You'll want to be familiar with the song "I've Got a Dream" from Tangled for this next one.

* * *

1. The Princesses

CORONA, AESTAS

"All right, all right, I'm coming!" Eugene grumbled, storming toward the door where someone was knocking incessantly. "You can stop knocking now!"

He swung open the door to reveal Maximus staring him down. "Really?" Eugene sighed. "All that knocking? You're just doing this to mess with me now."

Maximus nickered teasingly.

"What's goin' on?" Applejack appeared at Eugene's side. "Hey, Maximus. What's goin' on?"

With a toss of his head, Maximus referred to the Corona castle behind him.

"We're wanted at the castle?" Eugene asked to clarify.

Maximus nodded.

"Hey gals!" Applejack called out. "We got business up at the castle! Somebody get Rainbow Dash outta bed and—"

"I'm already awake!" Rainbow Dash called back, walking into the room with Eugene's book in her hand, a finger marking her place.

"What got you up so darn early?" Applejack asked.

"I had to figure out how Rider got out of the whirlpool," Rainbow Dash answered, holding up the book. "And it was AWESOME!"

"Better than Daring Do?" Applejack inquired.

"It's pretty close," Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Just wait until you get to the part with the lava," Eugene gushed. "Hands down, best part."

Maximus rolled his eyes.

"Uh, I think Maximus there is gettin' a little impatient with us," Applejack said sheepishly. "We'd better get our act together."

* * *

Within a matter of minutes, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Eugene, and Maximus were on their way to the castle. Rainbow Dash made the mistake of trying to walk and read at the same time; after nearly crashing into three carts and a family of five, Rarity confiscated her book. Twilight was nothing short of impressed with Rainbow's devotion.

Maximus led the group through the castle gates and all the way up to Rapunzel's bedroom. The princess was in the process of piling up rucksacks on her bed. Every now and again, Pascal helped drag one into place.

"Oh!" she cried, realizing the ones she'd sent for were there. "You got my message from Maximus!"

"Loud and clear and over and over," Eugene said spitefully. Maximus let out a whinny that was obviously a giggle.

"Well, I had this idea," Rapunzel said. "It would be a good way to get to know all of you, and at the same time, get something done that I've been meaning to for a while."

"Sounds like fun!" Pinkie replied. "I don't even know what it is yet, and it sounds fun!"

"It's sort of an…adventure, maybe," Rapunzel said, "though probably not a very exciting one. You see, there are still a lot of things back at my old tower, the place I lived before I came here, that I haven't gone back to get. Some cooking equipment, some sewing stuff, three books…and a lot of my best paints. I was thinking we could all go together and, you know, talk. About your kingdom and the threat you said came from it. Or just about life in general. So…do you want to come with me?"

"YES!" Pinkie yelped emphatically.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we're in," Twilight added.

"And you know I'm there," Eugene finished.

"Great!" Rapunzel said excitedly. "Pascal and Maximus already agreed, so we just need to get our things together to pack up once we're there, and we can go!"

"All right," Applejack commanded, "everypony take a bag and let's go!"

The six Equestrians moved to help pick up the bags; Fluttershy was momentarily confused by the fact that she had to carry the sack in her hands instead of strapping it to her back.

Eugene took Rapunzel aside. "You sure you're ready for this? I mean…you haven't touched that place in a LONG time. You really haven't wanted to go back."

"I have to go back," Rapunzel insisted. "It can't just be something that sits out there and bothers me. I have to face up to it…and besides, how else am I going to get my paints back?"

"Not to be overly sentimental, but I want to be sure you're okay with this."

"I'll be okay. After all, you'll be with me, right?"

"All the way!"

"What are they talking about?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight.

"I don't know," Twilight replied, "but I think we're going to find out eventually. After all, we're about to spend a lot of time together. And that's good…if Rapunzel's going to be out in the open, I want to be sure we can protect her from anything."

* * *

At last, six ponies in human form, two humans, one majestic stallion, and one shoulder-riding chameleon set out from the castle, down through town, and across the bridge.

"It's about a two-day walk," Rapunzel said.

"We've handled worse than a little walking," Rainbow Dash boasted.

"So what's the deal with you ladies anyway?" Eugene asked. "I mean, it's obvious you're not from around here. The hair and everything."

"Our kingdom is very far away," Twilight began. "We're actually on kind of a special mission from our princesses."

"You see," Rarity said, "we're somewhat of heroes back home. Just the usual…banishing monsters, planning royal events, designing hit fashions—"

"That's not heroic," Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"It's very heroic!" Rarity argued.

"A dangerous criminal named Chrysalis escaped from our kingdom," Twilight said as the group moved into the woods, "and back home, she tried to take over our kingdom by attacking during Princess Cadance's wedding. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have sent us on a bit of a…peacekeeping mission to visit other kingdoms."

"It's an exploration mission too!" Rainbow Dash added.

"We found Chrysalis in the last kingdom we visited," Pinkie Pie said, "and she was trying to take over the throne there! Just before she escaped, she said she was going to find someone else's wedding to ruin!"

"Celestia and Luna want us to stop Chrysalis while we explore other kingdoms," Applejack concluded. "So we're tryin' to protect y'all."

"So you're adventurers," Rapunzel concluded.

"Sorta," Applejack admitted.

"And what are you when you're not adventurers?" Eugene asked.

"Well," Twilight began, "I'm one of Princess Celestia's best students of magi—of mythology…"

* * *

THE BORDERLANDS OF CORONA, AESTAS

In a gorgeous vale surrounded by high mountains and even one waterfall, the tower sprouted from the ground like a tree, its apartment-like living space perched atop a monumentous column. The apartment itself was dark but for the light that poured in through one window set in the side; skylights could be opened for greater visibility, and candles could be lit, but the four occupants of the room currently had no desire to use either source of light. Various items of clutter lay about the apartment—art supplies, kitchen utensils, and shards of glass from a mirror intertwined with roughly sixty-nine feet of brown hair coiled on the floor. Upon seeing these things, Gothel shivered, and made extra care to step directly on the glass shards so they would break.

"Touch nothing," Maleficent ordered. "They will be here soon. They must not know of our presence. For now, I thought this a fitting place to explain what must be done."

"So you're going to finally stop being so vague," Discord snorted, "and let us know what's actually going on?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Maleficent answered. She faced Discord, Chrysalis, and Gothel. "I know that two of you are familiar with the cosmic order beyond this planet. As for Gothel…what idea have you of the scope of the universe?"

"I never really cared," Gothel admitted offhandedly. "What does it matter to me whether or not there's anything else out there?"

"I see," Maleficent observed. "You cling tightly to the belief that what cosmic order there is revolves around you."

"It makes for a nice dream," Gothel said with a smile.

"Unfortunately, it is not true," Maleficent informed the woman. "If you should complete your task successfully and join me, it may become closer to reality."

"What an ego this one has," Discord hissed to Chrysalis.

"My power and the power of the Overtakers is rooted in darkness," Maleficent said. "Were I you, Discord, I would stop gossiping and listen. This is where the story becomes relevant."

"Well, you don't have to get snippy," Discord replied.

"The new age will be rooted in darkness," Maleficent said. "It is the only way that the Old Ones can again thrive—"

"Wrong," Discord interrupted.

"And what trivialities have you to impart on the subject?" Maleficent asked, miffed.

"I'm beyond the whole light-and-darkness thing," Discord said offhandedly. "I really DON'T care which one is in the lead so long as I get my chaos. Darkness blinds and light burns. Darkness keeps your secrets while light illuminates truth. And so on and so on."

"Admittedly, it is true that the new age does not require darkness," Maleficent replied. "However, it is by drawing upon the deepest darkness that both you and I, Discord, will gain our power. Darkness makes destruction."

"Let's see how long it takes before that comes back to bite you with delicious irony," Discord shot back.

"In any case, with darkness as our strength, we can destroy those who would oppose us…including the Elements of Harmony," Maleficent explained. "I will reiterate: it was that darkness that allowed Jafar to overpower all who challenged him."

She turned to Gothel. "There are countless worlds…more than trillions. More than you could ever comprehend. I once heard a quite apt comparison…there are as many worlds as there are grains of sand on a beach. I intend to shroud all these worlds in darkness, allow the Old Ones to regain their power, and reign supreme—"

"Correction," Discord said. "If you let my friends and I regain our full power, WE, NOT you, will reign supreme."

"A matter we can work out later," Maleficent told Discord. "For now, accept that we have the same goal. I am working to help you. It matters not whether you work towards the empowerment of the Overtakers; it will happen anyway. With our darkness comes the chaos you so love."

"And the point of this is…?" Gothel asked. "I'm starting to get bored over here. Ramble, ramble, ramb—"

"THE POINT," Maleficent continued, so loudly that Gothel flinched, "is that in this multiverse, there are a great many cosmic beings that have power. For those of us who have tapped into the deepest darkness, there are also those who have access to the brightest of light."

"Question," Discord interrupted. "Since you know SO much about the darkness, would you happen to be the current Left Eye of the—"

"WE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF THAT!" Maleficent cried; she swung her staff in a circle, shooting a bolt of lightning at Discord. Discord backhanded it away.

"So that's a no," he muttered.

"I shall concede," Maleficent growled. "No, I am not the Left Eye, but should anything HAPPEN to the current Left Eye, which is one of my goals, I would most certainly be next in line."

"Left what now?" Gothel asked.

"The ultimate guardian of darkness in all existence," Maleficent answered. "It is what I must become…and will become. The current Left Eye…a fool and a harlot. However, that is currently not relevant. I would rather concern myself with the forces of light. Certain beings have pure hearts and therefore great powers of light. It is my understanding that the gods set this system in place to make sure that there would always be certain kingdoms in the multiverse that were ruled with just hands. Or rather, the goddesses…they have favored women.

"Throughout existence, there will always be seven princesses who are pure of heart and therefore are connected to nearly limitless light. They can utilize this power to repel darkness. I know the current identity of each princess and where she is. One of them, Chrysalis, is Jasmine of Agrabah, whom you failed to properly capture…but I'm sure we can return to her."

"Discord set up a lovely team of agents of chaos to torment Agrabah," Chrysalis informed Maleficent. "The girl will soon find herself overwhelmed."

"And let me guess," Gothel sighed. "Rapunzel is one of these seven goody-goodies."

"Not yet," Maleficent replied.

"Then what's the point?" Gothel asked. "And why don't you just kill all of them if they're that much of a nuisance?"

"I cannot," Maleficent answered, "for as has been demonstrated in one of the more foolish acts of one of my allies, whenever one of the seven dies, another will take her place to help guard the light. My ally murdered the seven previous Princesses of Heart, as they are called. We had thought that would wipe out such a force of light, but seven new princesses stepped in to take their place. Four were the daughters of the ones who had been killed. One married the son of one who had been killed. The cycle will always continue. Therefore, it must be ensured that all of these princesses are secured, captured…not killed…and made unable to disrupt us. This includes those who could take the place of the current seven. I have sought many answers, and have discovered all the princesses that could possibly become a new threat should one of the current seven die. Rapunzel is one." She turned to Chrysalis. "Mi Amore Cadenza is another. See to it that what you began is eventually finished. Only then can we be sure that none of them will stand against us."

"Are they ALWAYS princesses?" Discord groaned.

"As I said, the gods wished to ensure that those who would guard the light would be in positions of power so that there were always kingdoms ruled by light," Maleficent reiterated.

"Gag," Discord replied, making the motion of jabbing a finger down his throat. "Obviously I slept through when the goddesses decided to make that move. Let me guess. Athena? Farore? Isis? Ammu? Oh, please tell me this wasn't one of Amaterasu's decisions!"

"That makes my job easier," Chrysalis remarked. "Princesses gain more love than anyone else. Impersonating them is a joy to me…Mi Amore Cadenza and Jasmine not only had pure love radiating from their spouses, but an absolute deluge of love from the populaces of their kingdoms."

"And while we're talking structure," Discord said, a thought occurring to him, "would one of these princesses happen to be the Right Eye?"

"Not yet," Maleficent answered. "The current Right Eye is one of those who may become one of the seven if one should die."

"And how do you know all this, little miss know-it-all?" Discord taunted.

"We Unseelie faeries have time unlimited to learn," Maleficent answered, "and I have not squandered any of mine."

"So the Right Eye is the guardian of light," Gothel inferred.

"Do you understand?" Maleficent asked her.

"Barely," Gothel groaned. "Let's get to the point. You want me to get Rapunzel and keep her captured alive."

"Exactly," Maleficent answered with a smile curling through her lips. "Your history with her will facilitate the capture. I have a feeling that deep within her, she has not forgotten you…especially the memories from before her little epiphany. It will be easy with the help of Discord and Chrysalis. They shall simply replace the princess, and it will be as though she was never missing."

"And how are they going to do that?" Gothel asked.

"Observe," Maleficent told her. "There is much magic with which you are not yet familiar. Chrysalis…a friendly demonstration?"

Chrysalis stepped before Gothel, absorbing all radiant feelings of adoration from the woman. She morphed. When Chrysalis looked down at her new shape, she laughed. She was an exact copy of Gothel herself. "You are the one you love most in the world?"

"What's not to love?" Gothel asked.

"You don't seem surprised at Chrysalis' talent," Maleficent observed.

"Please." Gothel waved her hand. "I spent centuries with a magic flower that reversed aging. No one believed that was real either."

"That is the other benefit that comes of this task," Maleficent informed Gothel. "The power that Rapunzel's hair bestowed upon you may have drained away when it was cut, but the gift of the flower lives on within the girl."

That stirred a reaction in Gothel: "WHAT?"

"She retains the healing power in her," Maleficent explained. "She used it to bring Rider back from the brink of death. It lies within her heart and is fueled by her connection to the light. When you take control of her, you may do with her as you please…and that includes forcing her to use her powers upon you. You can once again be immortal. All you need to do is find a place to hide her until her wedding has finished. That will be your test. Should you pass, I will show you a place to hide where neither of you will ever be found."

"I like the sound of this," Gothel said. "You can count me in to your little scheme. It will be good to become reacquainted with my little flower."

Meanwhile, Discord and Chrysalis, who had reverted to the shape of the Agrabanian, had moved away to talk amongst themselves. "Must we really fear these princesses?" Chrysalis asked Discord.

"Most likely," Discord answered. "Then again, Maleficent's taking everything way too literally. If she's just out to get rid of powerful light magic, she's not going to get very far. After all, the Elements of Harmony aren't the little rays of sunlight they like to believe they are. And some of the Right Eyes of the past have been on OUR side…the side of chaos. I'd still try and usurp the princesses if I were you, of course. It will probably clear out the clutter for when our time rises…but more importantly, it will be SO much fun!"

"We must leave this place," Maleficent said sternly. "The Elements of Harmony, the princess, and their little friends will be here soon. I shall turn each of you to your own devices."

"As though you were dictating my moves to begin with!" Discord snapped.

"Each of you knows your part," Maleficent said. "Now go, and do not fail me!" In a flash of green light, she faded from view.

"That's our cue!" Discord told Chrysalis excitedly.

"And mine," Gothel added. "Now, how exactly do I fit into this?"

"Oh, I think I know how we can all get what we want," Chrysalis said.

* * *

"…and when I found out it was a party for me the whole time, I just cheered right up!" Pinkie finished telling her story as the sun went down.

"That's wonderful!" Rapunzel remarked. "You six are pretty good friends, then?"

"Only the best!" Pinkie asserted. "But that doesn't mean we can't be friends with you! We're friends with all sorts of other ponies and people like Ditzy and Cheerilee and Jasmine and Sadira and…"

"And it's almost nighttime," Twilight remarked. "Should we find somewhere to make camp?"

The group stopped. They spread out on the grassy earth.

"Looks like Pascal likes you," Eugene pointed out.

Pascal had curled up next to Fluttershy. "I like him very much," Fluttershy responded.

"You know," Rapunzel said as everyone closed his or her eyes, "I'm glad you decided to come with me. I'd like to think we're all friends…"

"Of course!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "You're pretty cool. You too, Eugene. And Maximus."

"Don't forget Pascal," Fluttershy murmured, halfway to sleep.

Again, Rapunzel found herself looking up before drifting into slumber. This time, however, her thoughts were of a happier ilk. During the day of walking, she had learned a lot about the six ambassadors from Canterlot. She decided she trusted them.

Her stomach filled with dread as she realized that meant there was in fact someone they were chasing, someone out to ruin her wedding and upset her kingdom. However, she decided that the group as it stood was probably more than enough to stop this mysterious villain, and let her thoughts become more peaceful.

* * *

A second day's walk and worth of stories; while the six Equestrians had more anecdotes from their kingdom and Eugene had his fair share of escapades during his stint as criminal Flynn Rider, Rapunzel contributed nothing, listening instead.

The group moved toward a rock wall where vines covered a tunnel leading to the vale where Rapunzel's tower was erected. The six Equestrians gaped up at the massive structure, stunned.

"THAT'S where you used to live?" Pinkie asked.

"Yup!" Rapunzel confirmed. "Don't worry. There are stairs. I didn't know about them until recently, but they're definitely there."

She led the group around to the back of the tower, where a stone doorway, previously blocked off, looked clumsily clawed open. "Can you stand guard down here?" Rapunzel asked Maximus.

The stallion immediately stood tall and appeared ready to fulfill his duty.

"Great!" Rapunzel told him. "Everybody else…let's go." With a deep breath, she entered the stairway.

The steps spiraled up and up, around and around, until they came up under a trap door. The trap door opened into a quaint apartment, lit only with the sunlight from the main window; it was still apparent that the walls were covered with paintings.

"Whoa…" Rainbow Dash remarked, climbing up into the apartment.

"Did you paint all this?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah…kinda," Rapunzel answered. "I…had a lot of time on my hands when I lived here. Um…I'm going to go get started on packing. Anyone wanna help?"

"Ooh! Me! Me!" Pinkie followed Rapunzel up to what had been her old bedroom to gather such things as the paints.

The apartment was filled with the remnants of old hobbies. A dusty bookshelf held three books. A kitchen area was stocked with several utensils. A chessboard was set up on a table that also contained several Pascal-sized dresses. Candles littered the place. An old clock had stopped keeping time at 7:15.

However, the living room contained the oddest scene. Rarity curiously tread over a set of heavy iron chains, looking down at the floor. A length of brown hair trailed around the room; it was peppered with glass shards.

"What is this?" Rarity asked.

"That's…something personal," Eugene answered. "I don't really know if Rapunzel wants to talk about it."

Rapunzel came down the stairs from the bedroom at that moment, one rucksack packed. Pinkie followed her. "What did you find?" the princess asked.

"Oh…it's nothing," Rarity answered.

Rapunzel entered the living room, looking down at the floor. "Oh," she said starkly. "That."

"If it's a personal matter," Rarity said, "we won't be discussing it further. Now, we—"

"No," Rapunzel interrupted. "It's all right. All this is…just the reason it's been so hard for me to come back here." She swallowed hard. "You're all my friends now. Can I trust you with something?"

"Of course!" Pinkie insisted. "You can tell us anything!"

"Well…" Rapunzel tried to think of how to phrase her story. "Do you…do you believe in magic?"

"More than you know," Twilight answered immediately.

"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want," Eugene told Rapunzel.

"No," Rapunzel replied. "I…I want to." She continued. "All this hair…it used to be mine. It was gold back then. It gave me magic powers. Whenever I sang a healing song, my hair would heal whoever it touched…even giving back youth. It's because my mother ate a magic flower when I she was pregnant with me. This all sounds silly, I know…"

"Not at all," Twilight reassured the princess. "In fact, we've probably encountered weirder. Rarity and I have our own experiences with doing magic."

"But please, do continue," Rarity told Rapunzel.

"If my hair was cut, it would turn brown and lose its power," Rapunzel went on. "As you can see, that's exactly what happened. Because of that, I was kidnapped when I was a baby. The kidnapper raised me in this tower for eighteen years, and I never went outside. I could only see what was out my window. I…I thought the person who kidnapped me was my mother. I thought she actually…loved me. Eugene…he helped me break free from this tower, but she tried to take me back. I thought she was protecting me. She always told me how horrible the outside world was, but that was just a trick to get me to stay in this tower and use my hair on her to keep her young. You see those chains? That's from when she tried to take me away. She almost killed Eugene. He used the broken mirror to cut my hair, and she…I'm not really sure how to describe it. All the youth I gave back to her went away. She's gone now. Dead, I mean. That's when I found out who my real parents were, and I went back to them. I'm not in danger of people using me now…I don't have my hair anymore." She shrugged. "That's my story. I haven't wanted to come back for a long time because it reminded me of her, but now I'm ready."

"That sounds awful," Rarity said. "But at the same time, it's wonderful that you found the ones who truly did care about you. Queen Barbara, King Zal, your handsome fiancé…"

Rapunzel smiled. "I guess things worked out for the best."

"Um…Rapunzel?" Twilight broke in. "That was…that was a pretty big thing you told us. How many other people know?"

"Me and her parents," Eugene answered. "And some other friends of ours."

"I just feel bad having you tell us all that," Twilight said, "when we haven't been entirely honest with you. Nothing we've said is a lie, of course! But…we've been leaving some things out."

"Like what?" Rapunzel asked, curiosity peaked.

"Like…we're not from a kingdom on this planet," Twilight said. "And I'm actually a student of magic. And back where we're from…we aren't human."

"Okay, very funny," Eugene said. "Good joke. Not sure why you made a joke like that now, doesn't seem very appropriate, but…"

"It's the truth," Applejack confirmed.

Little by little, the story came out: ponies, Equestria, magic, the Starlight. Eventually, changelings.

"…she changed into Cadance's shape so she could take my brother's love for her," Twilight concluded. "We're afraid she's going to do the same thing to you."

"I…I'm not sure I believe this," Eugene said, stunned. "You're sure you didn't just steal this story from some book or something?"

"Pretty sure," Twilight replied. "Watch."

She pointed at one of the candles, levitating it. She set it down next to Eugene.

"How are you DOING that?" Eugene cried.

"That's amazing," Rapunzel commented. "You…you really are from another world, aren't you? Witches and wizards don't exist. Not here, anyway. I've never thought about if they existed anywhere else. It's a little hard to believe you're all…well, ponies."

"If you went to Equestria," Fluttershy said, "you would probably become one too."

"From the stories you told me," Rapunzel replied, "Equestria sounds like a beautiful place. I wish I could see it someday." She gasped. "Maybe I can!"

"I don't know," Twilight said cautiously. "We have control of the mists, but I'm not sure if anypony else can actually travel between worlds like we do. I don't even know if anypony is supposed to, except for Time Lords, Travelers, and some others."

"Are you really BELIEVING this?" Eugene nearly screeched. "Magic boats? Shape shifting? TALKING HORSES?"

"Maximus is darn near like a person," Applejack reminded him. "Dunno why you don't got a problem with him…"

"It's the truth," Rapunzel stated. "I know it. And I want to thank you for sharing it with us. I'm just glad we're friends in general."

"No problem!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"And we'll take your secrets to the grave," Rarity affirmed. "Now, how can we help you pack up?"

"Well…" Rapunzel swallowed hard. "It's still a little hard to see all this and remember. Just…stay with me and help me pack things?"

"We can sing a song!" Pinkie suggested. "That'll make the time go faster!" With a great inhalation of breath, she burst out, "Once upon a time, the princess was a flower, but now she needs to move out of her tower, so we're packing up her paint so she'll become the saint-ly holder of Coronan royal power…"

Eugene shrugged. He gave in; he believed what was the truth.

* * *

"I just thought of something."

All of Rapunzel's things were now packed up. The group had walked back down out of the tower, out of the vale, and was headed back toward Corona. Eugene had his realization before they left the vale.

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"When I cut Rapunzel's hair," he explained, "I was dying of a stab wound. The last thing I remembered before going into the light, so to speak, was hearing Rapunzel sing her healing song, and then I was…not dead anymore. I mean, I didn't actually make it to dead, I stopped before I got down to that river thing—"

"River thing?" Pinkie interrupted.

"Eugene always says that when he was dying, he saw a river that was headed into darkness," Rapunzel explained. "It's one of his favorite things to brag about. I still think you were hallucinating from blood loss, Eugene."

"No," Twilight broke in, "he probably saw the river to the Underworld. The Styx. Most ponies—and people, I guess—see it when they die. They cross it, and then from there…well, there are a bunch of things that can happen."

"See?" Eugene folded his arms smugly, as best he could while carrying a large rucksack. "I was right about the river."

"Okay," Rapunzel conceded. "I believe it now."

"But you still healed me without your hair," Eugene reiterated. "How did that happen?"

"I've always just thought it was a miracle," Rapunzel answered. "I definitely don't have my powers anymore. I guess we'll never know."

"Magic is strange," Twilight concluded. "It works in a lot of ways we might never really understand."

* * *

The journey home was marked by a quick stop. The group grew hungry and tired, so Eugene suggested they stop at a favorite haunt of his, and when Rapunzel saw the direction in which they were headed, she couldn't help but agree. Rapunzel, Eugene, Maximus, the six Equestrians, and Pascal—still on Fluttershy's shoulder—moved toward a tavern whose sign proclaimed it was called "The Snuggly Duckling."

"That sounds cute," Fluttershy remarked. "Is it nice inside?"

"You'll see," Rapunzel said knowingly.

They opened the door upon a seedy bar packed with hulking, armored men carrying various pieces of weaponry. Almost no light entered the room—just some flickering candles from a chandelier above and what filtered in through the small windows. The incoming group looked incredibly colorful and out of place amongst all the brown leather, gray fur, and silver metal. Muscular thugs turned to look at the door from every corner of the tavern.

Fluttershy screamed and dove behind Maximus.

"Um…" Twilight began.

Then one of the larger men, a bald warrior with a thin mustache and a hook replacing his right hand, stood and walked menacingly down the creaky floorboards toward the door. When he reached the group, and the six Equestrians were shying away, he spread his arms and smiled. "Hey, it's Rapunzel and Eugene! What are you doing all the way out here? Don't you have a wedding to plan?"

"Um…you know these fellows?" Rarity asked.

"Sure!" Eugene replied. "These guys are old friends of ours!"

"We were just packing up some old things that I still had to move in," Rapunzel said, showing off the rucksack of items she held. "Mind if we stop in for a bite?"

"Not at all! We got a big table over there waitin' for ya!" The hook-handed warrior gestured with said hook toward a table in the corner.

Soon all were seated. "So how'd you become friends with all these guys anyway?" Twilight asked Rapunzel.

"It's a long story," Rapunzel said with a shrug and a smile.

"Hey," the hook-handed warrior suggested, "how about we do a couple rounds of the old song now that you're here? After all, we've never heard your new friends sing it."

"Have you been waiting for an excuse to play more of the piano?" Rapunzel asked teasingly.

"I'm shocked that you guessed!" the hook-handed warrior replied, equally teasingly.

"I love singing!" Pinkie chirped. "What's the song?"

The hook-handed warrior presented her with some sheet music. "You can make up your own lyrics for the verses," he said. "We all just kinda fill them in ourselves, just as long as you keep to the main lines."

"I'm in!" Pinkie cried. "Who's with me?"

"I don't know…" Twilight muttered.

"I'm not singin'," Applejack insisted.

Fluttershy just trembled and squeaked.

"Come on, girls!" Pinkie cajoled. "Pleeeeaaase? Pretty please with a cherry and rainbow sprinkles on top?"

"Well…perhaps if you start us off," Rarity answered at last.

The hook-handed warrior stepped up to the piano. All eyes turned to the table, where Pinkie clambered up to stand on the tabletop and be better seen. The hook-handed warrior struck the opening chords, and Pinkie began to sing:

"Yes, my laughter is quite hearty

And I'm known for all my parties,

My singing has inspired a lot of clapping.

But when sunset comes, you see,

I want something more than me:

I'd like to make all my friends super-happy!

Can't you see us eating cupcakes by the dancefloor,

Laughing just so much we almost scream!

I would rather not be lonely

And I would please everypony!

It's pretty obvious I've got a dream!"

The other taverngoers, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Pascal included, applauded Pinkie; Maximus stomped his hoof on the floor. The piano kept going on the melody for the verse. "Okay," Twilight sighed, "I guess I'll go next." She stood on the table.

"From the day that I was born,

My heart was never torn.

I pledged all of my loyalty to Celestia,

But the studies that she gave me,

They're not quite enough to save me—

I want to read every book in Equestria!

Can't you see me turning pages late at midnight,

Stacking up the pages by the ream!

I might get condescending looks,

But I really love my books!

And learning more will always be my dream!"

Twilight stepped down to more applause. Rarity took that chance to steal the spotlight, stepping into her place:

"I've clothed singers and princesses,

And also, what's no less is,

I've designed for my friends with fervent passion!

But it's really all the same

Until the whole world knows my name

For all the work that I put in my fashion!

Can't you see me getting orders from celebrities,

World-renowned for every stitch and seam!

Every back, front, and behind

Clothed in Rarity's design!

Like everypony else, I've got a dream!"

Rainbow Dash was next to replace her.

"I've kicked thunderstorms around

And broke the barrier of sound,

I've harnessed lightning with a million volts,

But despite my gift with weather

Soarin' and Spitfire do it better!

I'd love to join them in the Wonderbolts!

Can't you see us flying in exact formation,

Parting clouds to let down the sunbeams!

They're secondary to my friends,

But my fantasy still ends

When I'm a Wonderbolt, yeah, that's my dream!"

Applejack, caught up in the mood, was atop the table before Rainbow Dash had left.

"I'm a family mare for sure,

That fact can't just be ignored.

The four of us exchange our hugs and kisses.

But Apple Bloom and Big Mac

And Granny Smith know for a fact

We really wanna build the family business!

Can't you see me sellin' apples by the billion,

Takin' farmin' to its logical extreme?

We're all lovin' and forgivin'

But we gotta make a livin'!

I share one-fourth the Apple family's dream!"

Fluttershy was the last one left. She stepped up to the table, squeaked, and stepped immediately down. A silence fell over the tavern. Eugene started slowly clapping: "Flutter-shy…Flutter-shy…"

"Please don't," Fluttershy muttered.

It was too late. The clapping had picked up over the tavern until everyone inside was chanting: "FLUTTERSHY! FLUTTERSHY! FLUTTERSHY!"

"All right!" Fluttershy stepped up on the table.

"Um…there are…rabbits in the ground

And there are…lizards…all around,

Fish in the sea and all the birds above me,

I see every animal

From the tallest to the small…

And maybe someday all of them will love me!

Can't you see me being friends with all the critters,

From the eagles to the frogs down in the stream?

You know, now I've got to thinking,

My dream's a bit like Pinkie's…

Being kind to animal friends would be my dream!"

She sat back down in time to receive a napkin upon which Pinkie had printed the lyrics to a final verse. "FINALE TIME!" Pinkie cried, and all six stepped up to sing the chorus with the words Pinkie had written:

"We've got a dream,

We've got a dream!

We really want to stick together as a team!

Our friendship's like a sisterhood

And what we've got is just so good,

That most of all our friendship is our dream!"

With that, the six sat down to thunderous applause from the patrons of the Snuggly Duckling.

"Not bad!" Eugene said while clapping.

"We should do spontaneous musical numbers more often!" Pinkie suggested.

"She just might be right about that," Rarity laughed. "Now, please, let's order something! It's imperative that we keep up our strength for the journey back to Corona!"

* * *

Chapter 18

· Rapunzel's golden hair was 70 feet long. Canon. It looks about a foot long now, so I assume it's sixty-nine feet on the floor.

· Discord's right. Okay, Mal is too…using darkness will get her great powers that she can use for evil, and will be a route to domination…but chaos doesn't care whether it's light or darkness.

· Fun fact: that thing about there being as many worlds as grains of sand on a beach? That's from Stephen King's Dark Tower. Yes.

· The whole "Left Eye" and "Right Eye" thing is from Bayonetta (we will save the "Are you sure you're a feminist?" and "Are you sure you're a WOMAN?" discussions for later). In that 'verse, the Left Eye of the world is kind of the guardian of all darkness (P.S. that's also spoiler…sorry) and the Right Eye is the guardian of light. I decided to expand that so that the Left and Right eyes are guardians of darkness and light for EXISTENCE. What I really like about the mythos of Bayonetta is that light is bad and darkness is good. The Right Eye was the bad guy, and the Left Eye was the heroine. And that should be your big clue as to the "harlot" Maleficent has to eliminate in order to be up next for Left Eye. Who's the Right? I'm keeping that under my hat. It's NOT Father Balder anymore, so don't look to the canon for that answer.

· The Seven Princesses of Heart is a concept from Kingdom Hearts. And yes, currently, in this story, they ARE Alice, Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, and Kairi. At least one of those is slated to change, but I'm not saying who or how. Anyway, they're seven maidens who are pure of heart. It's not really said how much power they have, just that they can "unlock the door of darkness," but from certain implications, it seems they each have manipulation of light magic to some degree (they mention doing their best to hold a world together on which the door to darkness has indeed been opened). I really, REALLY wanted to do SOMETHING with princesses, since there are so many fictional princesses in fiction that it's a trope (Everything's Better With Princesses). So I had the idea that if one dies (or, hint hint, is no longer pure of heart for some reason), the torch gets passed. After all, why would the fate of the world rest on seven mortals with no backup plan? So ANY princess on the "good" alignment could become a PoH. Rapunzel, of course, since that's the focus of this chapter, and because her purity of heart is so friggin' obvious. You can think of others.

· I know who the previous, dead seven PoH's are. I have a list. And I know which of the Overtakers killed them. But that is a SECRET and will be left for SUSPENSE. I don't know exactly when I'm going to reveal it—I just know that I have a big plan for that backstory.

· The goddesses Discord listed: Athena is from Greek myth (most of you should know her). Farore is from The Legend of Zelda. Isis is from Egyptian mythology. Ammu is from Atlantis: The Lost Tales, an obscure point-and-click adventure game that I love. Amaterasu is from Japanese mythology, but equally importantly, from Okami. I wanted to throw in some Discworld goddesses, but none of them are really in charge of anything important like making people.

· It's obvious in mythology that Unseelie faeries are usually evil and Seelie are usually good, but they're still both tricksters and it's a crapshoot to trust members of either court. After all, in the obscure book "The Raven Queen," Puck was Seelie, and he was still, well, Puck.

· My little headcanon about Rapunzel's healing power will reveal itself more as the story goes. But I don't just accept her being able to heal Eugene without her hair as a one-time thing. To simplify: I think the power of the magic flower is in her heart, and if you add to that the implied power of being a candidate for PoH, she's still packing magic that she doesn't know about.

· The stories had to come out. I mean, Zel and Eugene would have found out about the other worlds eventually, but it's better that everypony is just honest right off the bat…

· No tune for Pinkie's packing song.

· My Underworld is complicated. I'm essentially jamming a ton of afterlives into one that's mostly run by Hades, but also has…other gods…working on it. The Styx is definitely the entry point, though.

· I didn't have a name for most of the thugs when I wrote this chapter, and I came up with them later.

· Something I'd ALWAYS wanted to do (well, okay, just ever since I saw Tangled) is redo I've Got a Dream with characters that aren't related to Tangled. AND NOW I'VE DONE IT!


	19. Dungeon Break

19: Dungeon Break

CORONA, AESTAS

"We should be home in about an hour," Rapunzel announced.

"Hopefully we beat Chrysalis to the punch," Rainbow Dash sighed. "We need a plan of action to protect you from her."

"Shape shifter or no," Eugene reminded Rainbow Dash, "there's nothing Maximus can't take. On the off chance he should fail, which, despite his smug attitude, he definitely does—"

Maximus gave a disapproving snort.

"—I can handle any bad guy that breaks in," Eugene continued. "But most importantly, your Chrysalis isn't going to be able to lay a finger on Rapunzel without getting a blow to the face."

"You fight?" Rainbow Dash asked Rapunzel.

"Not as well as Eugene makes out," Rapunzel said humbly.

Rainbow Dash picked up a stick from the ground. "I wanna see how well you can spar," she said. "You game?"

Rapunzel reached into her rucksack, drawing a cast-iron frying pan. "Well, I suppose I could indulge a little bit…"

"A frying pan?" Rainbow Dash burst into laughter.

"And there's her big mistake," Eugene sighed. "Rainbow Dash…do not mock the frying pan. It happens to be the royal weapon of Corona."

Rainbow Dash took a battle stance, copying a grip she'd learned from the Mukhtar. "Let's see your little frying pan beat me," she challenged.

"Well…okay…" Rapunzel also took a stance, holding up the frying pan.

The two women flew at each other. Rainbow Dash swung lightly with the stick, not wanting to hurt Rapunzel, but she was countered by the frying pan every single time. The pan lightly tapped each of her shoulders, then her stomach.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash complained. "How are you doing that?"

"I practice," Rapunzel admitted. "Had enough?"

"Yeah…" Rainbow Dash growled. "So you're good."

Rainbow Dash and Rapunzel each lowered her weapon; the stick was cast aside.

"Frying pans," Rarity remarked. "Who knew?"

"And imagine if she was actually aiming for your face," Eugene emphasized. "I've been on the wrong end of that pan more than once."

"I thought you were going to kill me!" Rapunzel protested. "I didn't know who you were yet!"

"Hey," Eugene reminded Rapunzel, "I love a woman who knows her way around kitchen supplies!" He stopped himself. "That…didn't come out right. Not that I'm saying you're a bad cook, 'cause you're not, I meant fighting with…the thing…and…"

"I knew what you meant," Rapunzel replied with a smile.

* * *

Within an hour, the group had crossed the bridge back into Corona. The sun was setting. "Looks like it's time to split up again," Twilight remarked.

"Hold on," Applejack interrupted. "We've gone too long without seein' Chrysalis around. I ain't too keen on lettin' Rapunzel go back into that castle alone. The weddin's in two days! I say we gotta set up some kinda defense for her. Twilight, ya think ya can put the whole castle in a shield—"

"No way," Twilight answered. "It's too big!"

"No bigger than Canterlot," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "and Shining Armor shielded all of that."

"Shining Armor's strength is shield magic," Twilight retorted. "I'm trying to become skilled in all magic. I've put my energy into all sorts of spells; he's put all his energy into that one. My shields can get about as big as the library back home, and that's it."

"Maybe you could stay in the palace with me," Rapunzel suggested. "That way, you can watch me if anything goes wrong."

Maximus immediately whinnied a protest and shook his head.

"Look, Maximus," Rapunzel said, "I know their story is hard to believe, but—"

Maximus held his glare of disapproval.

"If he doesn't even let me stay in the palace," Eugene sighed, "he's not going to bend the rules for six newcomers. Just sayin'. By the way, Maximus, haven't you trusted by NOW that I'm not going to steal anything?"

"Please?" Rapunzel begged Maximus, giving him her best puppy-eyes. "They know Chrysalis better than anyone else."

Maximus looked toward the six Equestrians. He stuck out a hoof, shoving Pinkie Pie aside. Looking at the other five, he shook his head. Moving his gaze to Pinkie Pie, he paused before reluctantly nodding, deciding that allowing just one of the newcomers into the palace couldn't cause any disasters he couldn't handle.

"Me?" Pinkie responded. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She threw her arms around Maximus' neck.

Maximus began to wonder if he had cause to regret his decision.

"But then the Elements of Harmony are separated," Twilight pointed out. "We won't be able to—"

Maximus cut her off with a grunt and a glare.

"Oh, Twilight," Rarity told her friend, "I'm sure that Rapunzel, Maximus, and Pinkie will be able to manage. Besides, they've got the royal guard! And Chrysalis probably won't even show up until the actual wedding day."

"All right…" Twilight said reluctantly.

"This is going to be the best slumber party EVER!" Pinkie squealed.

Pinkie followed Rapunzel, Maximus, and Pascal—now on the princess' shoulder—up to the castle, while Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy walked Eugene home.

* * *

"And so begins the first phase of the plan," Chrysalis muttered from an alleyway. She looked toward Gothel. "You are ready?"

"Well, as much as I'll ever be," Gothel replied.

It hadn't been hard to find the required amount of civilians that adored their princess. The love built up inside Chrysalis, bolstering her strength, but more importantly, giving her the shape, the form. She shifted easily into the frame of the short brunette princess, purple dress and all.

"A spitting image," Gothel complimented.

With a cold laugh, Chrysalis set out.

* * *

When the sky was dark, Rapunzel settled into her bed. Pinkie Pie had been given the bedroom next to her—the guards, still suspicious, wanted at least a wall's thickness between Rapunzel and the stranger. Rapunzel still didn't have any real proof that Pinkie was on her side, but deep in her heart, she felt as though the young woman—or mare, she supposed—could in fact be trusted.

If nothing else, they'd had much fun together before Rapunzel had retired to bed. They'd played board games, sang songs and danced, and even made a batch of cupcakes in the royal kitchens. Rapunzel realized that Pinkie was probably the first real female friend she'd had that wasn't a parental figure, or the pretense of one.

With those thoughts in mind, she drifted off to sleep.

At midnight, a soft green glow filled the room; Rapunzel, not waking, just turned over in her sleep. Had she woken, she would have seen her exact double materialize in the room. She would have known right away that this was the infamous Chrysalis.

As it were, Chrysalis approached Rapunzel's bed silently, smiling at the sight of the innocent, slumbering princess. Her eyes adjusted almost instantly to the darkness, and she picked up on the colors of the bedspread. Chrysalis reached out, delicately pulled back the bedspread to reveal Rapunzel's body and nightgown. To complete the ruse, she had to be dressed appropriately; Chrysalis changed her gown to one matching Rapunzel's.

Now for the delicate part. Chrysalis extracted from her sash a knife, one that Gothel had lent her for this purpose. She dangled it over Rapunzel's prone form. Remembering Maleficent's instructions, she bypassed the stomach, the heart, the vitals. She stopped at the head, pressing the blade flat against the base of Rapunzel's hair. This brown hair, she remembered Gothel telling her with a smile, would never grow again once it was cut. All Chrysalis needed was two days—the rest was a bonus.

She smoothly slid the knife against Rapunzel's scalp, and the short brown hair fell away. As each lock was sliced, Chrysalis caught the hairs, making sure no evidence would be left. When she'd gathered all of Rapunzel's hair, she moved to the window, letting the brown hair fly into the midnight breeze.

All this and the princess still hadn't woken up.

Chrysalis turned her attention to Rapunzel's nightgown, the one she'd copied, next. It needed to be unrecognizable. She used the knife to slash at the skirt and sleeves, causing rifts.

Rapunzel dreamed of icy wastelands, her skin brushing against icicles. A harsh winter wind blew against her head.

Finally, Chrysalis moved to the rucksacks of possessions from the tower. As she'd expected, one contained a case full of paints. She dripped a little of each color over Rapunzel's nightgown. Now the princess was bald, and her clothes resembled nothing close to what she'd gone to bed in.

Rapunzel's dream continued; the icicles dripped cold water down onto her, making her shiver.

Her hand reached for the bedcovers out of instinct. It was about time she found out something was amiss anyway. Chrysalis' work was done.

She shoved Rapunzel out of bed and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Pinkie Pie sat up in bed. "RAPUNZEL!" she cried.

By the time Pinkie reached the doorway that led to Rapunzel's bedroom, many of the royal guards posted had already arrived, ready for action at the slightest sign of distress from the royal family. The guards threw the door open, thrusting torches inside.

The torch fire illuminated the scene: the princess sat up in bed, clutching the bedclothes to her chest, while a stranger, a bald woman in tattered rags, staggered confusedly into a standing position.

"She tried to murder me!" the princess cried, pointing down to the floor by the stranger; a knife gleamed. "She's an assassin!"

"N-no!" the stranger cried, taking in the scene. "I…" Looking at the woman in the bed, she realized what the guards thought. She knew who had come for her. "CHRYSALIS! Listen, everyone! She's not Rapunzel! She's a shape-shifter!"

"Nice try," one of the guards said, moving toward the bald stranger. "Shape-shifters? What made you think THAT would work?"

"NO!" the stranger cried, backing toward the wall. "It's me!"

The guards moved toward her; with one Rapunzel already in the room, their vision didn't register that this other woman, had she hair and different clothes, could also easily be the princess.

Pinkie, however, knew exactly what was going on. "STOP!" she shrieked. "That IS Rapunzel! She's telling the truth! The person in the bed is a fake! She—"

Chrysalis, now very much enjoying the form of Rapunzel, pointed at Pinkie in mock horror. "She's the one that let the assassin in!" she wailed. "I never should have trusted her! Arrest her!"

"WHAT?" Pinkie was immediately seized by the guards, who held her in an iron grip. They forced her wrists into iron cuffs, as they were doing to the real Rapunzel, the bald Rapunzel in rags. "NO!"

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" the real Rapunzel shrieked.

"Take them to the dungeons!" Chrysalis ordered. "NOW! Before they scare me any more!"

"This one came with five others," the guard nearest Pinkie recalled. "Should we arrest them?"

"I don't know," Chrysalis replied. "This one might just be a traitor! When she was helping the assassin into the room, she said…she said…it's too much to even bear!"

"Too much to bear?" Rapunzel snapped. "I don't even TALK like that!"

"She said, 'Down with Corona and all of Canterlot!'" Chrysalis finished. "She's probably a traitor! Please, don't arrest the others yet…they're innocent until proven guilty."

"Your kindness is astounding as always," a guard remarked.

"THAT ISN'T ME!" the real Rapunzel screamed.

"Quiet, you!" A guard elbowed Rapunzel in the stomach. "Your story is really getting old!"

"Shall we do the usual with them, Princess?" another guard asked.

"Please," Chrysalis said, hugging the blankets again for good measure. "I'm just so scared…"

"It shall be done in the morning," the guard promised. "Sleep well, princess."

"I'll try," Chrysalis squeaked.

The guards then forcibly dragged Pinkie and Rapunzel down the hallway, headed for the dungeon.

"What's the usual?" Pinkie asked Rapunzel.

Rapunzel swallowed hard. "Death by hanging," she answered.

In Rapunzel's bed, Chrysalis smirked. "I'll wait a little longer to have some fun with the rest of you, my little ponies," she muttered to herself. Then she lay down and went to sleep in her stolen bed.

* * *

It was as though a star had fallen, though no one noticed it. No one was awake, save for the guards and prisoners that were entrenched within the castle walls. No one saw the glowing crystal sphere that shot down out of the sky, landing hard in the ground out back of the castle.

About twenty feet in diameter, the sphere glittered in the moonlight and starlight. Then it parted in half, revealing itself to be hollow. Two living beings exited it as though hatching from a crystal egg.

The larger of the two surveyed the castle. It was certainly an elegant structure, no doubt the sign of a prosperous kingdom. It also probably had deep dungeons…dungeons where the most dangerous of the kingdom were kept. That, for now, was of more interest.

* * *

The guards had locked Pinkie Pie and Rapunzel up in a cell, adding some extra chains to their ankles and binding the two sets of chains together, then left them alone. Only one guard remained on post for the rest of the night, holding the keys to the cells and surveying the hallway filled with cell doors to make sure no one escaped. He paid no attention to the conversation between the two newest convicts, though he wouldn't have believed it or tried to make sense of it anyway.

"You were right," Rapunzel sighed. "Chrysalis really is trying to take over my kingdom by turning into me. And now she's going to have us killed." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. You shouldn't be involved in this."

"Don't say that!" Pinkie protested. "Of course I should be involved! Chrysalis is my nemesis! Well, mine and my friends'. But more importantly, you're my friend! I HAVE to try and save you!" She struggled against the iron bonds. "If I could just get my hands free, I could get to my party cannon!"

"Your what?"

"It's a cannon that turns a room into an instant party. It also kinda works as a blaster sometimes! I take it everywhere!"

"You can't possibly have a cannon on you right now."

"That's what EVERYPONY says! Ohhh, but it wouldn't work on these bars anyway! It WOULD turn this cell into a cool place to have a birthday party, but we don't need that right now! Don't worry, Rapunzel! I'm not going to give up! I'm going to find us a way out of this before morning!"

"I'll keep thinking too," Rapunzel vowed. "If they hadn't just judged right away because of how she looked and how I look, they might have noticed that she didn't act like me at all! I haven't ordered any prisoners to die since I came to the palace. I even argued for some of our worst criminals, Stabbington brothers included, to be spared from the hanging and just locked up forever. I don't like having that blood on my hands. Besides, Eugene was almost killed that way because of a false accusation. I'm not having that happen to anyone ever again. I was hoping to make a law against punishing criminals by death, but…it's just not the way Coronan law does things. I was scared to push it. Maybe I should've. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Don't beat yourself up!" Pinkie told Rapunzel. "After all, you didn't know that a shapeshifter would sneak into your room, cut off all your hair, wreck your pajamas, and have the guards chain you up and throw you in a dungeon to die in the morning along with me! I don't think ANYPONY could have guessed that!"

"Well…at least not that exactly."

"And you did already save some prisoners! Like those stabby guys! Who are they, anyway?"

"The Stabbington brothers," Rapunzel explained, "are two thieves that used to work with Eugene. Eugene wasn't anything like them, though. He was into crime for adventure and money. They were in it because they liked the violence. They were the ones who set it up so that Eugene was framed for the theft of the royal crown. Well, okay, he did steal it, but he was going to give it back! Then they tried to kidnap me because they knew about my powers. My moth—the woman pretending to be my mother 'rescued' me so she could have my powers to herself. The important thing is, they were wanted for a lot of thefts and a couple murders. Everyone else thought they should die, but I just couldn't bring myself to pass the sentence."

"I get it!" Pinkie cried. "My friends and I can't kill anyone either. We just don't think it's right! Our powers as the Elements of Harmony defeat bad guys by doing other things! Like turning them back to stone, or putting them in a lamp for a while, or sometimes even bringing out the good that was in them! Hey, maybe that would work on the stabby guys!"

"I doubt they have any good to bring out," Rapunzel admitted.

"Shhh!" Pinkie suddenly cried. "Do you hear that?"

What they'd heard was the thud of a thick plank of wood connecting with the skull of the one guard on duty, knocking him to the floor. The intruder had broken in stealthily, with no assistance from any magical allies—she prided herself on her ability to sneak. She had even, she admitted to herself, borrowed some techniques from the famous Flynn Rider. She knelt to gather the keys from the guard's belt, striding down the hall with a candle in hand.

Rapunzel and Pinkie watched the light grow closer to them until it illuminated the face of the woman who held the keys: a woman with dark, wavy hair, wearing a cloak of black over her gown of red.

The woman was very obviously not Queen Barbara; Pinkie knew this. However, when Rapunzel saw this woman, the first word she uttered was: "Mother?"

"Oh, Rapunzel, my dear!" Gothel replied dramatically. "It pains me to see you locked up in the dungeons of this nasty place! And to think you actually called it home."

"You can't be here," Rapunzel said in disbelief. "You're dead…"

"Oh, a minor trifle," Gothel replied with a shrug. "After all, you've just been taken over by a shapeshifter, and your friend there is a pony in a human body. A little resurrection shouldn't strike you as too odd by this point."

"How…how did you know about…?"

"Oh, I have my ways," Gothel replied with a smirk.

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Pinkie cried. "You're…you're that fake mom that locked Rapunzel up in the tower so you could use her hair!"

"Such accusations!" Gothel gasped.

"But you did," Rapunzel snapped. "You just wanted to use my powers to make yourself young again."

"But that doesn't mean I didn't love you, my flower," Gothel replied. "So I lied to you about one little thing for eighteen years. Didn't I also give you the best of everything you could ask for? Build you a paradise? Protect you from—"

"Keep me away from my real family," Rapunzel argued. "Set it up so I would never find my true love! Send the one I loved to his death!"

"I thought the stabby guys did that," Pinkie interrupted.

"But she set it up," Rapunzel growled.

"You needed to be safe," Gothel replied coldly. "I was only doing what I thought best. If I'd killed that Flynn Rider the first time, you wouldn't be in this mess, now, would you?"

"If he knew where I was," Rapunzel shot back, "I wouldn't be in this mess."

"But he doesn't," Gothel told her. "And with that fake running around, well, how will he tell the difference? How will anyone be able to tell the difference?"

"HE'LL KNOW!" Rapunzel shouted.

"Actually, Chrysalis can hypnotize princes into thinking she's the real thing," Pinkie pointed out. "Oops! I shouldn't have said that, should I?"

"I'm the only one that will know the truth," Gothel said. "Me and your little friend there."

"And Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash!" Rapunzel attempted to argue.

"Or will they?" Gothel posed. "If that shape-shifter can fool hubby dearest, she can fool a lot of people and ponies. But you don't have to worry about her anymore, my flower! There's only one way for you to survive this, and that's to escape this dungeon. You couldn't possibly hope to convince anyone in the castle that you're the real Rapunzel…but at the very least, you can be safe." Gothel held the keys up to the candlelight, jingling them softly. "Safe with me, where you belong."

"I don't trust you," Rapunzel said.

"My flower," Gothel replied, "all I've ever wanted for you was to be safe. And, well, to help me be immortal, but you don't have any hair anymore to give me that, now, do you? Come with me, and I'll protect you. I'll even let you bring your little friend."

Rapunzel bit her lip.

"Are you really gonna do it?" Pinkie asked.

"If we don't go with her," Rapunzel pointed out, "we'll die. And I…I really don't have my hair anymore, so I can't…" She stared directly into Gothel's eyes.

Gothel was already undoing the lock. "Soon this nightmare will be over," Gothel promised.

"But Chrysalis-!" Pinkie tried to interrupt.

"Either way, there's nothing we can do about that," Rapunzel sighed.

"But if we could get to the others!" Pinkie looked up to Gothel. "Um, Ms…"

"Gothel," Gothel introduced, swinging open the cell door and tossing the key to it on the floor.

"Ms. Gothel?" Pinkie asked. "Can you let us go to see my other five friends? We can stop Chrysalis and convince everyone that this is the real Rapunzel!"

"I'm afraid not," Gothel said. "After all, I couldn't let you go out where it's unsafe…and I hold the only keys to your chains. You'll have to come with me on my terms."

"Well, that doesn't sound very trustworthy!" Pinkie snapped.

"Pinkie," Rapunzel said sternly. "We have to go with her."

"Rapunzel?" Pinkie asked. "Are you…do you really believe her?"

"We have to go," Rapunzel insisted.

The two staggered out of the cell, and Gothel took hold of the chains on Rapunzel's wrists to lead them out. "I've got a cart waiting," she explained. "We're going somewhere the guards and the shape-shifter will never find you." Or anyone else, she added mentally. She then kissed the top of Rapunzel's now-bald head. "I've missed you, my flower. I love you."

"I love you mo—" Rapunzel caught herself before she could finish the old exchange of sentences.

Gothel finished it anyway: "I love you most."

Pinkie could only follow in horror, watching Rapunzel become a slave to memory.

* * *

One cell over from where Pinkie and Rapunzel had just been liberated, Ethan Stabbington yawned and stretched into wakefulness. "Hey," he grunted.

His twin brother Corey blinked his two eyes—a stark contrast to Ethan's one, the other covered by a patch—open. The missing eye was the only way to tell the two apart; both were muscular redheads with almost permanent scowls. "What is it?" Corey snarled.

"Somebody left a key," Ethan observed.

The key Gothel had cast aside, the master key that could unlock all the cell doors, glittered in the faint light from the dungeon torches.

"So can you get it?" Corey asked. He knew that even if they did get the key to the cell, they'd still have to work out a way to undo their chains.

Ethan couldn't reach one hand through the bars; the chains on his wrists stopped that. He then tried both hands; his arms weren't long enough.

"If you can't reach it," Corey complained, "why'd you wake me up?"

Suddenly, a shape passed through the darkness, quickly past the torches. Neither Stabbington brother could see the face of this person—just a silhouette. Another silhouette, some sort of flying animal, passed just behind it. This pair had come from the glittering sphere outside, though the brothers had no way of knowing that.

Staying just out of the light, the figure planted one foot, in a black shoe, down on the key. "So let me see if I've got this right," he said—his voice was obviously male. "You two are this kingdom's most wanted."

"Yeah," Ethan Stabbington grunted. "Why do you want to know?"

"Tell me something," the figure continued. "Are you in this cell because you had what it takes to actually kill someone? Or are you just in here for petty thievery?"

"We're thieves and murderers," Corey answered. "We do pretty much anything for the right pay."

"What are you doing?" Ethan snarled at his twin.

"Seeing if he wants to make us an offer," Corey answered. "That's the vibe I'm getting."

"I'm considering it," the figure said. "After all, I could use a couple hired hands for what I'm planning. And money isn't an object. But I do have to know: have you ever tried to usurp the throne of this kingdom?"

"Nah," Corey answered. "Wouldn't know what to do with it anyway."

"Good," the figure answered, the shoe moving off the key. "Then you won't be in my way when I take it over. This seems like a nice place, after all. I've decided I want it."

The key was surrounded in blue light, then lifted off the ground of its own accord. Ethan and Corey were both stunned.

"How…how are you doing that?" Ethan asked.

"Magic," the figure answered. "Don't tell me. This is one of those kingdoms WITHOUT any known sources of magic."

"Magic ain't real," Ethan said, "except for the girl with the magic hair. And all that hair's been cut off."

"Pity," the figure said, and the key moved ever upward until it was suddenly clenched in his shadowy hand. "That sounds like something I could have used to my advantage. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers, after all." He reached out, unlocking the cell door.

"That key ain't gonna do anything about the chains," Corey pointed out.

When the cell door was open, blasts of blue energy rocked the room. The chains were severed; both Stabbingtons stood.

"The key was just for show," the figure admitted. "I'm a bit of a fan of dramatic effect."

"What…" Ethan moved closer, trying to make out the face of his rescuer. "What kinda person are you?"

The figure stepped forward, now illuminated by a nearby torch. It was a young man, dressed in royal blue clothing the likes of which neither brother had ever seen before. Dark curls slithered around his face, which was held in an arrogant smirk. The flying creature was also visible now; to the Stabbingtons' disgust, it was an eel, one that somehow was able to survive out of water.

"No one special," Mozenrath told the brothers. "Just the future ruler of this kingdom and the one who's going to lead you to glory…if you do what I say. But from what I've heard, we're going to get along just fine."

"Just fine!" Xerxes echoed.

* * *

Chapter 19

· I'm pretty sure that Zel's brown hair NEVER grows. The one lock she has hasn't grown since she was a baby. The idea of bald Rapunzel was something I have wanted to play with for a while because of this.

· You have to admit a couple things: people look INCREDIBLY different with hair than bald. And if you saw two identical copies of your best friend standing next to each other, but one didn't have hair, you'd probably assume the one with hair was your real friend. Unless your real friend is usually bald; then it's the other way around. It's kinda the same principle as glasses. People look SO DIFFERENT with glasses on/off.

· It's struck the fandom before that Corona has a harsh justice system. They were going to kill Eugene for STEALING THE TIARA THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WOULD HAVE A PRINCESS TO GO WITH IT. I can't imagine Zel was too big a fan of this policy, hence her debate over it. And in Tangled Ever After, the Stabbington brothers DO turn up in chains, so obviously they haven't been executed.

· I fully believe Gothel could break into a heavily guarded castle. In fact, thinking about it now, she canonically DID it once to steal Zel in the first place. Nonmagical badassery. That's where she shines.

· You might have noticed that Gothel keeps calling him "Flynn." IMPORTANT. MAKE A NOTE OF THAT. She has NEVER heard the name "Eugene Fitzherbert."

· My fanon names for the Stabbington brothers have always been "Corey" and "Ethan". Dunno why. They just look like a Corey and an Ethan.


	20. Bridezilla

20. Bridezilla

CORONA, AESTAS

When the sun rose, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Eugene walked up to the castle together.

"I wonder if we can help out with planning the wedding," Twilight mused. "After all, we are kind of pros after Cadance's. What do you think, Eugene?"

"I think I have absolutely no opinion on what color the dinner napkins are," Eugene replied. "I don't care what kind of flowers are in the aisle, the border on the invitations makes no difference to me, and as for the cake, as long as there actually is one, I'm good. You'd have to double check with Rapunzel and her parents, though. They're kind of in charge of the whole shindig. Me, all I care about is the bride I get to marry."

"But how can you not care about the border on the invitations?" Rarity asked, appalled. "The presentation says so much about—"

Before Rarity could launch into a monologue, Applejack interrupted, "I hope Rapunzel and Pinkie didn't make too much trouble for the rest of the castle last night." She winked.

They approached the gate, and the guards immediately shuffled in front of said gate to block it off. "Hey now," Eugene said. "What's with the battle formation?"

"We're just a little suspicious of these 'Canterlot ambassadors' after last night," one growled. "If I were you, Fitzherbert, I'd steer clear of them."

"What happened last night?" Twilight asked, perplexed.

"The princess did say that it was probably just one traitor," a second guard told the first. "The others might be innocent."

"Well, I don't buy it," the first said, drawing a frying pan from his belt and pointing it at the six before him. "It's probably some elaborate scheme!"

"Okay," said Eugene, "you're going to stop and back up about ten steps. We have NO IDEA what you are saying."

"See? They don't know," the second guard insisted. "They were even the ones that told us about the mysterious assassin in the first place."

The first guard sighed before lowering the skillet. "I'm going to trust the rest of you…for now. Last night, we caught an impersonator trying to kill Rapunzel and claiming to be her, though she clearly wasn't. The one of your friends that came into the palace last night let her in. We threw both of them into the dungeons."

"Chrysalis!" Fluttershy gasped.

"Pinkie Pie…let Chrysalis in?" Twilight tilted her head. "That doesn't sound right. Are you sure it wasn't an accident?"

"The princess affirmed herself that this…Pinkie Pie…deliberately let the assassin in," the guard continued.

"Can you take us to see them?" Applejack asked.

"Only under supervision," the guard growled.

* * *

A throng of guards accompanied Eugene, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack down into the dungeons…only to find two suspiciously empty cells.

"They're gone!" the guard from outside yelled. "And so are the Stabbingtons!"

"Chrysalis…has Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy said with a gulp.

"I'm sorry," Eugene said with a nervous laugh, "I thought you said the Stabbingtons had gone missing—"

"Their cell is completely unlocked!" the guard cried in disbelief.

Another guard staggered into the room, pressing a sack of ice to his head. "Someone assaulted me last night and took the master key to the cells," he barked.

"Chrysalis!" Rarity hissed.

"Your Chrysalis and the Stabbingtons…" Eugene reiterated. "No. This is not good. This is not good…"

"Don't tell me," Rainbow Dash groaned. "The Stabbingtons are super powerful villains?"

"Yeah," Eugene answered. "Pretty much."

"Put all the troops on guard," the first guard ordered. "Get Captain Maximus to survey the border. No one gets in or out without our supervision and the approval of the princess."

"Well, can we see Rapunzel?" Rarity asked. "I'd like to get her take on all this."

"And I'd like to make sure my future wife is all right after, you know, an assassin tried to bump her off," Eugene added sternly.

"Of course," the guard said. "Right this way."

* * *

THE BORDERLANDS OF CORONA, AESTAS

Deep within the rocky underground tunnel, Rapunzel and Pinkie Pie remained in chains, now also fastened to iron rings in the wall. Gothel set before each of them a plate of food, but didn't undo the chains around their arms before watching them try to eat.

"It's only for your own good," Gothel insisted.

When the two had finished with lunch, Gothel cleared away the plates. "It's only temporary," she assured Rapunzel. "Soon, we'll have somewhere to go where I won't have to keep you in such nasty chains."

"I'm already regretting having gone with you," Rapunzel said softly.

"What was that? You know how I feel about the mumbling, Rapunzel."

"Nothing, Mother." Rapunzel sighed dejectedly.

"Now." Gothel knelt before Rapunzel. "What would you say to a little reliving of the old days? Why don't you sing me that lovely healing song?"

"I don't want to," Rapunzel muttered.

"Rapunzel, if you don't speak up—"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO!"

"That's just too bad," Gothel moaned histrionically. "And I was so looking forward to hearing your beautiful voice again. Next to that, sustaining my youth would just be a bonus."

That didn't slip by Rapunzel or Pinkie. "What?" they said in unison; Pinkie in confusion, Rapunzel in anger.

"Oh, surely you must know," Gothel said with a smile, standing tall over where the two younger women were forced by their chains to sit against the wall. "You don't need your hair in order to heal people, Rapunzel. After all, you did sing Flynn Rider back to life."

"You…you still want my power?" Rapunzel cried. "THAT'S WHY YOU SAVED ME? YOU TRICKED ME!"

"You're nothing but a liar-liar-horseshoes-on-fire!" Pinkie added.

"Oh, come now," Gothel replied casually. "I really do care for your well-being. Why else would I—"

"Anything you do, you do for yourself!" Rapunzel wailed. "Not for me! Not for anybody!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Sing," Gothel commanded coldly, "the song."

"You're wrong," Rapunzel insisted. "I don't have my powers anymore. Whoever told you that I do lied." She took a deep breath before singing quickly but clearly: "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine!" She let the moment sink in. "See? Nothing."

"There has to be a difference," Gothel said to herself. "A reason why losing your hair caused all your work on me to be undone, but brought dear darling Flynn back from the brink of death…oh, I know." Her smile broadened. "Your HEART isn't in it. You have to want it, don't you? You wanted him back to life, and it happened. You didn't mean what you sang just now at all. Well, you're going to want it, Rapunzel. You're going to want to heal me with all of your heart."

"NO!" Rapunzel cried. "No, I won't!"

"Do I have to give you incentive?" Gothel asked, drawing a knife.

"Go ahead," Rapunzel challenged. "Try to hurt me."

"I'd rather not," Gothel sighed. "After all, you are so precious to me. Instead, I think…" She moved toward Pinkie Pie, holding out the blade.

"W-wait!" Pinkie screeched. "Don't! I'm too fun to die!"

"DON'T HURT HER!" Rapunzel screamed.

"THEN YOU WILL SING AND YOU WILL MEAN IT!" Gothel commanded, holding the blade up next to Pinkie's neck.

"F-flower…" Now Rapunzel couldn't hold back the tears. All she wanted was for Pinkie to be safe, and if that meant healing Gothel, so be it. "Flower gleam and…glow…let your power shine…"

A golden glow surrounded Gothel. The older woman backed off, sighing in pleasure as the wrinkles in her face smoothed out and her hair became a deeper shade of black; signs of age that hadn't been noticeable until they were gone melted away. "There," Gothel said. "Was that so hard?"

"Make the clock reverse," Rapunzel finished in tears, "bring back what once was mine…what once was…" She couldn't say the last word. It didn't matter. Gothel's youth was restored.

"That's better." Gothel sheathed the knife. "I'll leave you two to some…girl bonding time. And to think, I thought the pink-haired one was just going to be dead weight!"

She strode down the tunnel and out of sight. Rapunzel sobbed audibly. Pinkie looked upon her new friend with concern.

"She had no right to do that to you!" Pinkie burst out in anger. "She made you cry! I'm NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER going to forgive her! And four evers makes forever!"

"I thought…things would be different," Rapunzel whispered through her tears. "No…I thought things would be the same. I wanted it to be like when I was young, and she would play with me and sing with me and…and treat me like her daughter. I guess I'm an idiot. All along, Barbara was willing to be my mother and treat me like a daughter…and I followed Gothel instead."

"You're not an idiot!" Pinkie argued. "You didn't know! Besides, if we hadn't followed her, we'd probably be way worse off! Hmm…hey, I just thought of something. Isn't it a little convenient that she showed up right after Chrysalis kicked you out?"  
"The wedding!" Rapunzel realized with a gasp. "Gothel needs to keep me out of the way just long enough for Chrysalis to take over for me? Augh, how did I not SEE it?"

"Because you remember loving her," Pinkie said, "and that's not bad! It makes you a lot better than her! All those years, she should have been loving you, but she was just selfish instead!"

"I'm so sorry you're here with me," Rapunzel sighed. "It should just be me locked up here. Then she couldn't use you against me. She couldn't hurt you."  
"I'm not sorry I'm here," Pinkie said honestly. "After all, if I wasn't here, you'd be captured alone! Now we're captured together! If you were gone, I'd be scared and worried! Well, I'm still a little scared and worried, but at least I know where you are!"

"But the others are probably worried about us," Rapunzel pointed out. "I wonder if they figured out what happened."

"I'm sure they did!" Pinkie decided. "They're probably on their way to rescue us right now! And anyway, we can think of a way to get out of this on our own!"

"But how?"

"I'm not sure yet," Pinkie admitted, "but I'm gonna put my thinking cap on, and I'll come up with something! You have nothing to worry about with Pinkie Pie on the case!"

Rapunzel could finally smile. "Thank you."

"No problem! In the meantime, do you want to do something to pass time until we think of something? I think you need some cheering up! You like singing, right? Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh, I could teach you one of my songs if you wanted!"

"I like the sound of that," Rapunzel admitted. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Pinkie cried. "Okay, I'm gonna teach you how to sing 'Smile, Smile, Smile'! It's the bestest song I ever came up with ever!" She cleared her throat loudly before beginning the first line: "My name is Pinkie Pie…"

* * *

CORONA, AESTAS

The host of guards accompanied Eugene, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack up to a large mirrored dressing room, where what appeared to be Rapunzel looked over different gowns on mannequins. "You're here!" she cried. "I was just looking over the gowns for the bridesmaids. I was so scared after last night!" She rushed forward into Eugene's arms, embracing him.

"What happened?" Applejack inquired.

"I was trying to sleep when Pinkie Pie let that horrible assassin through the window," the princess replied, still buried in Eugene's arms. "Then she tried to kill me while Pinkie snuck out to try and pretend she was going to protect me!"

"But why would Pinkie do a thing like that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's not like her at all!"

"I don't know," the princess replied; by now, Eugene was stroking her hair. "She just seemed to have gone mad! You should feel lucky we caught her. You would be in danger from her too!" She sighed. "Right now…all I want is to forget about all that and be with my Flynn. After all, Flynn, you and I are getting married tomorrow…that's all I want to think about."

"Whoa," Eugene said teasingly. "'Flynn'? Now that's a name I haven't heard you use on me in a while. I mean, you were the one who got me to start going by 'Eugene' again in the first place…"

"Why is that?" the princess asked, genuinely confused.

"Because it's my real name," Eugene said, gears turning in his head. Before any revelations could come to him, the woman in his arms quickly pressed her lips to his, drinking deeply from his soul.

When the two parted from the kiss, Eugene said blankly, "What were we…what was I…" He looked up at the room, dazed. "Nice dresses," he said. "Are they for the wedding?" His eyes were out of focus.

"Yes, dear," the woman who seemed as Rapunzel said through gritted teeth. "Now run along. I have a lot of preparation to do."

Twilight glared directly at the woman. She knew. So did Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. The woman glared back. Then she grinned, slowly and deliberately.

"Guards," she ordered, "let me have a moment alone with the ambassadors. I want to talk with them about your friend."

"But what if they're dangerous?" the talkative guard said. "Maybe we should post an officer—"

"You won't have to worry unless you hear me scream," the woman who seemed as Rapunzel assured him. "Now, some privacy, please?"

"Of…of course, your highness." The guards, followed by the dizzy Eugene, turned and left.

The woman closed the door after them.

"Chrysalis," Twilight accused.

"So you found me out," Chrysalis confessed. "Good for you. But what are you really going to do about it? Tell me. Are you going to tell the royal guards? They won't believe you. They don't believe in magic like mine. Are you going to tell Flynn—Eugene? After that kiss, he won't be able to understand a word you say. Use the Elements of Harmony on me? You actually sealed your own fate for me rather conveniently by splitting away from the pink one. And without her…" Chrysalis advanced toward Twilight. "I'm more powerful than even the most powerful of you."

She pushed Twilight's shoulder, a shock of green rocking where her fingers connected with Twilight. Twilight was blasted backward into one of the mirrors, shattering it.

"Does anypony else want to try and challenge me?" Chrysalis laughed. "Oh, and if you're looking to free the real Rapunzel or your pink friend from captivity, you won't find them in the dungeons. I've made sure they're gone, somewhere you can NEVER find them."

"We saw," Applejack said through gritted teeth. "Ya also let out them Stabbin'tons, didn't ya?"

"Stabbingtons?" Chrysalis replied. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid!" Rainbow Dash growled.

"The point remains," Chrysalis said. "I'm about to give the orders that if the pink one or the princess everyone thinks is a fake crosses the borders into this castle, they're to be apprehended on sight. Not that they can get out of where they are, anyway. You may know who I am, but how much good does that REALLY do you?"

"You won't get away with this!" Fluttershy retorted, helping Twilight stand and looking her over for injuries from the mirror.

"Are you going to attack me?" Chrysalis asked. "That would get you thrown into the dungeons as quickly as the pink one. After all, I'm the only thing standing between you and suspicion. You can stay in the castle as long as you like, but if you dare make a move to accuse or attack me, I'll have you sent to die. Of course, I could probably kill you right now, but that would ruin the fun. As Discord always used to believe, the more players there are to make the game chaotic, the more fun the game is. And it will be fun for me…watching you squirm, unable to do a thing."

A knock came at the door. "Who is it?" Chrysalis called out.

The door slammed open. Maximus stood behind it. The look upon his face indicated that he'd heard everything.

"So those nosy guards had to send someone up to supervise us after all," Chrysalis sighed. "You're in the same boat, horse. Even if you could speak, what would you say? That a shapeshifter took over your princess? How would that look? And just in case you're still thinking of snitching on me…"

She placed a hand on Maximus' chest, over his heart. A ripple of green boomed out over the horse; he keened in pain and backed away as quickly as he could.

"I'll have you out of my hair soon enough," Chrysalis said. "I'll see you downstairs. Then I suppose I'll have to choose one of these ugly gowns for my bridesmaids…such a chore." Chrysalis took off running down the hall.

Maximus galloped after her, and the five Equestrians followed in hot pursuit. Maximus was the only one who could catch up to Chrysalis as she scooted next to one of the guards. "I'm frightened by the news that that assassin is still out there with her accomplice," Chrysalis told the human guard quickly. "Please…have Maximus patrol the walls to make sure they don't come back! He isn't doing any good on the castle grounds!"

Maximus snorted a protest, but the human guard nodded. "It's a good idea, Maximus. Keep an eye out for those nasties. Now, don't take that attitude with me! You're our captain, and the most fit to take them on if they return!"

Maximus stomped on the ground once.

"Yes," the guard replied, "you outrank me, but she outranks you. And she's obviously very frightened—"

Chrysalis summoned up a tremble; even eked out a fake tear.

"Don't let her down," the guard told Maximus.

"Excuse me," Fluttershy said shakingly, the others having caught up, "but where's Eugene?"

"We sent him home," the guard said. "He wasn't feeling well. Pre-wedding jitters, probably."

"We should go check on him," Rainbow Dash said. "But some of us should stay here to keep an eye on Rapunzel. You know, in case anything else bad happens and she needs our protection."

Maximus nodded. Now seeing the delineation between who was out to harm his friends and who was out to protect them, he didn't want to limit the Equestrians again.

"Applejack, let's stay here and help out until sundown," Rainbow Dash suggested. "The rest of you okay with going to see Eugene?"

"Yup," Twilight replied.

"Of course," Fluttershy added.

"As am I," Rarity agreed.

Chrysalis seemed slightly miffed, and Rainbow Dash couldn't tell if that was because not all of them were leaving or because not all of them were staying for her to taunt. "Good," Rainbow Dash concluded.

"We'll see you around," Twilight said, turning to leave; Fluttershy and Rarity followed.

"Shouldn't you be going?" Chrysalis barked at Maximus.

Reluctantly, Maximus trotted down the hall and around the corner to where Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy waited.

"Come with us," Rarity told him. "We'll need your help."

At that, Maximus perked up, standing to attention. He followed Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy out and toward Eugene's home.

* * *

Eugene's daze was worse than it had previously appeared. He stood watching the walls for long stretches of time, occasionally moving to look at a different wall.

Countless times, Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, and Maximus had tried to get his attention. "Eugene," Fluttershy said, "Rapunzel is in trouble! That was Chrysalis you saw!"

"Rapunzel," Eugene replied. "We're getting married tomorrow, you know."

"You're not well!" Rarity insisted. "Can't you see what's happened to you?"

"I can see I'm getting married," Eugene told the wall.

"You have to fight it!" Twilight insisted. "Don't let Chrysalis win!"

"Who?" Eugene answered.

Maximus roughly shoved Eugene over, trying to at least get him to come to his senses and argue with the horse. Instead, Eugene stood up again and stared right at the wall once more.

Maximus whinnied disappointedly.

"It's no use," Rarity sighed. "We need the real Rapunzel to wake him up."

Something bothered Twilight's memory, but she couldn't get it to materialize as a conscious thought. She picked at it in her mind, but to no avail, though she knew she was forgetting something very important.

"We can at least make sure he doesn't hurt himself," Fluttershy said somberly.

"Somehow, I don't think that will be a problem," Rarity said, looking at the statue-still Eugene.

"What am I forgetting?" Twilight muttered to herself.

* * *

THE BORDERLANDS OF CORONA, AESTAS

"Dinner time!" Gothel planted two plates of roasted herbs, the kind one could obtain by picking them in the forest and scorching them over a campfire, before Pinkie and Rapunzel.

"Um, Ms. Gothel?" Pinkie asked. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I don't see why not," Gothel replied.

"Are you sure you don't care about Rapunzel just the littlest teeniest bit?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, you were together for eighteen years!"

"But I do care about her," Gothel reiterated. "Why else would I keep her locked up safe?"

"If you really cared, you'd give her more freedom and trust her, and she wouldn't leave because she wouldn't want to," Pinkie argued. "Also, you probably wouldn't threaten her friends with a knife."

"You just don't understand," Gothel told Pinkie. "Of course, I didn't expect you to. YOU, I don't care about. You would have been thrown out to the bears by now if you hadn't gotten Rapunzel to sing."

"Moth—Gothel," Rapunzel said coldly, "would you still 'love' me if I didn't sing for you?"

"It's a moot point." Gothel waved her hand. "I love you, and you will sing for me. Of course, I won't need a healing for a good while. After tomorrow, we'll be set up somewhere I won't have to keep you in chains. You're just going to love my new friend. She's the one who's going to get us a new place to live…if I can pass a simple test, of course."

"Test?" Rapunzel and Pinkie asked.

"I only need you here for two days," Gothel told them. "After the wedding, well, then let's just say things will have changed considerably for the better in Corona. And I will have gotten my name in with a friend in a very high place."

"What friend is that?" Pinkie snapped.

"You probably wouldn't know her," Gothel replied casually. "Anyway, enjoy your dinner. I did work so hard to get it for you!"

"I never should have trusted you," Rapunzel growled. "You are NOT my mother."

Gothel very nearly became angry, but she caught herself. "Don't be silly" was all she said before she stormed away down the tunnel.

"How can she just ignore all those years?" Pinkie wondered out loud.

"That's exactly what gets to me," Rapunzel sighed.

"Well, we're gonna get out of here and away from her," Pinkie swore. "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cupcake in my—" She found that the chains around her arms prevented her from poking herself in the eye as was customary in the ritual. "…eye."

* * *

CORONA, AESTAS

"So," Applejack asked Queen Barbara, "what exactly did Rapunzel plan for this weddin' anyway?"

"She had planned on inviting the entire town, letting the doors open for whomever wanted to enter," Barbara answered. "Already she's so thoughtful about her subjects. She doesn't want to be above them or apart from them. She wouldn't have new wedding rings forged—she's using the rings from my departed mother and father. They've been preserved in the royal treasury, and she wanted to carry on the memory of the rulers of the past—even if she can't remember her grandparents. She absolutely insisted on using them."

"Your Majesty," Applejack replied somberly, "Rapunzel's been…not herself lately. Ya gotta remember what she really wanted for this kingdom right about now. If she says anything that doesn't sound like her…ya gotta notice it."

"Why? Did something happen on your journey to the tower?"

"Just…that she's been feelin' stressed with the weddin' and all…so remember what she really wanted. What she's really like. Her, uh, stress might cause her to say and do things that are different. Don't let her forget. And most importantly, don't YOU forget."

The two entered the mirrored chamber, where Rainbow Dash was modeling the ugliest dress either woman had ever seen: a poofy mess of dark green and bright pink, with ruffles everywhere. "This one's the perfect bridesmaid dress!" Rainbow Dash insisted.

"Ew," Chrysalis said with scorn. A host of guards surrounded her, making sure Rainbow Dash did nothing to harm her, but mostly, Rainbow Dash had done nothing other than make repeated suggestions for ugly dresses.

"Making progress?" Barbara asked.

"Oh…Mother!" Chrysalis said with a start, turning to face the queen. "I was just about to pick a dress for the bridesmaids. And Rainbow Dash is…HELPING." She glared at Rainbow Dash, who just grinned.

Applejack rolled her eyes. It amazed her, how Chrysalis always had to play the bridezilla. In a kingdom that was more used to shape-shifters, her need for perfection, so different from that of Cadance or Rapunzel, would be an obvious giveaway.

Another guard rushed to the room. "Your Highness!" he greeted. "The warriors from the borderlands are here!"

"Warriors from the borderlands?" Chrysalis was genuinely puzzled.

"You wanted them to entertain at your wedding," the guard reminded "Rapunzel." "You requested the piano talents of one, the mime act of another—"

"MIME act?" In disgust, Chrysalis stormed out of the room, the host of guards following her. "Let me see these warriors!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack followed her knowingly; Barbara followed perplexedly.

In the atrium of the castle, the muscular patrons from the Snuggly Duckling all gathered. "EW!" Chrysalis immediately reacted. "I don't want YOU at my wedding!"

"But…Princess…" The hook-handed warrior stepped forward. "You said personally that you'd love it if I played your wedding march. You told me—"

"No, no, NO!" Chrysalis yelled. "No wedding march! No mimes! NONE OF YOU! You aren't part of my kingdom anyway, so go back to the borderlands, you…disgusting creatures!"

"Rapunzel!" Barbara gasped. "They're your friends!"

"I'm just…under a lot of pressure right now, Mother," Chrysalis answered, pressing her fingers to her temples. "I want everything to be perfect. You understand?"

"I think I do," Barbara said, remembering Applejack's words. "But are you sure? You planned for them to be part of your special day since—"

"They need to GO!" Chrysalis screamed. "I will NOT have my wedding filled with what looks like the most detailed criminal record in this world's history!"

"But we're reformed from all that," another warrior, a tall and lanky man with a distinctively large nose and a winged helmet, piped in. "All our days of murdering and kidnapping and robbery are behind us!"

Rainbow Dash slipped in next to Applejack. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" she whispered.

"No," Applejack replied just as hushedly. "What are you thinkin'?"

"Reformed criminals. They know where to hide bodies and hostages."

"I still have no idea what yer…OH."

"OUT!" Chrysalis insisted.

"But we traveled all this way," the warrior in the winged helmet protested. "It's a two-day walk—"

"I SAID OUT!"

"Well…if you insist," the hook-handed warrior said dejectedly. He turned to leave, slouching slightly from sadness. The others slowly turned to follow suit.

"Look at the time!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Applejack, we should be going too! We'll see you tomorrow, Princess!"

"Don't forget to be at the wedding!" Chrysalis told Rainbow Dash cheerily. "I want you right in the front…where I can SEE you."

"Of course!" Rainbow Dash answered without missing a beat. She and Applejack followed the group of warriors out of the castle.

The sun was dropping lower in the sky. "We'll have to walk through the night," the hook-handed warrior lamented.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Wait up!"

"It's the princess' friends," the warrior in the winged helmet said, noticing her and Applejack.

"So you guys are like the foremost criminals in the world, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Uh, were the foremost criminals?"

"Yeah," the hook-handed warrior answered. "Why?"

"Listen," Rainbow Dash said. "There's something big going on, and it has to do with why Rapunzel kicked you out. Tomorrow's wedding is set to be an absolute disaster. I can't explain it right now because you kinda wouldn't believe me. Anyway, I need to know one thing that could mean the difference between a happy ending and a really bad one. If you were going to hide a body, alive or dead, somewhere in these lands, anywhere you wanted, and you wanted to make sure it was NEVER FOUND AGAIN, where would you hide it?"

"Well," the hook-handed warrior mused, "there's—"

"Are you sure you want to give that away?" the warrior in the winged helmet asked him worriedly.

"It's not like we use it anymore," the hook-handed warrior said with a shrug, "especially after the flood closed half of it off. There's a tunnel under the Snuggly Duckling. We used to keep all sorts of hostages there. It has all our literal skeletons in the closet."

"And I'm going to take a bet on that," Rainbow Dash said. "Thanks…um, what was your name again?"

"Franz," the hook-handed warrior answered.

"And I'm Sigmund," the warrior with the winged helmet added. "And that's Vladimir, Atilla, Shorty, Ulf, Gunther, Tor—"

"Yeah yeah," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Thanks for the tip. I'm gonna be going with you tonight." She turned to Applejack. "You should stay back. If four of us show up, Chrysalis might not be too suspicious!"

"She'll notice if even one of us is gone," Applejack replied, "but I got some information from the queen that might help me back her into a corner if she tries to act too out of character. You're really gonna chance it that you-know-who's in this secret tunnel?"

"We have nothing else to go on," Rainbow Dash answered. "If it's the best place to hide, then that's where they're hidden." A thought occurred to her. "I need to stop back at Eugene's place. I thought of someone else that can help us! Someone the 'princess' kicked out and doesn't expect to see at the wedding anyway."

* * *

The warriors from the borderlands waited outside while Rainbow Dash and Applejack met Twilight, Eugene, Rarity, Maximus, and Fluttershy in the reading room.

"I think I know where Rapunzel and Pinkie are," Rainbow Dash informed the others. "If Chrysalis thinks like the best criminals, they're stuffed in a tunnel below the Snuggly Duckling. I need to go out there tonight with the rest of the warriors. It's a long shot, but we gotta take it. In the meantime, most of you have gotta show up at the wedding so Chrysalis doesn't think something's up. I'll also need you to stall for as long as possible. Keep Eugene from saying 'I do' to Chrysalis as long as you can! If I'm right, we'll be back just in time!"

"It is a long shot," Twilight admitted, "but we have to take it."

"We can certainly come up with a distraction or two in order to stall," Rarity said with a smile.

"And we'll keep working on seeing if anything can make Eugene better," Fluttershy added.

"Great!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Now, there's one more thing. Maximus, Chrysalis kicked you out. She doesn't expect you there anyway. I was wondering if you'd come with me. You're the captain of the guard, after all, and we need all the help we can get on this mission!"

Maximus whinnied his approval.

"Then let's go!" Rainbow Dash commanded. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow's my wedding," Eugene said listlessly.

Rainbow Dash and Maximus left the house to join the band of warriors. "We're ready," Rainbow Dash announced.

Maximus nudged her gently. He bent one foreleg, giving her one shoulder. It took Rainbow Dash a second to realize that he was offering her a ride.

"You out of everyone should know how wrong I think that is," Rainbow Dash growled.

Maximus gave a sort of shrug before straightening up into his full height once more. The band set out for the borderlands as the sun plummeted and the moon rose.

Rainbow Dash didn't let it show, but she was quite worried that her hunch was wrong. After all, if she was incorrect, no amount of stalling would stop Chrysalis from taking Corona within the following day.

* * *

THE BORDERLANDS OF CORONA, AESTAS

Gothel had gone further down the tunnel to make her own bed. Rapunzel and Pinkie Pie were left to sleep in their chains against the wall. Despite the discomfort, they'd managed to lose consciousness.

At midnight, as though the time itself was a marker for revelation, Pinkie's eyes flew open. She knew.

"I have a plan!" she cried.

* * *

Chapter 20:

· "Four evers makes forever" is a reference to a particular MLP ep, the title of which I forget, where Pinkie is told by somepony that he's "never ever ever ever ever" going to be her friend; she remarks sadly that "four evers…that's like forever!"

· The Smile song returns. It has a purpose for being here.

· THIS is the big reason you had to remember that Gothel thought his name was Flynn: no one around Chrysalis knew his real name. So she'd obviously slip up right away and call him that.

· A Pinkie Promise canonically has Pinkie finish her promise by actually poking herself in the eye.

· The reference to the rings belonging to Barbara's parents is from Tangled Ever After, where in Maximus' daymare about the royals finding that he lost the rings, the queen stands up and yells, "Those were my mother's!"

· Yes. I thought of it the other day: when Chrys impersonated Cadence, why did she give in to all her selfish urges instead of trying to act like the mild-mannered princess? Perfectionism is just Chrys' weakness. And I mean perfectionism in the events she's crashing, not just in her evil plans.

· This is the chapter where I finally picked names I like for the thugs! "Franz" is the pianist, of course, and "Sigmund" is the lovestruck one. All the other names are actually canon. Franz and Sigmund are listed canonically as "Hook-hands" and "Big-nose," which I don't think count as names.


	21. This Day Ever After

21: This Day Ever After

CORONA, AESTAS

Chrysalis admired herself in the mirror. Though Rapunzel had long ago chosen a dress far more modest than what Chrysalis would have picked, she still looked beautiful. Now, in these moments she had alone in the dressing room before her big moment…before she walked down the aisle to claim her prince…she smirked into the mirror. Perhaps the princess would be singing one of her silly songs, were she here. Inspired, Chrysalis sang a little song of her own:

"This day is going to be perfect,

The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small.

All Corona will gather 'round,

Say I look lovely in my gown—

What they don't know is that I have fooled them all!

This day is going to be perfect,

The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small.

And instead of having cake with her Eugene to celebrate,

Rapunzel's bells, they will not ring for her at all!

I could care less about the dress,

I won't partake in any cake!

Vows, I'll be lying when I say

That through any kind of weather

I'll want us to be together—

The truth is, I don't care for him at all!

No, I do not love the groom!

In my heart there is no room!

But I still want him to be all MINE!

For Rapunzel it is too late,

Elements can't save the day,

No, I'll be lying if I say

That I just want to abuse him, to wed him and to use him,

Not cherish, love, and care for him each day!

For I want Rapunzel's groom,

All my thoughts he does consume!

Eugene Fitzherbert,

You'll be mine very soon!

Finally the moment has arrived

For me to be one lucky bride!

Oh, the wedding she won't make

He'll end up marrying a fake!

And Corona will be…MINE!"

* * *

THE BORDERLANDS OF CORONA, AESTAS

"…and that's how we do it!" Pinkie finished. "It's foolproof!"

"But it means I have to lie," Rapunzel pointed out. "I know, it seems silly to worry about that at a time like this, but…I NEVER break my word. Ever."

"Then you won't have to lie! You can just tell a sort-of truth!"

"I'd feel wrong doing even that."

"Rapunzel, you don't have to lie at all. You'll be doing exactly what you said you'd do. I'll be the tricky one! Pretty please? You have to do it for Eugene!"

Rapunzel nodded. "Let's go."

They waited for Gothel to come back. "Hi there!" Pinkie greeted. "How was your day? Where'd you go? Did you go anywhere fun? Did you go to get candy? I would have gone to get candy if I were you! But then again, I like candy anytime—"

"YOU'RE certainly talkative today," Gothel snarled at Pinkie.

"I know!" Pinkie cried happily. "I almost forgot just how much I love talking! Especially to interesting people! Like you! I think you're interesting. I mean, you've lived for waaaaay longer than most other people! How old are you, anyway? One thousand? Two thousand? Three thousand? Four—"

"ENOUGH!" Gothel snapped.

"Mother," Rapunzel said, taking in a deep breath, "I've decided I'm going to sing for you. As long as you have me here."

"What?" Gothel was taken aback, but then just smiled. "I'm glad you came to your senses. Our relationship isn't a one-way street, you know."

"I went the wrong way down a one-way street once," Pinkie brought up. "I crashed right into Carrot Top! Boy, was she mad! But then I told her I was sorry, really really sorry, so SO sorry! And then she forgave me. Because it was an accident, after all!"

"ARE YOU THROUGH?" Gothel yelled at Pinkie.

"Just about," Pinkie said before becoming silent.

"Now then," Gothel said, turning back to Rapunzel. "You were saying?"

"I could sing for you now," Rapunzel said, "if you like."

"Hmm…" Gothel shrugged. "Well, I certainly don't see why not. A little more healing never hurt anyone."

Rapunzel began her song, and Gothel closed her eyes to listen to the dulcet notes: "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine—"

"You know what my FAVORITE flower is?" Pinkie interrupted. "Lilies, 'cause they're so huge and colorful! Except on the days when my favorite flower is roses because roses come in my favorite shade of pink! Though some days I'm actually more partial to—"

Gothel gave a wordless roar followed by "BE! QUIET!"

"But I hate quiet," Pinkie argued. "Quiet is just so…booooo-riiiing!"

"THAT'S IT!" Gothel withdrew a lockpick from her sash. "Now that Rapunzel's agreed to sing for me, I won't have any need of YOU anymore. And even if she has a problem with it, I'll find another way to get that voice." She knelt, undoing the chains that held Pinkie to the wall, including those that pinned her arms to her sides. "I won't put up with this annoyance for one more MINUTE!" She stood. "Get on your feet! You are coming with me."

Pinkie now only had one chain binding her wrists together and one binding her ankles. She stood up, crying, "I LOVE adventures! Where are we going!" She then made a dramatic show out of trying to take a step and falling over. "Oh no! Looks like I can't walk with these things on my ankles! Might as well just roll!" She rolled back and forth on the stone floor. "WHEEEEEEE!"

Gothel planted a foot on Pinkie's stomach, stopping her from rolling. She then knelt and swiftly undid the lock on the ankle chain before grabbing Pinkie by the elbow and pulling her sharply upward. Pinkie managed to clasp the unoccupied ankle-chain in her hands on the way up; Gothel didn't care about that. Gothel then dragged Pinkie forcibly down the length of the tunnel.

Pinkie noted that the woman was surprisingly strong. Not supernaturally, but Pinkie would have had a very hard time getting free of her grip. She didn't want to try that yet anyway. Her plan was still in motion.

A bright spot of light loomed at the end of the tunnel until Gothel and Pinkie exited onto a stone cliff overlooking a great quarry filled with broken-down water chutes. "If dashing your brains on the rocks at the bottom is what it takes to make you quiet…" Gothel growle, ready to throw Pinkie over the edge.

SNAP! Pinkie clasped the cuff from the chain she carried over Gothel's wrist. "Oops!" she cried, reaching down and grabbing the other cuff with her teeth so she could snap it on her own wrist, just above the one keeping her wrists less than a foot apart. "Guess I can't go over unless you come with me!"

"The sooner you're gone," Gothel muttered, fishing the lockpick from her sash with her free hand and guiding it over to the cuffs that bound them, "the sooner I—"

Pinkie's teeth were at the ready again; she bit down upon the lockpick when it was in range, taking it into her mouth. She steered it over to the cuffs around her wrists, unlocking all of them. One chain fell to the ground; the other hung from Gothel's right wrist. Pinkie then spat the lockpick into her now free hands.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Gothel roared.

Pinkie stepped aside, revealing a cannon that Gothel was sure hadn't been there to begin with. She aimed it at Gothel, pointing toward the tunnel from whence they'd come. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she yelled, mashing the button.

Gothel was blown off her feet in a rush of confetti and streamers. When she hit the ground, Pinkie was quick to snap the chain on her wrist to her other wrist, then use the discarded one on her ankles. "Sorry I have to chain you up," she said, "but Rapunzel and I have to escape now!" She then took off running back into the tunnel, and all the enraged Gothel could do was roll on the ground.

Pinkie charged back to Rapunzel, crying, "It worked! It worked!" She used her newly acquired lockpick to undo all Rapunzel's chains. "Now we gotta go!" she cried. "Gothel might roll this way any minute!"

"Thank you," Rapunzel said as she stood, her eyes almost watering. Then she and Pinkie took off in the opposite direction from the cliff edge.

Back on the cliff, Gothel struggled with her chains until a rush of green fire appeared above her. Maleficent loomed, staring down.

"I don't suppose you'd consider this a success?" Gothel asked sheepishly.

"As a matter of fact," Maleficent said, smiling slightly, "I do not consider this a failure…yet. I admire your attempt to do away with the Element of Laughter. There is still a chance for you."

She passed her hand over the chains, and each chain snapped in half. "Go," Maleficent told Gothel.

"When I get ahold of those girls," Gothel vowed with gritted teeth, standing up, "they'll think that what came before was the royal treatment."

* * *

CORONA, AESTAS

The Great Hall of the castle was lined with pews, and the pews were filled with townspeople. Everyone had gathered to see the beloved princess wed the beloved prince. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack sat in the very front row, before the altar. Rarity had been assigned the job of carrying the rings, something a messenger from the guard had passed on to her as explicit orders from the princess. Rarity accepted the job with gritted teeth, knowing Chrysalis just wanted to watch her squirm. As for Eugene, he stood at the altar in his finest wedding white and a golden brooch shaped like the Coronan sun symbol; he dazedly stared at the door through which his bride would enter.

The procession began. Rarity held her head high, walking down the aisle in a vibrant gown of green as she carried the pillow that held the gold-and-diamond bands of the previous king and queen. Pascal sat atop her head, tossing flower petals down into the aisle. Rarity then took her place at the side of the altar, standing near where her friends sat.

Everyone in the room turned to the door and gasped. There she stood, resplendent in the white bridal gown and clutching a bouquet of white flowers. Barbara and Zal smiled, thinking they saw their daughter about to walk into the happiest day of her life. The townspeople smiled, thinking their princess was about to enter a beautiful relationship. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack scowled, knowing that Chrysalis was just eating the attention up.

Chrysalis strode down the aisle, escorted by Zal, as the wedding march played on the organ, echoing throughout the chamber. She kept on a smug smile, thinking she'd won.

"Wow," the priest at the altar muttered.

"Wow," Eugene said through his bleary haze.

Chrysalis strode confidently up to the altar, taking her place across from Eugene. "Dearly beloved," the priest began, "we are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of Rapunzel and Eugene in marriage."

"Eugene," Chrysalis muttered under her breath. "Silly name."

The priest continued his monologue: "To live their lives together as husband and wife, in everlasting…"

"Rainbow Dash ain't gonna make it," Applejack hissed. "We gotta stall. If Eugene weren't so mesmerized, he'd've figured out—"

"Mesmerized!" Twilight caught herself just in time to say the word softly and keep from following it up with a great gasp. "Sand mesmerism! Sadira got rid of the spell she put on Aladdin that way! If I just had sand, I could fix him, and he'd call it off!"

"What can we do?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "We can't stop the wedding!"

"Unless we do something drastic." Applejack stood up, quietly, and moved next to Rarity. She then swatted the purple pillow out of Rarity's arms, sending the rings clinking and rolling down the hallway. "OOPS!" she said loudly; it echoed through the entire hall, and all eyes turned to her.

"WHAT is wrong?" Chrysalis snapped.

"Those durn rings just went flyin' out the door!" Applejack replied. "My fault. I'm a bit clumsy. Don't worry, we'll get it fixed up in no time. Twilight's gonna go get 'em, ain't ya, Twilight?"

"Of course!" Twilight stood.

Barbara gasped. "Those were my mother's wedding rings!" she cried.

"And we know just how special they were to Rapunzel," Applejack continued, looking meaningfully at Chrysalis. "She just wouldn't go through with the weddin' without 'em, seein' as they mean so much to her. Ain't that right, Rapunzel? The whole town knows that."

"I don't need—" Chrysalis began.

"We all know how much you wanted to use those rings," Zal said comfortingly.

"I can get them!" Twilight insisted. "They can't have gone far!" She darted down the hallway.

"And I'll help!" Rarity added, following. Pascal clung to her purple curls desperately.

"Don't worry," Zal told Chrysalis. "They'll get them back, and then the ceremony will be just the way you wanted."

"Isn't that a little extreme just for two little rings?" Chrysalis growled.

"Not for my daughter," Zal said with a smile.

Chrysalis turned her attention back to Applejack. "Where's your rainbow friend?"

"She ran out to help get the rings," Applejack replied. "Didn't ya see her?"

Chrysalis glared angrily. "This better not take long," she muttered.

Out in the hallway, Twilight and Rarity followed the clinking sound of the rings. "I'm going down to the beach to get sand!" Twilight panted. "Where are YOU going?"

"To get the rings back!" Rarity said as though it were obvious that they were necessary. "Rapunzel will be WANTING them for when she really gets married!"

"Okay," Twilight sighed. "We'll meet back here!"

"Right! Got it!"

The two mares split up once they left the building; Rarity chased the rings down an alley, while Twilight rushed for the beach.

* * *

THE BORDERLANDS OF CORONA, AESTAS

When Rainbow Dash got in sight of the Snuggly Duckling, she broke into a run. The warriors and Maximus followed her, knowing she wouldn't be able to find the passage on her own.

"Where is it?" Rainbow Dash cried, bursting into the empty tavern.

Franz entered, walking over to the bar and pulling one of the taps. "There."

A panel behind the bar slid open; a rocky tunnel was visible, leading downward.

"Perfect!" Rainbow Dash hopped over the bar. "Now, to check it out and see if…"

"HEEEEEYYYYY!" a high voice called from inside. "DON'T CLOSE THAT DOOR!"

"…Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash was confused.

Pinkie and Rapunzel ran into view, climbing up and out of the tunnel. "Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said with a wave. "How'd you know where to find us?"

"You already ESCAPED?" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. "I…I…" She then comprehended the sight of Rapunzel. "What happened to YOU?"

"Chrysalis did this to me to make sure she looked more like me than I did," Rapunzel explained as to her lack of hair.

Franz rubbed his eyes. "Princess?"

"Yes," Rapunzel said. "I'm the real one. The one that's getting married to Eugene is a fake! I know that's hard to believe, but—"

"But it's true!" Pinkie affirmed. "The fake came from our kingdom, and she has magic like you've never seen before!"

"Well," Sigmund admitted, "I did think that you sending us away wasn't something you would do."

"She sent you AWAY?" Rapunzel cried.

"She didn't want us at the wedding," Franz said, somewhat hurt. "She said we were disgusting."

"But you're not!" Rapunzel told the group of warriors. "You're all my friends, and I would love for you to be at my wedding! Every one of you! Besides, Franz, no one could play the organ better than you." Her expression turned somber. "We have to get back to Corona. We have to stop that wedding!"

"We won't make it," Sigmund worried.

Maximus whinnied. "He can," Rapunzel said, motioning to the stallion. "Can't you?"

Maximus nodded.

"We have to hurry!" Pinkie insisted.

"Right!" Rapunzel ran to the cooking stove briefly. When she returned, she clutched a frying pan, still hot. "Just in case," she said.

She climbed onto Maximus' back. "I know this must be a little weird, since you're both horses," she told Pinkie, "but—"

"But it's an emergency!" Pinkie climbed up behind Rapunzel.

"That STILL weirds me out," Rainbow Dash said disgustedly. "I'll just have to travel on these babies." She spread her wings; they came out easily through the sleeves Rarity had included in the back of her dress. "Thank you, Rarity!"

The warriors gasped. "Is she…" Franz began, but couldn't finish.

"Yeah, I got wings," Rainbow Dash snapped. "And there's a fake princess in the castle. You're gonna have to start believing in weird stuff!"

Maximus carried Rapunzel and Pinkie out the door, and Rainbow Dash followed. Maximus then broke into a gallop, and Rainbow Dash kept pace in flight.

"Well?" Franz bellowed. "Let's go!"

The warriors charged forth from the Snuggly Duckling as quickly as they could.

* * *

CORONA, AESTAS

After causing a hullaballoo by crawling across several fancily set outdoor tables meant for the reception, Pascal chased the first ring down to an ice sculpture shaped like a certain frequenter of the Snuggly Duckling dressed in Cupid wings. Pascal shot out his tongue to catch the ring; it stuck to the ice.

"Oh, you poor dear!" Rarity rushed to the ice sculpture, whacking it with a soup tureen. It shattered, freeing Pascal but sending the ring flying. "Follow that ring!" she commanded Pascal, her eyes fixating on the street down which the second had gone: "I've got this one."

Rarity leapt into a nearby white carriage, not noting the tin cans hooked to the back—the honeymoon vehicle for Rapunzel and Eugene. She shoved off against the wall of a building; the carriage rolled downhill, after the runaway ring. Rarity leaned over the side of the carriage in order to catch it.

She crashed into a cart selling commemorative hats, then one selling commemorative gowns, then one selling commemorative makeup. This slowed her down only slightly, though it did plant a yellow hat on Rarity's head, a pink gown over her green, and a streak of lipstick across her cheek. She leaned over, about to grasp the ring, when she passed a cart selling mirrors and got a glimpse of herself.

"Is THAT what I look like?" she shrieked, falling out of the carriage.

"NOOOOOO!" Rarity bawled as the ring rolled out of sight. She rushed after it, turning a corner—

"Get your commemorative frying pans here!"

CLANG.

"Sorry, miss," the frying pan vendor said as Rarity staggered from the blow to the head. "I didn't mean to…"

"Ring," Rarity growled, trying to regain her senses. "Rolling down the street. Which way?"

"Uh…I thought I saw something shiny going that way…"

Rarity staggered after it.

In the meantime, Pascal had chased his ring until it became hooked on a floating lantern carried by a young girl. The girl rushed toward an impressive sight—a host of lanterns, to commemorate those that had brought Rapunzel home, all held down under a net—and let the lantern carrying the ring go among its identical siblings.

Pascal climbed up into the mess of lanterns, seeking the one with the precious jewelry. Then he heard the CLANG of Rarity hitting a frying pan.

"There's the signal!" someone yelled, having waited for a gong. "Release the doves!"

"There are the doves!" one of the men holding down the lanterns yelled. "Release the lanterns!"

To Pascal's horror, the net was released; the lanterns all soared up into the air.

Rarity had secured another wagon, trying again to steer it downhill, but her dazed senses got the better of her. She drove it right into a dead end on a precipice; the front of the wagon, where a horse might usually be hooked, drove into the base of the wall at road's end and flung Rarity up into the air. She screamed as she soared through the cloud of lanterns.

She briefly glimpsed Pascal clinging to one of the lanterns. "I don't even think I want to know how you got up there," she sighed before plummeting.

* * *

Twilight gathered as much sand as she could into her hands. "There!" she cried, turning to make the long run back uphill to the castle. "That should do…it…"

She beheld the lanterns floating in the sky.

"OH NO!" she cried. "What if I'm too late?"

She took off as quickly as she could.

* * *

A pile of wine barrels broke Rarity's fall. A flood of purple wine rushed down the street. Rarity was carried on the crest of the wave, still screaming as loudly as she could.

Pascal drifted down to the cobblestone street, having secured the ring. He sighed contentedly…before hearing the sound of Rarity's cry and seeing the rush of purple.

The wine swept him up. He crashed into something solid; Rarity's shoulder. She picked him up, setting him on her head. "How did you…" She closed her eyes. "Never mind."

She then looked up to see another wall. This time, there was no wagon to launch her. She let out the loudest scream yet.

The wave broke against the wall. Much of the wine went over, but Rarity and Pascal hit the wall lightly and stayed down. They were left in the damp purple streets, panting with exhaustion.

A gold glimmer caught Rarity's eye. She looked down against the wall. There, the other ring had rolled.

"THERE YOU ARE!" She swept up the other ring. "Now let's go before any other fashion disasters can happen!"

* * *

THE BORDERLANDS OF CORONA, AESTAS

Maximus galloped across the green grass, Rapunzel and Pinkie clinging on for dear life and Rainbow Dash flying alongside.

"We're gonna make it!" Rainbow Dash cried.

Suddenly, two figures leapt out from behind the trees, holding great swords aloft. Maximus dug his feet into the ground, skidding to a halt that kicked up dirt clods. Rainbow Dash also stopped. "What gives?" she complained, looking over the two that had blocked the way: a pair of muscular men with red hair, one wearing an eyepatch.

"The Stabbington brothers!" Rapunzel cried.

"Well, well," Ethan jeered. "If it isn't the princess with the magic hair. Except now it's all gone. What happened to your hair, little girl?"

"The boss was expecting the borderlands ruffians to come by this way," Corey continued. "He would have been impressed enough if we had been able to overthrow them and make them run back to the kingdom telling the what was in store. But capturing the actual princess? This just gets better and better."

"I'm warning you," Rapunzel said, "if you don't get out of the way…" She lifted her frying pan. "I'll have to fight you."

"Me too!" Pinkie added.

"And me!" Rainbow Dash put up her fists. "C'mon, you think those little swords are really gonna stop us?"

"The princess isn't the only one that can use magic anymore," Ethan boasted. "If she still can, that is."

At the will of his mind, his blade was suddenly afire with orange flames. Corey's blazed blue, coated in frost.

"MAGIC swords?" Rainbow Dash cried in surprise as Maximus whinnied in disbelief.

"That's cheating!" Pinkie whined.

Ethan swung his sword; a burst of flame shot toward Rainbow Dash. She ducked just in time to avoid it. Corey pointed his blade at Rapunzel, who dodged before a blast of ice could freeze her.

"Where'd you get those anyway?" Pinkie asked.

Then they all heard the thundering of footsteps from the direction behind Maximus and Rainbow Dash. The warriors had finally caught up, stampeding toward the Stabbingtons.

"Look!" Franz bellowed. "A pair of common thugs is trying to hold up the princess! We'll show 'em what's what!"

The warriors all drew their weapons, holding them aloft as they charged.

"Perfect timing," Ethan said with a smirk. "Shall we call him?"

"I think so," Corey replied.

They snapped the fingers of their free hands, and a third man materialized between them, having detected the signal to summon him. As his features became more clear, he began, "Well, well. What have we here? The great warriors of the borderlands, and three little rebel girls riding a—Y-YOU?"

"MOZENRATH!" Pinkie and Rainbow Dash yelled.

"But how?" Pinkie cried. "Why? Who, where, and when?"

"You can't be here!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "We left you behind!"

"You…know him?" Rapunzel asked.

"You're not the only ones that can travel, you know," Mozenrath told Pinkie and Rainbow Dash as the warriors got ever nearer. "I guess we were just meant to meet up again. I'd tell you to give Twilight Sparkle my regards, but I can do that myself once I'm the overlord of Corona." He turned his attention to the Stabbington brothers. "Take the pink-haired one and the rainbow one alive. For the rest…show no mercy."

By now, the warriors had caught up with Maximus, and they rushed the Stabbingtons and Mozenrath. Franz's axe clashed with Ethan's sword, but Ethan just sliced through the blade. Corey froze Sigmund solid with the swipe of his blade. Vladimir, the largest of the warriors, leapt forth to challenge Mozenrath with his mace; Mozenrath blasted him away with a bolt of blue energy from the gauntlet, slamming him into a tree and cracking the trunk.

"We've gotta do something!" Rapunzel cried. "We have to help them! Maximus…CHARGE!"

"WAAAAAH!" Pinkie gripped Rapunzel's waist tightly to keep from falling off as Maximus darted forward at a full gallop. Rapunzel held her frying pan high.

"What's this?" Mozenrath remarked, drawing back a fistful of blue energy. "The girl wants to challenge me? Oh, too bad for you that I—"

He didn't expect her to throw the pan. Rapunzel launched it, sending it spinning through the air. She caught the look of horror on Mozenrath's face just before the cookware collided with the side of his face, striking him right in the temple and knocking him unconscious; his body hit the ground with a thud.

In the meantime, Vladimir had gotten back to his feet, and had grabbed Ethan around the waist, throwing him at a tree and sending the fire blade flying. Gunther and Tor had managed to knock the ice blade away from Corey, using it to freeze him.

"GO!" Franz yelled, and Maximus galloped on, Rainbow Dash speeding alongside.

"You just took out one of our biggest enemies with one frying pan!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"How much should I be afraid of him?" Rapunzel asked.

"Very," Rainbow Dash answered.

"He's from a world with a lot more magic!" Pinkie explained, still clinging on. "That's how he got those magic swords!"

"Just wait until Twilight hears about this one," Rainbow Dash groaned.

"Why?" Rapunzel asked.

"Very…long…story."

* * *

CORONA, AESTAS

Twilight and Rarity met at the castle doors, both out of breath.

"I got the sand!" Twilight cried before noticing Rarity's appearance. "Uh…Rarity? Why are you wearing two dresses and a big hat? And how'd you get that lipstick all over your face? And what's with the giant bruise? Are you okay? And why are you soaked in…" She sniffed the air. "Is that wine?"

"No time to explain!" Rarity shouted. "I have the rings!"

"It might already be too late!" Twilight wailed. "They set off the lanterns! Eugene and Chrysalis are probably already married—"

"Actually, no. That was my fault."

"Um…okay?"

"I'll tell you the whole story LATER. Now let's just get back inside!"

At the altar, Chrysalis' impatience grew. "I don't CARE about two silly little RINGS!" she shouted. "I don't care WHO they belonged to: my grandmother, my great-grandmother, or a diamond dog! Can't we just GET ON with the wedding?"

"Well…all right," the priest sighed. "If you insist—"

"We've got them!" Rarity cried, bursting into the hall, holding the rings aloft; Pascal, still atop her head, gestured to them as if showing them off. Everyone in the hall gasped at Rarity's soaked, mismatched appearance.

"Well, that's a relief," Chrysalis growled. "Now, if you could hand them over—"

"JUST A SECOND!" Twilight charged up to the altar.

"What are you doing?" Chrysalis snapped as Twilight barged in between her and Eugene, facing the poor groom.

"Here goes nothing," Twilight muttered. She concentrated on the handful of sand, and it burst into luster, glittering like stardust. "You're Eugene Fitzherbert," she cried, "and you're in love with the REAL Rapunzel!" She blew the glittering sand into Eugene's face.

Eugene blinked, shaking his head. "Twilight?" he asked.

"Get OUT!" Chrysalis grabbed Twilight by the shoulders and shoved her aside. "You are RUINING MY WEDDING!"

"It's still you," Eugene realized. "You're still her. You're still the fake!"

"What?" Chrysalis cried. "No, Flynn—Eugene! It's me! Rapunzel! The one you love!"

"Really?" Eugene raised an eyebrow. "You're sure not acting like yourself, Rapunzel. Just like you weren't earlier."

"Eugene, NO! DO NOT—"

"EVERYONE!" Eugene turned to address the entire great hall. "I'm sorry, I know you all turned up expecting a huge wedding and a big shindig after, but I'm not going to be marrying this woman today."

Everyone in the great hall gasped. Barbara and Zal nearly fainted.

"What can I say?" Eugene shrugged. "Cold feet! Okay, show's over, you can all go home now!"

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Chrysalis cried, throwing her bouquet to the ground and stomping on it.

"Forget it," Eugene muttered to her. "The only woman I'm going to marry is—"

The doors to the great hall flung open. Maximus galloped down the aisle, two women aboard his back and one running after him. That one, Rainbow Dash, rushed to the pew where her friends were gathered. Maximus stopped in front of the altar, letting down Pinkie Pie and one other passenger.

"It's the assassin!" one of the guards yelled. "And she has the traitor with her!"

"GET HER!" another guard yelled.

Maximus glared at the guards, snorting his disapproval.

"Get that horrible woman away from my daughter!" Barbara cried.

"NO!" Eugene yelled. "No, no, everyone, LOOK!" He turned to look into the eyes of the woman that had dismounted before him. She was bald, and wearing a torn and stained nightgown, but he recognized the gorgeous princess before him. "Rapunzel…it's really you!"

* * *

Chapter 21

· The chapter title is taken from a mishmash: "This Day Aria," Chrysalis' villain song, and "Tangled Ever After," the short that this replaces chronologically.

· Also, this chapter doesn't exactly sync up with time. The Stabbington battle probably took place way before Rarity got the rings. I just felt it made better narrative variety to alternate the segments as much as possible.

· It is actually canon that Pinkie's ability to annoy the shit out of people and ponies can be weaponized. In the ep "The Last Roundup," they turned her loose on Applejack with one of her long rants about whether to call a cherry chimichanga a "chimicherry" or a "cherrychanga", as well as how fun the words "pickle barrel" and "kumquat" are to say, because Applejack was keeping secrets and they wanted to torture them out of her that way. Against the power of the Pinkie, Gothel is WEAK.

· So I really wanted the quarry area where the big action scene went down in Tangled to be part of this because I think it's cool. But I really had nothing to do there.

· And here comes the part where I rewrite Tangled Ever After to fit my needs. I have replaced Maximus with Rarity—behold! I tried to follow the slapstick chase as best I could while still keeping it fresh (meaning cutting out filler and hurrying it up for time's sake). This is probably the segment where no one cares. Oh well.

· I probably could have made a bigger plot point out of the early release of the lanterns. But I didn't. So there.

· So you're probably wondering why Moz was so easily defeated by a simple frying pan. I have this huge headcanon about an ongoing rivalry between Mozenrath and Rapunzel. They hate each other and it's really fun. I had to give him a reason to REALLY hate her guts, and having her take him out with cookware will do it.


	22. Let Your Power Shine

22: Let Your Power Shine

CORONA, AESTAS

"NO!" Chrysalis screamed. "NO! THAT IS AN IMPOSTER!"

Barbara stepped closer to the real Rapunzel, looking her over. "…Rapunzel?"

"They look exactly the same," Zal gasped.

"That's because one of them is a fake," Eugene said, eliciting more gasps from the hall.

"And the real one ain't the one that sent home all those warrior friends of hers, snapped at everyone about makin' her weddin' perfect, or kept calling Eugene by entirely the wrong name," Applejack emphasized.

"Fine," Chrysalis growled. "You bested me. You caught me. But you cannot overpower me. The love for the princess is too strong in this room. I've already taken all I need!"

She shifted into her insectoid form, causing most of the guests in the hall to scream and run for the door. "You're too late!" Chrysalis cried out. She rose into the air on her buzzing wings, firing out green slime at the townspeople, encasing many of them in translucent green cocoons. "This kingdom is MINE!"

She then lowered herself, staring at Eugene and Rapunzel, who clutched each other in terror. "As for you, darling princess," Chrysalis cackled, "you'd look much better in green…"

"NO!" Zal rushed forward, drawing his ceremonial sword from the sheath at his belt. "NOT MY DAUGHTER!"

He swung the blade at Chrysalis, who caught it in her bare hands. "What's the matter, old man?" she chuckled. She snapped the blade in half.

"GUARDS!" Zal yelled; the guards moved forward to take Chrysalis. She stopped them all, encasing them each in a green cocoon. By now, those of the townspeople who were not also encased had run from the hall.

"Perfect timing!" a voice called jauntily from the doorway. All eyes turned to see the newcomer.

Gothel stormed down the aisle slowly and deliberately. "I don't care how many of you I have to fight," she said. "I don't care how long it takes. Rapunzel WILL come with me, and I WILL NOT BE STOPPED!"

"Girls?" Twilight said, looking to her friends.

"But who do we attack first?" Applejack asked.

"Thank you for taking the guards out of my way," Gothel told Chrysalis.

"It was no trouble," Chrysalis cackled. "These people have no magic within them whatsoever."

"And now you're coming with me," Gothel told Rapunzel. She drew her knife. "I was told to take you alive," she growled, "but I suppose I wouldn't be punished too harshly if I happened to lose a few pieces of you along the way."

Before anyone else could react, Barbara grabbed a sword dropped by one of the incapacitated guards and rushed toward Gothel. Gothel raised her blade, blocking the sword as the metal clashed.

"You do NOT get to take my baby girl away," Barbara seethed.

"Why not?" Gothel shot back. "After all, I am her mother."

"No, you're not!" Rapunzel insisted. "Queen Barbara is my real mother!"

"That's only bloodlines," Gothel replied, ducking and thrusting her knife.

"No," Rapunzel yelled as Barbara blocked Gothel's lunge. "She actually cares for me! AND YOU NEVER DID!"

"Get Chrysalis," Twilight commanded, "and we can undo the cocoons!" The six banded together, the aura of light that accompanied the Elements of Harmony surrounding them.

"STOP THEM, GOTHEL!" Chrysalis yelled.

Gothel ducked and rushed toward the six, but Barbara grabbed her around the torso and held her back. Gothel squirmed; she didn't expect the queen to be so strong.

"NO!" Chrysalis fired blasts of green at the light aura, but they were all reflected. "GOTHEL!"

A sharp cry rang out; Barbara let go of Gothel, clutching her side in pain. Gothel charged toward the light aura with her now bloodied knife. As the rainbow burst from atop the light, Gothel noted that her physical weapon could pierce the magic field, and she struck out for Twilight's heart.

A hand seized her wrist. Despite her injury, Barbara had chased after Gothel and grabbed onto her arm, pulling back the knife. Chrysalis tried in vain to blast Zal, Eugene, Rapunzel, and Maximus with green, but they dodged it as they surrounded Gothel, keeping her away from the Elements of Harmony.

Chrysalis was then surrounded by the rainbow, and she screamed: "NO! NOOOOO! IT BURNS!" When the light subsided and twelve feet touched ground once more, Chrysalis lay on the ground weakly.

"I feel…empty…" she croaked. The cocoons melted away from the guards and townspeople. The townspeople ran away, slamming the doors of the hall behind them, but the guards rushed to surround Gothel and put her in chains.

"Okay," Eugene panted, "so…what was with the light show?"

"That was the power of the Elements of Harmony!" Rainbow Dash bragged. "Looks like it took away all the love that Chrysalis soaked up!"

"This…" Chrysalis croaked, "this…is not over…" She rose, staggering.

"Don't even think about trying to take Rapunzel's place again," Eugene told her. "Even without you being utterly unable to get my name right, we can all tell you're a fake."

"This is what you wanted to tell me," Barbara realized, turning to Applejack. "But you knew…I wouldn't believe in the shape-shifter…"

"Hush now," Applejack said worriedly. "Ya best lie down. Ya ain't in the best of shape."

"It looks like it's just a flesh wound," Fluttershy observed, stepping forward to look at Barbara's wound. "She just wanted to hurt her quickly. Your Highness, you need to get bandages on that as soon as possible. Then you'll be okay."

"Take her to our chambers," Zal ordered the guards. "The rest of you…take these saboteurs to the dungeon."

"No," Gothel sighed as the guards dragged her away, "the irony of this isn't lost on me…"

"N-no," Chrysalis said. "I…I still have enough power…to use…the speed of darkness…" Green light flickered around her momentarily, but when it dissipated, so did she.

"Where did she go?" the guards asked confusedly.

"I'm sure she knows she can't try the same trick here again," Rarity pointed out. "More likely, she's gone off looking for yet another kingdom that isn't used to shape-shifting."

"Mom," Rapunzel told Barbara, tears welling up in her eyes, "I'm so sorry…I love you…"

"I love you too," Barbara said. "I'll be all right. What's important is that you're safe." The guards escorted her away.

"She really will be fine," Fluttershy assured Rapunzel. "I've seen wounds like that before. It looks worse than it is."

Rapunzel turned to her fiancé. "Eugene…thank you so much for knowing the real me…"

"Are you kidding?" Eugene replied. "I could pick the real you out of a million fakes."

"I know I must look pretty weird with no hair."

"Well, I gotta say, Rapunzel…I've always had a weird thing for bald women." He winked.

"Oh, Eugene!" Rapunzel smiled.

"Oh, oh!" Pinkie cried. "That reminds me! Twilight, you'll never believe what happened to us on the way here!"

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Are you ready for it?" Pinkie replied. "We saw—"

She was interrupted. A great explosion of blue blasted a hole in the doors to the hall, and a few more explosions punctured the walls that contained said doors. The dust that rose from the destruction obscured the trio that walked in, but it was obvious that two more muscular figures were flanking a tall, slender leader.

As soon as the dust cleared, Twilight's jaw dropped. She could barely register what she was seeing. "No…it can't be…it isn't possible…"

"Twilight," Mozenrath addressed, clasping his hands. "So good to see you again. Part of me wishes it was under different circumstances, but then again, this is getting to be our regular routine, don't you think?"

"How did you GET here?" Twilight blurted. "You were in the Seven Deserts! You didn't…we left…"

Mozenrath shrugged. "I have connections. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a prosperous kingdom to overtake and a bratty little princess to get my revenge on for that little stunt she pulled with the pan in the woods. Of course, I'd rather not have you get damaged, but I wouldn't want you getting in my way either, so…"

He raised his right fist, opening it so that all saw the black sand resting on his palm. He blew it toward the six Equestrians, and a spontaneously generated breeze carried it over to them; the six then found themselves glued to the floor by sticky ropes of the sand.

"I…you…" Twilight struggled to break free of the strands. "Hang on, I can undo this! I know it! Sadira told me all about this…"

"Who are those other guys?" Applejack asked, noting the muscular redheads at Mozenrath's sides.

"The Stabbington brothers," Eugene squeaked. "We…aren't on the best of terms right now…"

"Look at that," Ethan chuckled. "We finally get our revenge on you for leaving us high and dry. Today is just our lucky day." He drew his sword, and the blade blazed into flames; Corey's sword crackled with the power of frost.

Realizing that her friends from Canterlot were unable to use their powers and that the royal guards were gone, Rapunzel moved toward one of the pews, where a panicked guest had left behind his commemorative frying pan.

Eugene, Maximus, and Zal rushed forward to protect Rapunzel, but the Stabbingtons headed them off; Ethan menaced Eugene and Zal with his fiery blade while Corey slashed at Eugene with his icy sword. Eugene ducked and dodged so as not to be cut or frozen.

Mozenrath walked through the melée, advancing upon Rapunzel with a right fist full of blue energy. "I'm almost sad I missed the wedding," he said, raising his hand and firing the bolt of blue.

Rapunzel was at the ready. She raised the frying pan, swinging it. The blue magic crashed against its reflective surface and ricocheted completely backward. Mozenrath barely had enough time to yelp in surprise as his own spell blasted him, knocking him unconscious.

"YEAH!" Pinkie cheered.

"GO RAPUNZEL!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Are you sure he's really that dangerous?" Rapunzel asked, kicking Mozenrath's arm lightly. "He seems kind of…weak against frying pans."

"Everyone has an off day," Twilight practically snapped.

In the meantime, Maximus had knocked Ethan Stabbington over, sending his sword flying from his hands and pinning him to the floor with his hooves. Eugene and Zal put Corey in a stranglehold as Zal called out, "Guards, guards!"

The guards rushed into the hall, just having stashed Gothel in the dungeon. Upon seeing the Stabbingtons, they knew what to do. They chained both brothers, forcing them out of the hall and toward the dungeon.

"Wait!" Zal tried to call out to get them to come back and take Mozenrath's prone form away, but they had already left.

"Okay…" Twilight muttered, "I almost…I think…GOT IT!" A pink aura infused the black sand, and all the strands broke. Pinkie rushed to hug Rapunzel, squealing her congratulations. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity gathered around Pinkie and Rapunzel.

Twilight, in the meantime, stood over Mozenrath, looking down at him. "You never slow down, do you?" she said under her breath.

Before any more celebration could take place, darkness suddenly overcast the sunny sky outside. A cold wind blew through the hall, sending all tapestries fluttering.

"What's happening?" Fluttershy cried.

"I'm guessing…something not good," Eugene said with a gulp.

In a flash of green, she appeared. Tall and stately, dressed in a black robe that billowed only slightly in the chilling wind, her pale skin slightly green, she clutched her staff tightly and pursed her lips.

"It seems I underestimated these forces," she announced. "And as for the young sorcerer…he is still weak." She shot a glare of disdain down at the unconscious Mozenrath.

"Who…who are you?" Rapunzel asked.

"I?" the woman in black responded. "I am but the one that you will bow down to. My darkness shall swallow your light. Your world is but a thread in the tapestry of fate, of which I shall become the spinner. There are those who would, by my own preference, call me the greatest Overtaker. However, if you desire to address me without formalities, it will do you well to know that I am called Maleficent."

"Overtaker?" Twilight stepped forward. "It's you! You're the one that's working with Jafar!"

"That I am," Maleficent confirmed with a smile. "Were you impressed by the dark powers I gave him, young Element of Magic?"

"You…gave him those powers?" Twilight gulped. "You were the one that made him stronger than two other freed djinni and most of the Seven Deserts combined?"

"You're all talk," Rainbow Dash broke in. "I bet you're just making that up!"

"Soon you will see how foolish you are to doubt me," Maleficent said coldly, staring not into the eyes of Rainbow Dash but into the eyes of Rapunzel. "I have had enough with these failures to take over this kingdom. I shall have to take matters into my own hands. LISTEN WELL!"

She waved her hand over the glass sphere of her staff, and it glowed bright green. "Let all the living start to waste," she chanted, "and let the air of ashes taste. Blot the sun with scores of clouds. Silence all that speak aloud. Grow thy thorns between the stones; weaken all civilian bones. Let sickness take all here but one. Let Rapunzel remain to see what's done. Before the princess' very eyes, let all Corona waste…and DIE!"

The darkness grew deeper and greener; the clouds outside blocked the sun completely. Eugene, Zal, Maximus, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even little Pascal were all struck with a sudden weakness, falling to their knees and crouching on the floor. Twilight coughed harshly. Eugene tried to stand, but lost his balance, hitting the floor hard. Maximus' breathing grew heavy. Rarity's face became tinged with green.

"What have you done?" Rapunzel cried. "They're dying!"

"As I had hoped," Maleficent replied. "All but my Overtaker…the young sorcerer, insofar as he has potential…and yourself. Why don't you see what has become of the kingdom outdoors?"

Rapunzel rushed to look out a window. The dark green clouds eliminated the sun entirely. People had collapsed in the streets, struck by the same affliction that harmed those in the hall. All plant life had turned to black, thorny vines, and more of those vines sprouted from the cracks between the cobblestones of the street, threatening to swallow the kingdom.

"Soon the light of this kingdom shall be blotted out from the map of existence," Maleficent told Rapunzel. "And you…oh, dear! It seems you shall have to watch it suffer. Within an hour, all stricken will be dead. I daresay that after that, your purity shall be more or less corrupted."

She strode to stand over the six Equestrians. "Such a pity," she remarked. "I had hoped you would be stronger. As it is, with you, all hope for harmony shall die…and with it, a large part of my opposition. After all…well, it was to be a secret, but I suppose you have the right to know before you pass on." The smirk on her face was more malicious than any ever seen on Gothel or Mozenrath. "I am the Angel of Darkness."

With that, she let out a laugh filled with schadenfreude, and a beam of green light surrounded her before it faded, taking her with it.

"No…" Rapunzel knelt over Eugene. "It's going to be okay…I'm not going to let this happen…I…" Tears poured from her eyes. "I don't know what to do…"

"Don't blame yourself…" Eugene croaked. "No one would…know what to do…"

"I can't," Twilight whispered. "I can't use any of my magic…I can't even start to activate our powers as the Elements…I'm sorry I wasn't stronger…"

"Nobody blames ya," Applejack replied. "Ya tried yer…" Her sentence went unfinished; she just coughed instead, holding her ribcage.

Rapunzel kept crying, certain that the end had come for all she held dear, including her new friends. As her tears hit the ground, they splashed; gold light flickered from them.

A memory surfaced. Eugene, dying, bleeding to death. Rapunzel pleading to Gothel to let her heal him. Her hair, dropping from her neck uselessly to the floor. Crying over him…healing him.

Gothel's words: that Rapunzel could still heal without her hair, so long as her heart was in it.

"Flower gleam and glow," she sang softly, "let your power shine…"

Color returned to Eugene's face. He sat up, holding his aching head in one hand. The air around him seemed lighter, as though the sun shone over him through the clouds and the roof.

"Make the clock reverse," Rapunzel continued, "bring back what once was mine…"

Light washed over Zal, Maximus, Pascal, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. They stood, one by one.

"Rapunzel!" Twilight cried. "How are you doing that?"

"I…don't know," Rapunzel admitted. "I knew I could heal at least one of you at a time, but…"

"Your healing magic is really strong," Twilight told her.

"Don't worry about the rest of the kingdom," Rarity said. "We can take it from here!" The six moved together, forming the light of the Elements of Harmony once more.

"Rapunzel," Zal said as the six produced the rainbow, "words cannot describe how glad I am that you are all right…and you, Eugene."

The rainbow fizzled out. The six Equestrians were blown in different directions by the shock of the magic backfiring.

"NO!" Twilight cried.

"We're not strong enough to overcome Maleficent's curse!" Fluttershy wailed. "That means in one hour…"

"We can't just give up the kingdom!" Rainbow Dash wailed. "There HAS to be another way!"

"Maybe there is." Twilight turned to Rapunzel. "Why don't you try?"

"Me?"

"You've always been connected to this kingdom. You know all these people. This is your home, Rapunzel. You just healed this entire hall. It's a long shot, but…maybe…"

Rapunzel nodded. "I'll try."

She stood, moving out to the center of the hall. She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. "Heal what has been hurt, change the fates' design…"

Though she couldn't see it, the thorns began to recede throughout Corona. The vines became green with life and moved to the sides of the streets, arranging themselves in orderly patterns. Every thorn burst into a flower.

Those inside the hall only noticed when the first sunbeam burst through the cloud cover. "Yes!" Twilight cried. "YES!"

"Save what has been lost," Rapunzel went on, opening her eyes. "Bring back what once was mine…"

In the same key, Pinkie Pie broke in: "Come on everypony, smile smile smile, fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine! All I really need's a smile smile smile, from these happy friends of mine!"

"Come on everybody, smile smile smile!" Rapunzel picked up as the clouds dissipated outside. "Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine! All I really need's a smile smile smile, from these happy friends of mine! Yes, the perfect gift for me is a smile as wide as a mile! To make me happy as can be! Smile, smile, smile, smile, smiiiiiiiile!"

As Rapunzel drew out the last note, natural light flooded the hall. Barbara rushed in from the hallways outside. "It's the most curious thing!" she cried. "I felt as though I was about to die, but suddenly, I felt better than ever before…and my knife wound is gone!"

Rainbow Dash flew to the window. "Everypony's getting up and walking around!" she informed the others.

"You id it, Rapunzel!" Twilight cried.

"YOU DID IT YOU DID IT YOU DID IT!" Pinkie added, nearly crushing Rapunzel in a hug.

"But how?" Rarity cried in confusion.

"I've never seen anyone with healing magic like that," Twilight remarked. "One thing's for sure: Rapunzel's no ordinary princess."

A host of guards burst into the hall. "Gothel is gone!" one of them cried.

"Don't bother with a search," Eugene told them. "That green witch probably made off with her."

"I just wish I could see the look on Maleficent's face when she figured out that we undid her curse!" Rainbow Dash laughed.

"So now we know who our Angel of Darkness is," Applejack pointed out. "I dunno about you, but…I'm a little scared. We ain't never faced anything like her before. Our powers didn't even scratch her!"

"I know," Twilight sighed. "And that bothers me. We need to find a way to get stronger, or we're going to be crushed."

"Guards," Zal ordered, "take the unconscious man there. He launched an attack on our castle that—"

Hearing this, Twilight interrupted. "Actually…I want a word with him."

"But afterwards," Zal said, "for his actions, he should be given the standard punishment."

"No," Rapunzel insisted. "I've been meaning to do this for a long time now. Mother, Father…I don't want to punish criminals with death anymore. I don't believe it's right, and as future queen, I think I should have a say in this."

"Even if that criminal was that awful woman that posed as your mother?" Barbara asked.

Rapunzel nodded. "Maybe I'm too soft, but I don't want anyone to die because of us. There are other ways to teach a lesson. Even jailing them is good enough for me."

"Our dungeon hasn't exactly been holding criminals as well as it could," Eugene pointed out.

"Only because forces like Chrysalis overpowered us," Rapunzel said. "We need to figure out how to contain magic. After all…there's a lot more out there than just our world, and I don't think we've seen the last of it."

"I know how to forge some magic-repellent things," Twilight told Zal and Barbara. "I can show you how."

"We'll need to use them to hold back Mozenrath while Twilight speaks to him, of course," Rarity added. Twilight bit her lip; she had hoped to have a conversation without anyone having to be restrained, but everyone else was nodding, and she knew she couldn't convince the royal family that restraints weren't necessary.

"And I have another idea of what we can do to make him pay for the attacks!" Pinkie cried. "Trust me…it'll be really fun!"

"Should I be scared of your idea of 'fun'?" Eugene asked.

"There are a lot of questions I need answered," Twilight muttered, so low that no one could hear. "I just hope you'll help me out."

* * *

Chapter 22

· This is one of the few chapters where I knew the title before I started it.

· I decided that physical weapons can in fact pierce the light sphere of the Elements of Harmony, even if Chrys' magic can't.

· I really wanted the battle to come down to Gothel vs. Barbara for who was Rapunzel's true mother.

· I couldn't decide what the Elements could do to Chrys at this level. I decided that sucking the love from her, and therefore her power, was the best option.

· I was going to draw it out longer, but there was no point. Maleficent is the Angel of Darkness. Yes. She's the one trying to bring about the new age of chaos. But it was kinda obvious, wasn't it?

· And now you see how powerful the PoH's are, starting with Zel.


	23. A Late Wedding Gift

23: A Late Wedding Gift

CORONA, AESTAS

"What…the…okay, where am I?"

Returning to consciousness, already miffed, Mozenrath found himself tied to a chair before a table that functioned as a chessboard. The brightly lit room, white-walled with a few decorative tapestries, was small, so much that it gave off the impression of being little more than a cheery prison, especially with the door closed. Then there was the matter of the chair on the other side of the table. There was seated the only woman that Mozenrath could have tolerated being in a small room with at that moment: Twilight Sparkle.

"I'm sorry about the restraints," she said sincerely. "I didn't want them, but everypony else insisted. And I did have to admit that you made a mess out of the wedding, to put it lightly."

"I don't hold it against you." There was that smirk again. "After all, it's not like these restraints are going to hold me for long."

Sensing what Mozenrath was about to do, Twilight cried, "No, DON'T!"

His right hand pulsed with energy, but as he tried to feed it to the ropes, Mozenrath found himself wracked with the destructive pain of the magic he'd summoned. He gave a cry of anguish. Twilight reached out, stopping before her hand could touch him and transfer the pain into her own body as well.

The blue aura subsided. "I'm so sorry," Twilight said softly. "I helped them make more of the magic-resistant ropes."

"I kind of figured that out," Mozenrath growled.

"I don't understand why you're here," Twilight stated plainly. "When we left you, you didn't have any way of traveling away from your world. I have to know. How did you do it?"

"I'd rather have that be my little secret." The smirk returned.

Twilight groaned. "Listen, I'm trying to figure out how all this works. If I'm going to really understand, I need your help. Obviously, the Starlight isn't the only craft moving through space. I told you all about how it worked. Remember?"

"I remember," Mozenrath replied. "As I said, I would prefer that it stayed a secret. But then again, you always did have a talent for dragging my secrets out of me. I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to know."

"Before that…"

"Well?"

"It's stupid." Twilight looked down at the chessboard before asking, "Why did you spare my friends this time?"

"Look," Mozenrath sighed. "We've been through this. You're useless without them. As much as they annoy me, I have something to lose if they're destroyed. Besides that, I see trying to work around you as a challenge. It's one thing to be known as the sorcerer that destroyed the Elements of Harmony. It's another thing entirely to be known as the sorcerer that managed to conquer everything he wanted despite the Elements always being in the way. Don't you think?"

"We're obligated to stop you from doing that."

"That only makes a better challenge."

Twilight couldn't hold back a smile. "Are you ever not an overachiever?"

"I do my best. And I'll take that as a compliment."

"Now. About how you got here."

"Well, it's a bit of a funny story. It seems the Overtakers have actually taken an interest in me. Or at least their leader Maleficent has."

"Maleficent?" Twilight did a double take.

"You've met her?"

"She showed up right after Rapunzel knocked you out—"

"That PRINCESS!" Mozenrath snarled. "How? HOW did she overpower me TWICE with only a frying pan? She'll regret making a fool out of me. I didn't think it was possible, but she's just become the one person in all of existence that I HATE more than my brother." Twilight's words finally sank in with him. "But…you said Maleficent was in the castle?"

"She cursed all of Corona to waste away and die," Twilight explained. "She's the Angel of Darkness. She's the one trying to bring about the age of chaos and hate! She almost killed everyone in the entire kingdom! We were lucky that Rapunzel had enough power within her to counteract the curse. In fact, Rapunzel had more power…than we did. We…tried to use the Elements to undo it. It didn't work."

"Well, that seems inconsistent," Mozenrath pointed out. "From what I've seen, your little powers should have been able to counteract—"

"Don't flatter me. We failed against Jafar, and Maleficent was the one who made him that powerful. If that's what's out there waiting for us…we haven't got a chance."

"Sounds like you're giving up." Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "Twilight, Twilight. Where's YOUR ambition? Maleficent made a fool out of you, didn't she?"

"It's not like that. More like…she pointed out how powerless we are. How much of a difference we actually can't make."

"So find a way to get revenge! Don't just sit there and take it."

"I'm just afraid we'll never be able to counteract her," Twilight lamented. "Not ever. Celestia says we can get stronger…but we're just going to fail." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking about this—"

"Does that really matter? I'm only going to say this once, Twilight. If you want it badly enough, you can find a way to beat her. Give her exactly what you think she deserves. Me, on the other hand…I'm trying to get on her good side. But having diametrically opposed goals never stopped either of us before, now, did it?"

"You're right," Twilight said, a new hope arising within her. "About all of it. You keep finding ways to do the impossible. Well, so can I! And just because you're trying to impress her and I want to defeat her doesn't mean we can't be…well…I REALLY wish we didn't have to tie you to a chair."

"Your precious princess is safer this way," Mozenrath pointed out. "Much to my disappointment, of course, but that's probably a silver lining to you."

"So tell me more about Maleficent," Twilight said, steering the subject back where she wanted it.

"There isn't much more to tell," Mozenrath admitted. "I only met her briefly. She's a faerie who specializes in dark powers, and she's found a way to move from world to world without using a vessel. Lucky her. She seemed to think I had potential, so she gave me dark matter to work with. If I impress her, I could be on my way to becoming one of the Overtakers. And before you ask, no, I don't know anything else about them besides their desire to conquer the cosmos in this 'new age.'"

"Dark matter?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I've only ever read about it, and all the books said was that it was an unknown force."

"It's a lot more convenient for traveling than your mists," Mozenrath told her. "It actually takes you where you want to go. Perhaps you'd consider switching?"

"We'd have to know where we wanted to go," Twilight admitted. "How'd you know you wanted to go here?"

"I didn't. I could have made something out of anywhere I landed. You know that."

"Where did you land? I mean…where's the vessel you used?"

"Out back of the castle. I think I did pretty well, under the circumstances. All Maleficent did was give me the raw material, and I managed to make a ship for two." He stopped in realization. "What DID you do with Xerxes, anyway?"

"He flew in after Rapunzel healed the kingdom. The king and queen caged him when we told them he was your accomplice. They were kinda grossed out. Eugene's probably still trying to poke him with a stick, and Fluttershy's probably still trying to tell Eugene that's cruel. Don't worry. You'll get him back when we let you go."

"And the royal family is okay with you letting me go?"

"Well, think about it," Twilight clarified. "We know that the Elements of Harmony are stronger than you. Rapunzel's defeated you twice. The entire royal guard is braced for an attack, and they have those swords you gave the Stabbingtons. I hate to say it, but…you're outgunned."

"I'll have to be better prepared when I come back for this place," Mozenrath muttered. "And I will come back. I need to show that princess who holds REAL power." He looked Twilight dead in the eye. "You are expecting me to leave this world entirely, aren't you?"

"That was the one thing I managed to argue for and win," Twilight said proudly. "You go your way, we go ours, this kingdom goes its for at least a while, and if we ever meet up again…well, the usual."

"We duel. Somehow you and I end up trapped in a room together. I could get used to that. So, when Maleficent showed her face, did she say anything about me? I did put work into trying to take this kingdom, you know."

"She said you had potential," Twilight answered, "but she took someone else with her as an Overtaker. She left you behind. I don't think you made her angry, but you sure didn't impress her. Sorry. She did spare you from the curse. I don't think she spared Xerxes, though."

"I will be having words with her about that."

"You really think that's safe? I mean…you do know how powerful she is, right? You don't want to mess with her. Especially if you want to be on her side."

"True, very true…so. Did that answer all your questions?"

"Actually, yes," Twilight affirmed. "We'll have to do some formalities…but then we can go our separate ways again."

"It's almost disappointing. You and I did only have so much time together, and I've been tied to a chair for most of it."

"That's…disappointing?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"And who else am I supposed to tell about my plans and expect to understand?" Mozenrath asked, bordering on condescension.

"Point taken. And there was all that business after the Crystal—"

"We don't speak of that."

"Right. Never happened." Twilight shook her head. "You know, you really should be at least a little grateful to Rapunzel. She argued the guards out of outright killing you. Or, you know, trying to. I'm not sure they would have actually been able to do it."

"They wouldn't…unless someone gave them magic-resistant restraints." Mozenrath eyed Twilight with what she interpreted as slight suspicion, raising a brow.

"You have to believe I would never do that to you!" Twilight cried, worried. "I'd never just hand you over to die! That goes against everything I stand for! And I—"

"Calm down, I know all that. It probably wasn't the best time to attempt humor, was it?"

Now Twilight detected the sincerity in his smile, and it spread to her own face.

"We're past the point of trying to kill each other off," Mozenrath reiterated.

"There was an alternate punishment, though," Twilight informed him. "Since we're letting you go entirely, the royal family wanted us to do something at least. Our collective idea was…public humiliation. Um…you might want to look at your left hand."

"What?" Mozenrath angrily turned his gaze downward to see that his left hand was painted dark blue with black swirls on it. His sleeve was rolled up, and his arm was painted bright pink with rainbow flecks.

"Rapunzel's a painter," Twilight explained. "She thought we could have a little…fun."

"Why PINK?"

"Pinkie Pie did that arm. Don't worry, we didn't touch your right arm. I did the work on your hand, actually."

"I actually do like that part."

"That's what I was hoping. It seemed very…you. But the others took everywhere else. You'll find most of it when you take off your shoes or roll that sleeve up all the way, or look at either of your ankles. And then there's…your face. Rainbow Dash called dibs on your face."

"WHAT DID SHE DO TO MY FACE?"

"Well…" Twilight laughed nervously. She brought out a hand mirror that had been sitting on her lap. "She did what she does best."

Mozenrath caught the first sight of his own reflection since the assault on the wedding in the glass. "No…NO!" His entire face was painted in a rainbow pattern of rings that rippled outward, as though a sonic rainboom had taken place on his skin. "NO! She…will…PAY FOR THIS! Twilight…are you LAUGHING?"

"I'm sorry!" Twilight cried as she burst into a giggle fit. "But…the look on your face when you saw that rainbow!" She tried to hold back her laughter, but failed.

Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "Great. Because this is EXACTLY how I envisioned this mission ending. Tied to a chair with a rainbow on my face. Well, there's always the next world." He looked to Twilight with curiosity. "Care to meet me there for another standoff?"

"I'm not sure that where you go is where we need to be," Twilight admitted. "We need to go somewhere we can become stronger. The Elements have failed twice. This can't keep happening. But I'm sure this isn't goodbye forever. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to have a battle of fate."

"If you're sure. Then again, searching for more power sounds more than reasonable. In fact, it sounds very…me."

"I thought you'd see it that way. Is it…a bad thing that I was happy to see you break down that wall?"

"Your friends might say so," Mozenrath replied. "I'm biased to say no. As long as we're being honest, you're the opponent I've been the happiest to see."

"I should go," Twilight said, realizing the time. "My friends and I have plans with Rapunzel. We do kind of owe her another wedding. Don't worry, you'll be out of here in no time." She rose, moving toward the door.

"Just one more thing first," Mozenrath said plainly.

"Yeah?"

"You look different with your hair down. It's a good look on you."

"Oh…" Twilight realized that Mozenrath's entry to the hall had been the first time he'd seen her without her hair covered. "Thanks…I…I really have to go now!"

Blushing fiercely, she rushed from the room.

* * *

The royal guard of Corona stood at attention on the grassy lawn before the spherical ship, Maximus at their head. Zal, Barbara, Rapunzel, and Eugene lined up across from them, glaring anxiously at the castle. Pascal hopped up on Rapunzel's shoulder to get a better view. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie stood next to the royal family. Twilight tried her best to hide her anxieties.

Another host of guards marched toward the crystalline sphere from the castle, Mozenrath at their center with his wrists bound behind his back by a length of magic-resistant cord.

"You'd think they didn't trust me," the sorcerer sighed as he passed the two lines of spectators.

When the group reached the sphere, one of the guards announced gruffly, "You get in and take off, and there won't be any trouble."

"Yet," Mozenrath replied with a grin.

The guard reluctantly slashed the cord holding Mozenrath's wrists with a dagger. Under everyone's disapproving glare, Mozenrath laid his right hand upon the surface of the sphere. It cracked in half, the upper half levitating away, and everyone gasped. Mozenrath took his place on the thronelike seat within the sphere's lower half.

"I believe you still have something of mine," he practically growled.

Another guard held up a gilded cage in which Xerxes floated. He unlocked the cage, letting the eel fly free to join his master in the sphere.

"Hey," Twilight suddenly called out. "You wanna know the good thing?"

"Enlighten me," Mozenrath replied.

"When I see you next time, I'll be stronger. We all will. The better the challenge, right?"

In response, Mozenrath took a loose crystal of dark matter from a receptacle within the sphere. He levitated it in an aura of blue, moving it toward Twilight. Everyone around gasped, moving away from Twilight and the crystal, but she accepted it, taking it in her hands.

"Let's see what you can do with that," Mozenrath told her. "That oughta make things more interesting, don't you think?"

Twilight had no choice but to smile. "Thanks."

Mozenrath snapped the fingers of his right hand. The sphere slammed closed. It glowed brilliantly, nearly blinding everyone, then took off like a cannonball, straight up into the sky and out of sight.

"Did that really just happen?" Eugene asked.

"Yeah," Twilight answered. "That just happened."

* * *

"Okay…you ready?"

Rapunzel nodded. She sat on a chair in the dressing room where Chrysalis had selected bridesmaids' dresses. Twilight stood behind her, looking down upon her head.

"Are you sure you can actually do this?" Eugene asked. "I'm just saying I don't want you to mess up and turn her into a lizard or anything."

Pascal chattered angrily.

"Not that there's anything wrong with lizards," Eugene amended.

"I've done the hair growth spell tons of times," Twilight assured him. "Usually it's just been temporary mustaches for fun, but I can do a pretty good permanent version. I can also undo it if I mess up. The worst that could happen is that I accidentally give Rapunzel a mustache that will be gone in five minutes."

"That would actually be pretty funny," Rapunzel admitted.

"You know," Twilight realized, "if you wanted your seventy feet of gold back, I could swing it. Or just seven feet."

"Actually, the short brown hair suits me," Rapunzel told Twilight. "I want to be more than just my hair. Unless Eugene would rather me be bald…"

"Brunette isn't without its charms." Eugene winked.

"Now, it's going to be like the old hair you had," Twilight explained. "It won't grow on its own. Only if I say so. Just so you know. You cut it, you lose it. Okay…enough stalling." Twilight waved her hands over Rapunzel's head, her palms glowing with pink energy.

Rapunzel nearly burst out laughing from the tickling that happened in her scalp as a crop of brunette hair burst from her head, settling in to look exactly as it had been before Chrysalis had cut it.

"There you go!" Twilight announced. "Like it never happened."

"Well…I don't want to pretend it never happened," said Rapunzel. "I think we all learned a few things, don't you?"

* * *

The royal wedding had to be re-planned. The six Equestrians were more than happy to help out, and the castle staff was more than happy to accommodate them. Pinkie Pie and Franz coordinated music for the reception. Fluttershy helped to care for the doves that were to be released. Rarity stitched and adjusted a set of bridesmaids' dresses that were purple rather than green. Twilight wrote up seating charts and distributed invitations throughout the kingdom, promising that no disasters would happen this time. Rainbow Dash, whose contribution to parties was usually a Sonic Rainboom, contented herself with reading the rest of the Flynnigan Rider books instead and chatting with Eugene about the best parts.

As for Applejack, she ended up in the kitchen, helping to coordinate the menu for the reception. Rapunzel entered to find her working away at things that could be frozen the night before.

"How's it going?" Rapunzel asked.

"Purty darn good," Applejack replied. "You sure do have a lotta recipes I've never seen before. Say, what were ya thinkin' for the main course at the reception? We've got the cake under control, but ain't nopony mentioned an entrée yet."

"Oh!" Rapunzel realized that Applejack was right. "Actually, it would be great if we could have a little something that used to be my favorite when I lived in the tower. It's a little weird, but what do you think about hazelnut soup?"

"That sounds like it could work," Applejack said, intrigued. "Question. Is there any meat or anything in your hazelnut soup?"

"No. It's just hazelnuts and vegetables."

"And it's nutritious?"

"Very."

"Rapunzel," Applejack said, "you have GOT to get me that recipe to take with us. I've been lookin' for some good vegetarian recipes to take along with us. Fluttershy is just gonna love this!"

* * *

The wedding went off without a hitch. Everyone in Corona attended, unafraid of any more attacks, and Eugene and Rapunzel were finally united as husband and wife.

Pinkie Pie cried.

The reception lasted a week. Eugene couldn't tell you what had happened during most of it, and it would be a falsehood to say that it hadn't been in part because of his overindulgence in Apple-family-style cider. Applejack also pocketed the recipe for hazelnut soup, which Fluttershy thoroughly enjoyed.

The townspeople, the castle staff, the warriors from the borderlands, the royal family, and the six Equestrians sang and danced for a week straight, and they didn't allow any worries about the future to impede upon their happiness.

* * *

Eventually, however, the time came to leave.

The six Equestrians were allowed to stay in Eugene's old manor until they had everything arranged to take off. They sent a message up to the castle asking Rapunzel, Eugene, Maximus, and Pascal to meet them in the town square where they'd first met Rapunzel and drawn murals on the street with her.

They waited, and sure enough, the prince, princess, and captain of the guard came striding in, Pascal hitching a ride on Maximus' head.

"So this is goodbye," Rapunzel said, already wistful.

"Yeah," Twilight replied.

"I'm glad we met," Rapunzel said wholeheartedly. "You've all been wonderful friends to me. And I have to say thanks for helping me save my kingdom."

"I'm sure y'all are gonna be the best king and queen Corona's ever had," Applejack stated.

"Well…Rapunzel will be the best queen anyway," Eugene replied, half teasing.

"Don't sell yourself short!" Rainbow Dash begged Eugene. "Corona needs somebody adventurous like you at the wheel!"

"This is getting too sad!" Pinkie burst into a fit of tears. "I can't take it anymore! I'm just going to miss you soooooooo much!"

"There's something we want you to have," Twilight told the four Coronans before her. "We talked it over, and…well, consider it a late wedding present." She held out an object covered by a purple cloth embroidered with the sun symbol of Corona.

Rapunzel took it in her hands, removing the cloth. "The dark matter crystal," she said hushedly.

"We don't have any use for it," Twilight told her. "We can travel wherever we want with our engine, and I don't really know how we can experiment on it. I'd know more about it if I could read about it."

"But we figured you two would know exactly what to do with it," Rainbow Dash said with a wink.

"You're not saying…" Eugene posed.

"We're simply saying that you'll know the best use for it," Rarity said vaguely.

"That sounds like it's against the rules," Eugene argued.

"What rules?" Pinkie asked.

"Twilight was worried about the same thing," Applejack admitted, "but like Pinkie said, we never heard any rules sayin' it wasn't allowed to…well, it's up to you what you wanna do with it. We don't even know how far it can take ya."

"Are you sure?" Rapunzel asked Twilight. "I mean…the sorcerer did give it to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked defensively.

"I get the feeling he's special to you," Rapunzel prodded.

"It's complicated," Twilight said softly, shuffling her feet. "Really complicated. For now, it's best if that thing goes where it's practical."

"Hang on." Eugene put up his hands. "So…the great heroine of the universe…has a crush on the guy that almost destroyed our kingdom?"

"We'll talk about it later, Eugene," Rapunzel quickly interjected.

"HER?" Eugene reiterated. "And HIM?"

"Later…" Rapunzel whispered.

"We're really going to miss you so so so so so so so so much!" Pinkie wailed.

"Thanks for letting us be your friends," Fluttershy said softly.

"And hey!" Pinkie realized. "Maybe we'll see you again!"

"I hope so," Rapunzel replied. "In fact…let's count on it."

* * *

The Starlight drifted out from the dock, moving out across the sea. A sudden mist rolled in over the ocean, and as Rapunzel and Flynn watched, the ship vanished in the mist. Then the mist cleared, and there was no sign that a ship had ever been there.

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight began, sitting down with her friends to write the letter. She sighed.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"We're still not strong enough," Twilight moaned. "I thought we were. Why were we given this mission if we couldn't even scratch Maleficent's magic?"

"Celestia said it would all work out," Fluttershy reminded Twilight.

"I want to ask her again," Twilight said sternly. "I want to ask her…if she's sure. If we don't get stronger, we can't keep going. Not like this."

"Except we've used our wits and the help of our friends to get through," Applejack reminded Twilight.

"Dear, you simply must stop being such a worrywart," Rarity added.

"And what'll that make us if we don't even try?" Rainbow Dash concluded.

"You're right," Twilight said, "but I still want to ask."

* * *

CORONA, AESTAS

"Apparently this crystal will allow us to move through time and space if we find a way to use it," Rapunzel told Eugene as the two lay together in their newly shared bed after a long day. Rapunzel held the crystal up, and it shimmered in the light of the bedside candle. "After seeing their ship, I think I might have an idea. It probably won't work, but then again…it just might. You know, Eugene…we don't have to take the throne right away. Mom and Dad still have a lot of good years. We could leave for a while. See what's out there. After what we've seen so far…I just know there's so much more, and I want to know about it. The thing is, I'm not going anywhere you won't go. I would want to use this crystal and travel to the end of everything…but not if it meant leaving you behind. So, I'll need you to tell me now: should we risk everything and try and go…or should we stay here where it's safe?"

"You should know the answer to that," Eugene replied with a smile. "It would be the biggest adventure yet. Flynnigan Rider wouldn't turn it down, and as long as I have you with me, neither will I."

"Then let's see what we can do tomorrow," Rapunzel resolved, setting the crystal on her nightstand and dousing the candle.

* * *

THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAINS, THE ENCHANTED DOMINION

"NO!" Maleficent roared, striking her staff against the stone floor as she paced back and forth. "How could this BE? If the Elements of Harmony could not overpower me, why such a weak little whelp?"

"Might I attempt to answer that?" Jafar replied, entering the room where Maleficent paced. "The girl is, after all, one of the Princesses. Perhaps not one of the seven, but powerful indeed."

"And that, with her connection to the kingdom, was what thwarted me," Maleficent muttered. "It will not happen again."

"Yes, but do you know how to prevent such a thing from occurring?"

"I shall find out," Maleficent vowed.

"Interesting news, by the way," Jafar reported. "Rapunzel and Eugene are now in the possession of dark matter. Given their natures, it shan't be long before they attempt to use it. And once they are separated from their kingdom, it should be nothing short of child's play to eliminate them and destroy Corona."

At that, Maleficent paused. "The princess…was given dark matter?" She began to laugh. "And she is TRAVELING?" She threw back her head, laughing harder and harder. When at last she settled down, she said, "The Elements know not what they have done! If much more of this traveling is allowed…things shall fall into our hands faster and faster."

"There is one problem," Jafar pointed out. "How they received dark matter in the first place."

"That much, I saw," Maleficent stated. "The young sorcerer."

"I beg of you, Maleficent…forget him."

"He still has a chance. His soul is the sort that is easily corrupted. I know that he is currently not ready. That is why he currently is not welcomed into our ranks."

"Is that why I'm here and he's not?" a voice emitted from the corner. Gothel sat in a chair, flipping through one of Maleficent's eldritch tomes.

"Mozenrath is powerful, but despite all his successes, his heart is not completely free of the chains of emotion and, dare I say, love," Maleficent confirmed. "You may have failed to keep Rapunzel in check, but at the same time, your heart is practically stone, Gothel. You shall serve us well, and you will be rewarded."

"Just so long as I get my immortality," Gothel sighed. When Maleficent had welcomed her into the ranks of the Overtakers, her dark magic had provided Gothel with a daily rejuvenation spell that had the same effect as Rapunzel's healing, at least as far as one woman's aging was concerned. "So how many Overtakers are there that we need to find, anyway?"

"You know what they say," a fourth voice announced from the opposite door. "Speak of the devil."

Maleficent and Jafar turned to regard the newcomer with delight. Gothel was simply confused. This one looked even stranger than Discord—unhumanly tall, with blue skin and a rush of blue flame instead of hair, clothed in a gray toga that offset all that blue.

"So a little birdie told me you're getting the band back together," Hades greeted.

* * *

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

This time, Cadance and Shining Armor had gone home to their permanent residence in the Crystal Empire, so Celestia and Luna deliberated over the newest letter themselves.

"Family," Luna reread, "true family, is those who care about you and your well-being. Those are the ones you should value." She looked up to her sister. "A lovely message, dear sister. And one quite relevant to us. I fear sometimes that I have been remiss in thanking you for your kindness in welcoming me back to Canterlot."

"It was no trouble," Celestia told her sister. "I always knew that somewhere within Nightmare Moon was the Luna I loved. I feared that you turned to that path because of my shortcomings, and I have tried to become a better pony for that. I couldn't be happier to share my life with you once again, Luna. And I never want you to forget that."

"Thank you, sister."

"What concerns me," Celestia said, returning to the letter, "is the doubt expressed about how powerful my faithful students have become and how powerful they need to be. Even though they have averted disaster on two worlds outside our own, they still do not feel strong enough. I am certain it was Twilight who expressed this doubt most strongly. I wish there was a way to reassure them that all will be well. After all, if they truly do need to become stronger…the mists will take them to the place."

"But that place has closed its doors," Luna pointed out. "The burden of being open to other worlds was too strong, especially after…You-Know-Who appeared."

"Things are changing, Luna. The doors will reopen."

Celestia summoned a roll of parchment, a quill, and ink. "Dearest students," she began as she wrote. "Fear not about your strength, for the mists of Avalon will guide you where you need to go…"

* * *

SOMEWHERE ON FOURTH EARTH

A banging came at the bedroom door. The old woman, her hair once black as night but now silver with age, stirred in her bed. It was nearly midnight; what could anyone want at this hour? She sat up, putting on her gold spectacles. She crossed the room to the door, opening it.

"Good heavens, Sybil!" she cried, observing a frizzy-haired blonde woman clothed in a glittering nightgown before her. "What could possibly be the trouble at this time of night?"

When the blonde spoke, it was with a deep voice that the silver-haired woman was unused to hearing from her. "THE DOORS THAT ONCE WERE OPEN TO THE SANCTUARY OF THE WORLDS ARE CLOSED," she boomed, "BUT THEY MUST REOPEN. SIX CHOSEN ONES WILL ARRIVE, AND WITH THEM OUR FATE. THEY MUST BE TAKEN IN. THEY MUST BE TAUGHT. DISCORD COMES AND BRINGS WITH HIM ANCIENT EVIL. DO NOT FORGET YOUR PREDECESSOR'S WORDS, THAT HELP WILL ALWAYS BE GIVEN HERE TO THOSE WHO DESERVE IT. SOON, THE ORDER WILL CHANGE…OUR WORLD WILL NOT BE SEPARATED…WE MUST…FACE…THE GREATER…ORDER…" She gasped raspily, then closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. When next she spoke, it was with her usual voice. "Oh, dear…how did I come to be here?"

"You've prophesied," the silver-haired woman stated. "And quite a chilling prophecy it was…"

"Heavens, what did I say?" The blonde panicked.

"Sybil…you do know the history of this castle, do you not? That once, it was a sanctuary for all who needed it, no matter what world they were from? Before our time, creatures from other worlds separated themselves from our world. Or perhaps it was the other way around. You've said that soon others not of our world would arrive. Six heroes, and a villain who would bring discord."

"What must we do?" the blonde asked.

"If this is truly the case, then we must follow those words…that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who deserve it," Minerva McGonagall concluded. "Funny thing. I was sure that Dumbledore's words were that help would be given to those who ASK for it…"

* * *

Chapter 23:

· I deliberated with keeping Zel's hair gone, but Twi CAN do the spell, so why not? I can get rid of it again later if I want. And I may want…

· After a long while of thinking, I decided that Ponyville apple cider actually IS alcoholic. There was some debate over that. Turns out that America's the only place where apple cider isn't. Also, this reinforces my new headcanon—which may or may not be mentioned—that Pinkie Pie can drink anypony under the table.

· A ton of fantasy stories that talk about traveling between worlds say it shouldn't be done. If you do it too much in His Dark Materials or The Pendragon Adventure, the universe dies a little bit. I may try and play with that…

· I was going to wait to introduce Hades…but then I thought, WHY THE HELL NOT INTRODUCE HIM? After all, he, Mal, and Jafar are the three I think would get on board soonest if the Overtakers were reuniting.


	24. Enrollment

24: Enrollment

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Luna," Celestia asked her sister, "your powers of darkness are still very effective, aren't they?"

Luna nodded. "Dost thou have a favor to ask that only the dark and not the light can accomplish?"

"Indeed," Celestia answered. "Even while controlling both day and night, I never could take darkness under my wing the way you can. While I can Apparate, I can't Apparate at the speed of darkness. I was wondering if you still could."

"It was a difficult skill to master, even for myself," Luna admitted. "Yet I think it is in me to attempt a journey, provided it is to a world to which I have previously been. Where did thou hast in mind?"

"Fourth Earth," Celestia said. "I have a feeling that my little ponies are going to turn up there shortly, and they'll need a few things that I can't send to them through the fire. Including some very specific things from Ponyville."

"It shall be done," Luna promised. "As soon as you name your request."

"Thank you, Luna. I hate having to ask you to do things like this for me…"

"It is not a trouble to me, dear sister. This is a feat that only I can manage, and I understand that. I shall return in time to set the nightfall in motion. And to speak of nightfall…"

"What is it?" Celestia asked Luna, who had just raised a brow in suspicion.

"You seem fatigued," Luna observed. "As though thou had not slept through the night."

"I suppose there's no hiding it from you," Celestia sighed. "I still feel guilty about the way I sent them off like that."

"Are they not doing superbly so far?"

"Yes…but you know as well as I do, Luna, that I didn't tell them the whole story. You know what I never mentioned. About when we wielded the Elements. About what's going to happen to them. Especially to Twilight."

"Sister," Luna pointed out, "hadst thou said such things at the time, they would not have believed it. They barely believed that there were any worlds beyond this or that they would face half of what they hast faced."

"And yet I still hide it from them, though they know of the greater cosmos. And what's worse, Luna…I wanted to have a bond with trust with them. I wanted to be their friend. They have kept nothing from me…and I'm keeping secrets about them that affect their entire lives."

"Thou art still their friend," Luna reassured her sister. "Should thou decidest to tell them now, they still may not believe. 'Twould come as a great shock and seem a falsehood! If nopony else, Twilight Sparkle will understand thy reasons for having done what thou hast done. I dost not blame thee. Thou should not either."

"But—"

"Ah, dear sister! No interruptions! They will learn when the time has come, and they shan't blame you. Should they…then I will have words with them. And thou shall never lose my trust."

"After our history, Luna…that means a lot."

"Dear sister, when I returned to the royal palace, I discovered my fillyhood bedroom preserved in the exact condition in which I had left it. Thou saidst that thou kept it that way meaningfully, believing I would return. Thy actions towardst my identity of Nightmare Moon were necessary. Thy love never faltered. I shan't stop believing in thee. Now, art thou satisfied enough that thou mayst tell me my mission with Fourth Earth?"

Celestia nodded. "Now, Luna…you know that the time they will arrive will be different from when we were there. Salazar, Helga, Godric, and Rowena will have long passed. They may arrive in the age of Albus, Minerva, or even Armando."

"Those are the names I should seek?" Luna asked.

"Seek the headmaster," Celestia replied. "No matter what…the headmaster can be trusted."

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

Twilight stood in the control room, watching the map. She cross-referenced it with the Guide and gave a great groan.

"What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked, walking into the room.

"I'm beginning to get really annoyed with whoever wrote this Guide," Twilight grumbled. "We're approaching a new territory called 'Fourth Earth,' and I'm trying to read up on it. But this is what I get." She cleared her throat before reciting from the book. "The primary feature of Fourth Earth is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, former sanctuary and bastion of knowledge for multiple worlds. However, as of their year of 1955, they cut off contact with all other worlds and declared that the subject of their history was taboo. So taboo, in fact, that if you want to know about Hogwarts, you should ask the Hogwarts staff themselves. They probably won't tell you anyway." Twilight ceased her quotation. "WHAT IS THAT EVEN SUPPOSED TO MEAN? HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO HELP?"

Rainbow Dash snickered. "Somepony has a warped sense of humor. Hey, I'll just be glad if Fourth Earth isn't another place where I have to wear a stupid frilly skirt." She put her hands in the pockets of her rainbow pants, which she'd changed back into after leaving Corona.

The map showed the Starlight approaching Fourth Earth ever more closely. The icon representing the ship edged forward one pixel, into the aura of Fourth Earth, and what happened next, Twilight couldn't have anticipated at all.

Her body, as well as Rainbow Dash's, crumpled to the floor. All throughout the other ship, their comrades experienced the same feeling. Fluttershy felt her shape changing, as it had when she'd gone from pony to human. Pinkie Pie was struck with disorientation. Rarity screamed in horror. Applejack gripped the side of her bed, trying to keep her balance.

Then it was over. Rainbow Dash got up to see her rainbow pants torn and lying on the floor. "Hey!" she cried. "What gives?" Then she looked down. "TWILIGHT! We're back to ourselves!" Rainbow Dash was so excited by looking down and seeing the familiar sight of four blue hooves planted on the ground that she threw her hands into the air. Her…hands. She brought those human hands in front of her face, staring at them perplexedly. "What…what the HAY?"

From across the ship, Rainbow Dash and Twilight heard a piercing scream: Rarity very clearly shrieked, "I'M A SIX-LEGGED MONSTER!"

"Oh…!" Twilight stood, looking at her new shape. Even without the ability to see her face, she knew that her head was still human, and she retained everything of her human form from that point down to the waist. Just below her navel, that body joined to the shoulders of her pony-body, her four hooves planted firmly on the ground. Her skirt was bunched up at the place where the two halves joined. She looked over to Rainbow Dash to confirm what she was seeing, also noting that Rainbow Dash's wings had moved from her human shoulder blades to her pony back and that her Cutie Mark had disappeared from her forearm to return to her flank. "We're Kentaurides!"

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused.

"Female centaurs," Twilight clarified.

"You're going to have to start speaking a language I actually understand," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Excuse me," Applejack said, marching into the control room, "but what in tarnation did we just turn into? Twilight, I figure you of all ponies knows what's goin' on."

"I do," Twilight replied. "We're Kentaurides, which are female centaurs. A centaur is a mythical creature that's half human and half equine. It's best described as 'human from the waist up and equine from the waist down,' but that's not really accurate, because they have the waist and forelegs of an equine animal like a pony."

"Just when I get used to walkin' on two legs and usin' two to do other stuff," Applejack moaned, "now you're tellin' me I gotta get used to havin' six?"

"Technically, four legs and two arms…"

"Why did this happen?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, I have a bit of a theory," Twilight explained. "So you know we changed from ponies to humans because our world has an aura that makes everypony look like, well, ponies, and the last worlds we visited had auras that made everypony look human. With me so far? Well, I haven't been able to dig up much on Fourth Earth, thanks to the writer of the guide being sarcastic, but it looks like there are several sentient humanoid species there. And I bet centaurs are one. We're still too far away from the Fourth Equestrian aura to be our true forms, but this is a world that will let us get a little closer to our true forms. Make sense?"

"No," Rainbow Dash admitted.

"I think I get it," Applejack reiterated. "On Equestria, ponies rule, so we're ponies. In Corona, humans rule, so we're humans. On wherever this is, some people kinda look like ponies, and we really are ponies, so we kinda look like ponies."

"We should probably go find the others and tell them it's okay," Twilight suggested. "I bet Fluttershy isn't taking it well, and I KNOW Rarity isn't taking it well."

"Betcha Pinkie Pie's taking it like it's another reason to party," Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

As the three left the control room, they were intercepted by Pinkie. "LOOK, LOOK!" she cried. "HANDS AND HOOVES AT THE SAME TIME! I CAN DANCE TWICE AS MUCH AS BEFORE AND STILL HAVE MY HANDS FREE TO HOLD STUFF LIKE TUBAS!" Pinkie then gasped dramatically before announcing, "I BET I CAN PLAY TWENTY INSTRUMENTS AT THE SAME TIME NOW!"

* * *

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY, FOURTH EARTH

A mist rolled in over the waters; the ship drifted out. Rainbow Dash walked up onto the deck to drop anchor. She glanced around to see her surroundings. The mist cleared away, revealing the ship to be confined in a crystal blue lake that sparkled beneath a summer sun. To one side of the lake was a thick forest of trees of all kinds. To the other side, a wide lawn of green grass and a structure that made Rainbow Dash's jaw drop. The castle made Rapunzel's home in Corona look absolutely pathetic. It sprawled out over several wings, sprouting towers like flowers in a garden. It was constructed of gray stone, which also gleamed in the sunlight. Its expanse made it appear as though it could probably have contained a very small town.

Rainbow Dash went back belowdecks. "You're not gonna believe what we're parked next to!" she cried.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Twilight guessed. She stood with the others, everypony having been adjusted to the Kentauride transition.

"Well, that's probably what it is," Rainbow Dash answered, "but did you actually know what it LOOKED like?"

"No…" Twilight admitted.

"Okay, so you know Canterlot Castle, Jasmine's palace, and Rapunzel's castle?"

"All lovely buildings," Rarity commented.

"They look like garbage next to this one," Rainbow Dash finished.

"Impossible!" Rarity gasped.

"Well, you'll get a chance to see for yourself," Rainbow Dash told her. "I mean, you have to go out on your stealth fashion mission and all."

Rarity was already dressed for such a mission. "It was hard work to convert this suit to fit a Kentauride body," she admitted—the fabric covered not only her human torso, but her pony half—"but I made it work. As usual. Though depending, I'll probably only have to make blouses for us this time around."

"Can we all just agree that whatever I wear, we don't call it a 'blouse'?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It just doesn't sound cool!"

"Whatever you wish," Rarity promised. "Now, I have to see this castle for myself! I'll be back with the report."

She trotted upstairs and onto the deck. The sight of the castle did, admittedly, blow her away. Intrigued, she quietly made her way down the gangplank and began creeping around the lawn, hiding in a shrub at first.

Looking out, she saw two beings standing on the lake shore, looking out at the Starlight. It must have attracted attention, seeing as it had sailed right into the middle of an enclosed lake. Both beings were female, Rarity ascertained. The one farthest from her was a human, clothed in robes of emerald green and a pointed witch's hat set atop pinned-up silver hair; a glimmer of light on her face betrayed golden spectacles. The other was a Kentauride, though she was taller than Rarity, owing to her longer legs. Suddenly, Rarity realized she'd seen the lower body of this Kentauride before: the midnight-blue coat, the wings, the crescent-moon Cutie Mark… Her human half was clothed in a loose, flowing blue top that bared both shoulders, perfectly complementing the flowing, night-colored hair that was as lustrous as stars.

"LUNA?" Rarity cried, rushing out of hiding to approach the princess.

Luna turned and beamed at Rarity. "RARITY!" she cried, slipping back to the Royal Canterlot Voice in her excitement.

"What are you doing here?" Rarity asked. "And who, may I ask, is your friend?"

"I," the woman in green replied, "am Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. Princess Luna informed me of your arrival. We've been expecting you."

"Thou must tellest thy friends to leave the ship and speak with us immediately," Luna commanded.

"Does Headmistress McGonagall…" Rarity began.

"I know everything," McGonagall replied. "Insofar as that your true forms are quite different, that you hail from a completely different world, and that you have already been on many adventures. And it is exactly that about which I wish to speak."

"It is strange, returning to Hogwarts after all this time," Luna admitted. "Celestia and I didst first see it when it was first founded. Yet let us waste no more time! Rarity, summon thy friends!"

"But…what will we wear?" Rarity asked. "We can't simply walk off the ship without knowing how to dress!"

"Anything will be sufficient," Luna told her.

"Right," Rarity said. "Give us a few minutes, and we'll all be right here as soon as possible."

* * *

The six Kentaurides stepped down off the gangplank, each wearing a different pattern of tee. Twilight's shirt was a lovely deep violet patterned with constellations, Rainbow Dash's was gold with a rainbow encircling the midsection, Pinkie Pie's was bright pink with multicolored pastel flecks that resembled confetti, Applejack's was red with a green apple insignia, Fluttershy's was soft green with a pink floral pattern, and the shirt Rarity had made for herself was black satin edged with lace.

"I am pleased to meet you all," McGonagall said. "I am Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"And we are pleased to meet you," Rarity replied. "My name is Rarity."

And one by one, as usual, the others introduced themselves.

"So…you expected us to show up?" Twilight interrupted after introductions. "What's going on?"

"You shall all need to follow me," McGonagall said. "We can discuss things further in my office."

"There are surprises waiting for you there!" Luna emphasized. She and McGonagall turned to walk across the lawn toward the castle; the six shrugged and followed.

The entryway to the castle was a pair of gargantuan wooden doors, upon which McGonagall knocked thrice. The doors swung open to reveal a spacious atrium; a stained glass window filtered in colored light, and four hourglasses, each taller than Luna, stood at the room's front. Each hourglass, instead of containing sand, held gemstones of a different color: red, green, blue, and yellow.

From here, McGonagall and Luna, obviously knowing where they were going, led the six up several flights of stairs and down many twisting hallways until even Twilight lost her sense of direction. They stopped before a stone gargoyle, standing stoically in the hallway.

"Dumbledore," McGonagall told the gargoyle, and it shifted to life momentarily to hop aside and reveal an arched doorway.

"Is it alive?" Twilight asked, thinking of Angela on Avalon.

"No," McGonagall admitted. "Merely enchanted."

Beyond the door was a spiral staircase that moved upwards of its own accord, like an escalator. Pinkie Pie immediately jumped on it, crying, "WHEEEEEE!" The others followed slightly more gracefully. At the top of the stairs was another door; McGonagall opened it to lead her seven companions into the office at the stairway's culmination.

Six animals roamed the spacious room, which was studded with portraits. The portraits were another matter entirely, as the people in them were all seemingly alive, moving about and whispering to each other across frames. However, the attention of the six was caught by the animals, whom they immediately recognized.

"OWLOWISCIOUS!" Twilight cried, rushing toward her pet owl, who sat upon a perch that conspicuously appeared as though it was meant for a bird to sit upon it, though no other bird was visible in the office. Owlowiscious replied with a "Hoo" and winged to perch on Twilight's shoulder, recognizing his master despite her shift in form.

"Angel?" Fluttershy reached down to pick up a grumpy-looking white rabbit, whose look of derision she would know anywhere.

"Hey, it's Tank!" Rainbow Dash knelt on the floor to playfully tap on the shell of the good-natured tortoise.

Applejack whistled, and Winona the brown-and-white farm dog rushed to her side, panting happily.

"Oh, Opalescence!" Rarity attempted to hug her disgruntled white cat, who responded by trying to claw her way out of Rarity's embrace. "Mama's missed you so much!"

"GUMMY!" Pinkie Pie held her toothless miniature alligator aloft. "How did you get here, you silly goose?"

"I hast brought thy familiars here!" Luna explained.

"Familiars?" Twilight asked.

"Let us not get ahead of ourselves," McGonagall told Luna. "We do not even know if they will accept the proposition." She moved to the great wooden desk, sitting at it. "What do you know of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

"It's a school for witches and wizards to learn magic," Twilight replied knowledgeably. "It's supposed to be one of the safest places in the multiverse. Some of the greatest witches and wizards of all time have come from it, including Merlineans and Morganians."

"HUH?" her five friends chorused in unison.

"Followers of Merlin and Morgana le Fay," Twilight clarified. "Anyway, the school used to be open to everyone in the multiverse, but some time ago, Fourth Earth closed itself off entirely for some reason. And that's all I know."

"That is correct," McGonagall confirmed. "To confirm, this school was founded in our year 990 by two powerful witches and two equally powerful wizards: Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin. Among those who first visited the school and knew the four founders personally were Princess Luna and her sister, Celestia."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You and Celestia were here when this place was built?"

"And the adventures we hadst with the founders four!" Luna laughed. "All very dear friends. Although I am informed that after Celestia and I departed from this world to visit others, Salazar defected."

"Salazar believed that only pure-blood wizards and witches should be allowed into the school," McGonagall informed Luna. "Because of this, there was a schism between him and the others."

"He never was the most open-minded," Luna sighed. "But 'tis a pity. Despite his flaws, I found him quite a charming friend."

"The four founders affect the way our school is set up today," McGonagall went on. "We have divided the student body into four houses, each named for a founder and based on his or her values. This will be important for you to know, should you accept the offer that Luna and I have been discussing."

"And what offer is that?" Applejack inquired.

"I know you are the Elements of Harmony—" McGonagall tried to begin, but this set all the portraits into a tizzy, and each yelled something different:

"Impossible!"

"They don't exist!"

"Fairy tales!"

"Lies and slander!"

"OH, WILL YOU LOT BELT UP!" cried one portrait in particular, a bearded man. "Am I the only one who recognizes them?"

"Phineas?" McGonagall addressed the portrait that had spoken. "You know these young women?"

"Course I do," Phineas replied. "They were here when James Potter and his lot were in school. I saw Rainbow Dash end up here with James enough."

"But I've never been here," Rainbow Dash protested. "There's no way…"

"But there is," Twilight realized. "The Starlight can travel through time. We must have been here before!"

"I had thought you seemed familiar," McGonagall admitted. "I assume you stayed out of my sight in order to attempt to prevent a temporal paradox."

"That sounds like something I'd do," Twilight admitted. She turned back to her friends: "Just so we're all clear, when we show up here in the past, let's try and stay out of McGonagall's sight so we don't cause a paradox, okay?"

"In any case," McGonagall went on, "a few things have come to my attention. One is that, as Luna has revealed to me, you have been feeling as though your magical capabilities are insufficient for your current quest."

"We have," Twilight admitted. Then it sank in. "Wait a minute. This place TEACHES magic. Are you saying…"

"Let me finish," McGonagall said sternly, looking at Twilight over the top of her spectacles; Twilight swallowed her sentence. "The other is that our resident seer, Sybil Trelawney, former Divination professor, has approached me with a rather disturbing prophecy. She has said that ancient evils will return to this world and bring with them discord, and…well? Did I say something wrong?"

The six had shivered at the mention of the word "discord," still not knowing if it was merely happenstance or an allusion to their old enemy. "It's just that those words, I mean those particular words, are a little scary," Fluttershy explained. "What happens next?"

"Six chosen ones were supposed to appear here," McGonagall finished, "and I cannot help but note that you number six. I have yet to confirm with the Ministry of Magic—"

"THERE'S A MINISTRY OF MAGIC?" Twilight squealed, grinning madly, but McGonagall stared her down over the top of her glasses again to shut her up.

"—as I was saying, I have yet to confirm with the Ministry whether or not there are additional prophecies regarding you or the Elements of Harmony, and given the state of things, it will take some doing to get them to admit it if there are. The event that caused us to close our borders was incredibly cataclysmic, and the Ministry has been reticent to deal with anything that they believe may be more powerful or destructive than what we just managed to defeat last year."

"But what was that?" Applejack asked. "If ya don't mind me askin'."

"A wizard named Lord Voldemort," McGonagall explained. "I would not, were I you, refer to him by name among the general public. There is a certain taboo upon it that I do not care to entertain myself. As my predecessor in the Headmaster's position used to say, fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself. Lord Voldemort terrorized the wizarding world, killing hundreds out of prejudice and out of fear of death. This past year, he was finally slain in battle by our resident hero, Harry Potter. Trust me, the more time you spend in this world, the more you will get to know that name.

"Now, to get to the point: it seems that you are destined to be here, and we can offer you the skills you need. Luna and I have discussed at length what to do, and we have come up with a proposition. It is most unorthodox, as you are all far past the age at which we usually admit students, but Luna has assured me that you are all trustworthy and that you would benefit from regular coursework in magic."

"Not to forget that Pinkie Pie possesses the mentality of an eleven-year-old human!" Luna added carelessly.

Pinkie just nodded and laughed, not offended at all.

"More like a five-year-old human," Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack.

"More like FOUR!" Pinkie giggled, and Rainbow Dash flinched, unaware that Pinkie had heard her.

"It is under these circumstances that I would like to offer the six of you regular studentship at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," McGonagall said. "You would enter with the first years and attend classes with them. Mind you, we also have not had centaurs as students at all in my memory, since relations between humans and the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest are rocky at best. However, if the students have issues with that, you may refer them to me. You would live here for each school year and be sorted into the according House. You would be skilled in all areas of magic. And, because our school has implemented a longtime policy of allowing one pet per student, you would be able to live with the animal companions Luna has brought you."

"The duration is seven years," Luna said, "but because of the abilities of the Starlight, it would not be seven true years to thee. If thou wished, thou couldst, after the end of thy first year, return to Corona the day after thou leftst it. Thou may spendst the summers away, for as long as thou liked, and return in time for the next school year. Thy tuition would be completely covered by Celestia and myself."

"If you do not wish to entertain our offer," McGonagall concluded, "the decision is entirely your own."

The six exchanged glances. They all knew that they were thinking roughly the same thing.

"Of course we want to," Twilight began.

"But, um," Fluttershy said softly, "only two of us are actually witches."

"FALSEHOOD!" Luna cried, her yell nearly blowing out everyone else's eardrums. "Er, I mean…that is not entirely true. Though only Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were born with magical powers, thou art the Elements of Harmony. This entails that each of thee has an innate sense of magic. It may be small, and thou mayst not be able to complete all spells, but each of thee shouldst have at least some control over magic. To what degree will be different for each of thee."

"Well, we did okay with Galifem arrows," Applejack remembered, "and those are kinda magic."

"If I may speak for us all," Rarity said, "we accept the proposition. And we are very grateful to you for offering it!"

"When can we start?" Twilight asked, her eyes wide and shining at the prospect.

"The official Sorting Ceremony is in a week," McGonagall answered. "We will arrange for you to stay in London until then so you may complete your school shopping. Mind you, this world is divided between the magical and nonmagical communities in ways you may not be familiar with. Muggles—that is to say, the nonmagical—are easily frightened by the concept of magic, and trying to integrate our communities completely is, at this point, impossible. It will take many more years before our societies are able to peacefully coexist. Until then, the magical world is concealed from Muggles, and I expect all of you to be mindful of that in London, which is largely a Muggle city."

"But how are we supposed to keep it a secret if we're Kentaurides?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Don't worry," Twilight reassured her. "I've been working on my glamour spells. I think I can conjure something that will let everypony in London think we look like humans."

"And you needn't worry about keeping up such disguises in Diagon Alley," McGonagall said. "That is, of course, where you shall purchase all the necessary schoolbooks and supplies." She took from the desk six rolls of parchment. "These lists specify what you will need for your first year of curriculum."

"Thou art about to ask how thou wilt pay for such things," Luna said. "And I hast the answer." She took from one of her shirt pockets a bulging sack of money. "This is a gift from Celestia and myself to thee! It should be enough to cover thy myriad expenses."

"Thank you so much!" Fluttershy gushed. "I don't know how we could have done it without—"

"I am not finished," Luna said. She took out a second sack of money and placed it on the desk beside the first. "HUZZAH! The bits have been doubled!"

"But how?" Twilight asked.

"These are profits from the clothing that Rarity has been designing and sending back to Ponyville!" Luna announced. "Sweetie Belle is quite an accomplished salespony and bookkeeper! And, might I add, thy 'Seven Deserts' line is becoming popular in Canterlot."

Rarity blushed. "Why, I can hardly believe it!"

"Take the bits to Gringotts bank in Diagon Alley," McGonagall said. "Even if the goblins claim that they do not remember how to convert interdimensional currency…rest assured, they still have that knowledge."

Twilight was already reading over her booklist. "Magical Drafts and Potions? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! This is WONDERFUL!"

"If I send you to the Leaky Cauldron with directions about what to do and where to go," McGonagall said, "I trust you can find your way with little supervision?"

"You can count on us!" Twilight said with a nod.

"I am glad thou hast accepted the offer!" Luna said joyously. "Thou shouldst find the answers thou needest!"

"Thank you so much for letting us," Twilight said.

"It is no trouble," McGonagall said. "I suppose it is appropriate for me to say at this time…welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

* * *

THE RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

Discord reclined on the master bed, stretching out his full draconequus body. He leafed through the final pages of a thick book bound in a peach-colored dust jacket. "All was well," he read out loud; those were the final words in the book. He slammed it shut. "All was WELL? Gag! That's not how you end a story! Hmm…what can we do to make it a little more interesting?"

He rolled over. He was completely alone; he always had enjoyed speaking to himself. "It's too quiet," he resolved. "That's what it is. It's no fun if the heroes all get to live and the villains have to die. Where's the conflict? Where's the action? Where's the drama? What this story needs is a little more spice!"

He produced a small, dark stone and rolled it around in his palm. "And this is exactly how I plan to give it that," he continued. "The Resurrection Stone…oh, but unfortunately, it's only meant to bring back shades of the dead, not the actual flesh and blood people!" He chuckled, grinning. "Well, it's a good thing I can warp the rules, then, isn't it?"

He turned the stone over in his birdlike claw. A bright light filled the room, and suddenly, it was filled with people. Witches, wizards…and all completely alive. At the forefront of them was a pale man with a very singular face. His eyes were bright red, his head was devoid of any hair, and his nose was completely smoothed over, the nostrils set right into the skin. This made him resemble a snake—and in fact, a snake was curling up at his feet to hammer home the resemblance.

"What…magic…is this?" the man breathed, looking at what had once been his own bed, now occupied by the strangest dragonlike creature he'd ever seen.

"Why, Lord Voldemort!" Discord leapt from the bed and stood, spreading his arms. "Welcome back to the world of the living!"

"This cannot be," Voldemort breathed. "There is no such magic—"

"Well, there was this old thing," Discord said, holding out the stone. "Which, I might add, someone CARELESSLY left lying around the Forbidden Forest."

"It could never truly bring the dead back to life," Voldemort pointed out.

"Well, TECHNICALLY it isn't supposed to," Discord said. "And TECHNICALLY glasses are supposed to fill from the bottom up, and TECHNICALLY you can't get into the room in the Canterlot castle where the Elements of Harmony pendants are kept unless you're Princess Celestia, and TECHNICALLY the Coronan aura should have shifted me into human form without me having to do it myself, but I don't have to play by the rules, now, do I?"

A frizzy-haired woman pointed at Discord somewhat accusingly. "He's an Old One, he is!" she cried. "One of the old gods of disorder!"

"Precisely, Ms. Lestrange!" Discord laughed.

"And how do you know all of us?" Voldemort asked.

Discord pointed to the bed, where he'd left his tome. "I read the book. Don't ask. Now, let's get down to business. I brought you here because I'm playing the most important game I've ever played, and this playing field was absolutely boring. Too much good and too little bad. Too much organization and too little disorder. You and your Death Eaters are the biggest monkey wrench I can throw into the works here."

"So you are claiming we are your pawns."

"I'm not claiming it. I'm stating it. Really, is that too much for any of you to grasp? You're almost as bad as Maleficent. In any case, you might be interested to know that some old enemies of yours have turned back up."

"I expected Harry Potter to live a long life," Voldemort replied. "Long enough that no matter what year it is, he will still be around to face me."

"It's actually the summer after he killed you. I'm aware that bringing you back THIS soon is REALLY cheating, but this world was headed on a fast track to 'All was well,' and I couldn't have that happen, you see? But I'm actually talking about an older enemy. From another world. Don't you remember?"

After a pause, Voldemort said, "The Elements of Harmony…"

"Exactly. But under new names and faces. They're right here on this very planet. I figure you might want to go after them and see what happens. I'm sure the clash will be absolutely riveting to watch! Oh, and if you are still interested in Potter, I'm sure you can go after him too. Now, do you want the ground rules?"

"You speak of rules after you have broken them," Voldemort pointed out.

"I'm talking about rules I set," Discord clarified. "It's more of a roll call, really. In this room, you have a standard set of Death Eaters. You, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Antonin Dolohov, Alfred AND Alistair Avery, Bartemius Crouch Jr. complete with soul, Bellatrix Lestrange, Vincent Crabbe Sr. and Jr., Evan Rosier, Gideon Gibbon, Gregory Goyle Sr., Fenrir Greyback, Igor Karkaroff for a second bite at the apple, Cassius Jugson, Edmond Lestrange, Stephen Mulciber Sr. and Jr., Matthew Nott Sr., Peter Pettigrew, Rodolphus Lestrange, Jonathan Rosier, Christopher Scabior, Andronicus Selwyn, Thorfinn Rowle, Terry Travers, Walden Macnair, Reynaldo Wilkes, and Nikolas Yaxley. No Rookwood; he's in jail. No Malfoys and no Snape; you didn't want them back anyway. No Burke; I'm saving that one for something special elsewhere. No Gorgon and no Horvath; I tried, but neither of them are actually dead, which should make you happy. And no Russo; let's have the past be the past, shall we?" He grinned when he saw Voldemort's face at the mention of that last name. The real reason he'd kept back Russo was simply to make Voldemort that angry. It was, to him, frankly hilarious. "To replace them all, I gave you one more. Ladies and gentlemen, I present!"

He gestured toward the back corner, where a slight, pale man was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees, obviously not wanting to be there.

"Quirinus…Quirrell," Voldemort observed.

"Why," Quirrell croaked. "Why again…"

"You balk," Voldemort observed. "When it was you who sought me out in the first place."

"I didn't know the consequences," Quirrell squeaked. "I didn't realize…the pain…"

Discord laughed raucously. "This really IS fun! Now, one more thing. As you can see, the snake Nagini is alive and well, but she's a regular snake. Not a Horcrux. In fact…you have NO Horcruxes! Your soul is fully repaired! Now, what you want to do about that is up to you. I know what I'd do if I were you, but I want to see what you decide. Now that you know the ground rules, Lord Voldemort, what do you think?"

Voldemort wasn't sure what to make of the Old One's goofy grin. He'd heard tell of the Old Ones, but he had never expected…this. Still, he had only one answer: "I must thank you. This truly is…a gift."

"And what are you going to do now that you're back?"

"Finish what I began."

"Excellent." Discord's smile was now a knowing smirk. "Now, if you'll excuse me…I have front row seats to what's sure to be the best show Fourth Earth has had since your defeat." He snapped his fingers, and then he, the Resurrection Stone, and the book were gone.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Jr. groaned.

"An old magic," Voldemort said softly. "One that transcends all limitations. He has given us quite the opportunity. We are in a perfect position to finish all we had begun. To exact our revenges. To finish our quests. To re-establish ourselves on this world…and on others as well."

"And what're you going to do?" Bellatrix asked.

"Rebuild my immortality," Voldemort said without even pausing to think. "Find six new Horcruxes."

"But we've already been dead," Scabior pointed out.

"That we have," Voldemort replied. Images flashed through his mind. The deep green glow of the river Styx. The clack of the judges' gavel; the bite of the Devourer. The screams of Tartarus, echoing against black stone walls. "And having been dead…it is not something I wish to again experience."

"What is our plan?" Vincent Crabbe Sr. inquired. "Beyond simply making Horcruxes."

"I plan to find and attack the Elements of Harmony, as well as Potter and all those who helped him," Voldemort stated. "I also have in mind exactly which object to form into my first Horcrux. But before that, we must prepare. I wish to implement failsafes and to bring into our fold a few of those that were lost. Those…not of this world, who still wished to conquer it. In the meantime, make your own plans, all of you, for this is when we bring them to life."

"One question," Bellatrix asked. "What is this object you've picked out to start with the Horcruxes again?"

"The very object that led to my first downfall," Voldemort replied. "Quirrell should remember it well. It cheated the both of us and favored Potter. For that, I intend to make it my own." He turned to the shivering man in the corner. "Do you have any idea what I'm talking about, Quirrell?"

Slowly, Quirrell raised his gaze to meet Voldemort's. Then he nodded, slowly. His answer was indeed the very object on his master's mind: "The Mirror of Erised."

* * *

Chapter 24:

· Luna and Celestia are really fun to write together, but at the same time, difficult. And both those facets are for the same reason: Celestia speaks in modern slang while Luna speaks Ye Olde English. I'm sure I didn't get a lot of Luna's grammar right.

· While "Crystal Empire" convinced me that Celestia can control dark magic (and she did have both night and day for 1000 years), she is primarily a unicorn of light, so I thought that Luna should be the one to have mastered Apparition at the Speed of Darkness.

· Yes, Celestia is keeping secrets. At first, I was just going to have one big secret that I'd planned from the beginning, but since then, I ended up making this huge backstory for how the first six Elements of Harmony came into being, and I'm going to retcon it in whether y'all like it or not. So Celestia is also saying nothing about that.

· Till this point, I never accurately portrayed how snarky the Guide can get at times. It was long overdue.

· The Kentauride idea came partly from me and partly from Ophira. I was thinking about what forms the Mane Six would take on various worlds because of the shape-shifting aura thing, and I had it in the works that they would become Kentaurides for a world based on Ancient Greece. Then I remembered that there are centaurs in Harry Potter, too. Ophira advised me to go for it and give them that form. And I like it. This storylet, which to be longer than the last two because I intend to cover a full year at Hogwarts (don't worry, it won't be as long as an actual Rowling book), is also going to contain a few examples of ponification—characters from outside MLPFIM are going to go to Fourth Equestria and become ponies. Which I'm really excited for. Not saying who yet.

· I only refer to Hogwarts by the full title in the first header – I realize that's inconsistent, but I don't think it's necessary to repeat it after that. You all know what Hogwarts is.

· Pinkie saying "I can play twenty instruments at the same time" is a reference to the ep "Magic Duel", where it's revealed that Pinkie as a four-legged pony can play ten instruments at one time. Ponies who haven't met her think it's magic; her friends say, "It's just Pinkie Pie." So giving her two extra limbs probably doubles the instruments.

· This storylet—at least in this time period—is set during the last week of the summer immediately after Harry vanquished Voldemort in Deathly Hallows.

· A bit of a rant: so I used the Potter Wiki a LOT for this, and it said that Hogwarts was canonized to officially have seven stories. Seven. I understand this being the case in the licensed video games, because there's only so much programming space you can have, and they did REALLY well with what they had. And in the movies, I guess we never do see more than seven floors. But when I first read the first book, waaaay back as a wee one, I thought Hogwarts had at least twenty floors and was probably bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. I thought it had to be the biggest and most impressive castle EVER. I'm hoping that my description kind of put that across. Because I do not intend to stick to only seven stories. I'm intentionally putting the Divination classroom on the ninth or tenth. I'm doing it. Don't try to stop me.

· NOBODY CARES WHAT THE MANE SIX ARE WEARING except me. I love making their clothes. Even just T-shirts.

· I had trouble deciding on a design for McGonagall. I don't remember if the books gave her silver hair or not; I imagined her with black hair before the films came along. I went with silver in the end because black eventually becomes that color anyway. And since I've been watching a ton of Downton Abbey and becoming a Maggie Smith fan…I sort of have to envision her as Maggie Smith.

· So I stole the atrium from the Chamber of Secrets video game. I'm going to be stealing quite a bit of architecture from the games, actually (not all of it, of course, as I intend to keep to the idea that Hogwarts is more than seven stories tall, and I have some of my own flairs to stick on certain areas). Actually, since the game was based on the films, I probably just stole it from the films, but I don't actually remember the atrium being in any of the movies. Which goes to show how long ago I watched them. Oh, and you should know now: I'm going to be patchworking in ideas from the books, movies, games, AND fanworks.

· "Merlineans" and "Morganians": terms stolen from the movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

· And we see yet another snapshot from Celestia and Luna's travels in the past: they met the Four Founders.

· Phineas Black is my favorite portrait and I had to at least give him a cameo.

· Yes, I've planned far enough in advance that I know I'm going to have the Mane Six muck with time and visit the Marauders. Eventually. And there are some other time periods in Hogwarts history I'm considering for them, though none involves the Founders.

· McGonagall staring down over her glasses is actually a bit of headcanon I have. I had a middle school teacher who I always thought reminded me of McGonagall, and the way she got everyone to shut up was to stare at them over the top of her glasses. I thought it seemed fitting.

· I hope the plot of making them students isn't too corny. Yes, it will involve a lot of doing the Stations of the Canon (Diagon Alley, the Sorting, Quidditch, etc.). But I think it ended up being fun.

· Based on the fact that Fluttershy, AJ, RD, and Pinkie are four of the Elements alone, I think they have slight capacities for magic…but this is actually something I want to go into deeper detail on later. For now, all you need to know is that they don't have full witch capabilities, but they each have a little bit of magic.

· I have no idea if Twilight can do glamours of that level, but I needed a cover story for London.

· By the way, for me, the official theme song of Discord scheming things and bringing back villains and/or chaotic plot devices behind the scenes is a fansong called "Don't Look", created by YT user PiercingSight (a.k.a. DaneGraphics). If you wanted a small bit of leitmotif for him.

· Yes. YES. Discord wants to mess with Fourth Earth because HE READ DEATHLY HALLOWS AND DIDN'T LIKE THE EPILOGUE. HE READ THE BOOK WHILE SITTING ON THE BED OF THE BOOK'S MAIN VILLAIN. HE KNOWS WHERE THE FOURTH WALL IS AND HE DOESN'T CARE. Now, I don't hate the epilogue entirely—I've decided I mostly agree with the ships and the lineage—but the entire concept was really corny and so much Mood Whiplash after the dark plot twists of the war, and I keep getting this feeling Rowling mostly wrote it so people would stop bugging her to make more books. She definitely didn't want Voldemort to ever come back. So guess what Discord and I want to happen?

· Seriously, Harry thought the Resurrection Stone would be lost forever if he chucked it on the ground of the Forbidden Forest. As though no one would ever find it there. As though there wasn't any such thing as Discord.

· In Discord's eps of MLPFIM, he clearly breaks the rules of magic. The Elements pendants are locked away in a room that only Celestia can open, but she finds the space empty, and Discord has managed to transport the Elements miles away. It's never explained how he did that. So can he fix the Resurrection Stone so it actually resurrects rather than just bringing back shades? I think so. Now I know what you're thinking: why didn't he just use the gate to the Netherworld or the Cosmic Reset? Well, the Cosmic Reset would have involved way too much complexity having to be done over again, and I didn't want to deal with it. I'll give the excuse that Discord thinks what happened in the past was already too much fun to muck with. As for the Eye of Gazeem, that's an easy explanation. The Netherworld is a subset of the afterlife that the Death Eaters weren't in.

· So, at first, I hated the film version of Voldemort as shown in Goblet of Fire. I hated the no nose thing. But that version has become so iconic that I had to use it. As for the other Death Eaters…Bellatrix has "frizzy hair". Take this as the film version, the version from A Very Potter Musical, or one of your own creation. Scabior looks exactly like his film counterpart—but I'll explain that more below. Quirrell is thin and wiry because we all pictured him that way, and you know it. Barty Crouch Jr. is David Tennant because DAVID TENNANT. And the rest? Maybe I'll describe them, maybe I won't, but their designs are going to be a lot more fluid.

· Voldy knows about the Elements, and this has to do with the backstory I made for the previous gen of Elements.

· And now, an explanation of the Death Eaters listed. I mostly used the Potter Wiki list of known Death Eaters that were either confirmed or presumed dead. For a lot of them with last names given but no first names, I just pulled first names out of nowhere. I added two from canon: Fenrir Greyback (of course) and Scabior. Admittedly, that last one was purely because of the seventh and eighth films. I'm not even sure if he was originally in Rowling's written work or if he was made for the films. (I need a reread…) But his role in the films was so HUGE, almost as a secondary antagonist, that I had to throw him in. Crouch is back because he's David Tennant. Karkaroff is back and not given the benefit of the doubt because I just thought it would be fun. Same for Pettigrew. Rookwood was very specifically listed as jailed and NOT dead, so he couldn't appear. And I'm actually giving the Malfoys the benefit of the doubt—that's right, I'm doing Draco In Leather Pants on Draco! Because Crabbe Jr. died in the fiend-fyre, though, I figured he could come back with his dad. Goyle Jr…is being raised by his mom. No idea if I want to do anything with him yet.

· For the crossover Death Eaters: the surnames are going to be foreshadowing for now. "Burke" is, of course, based partly on the missing half of Borgin and Burkes, but it's actually something I'll be lending to a crossover character. Gorgon, Horvath, and Russo are all there for you to guess at right now.

· And finally, QUIRRELL. Why did I bring back Quirrell? Because of the parody fanwork "A Very Potter Musical." It gave Quirrell an expanded role and…well…those who have seen it know what it did with Quirrell and Voldemort that I like and want to play with eventually. Those who haven't? I'm not going to spoil the surprise.

· So you'll partly recognize that the Underworld is kinda the one from Disney's Hercules because the Styx is green. However, astute eyes will catch the house of the judges (a Greek mythology original that I don't think I've ever seen touched upon in any pop culture work) as well as the Devourer from Egyptian mythology. I almost don't want to go into too much detail because the Underworld that Voldemort went to was in the 90's of his world, and the Hades we saw in the last chapter, the Disney version, is still in the B.C. era of his, so Voldy actually comes from Hades' future…and I have planned some major changes for the Underworld in that time (though I don't know if I'll ever get there, since this story is friggin' huge).

· And yeah, rebuilding Horcruxes is kind of a stupid plot to re-enact, but again, I think it will be fun, and I wanted something that would pay homage to Harry's first year for the Mane Six's first year, so the Mirror of Erised had to be brought into it. Besides, given Voldy's history with the thing, don't you think he'd WANT to go after it so he wouldn't have to be mocked by its existence?


	25. Diagon Alley

25: Diagon Alley

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Minerva McGonagall lay both letters open before her on her desk. One of them contained a response she'd expected, but she was disappointed anyway:

Headmistress McGonagall:

I've inquired into what you asked, but even in these times, now that Voldemort is a terror of the past, the rest of the Ministry is still reluctant to acknowledge anything otherworldly. There are probably records of the Elements of Harmony in our care; it's just that no one is willing to reveal where they are. I'm sure there's also a prophecy about them, or maybe two, but at the rate I'm getting answers, the only way I can know is if I scour the Department of Mysteries shelf by shelf. I'll keep trying. In the meantime, I wish you a school year relatively free of chaos, which Hogwarts certainly hasn't seen in a while.

Sincerely,

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Minister for Magic

The other letter was more pleasing in nature, though it was unexpected:

Professor McGonagall:

I know you had said that due to our 'heroic actions', Harry, Ron, and I were excused from our final year of school and would receive full credit. Harry and Ron, of course, intend to take this opportunity and make the most of it, but I absolutely will not be known as the student who traded favors (of any kind, be they life or death or merely trivial) for credit and got out by only doing 6/7 of the work. It is for this reason that I wish to reject my honorary credit and return to the school to finish term properly. If you'll allow it, you will see me at the beginning of this term. Thank you again for the honor, and for taking the time to consider this.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

After deliberation, McGonagall decided to answer Hermione's letter first and Shacklebolt's second. She dipped a quill in ink, drafting her reply.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

"You may all do as you wish," Voldemort told his resurrected fellows as they sat around the dining room table—not as spacious as that of Malfoy Manor, but enough to crowd the entire group in. "However, I shall first need to gather those that have been separated from us…our otherworldly allies."

"And how are you going to do that?" Yaxley asked.

"I have mastered the art of Apparition at the speed of darkness," Voldemort informed his followers. "Were you not aware that I could travel the distances between parallel worlds?"

"I knew," Bellatrix said. "The rest of these duffers might not have been paying attention to your comings and goings, but I knew. You seriously didn't know that we had friends in high places?"

"There were those the…dragon…mentioned," Yaxley admitted, "but I thought that Gorgon and Horvath were—"

"It was a draconequus," Voldemort interrupted, "and you were mistaken."

"Then neither of them deserted us," Scabior realized.

"Each was occupied with a battle on their own world," Voldemort explained, "and it was my impression that both had died by the time we last invaded Hogwarts. It is my sincere hope that the draconequus was not lying. With them on our side, along with other reinforcements—"

"We'd be right unstoppable," Bellatrix finished.

Voldemort rose from his chair. "It is my intent to find those whose locations I know and bring them here," he said. "I will not need your company. Only one will do. Bellatrix, as you have proven a faithful right hand—"

"What, I've been demoted?" Peter Pettigrew whined.

"You displayed weakness toward those who spared your life," Voldemort snarled at Pettigrew, "and it was for that weakness that you were killed before. You are fortunate that I have decided not to kill you immediately—as is Karkaroff." He sent a meaningful glare in Karkaroff's direction; Karkaroff shrank back guiltily. "Of all of you, I would say that Bellatrix, Bartemius, and Christopher were the most faithful…and Bellatrix most of all. Therefore, she shall accompany me to Fifth Earth."

"Fifth Earth?"

Everyone was surprised to hear Quirrell pipe up. He had made it a point to remain in the corner of all gatherings. Most had assumed that he did not want to be there at all, that his reappearance in the faction had been a mistake or a cruel joke. Though he no longer used the stammer he'd adopted at Hogwarts to bolster his image as an innocent, his voice still betrayed doubt and fear, doubt and fear that obviously did not belong among Death Eaters. However, as Quirrell went on, the others became stunned.

"I, too, had mastered Apparition at the speed of darkness," Quirrell said. "As you…as some of you…know, I…I had a fascination with the Dark Arts. I became adept at it, and I knew that Fifth Earth was a wellspring for Morganians…you see, before it occurred to me that Mast—that Lord Voldemort might have survived his first encounter with Potter, before I ever sought him out, I had thought I could raise Morgana le Fay from the Grimhold. I took one apprentice and put him through training for the Rising, but…it was obvious that we couldn't do it on our own. That was when I decided to seek out Lord Voldemort, you see. Giving him life may not have been as powerful as giving Morgana le Fay life, but it was definitely a route to power, and…more accessible. I had intended to go between both worlds, training my apprentice for the Rising while tending to Lord Voldemort, but once he and I…joined…"

"I recall," Voldemort finished. "You said you had other obligations. I told you to forsake them. You obeyed."

"I was afraid of what you'd do if I didn't bestow upon you my…full attention…and you, much unlike Morgana, were a sure thing…"

Voldemort considered this. "So you too have connections on Fifth Earth. This could be of infinite use to us. I suppose it would not do us too much harm to add this apprentice of yours into our ranks, provided he is still alive…yes. Join us, Quirinus."

"WHAT?" Bellatrix shrieked. "But, my Lord, it was just to be you and me! I was your most faithful! Your right hand! I am the only one you can trust!"

"Quirinus presents to us an opportunity we must not overlook," Voldemort insisted, "and while you have given me many years of unwavering service to his two…he sacrificed his body for me, something no one else in this room can claim."

"My hand," Pettigrew said, sulking. He regretted it when he found the business end of Voldemort's want pointing at him:

"Do you wish to argue, Wormtail?"

"N-no…" Pettigrew squeaked. The wand was lowered. Pettigrew sighed with relief, then scowled at Quirrell. Bellatrix also shot Quirrell her dirtiest look.

"Do not give away our position or existence entirely," Voldemort warned, "upon the consequence of reliving your death. Beyond that, whatever you choose to do is up to you. Bellatrix, Quirinus…to me."

"Gladly, my Lord!" Bellatrix, knowing that without the skills of darkness the other two men had, she'd have to touch one of them in a Side-Along Apparition, grabbed onto Voldemort's right shoulder, pressing against him. Quirrell made his way cautiously to Voldemort's side. A look from Voldemort—strangely, one that made Quirrell feel less threatened than the looks given to him by Pettigrew and Bellatrix—signaled that he, too, was to touch the Death Eater Lord, as he had never been to the location where Voldemort intended to bring them. He gingerly touched Voldemort's left shoulder with the tip of his index finger.

Destination, determination, deliberation. Voldemort fixated upon the manor in the parallel world, determined to transport there, and in a blink, was gone, Bellatrix and Quirrell with him.

* * *

LONDON, FOURTH EARTH

Down Charing Cross Road was a pub. Half of those who passed it saw it as an abandoned building, in desperate need of repair but with no hope of getting any, and so they walked on, paying it no mind. The other half, however, saw the Leaky Cauldron as it truly was: a place bustling with light and activity. It was here that McGonagall had directed Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Luna had seen them there, made sure that Twilight's glamour properly protected their Kentauride bodies from the eyes of passing Muggles, paid for three rooms for the six to stay in, and then gone home to Canterlot, leaving the six to their own devices. By then, night had fallen, and the six divided up to their rooms, falling asleep.

Twilight wasn't awoken by the soft filtering of sunlight through the window, nor was she woken by the quiet hooting of Owlowiscious as he sat on her bedpost. No, she was woken when her roommate bounced up and down upon the bed they shared:

"TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT, WAKE UP! WE'VE GOTTA GO GET OUR STUFF FOR SCHOOL!" Pinkie hopped up and down on the mattress. Gummy joined in, though his hops were rather pitiful compared to Pinkie's.

"GAAAH!" Twilight struggled into a sitting position, tucking all four legs underneath her and holding her torso upright. "Pinkie, is that really necessary?"

"I would have thought you would be most excited of all!" Pinkie squealed. "We're going to get our stuff so we can learn magic at Hogwarts! How are you not excited?"

Twilight realized Pinkie was right. "You know what? I really am excited!" She jumped out of the bed, rushing out of the room and down the hall. She and Pinkie knocked on the door of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's room. "Rainbow Dash!" they cried in unison. "Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy poked her head out of the door. "Um, Rainbow Dash wants to sleep more," she said softly.

"Tell them the sun only JUST came up!" Rainbow Dash added groggily from in the room.

"But shopping!" Pinkie argued. "School supplies! Magic!"

"I'll see if I can convince her to wake up," Fluttershy said before disappearing back into the room.

Pinkie and Twilight then pounded on Rarity and Applejack's door. They both answered immediately. "Somehow I knew you two would be up and at 'em at this hour," Applejack said with a smile.

"Let's get this over with," Rarity sighed.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" Pinkie asked, concerned.

Rarity unfolded the shopping list. "You see this? It says we need…plain black robes! Why don't they just admit that the ultimate goal is to stifle my creative spirit? Of all the worst possible things that could happen, this is THE—"

"Why don't we get some breakfast?" Applejack suggested, beginning to move downstairs.

* * *

The Leaky Cauldron was filled with humanoids of varying shapes and sizes, from those taller than average to those shorter than average. All wore cloaks of one hue or another. The six were not only the only Kentaurides in the building, but the only ones not wearing cloaks, instead donning their tees.

"Mornin'," the bartender, a man introduced to them as Tom, greeted. "I trust you slept well?"

"Not as long as I would have liked," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Just fine," Twilight corrected.

"Breakfast is on the house for you," Tom said, taking out six plates. "Well, technically, your friend Luna covered it until you have some Galleons of your own, which she told me would be soon. Now, is it really true what Luna said? That you're travelers from another world?"

"It feels kinda weird just admittin' it," Applejack said. "We've been keepin' it mostly secret whenever we turn up someplace new."

"It's rather obvious to us," Tom told her. "First of all, you've all got American accents, though that could just mean you're from across the pond. But after that, your bodies aren't like any centaurs I've ever seen. Bright blue, and with wings! That shade of pink! And what are those strange markings, tattoos?"

"Cutie Marks," Pinkie answered gladly. "We get them when we figure out our special talent! Mine is partying, so I have balloons! You have some great parties here, right? I mean, it is a pub and everything!"

"We've been known to have the occasional party," Tom admitted. "Makes me wonder what the other centaurs will say at the sight of you."

"I hope they like us," Pinkie said worriedly.

"Well, that depends on them," Tom pointed out. "Oh, and there's one more thing. Luna only gave me last names for three of you."

"We know," Rarity sighed. "Headmistress McGonagall said that we would all need last names in order to register at the school. But how do you expect me to pick something wonderful and unique enough?"

"You could be Belle," Pinkie suggested. "To go with Sweetie Belle!"

"But I don't want to have Sweetie Belle's name," Rarity complained. "I want my own!"

"I'm not sure why you're so hung up on this," Applejack sighed. "I just went with Apple. Can't you just pick somethin'? We need to send our names over with Owlowiscious before we get on the train!"

"All right," Rarity huffed. "I'll have something by today. What about you, Fluttershy?"

"Any name would be fine," Fluttershy said. "That's why it's hard to pick."

Six breakfast plates were finished, though Fluttershy left her bacon untouched. "Now," Twilight said, "to find this…Diagon Alley. I wonder where in London it is. If we could just find a good map…"

"Diagon Alley won't be on any map," Tom told her, leaving the area behind the bar. "It's been well hidden from Muggle eyes. I'll open the way for you this time around."

He withdrew a slender wooden wand from his robes, tapping the bricks of a bare wall. The bricks then shifted aside, forming an archway that led to someplace Twilight absolutely knew wasn't there on the outside of the building as it stood in London. A bustling, slightly crooked road ran between many charmingly angular buildings.

"Wow…" Twilight gasped.

"Good luck," Tom wished as the six stepped through the archway and into the hidden district of London.

* * *

DIAGON ALLEY, FOURTH EARTH

"So let's see," Twilight said, unrolling her list. "First things first, we need to get our money in order. Then we should get our wands, so we can do things like open the Alley ourselves." Struck by realization, she cried, "Of COURSE! Wands! It's a conduit!"

"Huh?" her friends chorused.

"Magic can be enhanced by passing it through a conduit," Twilight clarified. "Like a wand or a magic weapon. A magical item helps concentrate spells and target them to one particular location, and the tighter the concentration of a spell, the more effective it is!"

"Like the Alicorn Amulet was on Trixie?" Rarity guessed.

Twilight shook her head. "Not quite. The Alicorn Amulet was enchanted to have its own powers that were independent of who was wearing it. It gave her extra powers. Wands will actually focus the powers we already have without giving us any extra."

"Let's go already!" Rainbow Dash insisted.

"We do have a large list to get through," Rarity added.

"Right," Twilight said, rolling up her list. "Let's go!"

* * *

The first stop, Gringotts, was a tall and imposing white structure braced with columns. Inside, over polished marble floors, wizards and witches did business with the goblin employees, trading coins and moving toward the back to be escorted to vaults.

"I'll handle this," Rarity said. She moved up to the first counter where there was an opening, placing the bits Luna had given her on the polished surface. "Hello! My name is Rarity, and these are my friends. As you could probably tell, we aren't from around here, and our money doesn't quite translate. If you could be a dear and help us get the correct currency, we would all be very grateful, especially myself."

The goblin behind the desk removed one of the bits from its purse. "Do you know what this is?" he asked after a long pause.

"Yes," Rarity said. "Do you?"

"It's a bit," the goblin replied, his tone sounding almost disgusted. "An Equestrian bit. Where did you get these?"

"I don't really believe that is your concern," Rarity said. "If it will alleviate your need to question where we received these coins, we have more than enough to spare for a fee."

"Bribery won't be necessary," the goblin said. "I'll change these out for you…but throwing around things like this isn't exactly going to be welcome around here." He was starting to take notice of the irregularities of those before him, especially Rarity: her purple curls, the triple-diamond mark on her flank, her unusually short height for a Kentauride. "Between you, me, and everyone in Diagon Alley, you're from the Forbidden Forest, you hear? And that's unusual enough on its own."

"But we aren't—" Applejack began.

"Forbidden Forest," the goblin insisted sternly, "and I don't want to hear anything otherwise."

He disappeared for a while, returning with sacks of shining new coins. "You'll already know how these work, being that you're from around here," he practically growled as he shoved them toward Rarity. "While you're here, were you interested in a vault?"

"Not this time around," Rarity declined. "Perhaps later."

As the group left Gringotts, Fluttershy voiced what they were all thinking: "It's strange. We finally found a place where they understand magic enough that we can tell some people why we're really here, like Headmistress McGonagall or Tom. But we still have to keep it a secret from everypony else, even though they know what magic is. I don't want to know what would happen if we said the wrong thing to the wrong person."

"Well, we won't," Twilight assured Fluttershy. "We know we can trust McGonagall and Tom, and from there, our information is on a need-to-know basis. We should head over to Ollivanders."

"So," Rainbow Dash asked, "exactly how excited are you to get wands, Twilight?"

"So excited, you wouldn't even BELIEVE it!" Twilight squealed.

* * *

At first, the six had trouble believing they'd found the correct place. Ollivanders was dark, dusty, and abandoned. The only reason they'd even suspected it was open at all was that the door was unlocked. Shelves of boxed wands loomed over the creaky floor.

"I d-d-don't like this," Fluttershy squeaked.

"Maybe Ollivander ain't here," Applejack theorized.

"I assure you, I am in fact here…"

The almost whispery voice made all six jump. Garrick Ollivander seemed to shift out of the shadows. His hair was completely gray, and though his frame was slight, he carried himself with deliberation.

"It's not often that centaurs come to this shop," he said, a suspicious lilt to his voice. "Especially such unique centaurs."

"We're from the Forbidden Forest," Twilight told him. "We're…seeing what human society is like."

"It was my impression that centaurs were quite disgusted with human society," Ollivander replied. "I hope you are finding it at least tolerable."

"More than tolerable!" Pinkie cried, hopping up and down. "This place is FUN!"

"I see…" Ollivander nodded. "And what brings you to a wand shop? Are you, in fact…"

"Looking for wands," Twilight asserted. "We need them to…try out human-style magic."

Ollivander nodded again. "Strange, strange indeed…but all the best stories have started with strange circumstances and strange requests, have they not? These past seven years have changed us greatly, and it all began when a very strange boy entered my shop and claimed ownership of a very strange wand…but I digress. You are here for business."

"So how does this work?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Do we just pick the one that's coolest or something?"

"The witch does not choose the wand." Ollivander shook his head. "The wand chooses the witch." He stepped toward Twilight. "You seem to me like a woman of much magical potential. Would you like to try first? It will take much trial and error, so I suggest that for efficiency, you hand each wand down the line for your friends to try."

"Well…okay." Twilight watched as Ollivander took the nearest wand box and handed it to her. She removed from it a thin stick of wood, one she felt was charged with magical energy. She raised it and lowered it experimentally—and immediately had it ripped from her hands by Ollivander.

"No, no, no," he muttered. "Certainly not. Try this."

The first wand was handed down to Applejack, and Twilight was given another wand. This one was also removed from her as soon as it was granted. The wand was passed to Applejack, Applejack handed hers to Pinkie Pie, and Ollivander placed a third in Twilight's hand.

This pattern continued, the wands being handed down brigade-style, until Twilight raised one wand to find that it shot purple sparks completely unbidden. "GAAAAAH!" she cried in surprise.

"Hmm." Ollivander took the wand from her. "Yes…this is the one for you. Twelve inches. Acacia. Phoenix feather. Unyielding." He stared directly into her eyes, and Twilight felt as though Ollivander was reading her soul. "The phoenix feather adapts to the most varied magic, but is the rarest of the three cores I use. You are indeed something special. Quite advanced, as the acacia betrays, and not one for using magic lightly or for show. And, unless I am mistaken…just as unyielding as the wood."

"I guess that's true," Twilight finally managed to sputter.

She worried that maybe Luna had been wrong, and that her non-unicorn friends wouldn't be able to actually wield wands. However, Fluttershy was the next to produce sparks from a wand; it startled her to the point where she ran behind a shelf to hide from the wand that had chosen her.

Ollivander examined it. "Ten and a half inches. Chestnut. Unicorn tail hair. Quite flexible. So you are a timid one…but most likely drawn to plants and animals, as chestnut wielders generally are. It also suggests to me a talent in flying…which, judging from those wings, is probably not a bad guess."

"Oh, Rainbow Dash is much better than me at flying," Fluttershy insisted, but she still took the wand, gripping it gingerly.

Rainbow Dash was in fact the next to find her sparking match. "Cool!" she cried.

"Thirteen inches, dragon heartstring, cedar. Stiff," Ollivander broke down the details. "Attracted to power…not easy to deceive. Very loyal. Not one I would want to cross."

"Are you talking about me or the wand?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Ollivander didn't answer, for Pinkie Pie's wand had burst into a spark shower and she was giggling with glee. Ollivander explained her match: "Fourteen inches, dragon heartstring, dogwood. Swishy. Quite a loud one…but very playful. Mind you, that is not a wand that will want to be bored."

"Well, I'm not a Kentauride that wants to be bored!" Pinkie affirmed.

Applejack's wand then revealed itself. "Nine and a half inches," Ollivander described. "Applewood—"

"Big surprise THERE!" Pinkie cried, and Applejack couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"…unicorn tail hair, solid," Ollivander finished. "Applewood generally denotes those who are moral, well-loved, and long-lived…but I detect there is a special connection between you and the tree?"

"You could say that," Applejack replied with a knowing smirk.

"It's not faaaiiiir!" Rarity whined. "I'm very magical! How come my wand hasn't shown up yet?"

"It always takes time," Ollivander said, "but I have not yet met the witch to whom I could not match a wand. Hmm…perhaps…" He selected a wand, deliberating over it. "Try this."

Rarity picked up the wand, and it immediately sparked. Rarity's face lit up brightly.

"As I thought." Ollivander smirked. "Thirteen inches, ebony, unicorn tail hair. Hard. Ebony is a wand wood only for the most courageous and self-assured…the nonconformists. The masters of self-expression. Those who dare to be different."

"Well, I should say that is me," Rarity affirmed with a nod. "I would want nothing else."

The group moved to the counter to pay for the wands. "Yes," Ollivander repeated to himself, "strange wands for a strange group. I look forward to seeing what will come of this."

"You say that like you think we'll make the news," Twilight replied, half jokingly.

Ollivander replied, not at all jokingly, "You will."

* * *

"Okay, he was creepy," Rainbow Dash voiced as soon as the group had left Ollivanders and moved towards Flourish and Blotts.

"I'm sure he's a very nice person," Fluttershy said with a nod, "but I'm glad it's over."

"On the bright side, we did end up with our wands," Twilight said, caressing her new acacia instrument of magic. "Now on to get our books!"

"This is the best day ever for ya, ain't it?" Applejack asked with a grin. "First magic wands, now magic books?"

"You bet!" Twilight replied joyously.

Flourish and Blotts was quite a charming bookstore, much more well lit than Ollivanders. "Let's see," Twilight muttered once inside. "First, we need our Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, by Miranda Goshawk…"

She led the others to the shelf where one would find "Goshawk", and an array of copies of the Standard Book of Spells in various grades was laid out. Twilight put her hand out to touch one of the copies; her arm knocked into another that was reaching for a different book on the same shelf.

"Sorry!" Twilight cried, looking at who she'd accidentally bumped into: a young redheaded woman with pale skin, copious freckles, and a calming smile.

"It's all right," the redhead replied. "Go ahead."

Twilight took her copy of Grade 1 while the redhead took down a copy of Grade 7. "So you're a student at Hogwarts?" Twilight asked.

The redhead nodded. "Seventh year. I see you're getting the first-years' edition."

"It's…complicated," Twilight said. "Maybe we'll run into each other later."

"Oh, are you going to the school?" The redhead looked a little perplexed, noting that Twilight was much too old to be a first-year.

"Yeah…like I said, it's complicated."

"Well, see you, then."

"See you around!"

Twilight turned to see that her friends had spread out throughout the shop and were each immersed in different books. Fluttershy in particular was hypnotized by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, first jumping in fright upon encountering an illustration of a quintaped and then softening enough to say "Aww."

Finally, all books were collected, and Twilight rifled through the stack of her purchases ecstatically. "Magical Theory? A HISTORY OF MAGIC? I can't wait!"

It was agreed upon, to Rarity's chagrin, that the next stop should be to pick up uniforms at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The six entered, met a short witch clothed in purple who introduced herself as Madam Malkin, and then explained their need for Hogwarts uniforms.

"Well," Malkin said, slightly taken aback. "I've never sewn robes for centaurs before. This will take some doing…but worry not, I will have your robes for you."

Soon, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy sat on chairs alongside the wall (a surprisingly easy feat, even with such a body structure) as Malkin hemmed a black robe around Rarity, allowing enough extra fabric that the robe draped all the way down around Rarity's hooves.

"Oh, the horror!" Rarity cried. "The equestrianity!"

"I think it looks nice," Twilight said. "It's just plain black. You said yourself that goes with everything—"

"That means it's meant to go WITH things, Twilight! This is just so ORDINARY!"

"Black's good enough for all the other students," Malkin told Rarity, "so it's good enough for you."

"I went to find the other stuff we needed while we waited!" Pinkie announced, bounding towards the others with a pointed black hat on her head. "Look at this! We all really get to wear these!"

"I've always wanted one," Twilight admitted, taking one of the hats.

"And the list said dragon-hide gloves for work," Pinkie went on. "So I got us a bunch of pairs!" She handed out gloves. "They didn't come in any fun colors, though."

"A plain accessory," Rarity sighed, "to finish a plain outfit."

"What brings you all out of the Forbidden Forest and into schooling at Hogwarts, anyway?" Malkin asked. "You all seem a bit old."

"There are extenuating circumstances," Rarity began. "You see—"

"Twilight," Pinkie interrupted, "are you doing what I think—"

"NO!" Twilight quickly slipped the left dragonhide glove onto her hand before anyone else could realize that she'd been distracted after putting the right one on…just staring at it, one hand bare. No matter where she went, it seemed, there would always be something there to remind her.

Before anyone else could comment, the bell over the door jingled and two young women walked in. Twilight recognized the redhead from Flourish and Blotts. Tagging along with her was a girl of about the same age with long blonde hair, milky-white skin, and a sort of dreamy look in her pale blue eyes.

"Ah, Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood," Malkin greeted. "Here for seventh-year alterations? I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit. I've got somewhat of a project on my hands."

"Oh, it's no trouble," the blonde—Lovegood—replied. "We can be patient."

"It's you," the redhead—Weasley—said with a smile. "How's shopping going along, then?"

"Pretty well," Twilight said. "We have most of the parts of our uniforms, all our books, and our wands. You?"

"I think Luna and I have got everything."

"Luna," Twilight repeated. She looked to the blonde. "That's you?"

"Yes," Lovegood said with a nod. "Luna Lovegood."

"I have a very good friend back home named Luna," Twilight said. "Let's just say I think it's a pretty good name."

"So you are becoming students," Weasley stated. "How is that, anyway?"

"This one here was about to explain that," Malkin said, "before we all got distracted by that one and her gloves."

"Well, as I was saying," Rarity went on, "there are extenuating circumstances. We had a certain interest in leaving the Forbidden Forest to see how magic was done among human society, and after a little of this happened and a little of that happened, Headmistress McGonagall got us into the first-year class. It's not something that can be done for just anyone, of course, but we have…special talent."

"I see," Malkin said, though it sounded more like she really didn't.

"So you're going to be Sorted?" Weasley asked. "I assume so, if you're going to be like all the other students. If any of you get into Gryffindor, you'll be with me. I'm Ginny Weasley, by the way. This is my friend, Luna Lovegood. She's in Ravenclaw."

"Lovely," Rarity replied. "Well, I'm Rarity…er…Rarity, and these are my friends Twilight Sparkle, Applejack…Apple, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy…"

"Posey," Fluttershy finished, having chosen a surname for herself at last.

"So how do these four houses work, anyway?" Twilight asked. "Is it just random, or…"

"You're done," Malkin informed Rarity. "Next!"

Rarity took a few experimental steps in her draping black robe. "It will do, I guess," she sighed. Rainbow Dash took her place, eager to have her robe fitting over with.

"How much do you know about the four founders of Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"There were four of them!" Pinkie cried.

"That's…technically right," Ginny said in response.

"We also know that Slytherin had some kind of falling out with the other three," Twilight added. "And that's about it."

"Well," Ginny explained, "each of the founders liked a certain value best, and people—or centaurs, in your case—get sorted into the house of whatever founder they have the value of. With some exceptions. The Sorting Hat—that's what does it—won't ever put you in a house where you say you don't want to go. Gryffindor is all about courage, Hufflepuff is about kindness, Ravenclaw is about wisdom, and Slytherin is about ambition. Of course, the houses all have a bit of a…reputation. A lot of Gryffindors were heroes in the last war against Voldemort…you know about that, right?" When the six nodded, Ginny went on. "Hufflepuffs are sort of thought of as…well, not very talented compared to the other houses. And Slytherin's mostly been Dark witches and wizards like Voldemort."

"Well, we all know where Fluttershy's going," Rainbow Dash teased. "Element of kindness, house of kindess, anypony?"

"I didn't mean that Hufflepuffs really WEREN'T talented," Ginny said hurriedly, backtracking. "It's only a reputation!"

"Much like the reputation that Wrackspurts have for eating brain cells," Luna said, completely deadpan. "But that isn't true. They only make your thoughts a little fuzzy for a while. Then they leave you alone."

Ginny had stepped behind Luna, making gestures with her hands while mouthing the words "There are NO SUCH THINGS as Wrackspurts."

"I'm thinkin' it's gonna be 'round lunchtime by the time we get outta here," Applejack observed. "Where would you two go in Diagon Alley if you had a hankerin' for some good food?"

"There are mostly sweetshops," Ginny said. "But if you were going to ask my older brother George, well, he'd say there was nothing wrong with making lunch out of an afternoon at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor."

"What house was George in?" Fluttershy asked.

"Gryffindor, like me," Ginny answered. "You'll hear about him and Fred a lot at the school. They were pretty infamous practical jokers. In fact, their shop is still up and running here in the Alley. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. If you need anything from a joke shop, I'd recommend it."

"I wanna go there!" Pinkie cried.

"And we can tell Fred and George you said hi!" Twilight added.

"Well…you'll only really be able to tell George," Ginny said.

"Why?" Twilight asked. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all guessed the answer, and winced in advance.

Ginny shifted uncomfortably; Luna supplied the answer. "He died heroically in the last battle for Hogwarts against Voldemort."

"Oh…" Twilight felt sheepish. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be." Ginny flashed a smile. "We've all had time for it to sink in. A lot of good wizards and witches died that day. We move on, that's all. Besides, if Fred saw any of us being sad for his sake, he'd probably not let us get away with it. Being a joker and all. He'd try to find some way to make a big joke of it."

Though she knew better to say it out loud, Pinkie Pie wished she could have met Fred Weasley. It sounded to her like he shared her enthusiasm for making people smile.

"So…" Twilight was anxious to change the subject. "Can you tell us more about how the school works? What should we expect?"

"Well," Ginny said, "first, you'll have to get on the Hogwarts Express…"

* * *

Finally, Malkin finished six Kentauride-sized robes. The six packed up their purchases, bid a temporary farewell to Luna and Ginny, and moved out to find that it was still rather early in the afternoon. They had enough time to pick up cauldrons, crystal phials, potion ingredients, brass scales, and telescopes before finding lunch—though Twilight was miffed at having to settle for a simple pewter cauldron.

"I mean, I don't want to break the rules," she went on. "I would never go to Potions class with the wrong kind of cauldron! Horrible things could happen! What if certain metals don't react right with the ingredients, and I just blow the whole thing up? At the same time, though, pewter's just not that efficient. Copper cauldrons would be able to brew a lot faster. I mean, a LOT faster. Even Starswirl the Bearded wrote that he always used—"

"Oh, look," Applejack quickly interrupted, "we're here at Fortescue's!"

The ice cream parlor, a small building with several tables set outside it, was labeled "Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor", though it seemed that there had once been other letters in front that were subsequently erased. The six sat down at one of the tables, and a young wizard, looking barely out of school, rushed out to wait on them.

"Hello," he said rather nervously. "I'm Caelan Fortescue…can I take your order?"

"First day on the job, pard'ner?" Applejack asked with a wink.

"First week, actually," Caelan replied. "I'm taking over for my father."

"Oh?" Twilight said, and her friends once again gave the pre-emptive wince as she said, "Did he retire?"

"Well…not exactly," Caelan said. "He was…killed in the war against You-Know-Who…"

"Oh!" Twilight cried, blushing. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said anything! I…let's just order, all right? Food! Food sounds good."

The six placed orders, and Caelan rushed inside to prepare each dish.

"Y'know, Twilight," Applejack said sternly, "ya gotta stop askin' people where their family members are after there's been a war on."

"I know, I know…" Twilight sighed. "Next time I'm about to say something like that, can somepony shut me up?"

"It looks like the war earlier this year really took a lot from this world," Fluttershy pointed out. "Ginny's brother, Caelan's father…I feel bad for them. I wonder how many other people lost loved ones."

"They might all be sad," Pinkie said, tears welling up in her own eyes. "Horribly, terribly sad!"

"We'll see how things go," Applejack said. "We can always lend a listenin' ear to anypony who needs it. But maybe it's like Ginny said and most everypony's moved on."

"Hey, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said, suddenly remembering. "Did you ever pick a last name?"

"Well, I've given it a lot of thought," Rarity said, "and I think I've finally come up with something."

Her friends all leaned in over the table. "Oh?" they said with curiosity.

"Imagine this," Rarity said. "A hush falls over the room. Somepony enters before me to announce my arrival. He clears his throat, in a rather dignified way, and says, 'Presenting…RARITY MAJESTY!'"

A silence fell over the table. Then Rainbow Dash fell over laughing.

"Well, that isn't very nice!" Rarity yelled.

"I like it," Fluttershy said honestly.

"I think it's fittin'," Applejack added.

"I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash said through her laughter, "but it just sounds so…so….hey, Twilight, what's that one word you taught me that means you're trying to sound way better than you are?"

"Pretentious?" Twilight offered.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said, "that!"

"Not that I think it's pretentious!" Twilight quickly clarified.

"I think it's a GREAT name!" Pinkie cried.

Rainbow Dash climbed back into her seat. "Okay, but seriously," she said, "it's a bit silly, but it's you."

"Are you implying that I'm silly?" Rarity practically growled.

"No more than the rest of us," Rainbow Dash answered with a smirk. "And yeah, you can take THAT however you want to."

"Well…" Rarity noticed Caelan returning with a tray of sundaes. "Oh, Caelan! Those look absolutely delightful, darling! My compliments to the chef, of course! Tell him or her that Rarity Majesty said so."

"Well…I made them," Caelan said, blushing deeply. "I'm quite flattered, Miss Majesty…I…I hope you like them!" He quickly placed the sundaes on the table and ran back into the shop.

"See?" Rarity said. "He likes it."

"You seem to pick up admirers wherever you go," Applejack remarked. "Hey, who knows? What if Caelan's your perfect prince?"

"Well, this isn't how I would have imagined meeting, but I suppose it's possible," Rarity mulled over. "I never will know, will I? It seems like love is just destined to escape from me wherever I look for it."

"Then stop looking!" Pinkie suggested. "That way, it will surprise you! I mean, Twilight wasn't looking for love at all, and she ended up finding—"

"That doesn't count," Twilight snapped.

* * *

After lunch, it was decided that a trip to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was absolutely necessary. The building was a great pastel-colored monstrosity, looking like a candy planted among the other shops, and practically beckoned people to enter. The six gladly did so to find themselves in a crowded, well-lit shop stocked with all sorts of goodies.

"Welcome!" a redheaded man, obviously related in some way to Ginny Weasley, greeted. "What brings you lovely ladies in here?"

"George?" Applejack asked.

"That's me!" George said happily, stepping towards the six; they could now see that he was missing his left ear. "Tell me, what strikes your fancy? Are you here looking for something to get revenge on your enemies?" He produced a candy box, holding it out. "Canary Creams! Transforms whoever eats them into a canary. Don't worry, it's only temporary. Or are you looking more for something to improve your appearance?" He whipped out a pink feathered hat, placing it upon his head; his head and the hat promptly became invisible while the rest of his body was clearly there. "Headless Hats! Pretty self-explanatory."

Pinkie Pie burst into raucous laughter at the sight of George without a head. Fluttershy, reminded of the legend of the Headless Horse, cowered behind her.

George removed the Headless Hat. "Or were you looking for something a bit more…practical?" He now held out a beige string with what looked like a molded ear on one end. "Extendable Ears! Allows you to hear conversations from far away!"

"Now THAT," Twilight remarked, "looks like something we could use! Um…how much are those?"

"We're here," Applejack interrupted, "to say hi to Ginny Weasley's brother. We ran into Ginny over at Madam Malkin's, and she helped us out a lot with the information we needed, so we thought we'd pay y'all a visit. Besides, this looks like just the place Pinkie Pie'd be at home."

"Friends of Ginny, eh?" George said with a grin. "Don't s'pose I could convince you to swap out her wand for a patented Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes trick wand, now, could I? You know she'd never expect it coming from people she's just met—"

"DEAL!" Pinkie cried.

"She was right," Twilight observed. "You really are a joker at heart."

"The wizarding world's been just a bit too serious in recent years," George replied. "Someone's gotta keep a smile on everyone's face, am I right?"

"Oh, ABSOLUTELY!" Pinkie cried.

"I already like you!" George told Pinkie. "I take it you're a fellow practical joker?"

"I've done all the best ones I know!" Pinkie affirmed. "I just love making people laugh! This place looks like it has all sorts of ways to do that!"

"But I'm betting there's more here than meets the eye." Twilight looked at George somberly. "Those Extendable Ears, for example. That can be used for more than just a joke."

"Well," George said with a shrug, "desperate times call for the demand of certain items that would come in handy for self-defense."

"We don't know exactly all we're getting into here," Twilight said, "but it seems like catastrophe follows us. What do you have that might be able to help us out in desperate situations?"

"Well, let's see…"

George led the group to a certain shelf. "Decoy Detonators. They run away and explode if you need a diversion. Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder…covers the area in darkness. Shield Hats—"

"Finally, something stylish!" Rarity placed a purple Shield Hat on her head.

"—to protect against minor curses," George finished.

"We'll take some of each," Twilight informed him. "After all, we've got Galleons left to spare."

"You aren't ordinary customers, now, are you?" George said with a wink.

"I'm surprised you didn't pick up on that when we walked in," Twilight replied.

"What kind of trouble do you get into that you need all this stuff, anyway?"

"Just enough."

"Ooh, Twilight!" Pinkie cried. "They've got flying hats! FLYING HATS!"

"Well…" Twilight looked through their funds. "We've still got a LOT left over from Rarity's sales. We could divide it up to spend on whatever we wanted here." She tossed Pinkie her share. "Flying hats it is!"

Pinkie didn't stop at Anti-Gravity Hats. She also picked up a fair amount of trick wands and "Wildfire Whiz-Bangs", fireworks that were nearly impossible to extinguish.

"Now, I'm entrusting you with these things," George said semi-seriously as he checked out the purchases, "with the expectation that you'll use them exactly the way I would: to make people laugh and give your enemies hell. After all, with me locked up in this shop all day, I can't very well do it myself!"

Pinkie saluted. "In the name of George Weasley, I'll do my very best!"

"Before I let you all go," George said, "I just happened to get in a shipment of Love Potions today. Can I interest any of you in—"

He didn't understand why all six of his Kentauride customers shrieked "NO!" and ran out of the store.

* * *

With the rest of the money that was divided up, the six picked out final touches. Fluttershy bought treats for the familiars at the Magical Menagerie, and also took that time to admire some of the stranger animals, from the furry Puffskein to the dangerous Fire-Crab. Rarity stopped into Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions and left with several loaded bags. Rainbow Dash spent a long time outside Broomstix going back and forth between saying there was no way the Firebolt could in fact outfly her top speed, as the statistics in the display window claimed, and saying that owning one would be very "awesome" indeed—she was finally dragged away when Twilight reminded her that first-years weren't allowed brooms, no matter how old they were, and she wasn't going to break the rules. Pinkie Pie spent her last few Sickles at Sugarplum's Sweets Shop on treats called chocolate frogs and "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans". Applejack decided to save her money rather than spend it, unable to think of anything she needed. As for Twilight, she ended up purchasing several mystic-looking objects that her friends insisted she wouldn't need—"Why do you need a chart of the moon? It's not even the same as our moon!" The last thing Twilight bought was a glass crystal sphere.

"A Remembrall," she said. "If it turns red, you forgot something. Not that I'll need it, since I never forget things, but it might come in handy."

"Does it tell you what you forgot?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well…no…"

"I don't see how that's handy."

"And you NEVER forget things?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Like how to unhypnotize Eugene Fitzherbert?"

"Well…I…you see, THAT time, a Remembrall might have come in handy! Sort of…"

They retired back to the Leaky Cauldron in time for dinner.

* * *

HORVATH'S MANOR, FIFTH EARTH

Voldemort, Quirrell, and Bellatrix materialized in the midst of a spacious atrium. The lights were down, casting ominous shadows over the decorated rug and tapestried walls.

"Where…where is this place?" Quirrell asked timidly.

"Still think it was a good idea to bring along the bed-wetting fraidy-cat?" Bellatrix taunted Voldemort.

"I'm not afraid," Quirrell snapped.

"Quirinus," Voldemort said calmly, "this is the residence of a good friend of mine…Maxim Horvath. A powerful Morganian. If anyone could have completed the resurrection and the Rising, it would be he. I had wanted him alongside me in the final battle for Hogwarts, but when I returned here, I was informed that he was deceased."

"Somethin's off here," Bellatrix noticed.

"This world is not on the same timeline as our own," Voldemort explained. "Effectively, we are several years in the future of where our world is…the year 2010, to be exact."

"More than that, though," Quirrell said. "I know this place…I have been here before, but somehow…it's different…"

Thud. The sound of a footstep planting itself deliberately on the ground caused all three to turn—Voldemort and Bellatrix slowly, Quirrell sharply. They beheld, at the bottom of a stairway, a stockily built, dark-haired man in a fur coat and fedora; he held a black cane topped with a glowing gem.

"Thomas Riddle," he said.

"Maxim Horvath," Voldemort replied, a smile growing across his face. "I had believed you dead."

"Lies," Horvath replied. "Any fool should have known I would survive."

"I wasn't told the details, but rather informed that the incident had something to do with the Rising…"

"The Rising," Horvath spat, "is out of the picture. The Prime Merlinean revealed himself, just as I said I had suspected, and le Fay is no more. However…it is of little consequence."

"Little consequence, Horvath?" Voldemort was taken aback. "The witch who inspired us…who paved our path…is of little consequence?"

Bellatrix grinned, beginning to giggle. "She rejected you, didn't she? You tried to get with 'er, and she went and rejected you!"

"I will not be accused of succumbing to such base weaknesses as lust!" Horvath replied angrily. "Now tell me. The takeover of Hogwarts. What happened?"

"We lost," Voldemort said. "We were killed."

"Even though the Horcruxes…"

"Destroyed, all of them. I intend to create more."

"And how am I seeing you stand here alive?"

"A strange power," Voldemort explained. "An Old One. A spirit of chaos. He was able to use the Resurrection Stone in a way that it never should have been used…thus, here we are. It makes me wonder if le Fay is not entirely gone…if I was not, she most certainly shouldn't be."

"It would most likely be up to the Old One," Horvath reminded him. "Still, your idea has merit."

"In her absence, I wish to propose a shift in our alliance. Instead of working across worlds to help each other with our respective goals…shall we focus on one path?"

"What path, exactly, are you suggesting?" Horvath inquired.

"My path," Voldemort answered. "As it always has been. To obtain immortality, to destroy my enemies…and then…to rid our worlds of impurity."

"You're lucky you know me so well and that I have nothing else to pursue," Horvath replied.

"I knew you would be the easy one to convince." Voldemort allowed himself another grin. "Medusa Gorgon, on the other hand…"

"Good luck with that."

"It shall be sorely needed, but I believe we can cause her to turn around…once we find her. I had also believed her dead."

"I thought you'd know better than that. Medusa Gorgon, allowing herself to die? Never."

"I recognize it," Quirrell suddenly burst out. "I recognize this place!"

"Who is that?" Horvath asked.

"When I was first revived, a shell of my former self," Voldemort explained, "he was my body. He may not look it, but Quirinus Quirrell is indeed a powerful seeker of dark magic. A most faithful ally."

"This place," Quirrell went on. "The tapestries are new, and the carpet's been changed…but this was the flat of my apprentice on this world."

"YOU?" Horvath was first stunned, then amused, laughing. "You were the master who abandoned him!"

"Drake Stone," Quirrell clarified. "You knew him!"

"He was useful to me…barely," Horvath answered, spite returning to his voice. "A weakling, magically and morally. He couldn't have gone through with the resurrection or the Rising. And I needed an energy source."

"You didn't…" Quirrell said, horrified.

"The Parasite Spell," Horvath answered. "He may not have made a competent sorcerer, but I assure you, he made a very powerful battery."

Quirrell shuddered at the news of the death of his apprentice. Bellatrix smiled sadistically.

"If we have reached an agreement," Voldemort said, "shall we…?"

"What first?" Horvath asked.

"I thought we'd made it clear," Voldemort reiterated. "Medusa."

"Then we shall."

"Where are we going next?" Quirrell asked.

"Death City," Voldemort replied.

"Fun place, it is," Bellatrix added.

"I should think a place called Death City would be one Lord Voldemort would avoid…" Quirrell said with a shudder.

"Which is why Medusa and I get along so well," Voldemort explained. "We would both love to use Death City as the vantage point from which we could see Death himself…die."

"Let us just get on with it," Horvath said, approaching Voldemort and putting out his hand. Voldemort grasped his wrist, and Bellatrix once again clung to her master, Quirrell gingerly touching him with two fingers this time, as Voldemort took them all on a Side-Along Apparition.

* * *

LONDON, FOURTH EARTH

The entire population of the Leaky Cauldron swayed back and forth, raising mugs and glasses high, to the beat of the Celestina Warbeck hit. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity couldn't help but smile and laugh as Pinkie Pie, raising a flagon of butterbeer, stood atop the table, belting out the lyrics she'd only recently learned:

"Oh, come and stir my cauldron,

And if you do it right,

I'll boil you up some hot, strong love

To keep you warm toniiiiiight!"

"I think I'm going to miss her most of all when you leave," Tom said when the song died down and applause rang out. "Never seen the Cauldron so lively!"

"That's our Pinkie Pie," Twilight affirmed.

Pinkie rejoined her friends. "I don't know about you, but I could stay up all night!"

"Except it's midnight," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "and we've gotta catch a train tomorrow."

"Awww…" Pinkie groaned. However, she gave in, and the six climbed the stairs to their rooms.

"We probably won't all be in the same house," Twilight said. "We'll have to be split up."

"But at least some of us should be in the same," Rarity pointed out. "After all, there are only four houses."

"Where do you wanna end up?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I think Gryffindor sounds cool."

"I was partial to the idea of Ravenclaw," Twilight admitted.

"I'll just trust the hat to put me wherever's best," Rarity answered.

"Time's gonna tell," Applejack said, approaching her bedroom door. "Well, g'night, everypony!"

"Good night!" they all chorused, then split into their roommate pairs and settled in for the last night in London.

* * *

Chapter 25

· I want to apologize in advance for this chapter. It's mostly going through Stations of the Canon, and in a rather boring way. But I had fun writing it. So…yeah.

· I know Kingsley would be cool with uncovering truth, but he's still got an entire Ministry under him that's scared.

· The Potter Wiki said that it was widely theorized that Hermione went back to redo her seventh year in order to finish her N.E.W.T.s. That sounds accurate, so why not?

· The idea of Quirrell being Drake Stone's mentor has long intrigued me. I mean, I know I had to pick SOME cool backstory for that mentor, and Quirrell makes sense. Now, I know the timing isn't going to add up. Let's just say that some years get lost when Apparating between worlds that aren't in time-sync and when you don't have godlike powers, Dark Matter, or a mist engine.

· I hope I characterized Tom right. We don't have much to go on, after all.

· The idea of conduits was one I had just because pretty much all fictional mages have wands/staffs/rings/weapons that they fire spells through.

· I know no one cares about the wands, but seriously, I spent so much time on the Harry Potter and Pottermore wikis looking up the perfect wands for each pony.

· I couldn't NOT have Ginny and Luna show up. I mean, of course they're going to be in the main story a lot later, but they needed to turn up now. I feel like because out of their friendgroup, they were the only two that were a year behind (the others being Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione; and they don't know Hermione is coming back yet), they'd probably become a dynamic duo of sorts. I was originally going to have them be Prefects, but Prefects can only be chosen from fifth years.

· I know. You're all stunned that I have no plans to put Mozenrath in this storylet. And I even love the idea of him as a Death Eater! First of all, this isn't the only storylet I'm doing at Hogwarts. They have seven full school years to complete, plus some messing with time. Second, he's still on Twi's mind. Third, this is the first storylet where I kind of start playing with the fact that not every villain will appear on every world. Even Discord has to take a break eventually. I'll be juggling which villains (and eventually heroes) will take center stage for each storylet and what overall arc each storylet contributes to most.

· The robes are black. No house colors. No stuff under them. THEY ARE THE BOOK VERSION. That is final.

· Copper cauldrons brew things faster because that's how it works in Pottermore.

· Caelan is my OC. I wanted Fortescue's to be open, but Florean is dead for certain, so I decided to give him a son that always wanted to join the family business.

· I love making Twi socially awkward. I feel like it's totally in character for her NOT to pick up on when a subject is touchy.

· Fluttershy's last name, "Posey", comes from a previous generation pony she's based on. Same with "Majesty".

· The reaction to the love potion is based on the "Hearts and Hooves Day" ep, which reveals that love potions in Equestria are, predictably, very damaging things that can hypnotize a pony forever and impair his/her judgment.

· Remembralls strike me as counterproductive. They don't tell you WHAT you forgot!

· Yeah, I'm loading them down with gear in case they need it later. You're thinking I'm planting Chekhov's Guns. I'm actually stocking up for "just in case" as much as they are. I have no plans for this stuff yet, but if you were an adventurer, you'd get all the useful things, right?

· An explanation of timing: first, Quirrell mentors Drake. Then Quirrell finds Voldemort and becomes his body. Quirrell dies. Voldemort is resurrected by Pettigrew. Horvath escapes from the urn Dave trapped him in. While the events of Sorcerer's Apprentice are going on, Horvath is dealing with Voldemort as well. Voldemort never got the details of what happened when Horvath tried to release Morgana, and thought he died in the attempt. Voldemort progressed to the battle at Hogwarts and died. Then…present day. I know that doesn't make 15 years since Drake was abandoned, but again, it makes 15 years on HORVATH'S world and 7 on Voldemort's. The worlds are not in time-sync.

· Why is Horvath not dead? Because there's a stinger in Sorcerer's Apprentice where he goes back to get his hat. And that's how you know he's not dead. Disney did it, not me!

· Horvath really is feeling spurned romantically by Morgana, but he'd never admit it. At least not now.

· I assume he took over Drake's apartment as his lair because that just makes sense. And also, he's the kind of guy who'd redecorate (re: take down all the posters Drake had of himself).

· I actually love Drake. I don't intend to leave him dead. He just has to stay dead for now.

· Medusa Gorgon, as you may have guessed if you're familiar with Soul Eater, is from the manga/anime Soul Eater. She's a witch with an affinity for snakes, which is why I like giving her connections to Voldy.

· Death City is the main world/city/thing from Soul Eater. Everything happens in or around it. And the personification of Death does live there. There are certain reasons I like to cross Soul Eater with Harry Potter…they will become apparent later. (Besides Medusa and Voldy, I mean.)

· That last bit in the Leaky Cauldron is supposed to be a few days later, right before the train to Hogwarts leaves. Still going with my headcanon that Apple family cider is alcoholic and Pinkie holds liquor really well. And yeah, I did just have her do a double-entendre laden song, but it's pretty much the only song we have LYRICS for in the wizarding world!


	26. The Sorting

26: The Sorting

LONDON, FOURTH EARTH

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, looking at the bare stone wall between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross train station.

Twilight nodded firmly. "That's the one."

"If you're all so scared it won't work," Rainbow Dash said, "I'll go at it first. With a running start."

"Uh, you sure that's smart?" Applejack asked. "If it ain't the place, you're gonna smack right into the wall and spill all your stuff."

"At least I only have this much," Rainbow Dash said, patting the cart upon which her few suitcases containing books, supplies, and uniforms, as well as the cage for Tank, were perched. "Not like Rarity."

"We didn't even have a reason to shop for clothes at all," Twilight pointed out to Rarity. "How do you STILL have the most luggage?"

"Well, if you add in the beautifying potions, the Shield Hats, and everything Opalescence needs for a comfortable life…" Rarity ticked off the contents of the mountain of suitcases teetering for balance on her cart.

Rainbow Dash returned her attention to the wall. "I'm gonna do it."

"Don't!" Fluttershy gasped.

"It'll work!" Twilight insisted.

Rainbow Dash turned her cart toward the wall, charging at it with full speed. The cart touched the wall, and for an instant, five hearts stopped; then the cart phased right through, and Rainbow Dash disappeared to the other side.

"Told you," Twilight said with a smirk.

One by one, the others crossed the wall to find a new platform, one labeled 9 ¾. Here, a bright, shining train of a somewhat maroon shade was parked, steam rising from the pleasantly old-fashioned engine. This was the famous Hogwarts Express. Witches and wizards milled about in cloaks; groups of teens and preteens gathered in some corners to catch up with friends and in others to part with parents.

"Dropping glamour in three…two…" Twilight snapped her fingers, and the six were visible to everyone present as Kentaurides. There were some murmurs and some who stared, but for the most part, the crowd left them alone. They were able to board the train and find a compartment with little trouble.

Sliding the door of the compartment closed, Pinkie Pie gave a noticeable pout.

"What's wrong, Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked.

"What if we don't make any friends at Hogwarts?" Pinkie worried. "What if nopony likes us?"

"That won't happen," Twilight stated, matter-of-factly. "We make friends wherever we go, remember?"

"And more importantly," Rarity added, "we'll have each other."

The train jolted. Then it began, ever so slowly, to chug out of the station.

"Ooh, we're moving!" Pinkie cried, bouncing up and down in her seat. "WE'RE MOVING!"

And so the journey began.

* * *

THE RAILWAYS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, FOURTH EARTH

A candy trolley moved down the hallway of the Hogwarts Express, and Pinkie Pie, never one to miss the presence of candy, practically threw open the compartment door to make a few purchases. She brought her haul back into the compartment, spreading it out over the small table as Twilight closed the door behind her.

Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep, and it was determined that the others could talk as loudly as they wanted and not wake her, so no precaution was taken to be quiet—quite the opposite, as one had to speak rather loudly to be heard over her snoring. "What did you get?" Twilight asked.

"More chocolate frogs and Every Flavor Beans!" Pinkie announced. "They were my favorite! Hey, did any of you ever get to try any of these?"

"Admittedly no," Rarity said. "The chocolate frogs look nice."

"They are!" Pinkie handed one over. "Unwrap it!"

"Well, all right." Rarity unwrapped the sweet…only for it to jump onto her face as though it were a real, living frog. "EEEEWWWW! GETITOFF GETITOFF GETITOFF!"

"It's not a real frog!" Pinkie insisted, peeling the frog from Rarity's face and biting it in half. "It's only chocolate, see?"

Fluttershy, seeing the chocolate frog go limp in Pinkie's hand, fainted.

"Can I see one?" Twilight asked. "I kinda want to make sure they're not really sentient." She unwrapped one of her own, catching it by the leg to watch its movements. After a while, she determined that the movements were in a distinct, set pattern and contained none of the spontaneity of a living being. She snapped her fingers before it a few times, flashed a purple light before its eyes, and even yelled "HEY!" at it. The frog didn't react. "It's just an animation charm of some kind," she deduced. "Enough to make it move around a little bit and make some noise. But it isn't actually alive." With that conclusion, she bit into it.

"You gotta read the card, too!" Pinkie insisted, handing a shining card over to Twilight. "You too, Rarity!"

"Why, what is this?" Rarity picked up the card. "Where did this come from?"

"They're inside the wrappers!" Pinkie explained. "You collect them! They talk about witches and wizards from this world's history!"

"You mean that this whole time," Twilight said, astonished, "there were clues to the history of this world…HIDDEN IN CANDY WRAPPERS?" She glared at Pinkie. "AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

Pinkie just shrugged sheepishly.

Twilight turned her attention to her card. The picture upon it, featuring a brunette, pale-skinned witch in medieval robes with flowing sleeves, moved as much as the portraits in McGonagall's office had, showing more signs of real life than the chocolate frog. She glared at Twilight with menace. Twilight made a mental note not to tear a chocolate frog card, ever, as she read the name and biography provided. "Morgana le Fay: The child of the Duke of Cornwall and Igraine. She was a dark witch, and very powerful." She shuddered. "I've read that name before. Dark and powerful…is a bit of an understatement." She tucked the card away safely. "Who's on yours, Rarity?"

Rarity's card was of a newer print, with a clearer-looking picture of a teenage boy, dark-haired and bespectacled, who was at first startled to see someone looking at his picture before shrugging and smiling. "Harry Potter," Rarity read. "The first and only known wizard to survive the Killing Curse, earning the title 'The Boy Who Lived.' Youngest Quidditch player in the last century after gaining the spot of Seeker in the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in his first year at Hogwarts in 1991. There's a lot more, but the last sentence reads, most famously for his defeat of the most dangerous dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, in 1998." She put down the card. "This very year."

"Will we meet him at Hogwarts?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight shook her head. "1991 to 1998 is seven years. He's graduated by now."

"That's mighty important," Applejack noted. "Killin' off the guy who was makin' things difficult for this world in general. Reckon that's why they gave him a card in the same year."

"But he looks rather ordinary," Rarity said, looking at Harry's photograph.

"Back home, so do we," Applejack argued.

"Anypony wanna try the beans?" Pinkie said, offering up a bag of brightly colored jelly beans to change the subject. "They're literally every flavor! LITERALLY!"

"I get it," Twilight said. "So instead of peppermint and cherry, you can get spinach or ground beef. I'll take some." She reached into the bag, pulling out a few beans. She lay one on her tongue, biting into it. Suddenly, her face contorted.

"Did you get a sour one?" Rarity asked with concern.

Twilight swallowed hard. "No," she said at last. "Sweaty socks."

"I told you!" Pinkie insisted. "EVERY flavor!" She popped one into her mouth. "Mmmmm, chili pepper!"

"How do you even know what sweaty socks taste like, anyway?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"Don't ask," Twilight grumbled.

* * *

DEATH CITY, DEATH'S DOMAIN

The moon rose high in the violet sky, and upon its crescent, a face was clearly visible—a face with a bulbous white eye and a grinning, toothy smile. They said that on violent nights, blood would drip down from between the teeth. Below the moon, a city made of angular buildings, twisting roads, and tall towers rose, casting a great shadow. If someone with a very astute sense of aura were to walk around the city, that one might notice a certain aura that covered the entire city out to a certain point, marking off a border. It was beyond this border that the four Death Eaters appeared.

"Death City," Horvath remarked. "Still no less of a bizarre place."

Voldemort stepped back, visibly afraid of the aura that marked the border of the city. "Medusa won't be within the city walls," he pointed out, anxious to move on.

"I don't understand," Quirrell said, quite perplexed. "What is this place?"

"Shall I explain as we move on?" Horvath asked Voldemort.

"Moving on would be most convenient," Voldemort asserted. He turned and began to walk away from the city. Bellatrix hurried to catch up, attempting to stay right at her master's side.

As Horvath and Quirrell began to walk, Horvath grunted in derision. "I see that Bellatrix is once again after something she cannot get. Disgusting, really."

"I want to know more about this place," Quirrell reminded him. "It's…rather off-putting."

"This is where Death lives," Horvath began. "Oh, don't look at me like that. This isn't the Underworld. Haven't you read anything? Death only takes the souls there. Whatever happens after that is in the hands of completely different gods. The city is actually fairly new to this world. It used to be a lot smaller. Just a black and white house called Mon Repos, if I remember correctly. Everything was black and white. Death preferred it that way, before he started having to make a decent world out of his domain."

"I'd heard that Death was a woman," Quirrell interrupted. "That is to say…at least how she appeared in the story of the Peverells…though I could be wrong…"

"She is a woman," Horvath replied. "And a man. It all depends on who's looking. Everything changed for Death here after he had to turn this world into a place to lock away one of the Old Ones. I doubt it was the same Old One as what brought you back."

"So there are more of…that."

"Many more. Compared to what exists in the multiverse, we sorcerers are mere insects. Imagine how low that makes the nonmagical."

"So this place," Quirrell concluded, "is everything Lord Voldemort fears…"

"Correct. Death is his eternal enemy."

"How did he make an ally here?"

"By looking for the sorcerer in Death's Domain that had the most to gain out of harming Death."

"That makes sense. Still, it's strange to see him so…uncomfortable."

"If he were put off by discomfort," Horvath sneered, "he wouldn't have begun what he began. If you're put off by discomfort, you'd best leave now, bodily sacrifice notwithstanding."

"I'm not uncomfortable," Quirrell asserted. "Lord Voldemort is."

"And why do you care?"

"That is enough," Voldemort said, turning to face both Horvath and Quirrell. "I would prefer that we do what we came here to do with as little discussion of…that…as possible." His eyes flickered briefly to the great city that had been situated atop the resting place of the Old One, the city that belonged to the final enemy Voldemort wished to conquer. Someday, he vowed, he would. Death was too strong to attack directly, even after all that had happened with that Old One…but it was only a matter of time. It was funny, Voldemort thought, that the Old One Death had vowed to seal within Death City, below the great castle that had been built up from Mon Repos in order to house humans of conventional mindsets, might have been related to the Old One that had manipulated the Resurrection Stone. The two definitely weren't the same. Medusa had reported on the Old One within Death's Domain. It couldn't have been more dissimilar.

"I was only remarking," Quirrell said, "that you seemed—"

"Are you doubting my capability to lead?" Voldemort asked Quirrell sternly.

"No," Quirrell said softly.

"Then I shall ask you to be silent." Voldemort turned to resume walking, his thoughts scattered. Though he'd been able to come up with a simple enough response, Quirrell's sentiment had caught him off guard. If what he had expressed wasn't really doubt, which was likely, it must have been concern. Why should he show concern? He'd only been a pawn in the past. A valuable pawn, but a pawn nonetheless. And amongst the ranks of Death Eaters, concern was a rare commodity…and caring seen as a weakness. Surely Quirrell knew that, Voldemort pondered. But then again, if it was concern—a protective urge—who was Voldemort to look a gift horse in the mouth?

"I don't doubt you," Bellatrix began, interrupting Voldemort's train of thought. "I never did, you see. I always knew—"

"I shall ask you to be silent as well," Voldemort hissed at her.

Bellatrix crossed her arms and pouted as the group walked on.

Voldemort forced his thoughts away from Quirrell, thinking upon the irony. All this, this city, the reformation of this world, Death had built in response to the Old One. First he (or she, for as Horvath had pointed out, it was all based on who was looking) had acted out of fear that such an Old One would rise, gathering warriors of repute, and then he had acted in response to his own allies becoming Old Ones…and one of the very sort Death had feared the rise of. An anti-Death, if one will. And finally, after Death's Domain had lost the purity of its black-and-white solitude, transforming entirely into this disorganized civilization of mortal vice and virtue alike, all for the sake of keeping the Old One trapped…that Old One, Asura, had broken free. And for that reason, though Asura was just as dangerous as Death even to those who admired him and spat at the name of Death, Asura remained out of the corner of Voldemort's mental eye, an option especially prominent in the absence of Morgana le Fay.

* * *

The name of Morgana le Fay was—and is—known across many worlds, and held—and holds—the appeal of millions of followers, even if not all Morganians were united and many were even at odds. A large percentage of dark witches and wizards pledged allegiance, even worship, to her name, and dedicated themselves to following her path. Morganians were not a united faction, but they were a network spread across the cosmos. This network passed information, and anything that could possibly be of importance to the business of a Morganian did not go unnoticed. In this way, through careful inquiry, a Morganian could easily obtain most desired information by mining through gossip.

Voldemort, Horvath, Bellatrix, and Quirrell found themselves in a town outside Death City, separated from it by a stunning strip of featureless desert but still within Death City's shadow enough that Voldemort's anxiousness was still visible. Here, they asked around, gingerly until they knew they were speaking to trusted sources. It began with a bookshop owner with a casual interest in magic. That led them to a sympathizer to witch concerns who dealt in alleys. From there, actual witches were found, witches who hadn't a clue of where Medusa was but had seen her at this place at that time, and knew who else had been there at the moment. Eventually, gossip pinpointed Medusa's exact location, and the four Death Eaters made their way there. No matter how she tried to hide from existence—as it was clear she was trying to do—Medusa could not escape the Morganian information trade.

They found her in a cellar, albeit a well-furnished one. The walls were black and lined with shelves that contained flasks of black liquid. The tables were laid out with laboratory equipment including syringes. Medusa herself sat in an armchair, looking over a book. She flicked her eyes upward when the four marched into her domain.

"I should have known you would find me," she said coldly without a hint of surprise. Then she grinned.

"I had thought you dead," Voldemort began.

"He seems to be thinking that of most of his associates as of late," Horvath added.

"How is it that you never seem to stay dead when killed?" Voldemort inquired. He looked Medusa up and down. When the two had first met, she had been blonde, keeping her hair bound in a braid that trailed down the front of her chest. She was partial to wearing a hooded black dress, the sleeves removed to show off the polka dots on her arms that formed into a pointillism tattoo of a constricting snake. Now her hair was black, a consequence of having assimilated someone else's body. It was still twisted into its usual braid. Medusa's new wardrobe was a somewhat more seductively cut black dress, purloined from the same person who'd given her the black hair, with no hood, but her arms were still bare and still held the polka-dot patterns of the snake.

"I have secrets," Medusa replied. "You well know this."

"And yet, knowing of my goals," Voldemort said, ice creeping into his tone, "you refuse to share them with me."

"It is not a method in which you could take part anyway."

"How do I know you are not lying?"

"What use would it be for me to betray your trust now?"

"Has their relationship always been this way?" Quirrell whispered to Bellatrix.

"It's what happens when two big egos clash," Bellatrix responded.

"The kishin Asura," Voldemort said simply.

"A setback," Medusa replied. "Death's little soldiers got in the way. And your projects? The war on Hogwarts?" Her eyes flicked over to Horvath. "The Rising?"

"Each of us was stopped by meddling forces," Horvath answered. "Of course, we do not need le Fay to—"

Medusa laughed. "You, claiming le Fay is unnecessary. Going against all that we have stood for, denouncing the woman who gave all of us our inspiration…did she break your fragile heart?"

"That will be enough accusation," Horvath snarled, gripping his cane more tightly.

Medusa stood. "Do you mean to use that against me?" At first, the shapes that emerged from her back seemed like shadows, but soon it became clear that they were black arrows—manifestations of the magic she controlled.

"You might want to step back," Bellatrix told Quirrell. "If these three start fighting, we can say goodbye to our second chance at life."

"ENOUGH," Voldemort told Medusa and Horvath. "There is no use in quarrelling. All three of our efforts have failed. Hogwarts stands, and remains in balance between the pure and the impure. The only force powerful enough to destroy Death is no longer an option for us. The sorceress that inspired us and could have overturned all our deaths is also out of the picture. It is clear that we must rise again. I plan to lead us to a future where all of what has happened can be reversed."

"Lead?" Medusa laughed. "You were never able to lead me, and you aren't able to lead me now. What is your plan? To waste our time on building your Horcruxes once more?"

"Not all of us can be so fortunate as to return from the dead of our own volition," Voldemort replied, careful not to show his anger. He knew that Medusa was a match for him, and engaging her in combat would be a step backward in his goals.

"You never said how it is that you are alive," Medusa pointed out.

"There was an Old One," Voldemort answered. "Not the kishin…something more…shall we say, playful."

"Playful?" Medusa's brow raised. "That describes none of the Old Ones I have ever met. What else was he like?"

"He took the form of a draconequuus. He was able to manipulate the Resurrection Stone so that it reversed death permanently. He took the stone with him after assembling my team the way he wished it."

"I look forward to meeting him," Medusa stated. There was no room to doubt that she would find this strange draconequus eventually.

"Then shall we come to a compromise?" Voldemort asked. "Neither of us shall assume the position of 'leader'…and instead, we shall join forces to reach our goals together." This was a blatant lie. No matter what Medusa said, Voldemort knew he would be in charge.

"I could tolerate that," Medusa said. This was also a blatant lie. No matter what Voldemort did, Medusa would find a way to pull the strings.

"I do intend to seek Horcruxes," Voldemort told her. "What would you have us do in your name in exchange?"

"Nothing," Medusa said. "Once you are as immortal as I am, that will be all we need." This was also a blatant lie. Now that Medusa saw the benefit in betraying Voldemort's trust, she was going to take advantage of it. Her own plans formulated.

"Have you anyone to bring to our faction? Eruka, perhaps? Free?"

"I would rather see neither ever again. They were useful…and their usefulness has run out."

"You're all right with this?" Bellatrix asked Horvath. "The two of them claiming leadership?"

"To argue would be to invite death," Horvath replied. "And I am not as concerned with leadership as they are."

Voldemort and Medusa approached each other, clasping right hands. "Then it is done," Medusa said. "We will work together again. Where are we making our base?"

"On Fourth Earth, at Riddle House," Voldemort answered. "We have yet to determine bases in Fifth Earth or Death's Domain if at all."

"I shall meet you there," Medusa said.

"What reason do you have for waiting?" Voldemort asked with suspicion. "Why can you not merely travel with us?"

"It would take me a while to pack my belongings," Medusa said. "After all, unlike Horvath, I have an established life on my world."

Horvath chose not to respond. She had chosen a poor way to attempt to aggravate him, and he knew that was all she was trying to do—aggravate him.

"Can't we just hurry it along?" Bellatrix asked. "We've got more to do before we can start setting up plans!"

"Then I shall let you…gather your belongings," Voldemort told Medusa. "But I would ask you to remember the consequences of betraying me."

"I know them well," Medusa said with a grin. "You have no need to worry about me."

"Then I shall see you at Riddle House."

"Indeed."

Voldemort turned to Bellatrix, Quirrell, and Horvath. "We must return," he told them. "There is much yet to be done."

"But what else could we possibly do?" Quirrell asked.

"Implementation of failsafes," Voldemort said before the four arranged into position for Apparition. They disappeared from Medusa's view, having most likely gone back to Fourth Earth.

First, Medusa considered her own failsafe. It came up from inside her body, up her throat, and she slid it about on her tongue before opening her mouth to take it and hold it in her hand. She had never been an ordinary witch—not by the standards of Fourth or Fifth Earth, and not even by the standards of the witches of Death's Domain. Neither of her sisters had either. And it was all due to this. A black sphere, the size of a marble shooter, with the design of a snake curling around it. A long needle-like protrusion stuck out from one end, and Medusa balanced it on her fingertip for a while. It had yet to fail her, and since she had absorbed the body of her sister Arachne, she had another one safely inside her in case this one was destroyed…her own version of Horcruxes.

She swallowed the black sphere again, keeping it safe. She then set about packing. It was true enough that she wanted Voldemort and his Death Eaters on her side. As a league, they would be strong enough to help her with her plans. She also had strong interests in domination of Hogwarts and in the Rising, which she did not yet believe a lost cause. And it was true that she had special plans for them, plans they couldn't possibly be aware of. However, she regarded the hunt for Horcruxes as a waste of time, a wild goose chase. It would simply divert Voldemort long enough that he wouldn't notice her actions until it was too late. At that point, though, he might just thank her, if all went well. As it was still only an experiment, that was a rather large "if".

This was why Medusa took a satchel filled with several phials of the black liquid on her shelves. In a special case, she locked away a syringe. This is what she hadn't wanted the others to see. They'd learn soon enough, anyway.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

By the time the Hogwarts Express reached its destination, the sky had gone completely dark. The train pulled into a halt, and Twilight could only say, "Well…here we go."

The six left the train to meet a crowd of students disembarking the train and moving about every which way. Throughout the tumult, a gruff and very loud voice was heard barking out: "Firs' years this way! Firs' years this way!"

"I guess we go that way," Applejack said before leading her friends in the direction of the voice.

The calling out led them down to the lake, where many preteens dressed in black robes were getting onto small boats as directed by a very large man—about eleven and a half feet tall, and proportionately wide. His hair and beard were black and shaggy, making him appear even larger and more imposing. Every now and then, he would take a break from directing students into boats in order to call out, "Firs' years this way!"

"Excuse me," Twilight said, walking up to the man, "we're first years…technically…and I was wondering—"

"Oh, you must be the Elements o' Harmony!" the man said gladly. "McGonagall told me all about you."

"All…?" Twilight replied.

The man winked. "Jus' enough that I know why you're here. It might seem unconventional, but I don't put too much stock in convention nowadays. Name's Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts and Professor of Care of Magical Creatures. You won't be needin' that course this year, though. I'm hopin' to see you around the grounds. But in the meantime, welcome to Hogwarts!" He gestured to one of the small boats. "Go on an' get inside. They know where they're goin'."

"Thank you!" the six chorused happily before getting into one of the boats. The boat shuddered, then moved away from the coast of its own accord, heading out across the lake and toward Hogwarts castle, whose windows were lit up brightly against the night.

"He seemed nice," Applejack commented. "I wouldn't mind seein' more of him around."

"He said he was a professor of classes about magical creatures," Fluttershy pointed out. "I hope that means he cares about animals."

"I'm sure it does," Twilight pointed out. "I mean, why would you teach a whole class on them if you didn't care?"

As the boat passed between other boats of first years, snippets of conversation could be heard:

"That man was huge! You don't suppose he's a giant, do you?"

"Look at that boat…what are centaurs doing here? I thought they never left the Forbidden Forest…"

"What is THAT?"

Enough of the last statement caused the six to look up at what was causing so much chatter. The Starlight was still anchored in the lake, next to the castle. Students were taking notice of its presence.

The small boats reached the other side, and everyone disembarked to get up on the bank next to the castle. Hagrid had also crossed on his own boat, and moved to the front of the crowd to guide them into the castle. The other students all seemed to have disappeared.

The trek to the castle doors from the banks of the lake seemed much different at night than it did during the day, as though it were a completely different castle in a completely different landscape. Even crossing the threshold of the great wooden doors, after Hagrid knocked three times and they opened of their own accord, seemed alien to the Equestrians. They filtered into the atrium along with the other students, past the great hourglasses, and toward another set of great wooden doors. Hagrid knocked again, and these doors also opened. Beyond them, it was suddenly visible where the rest of the student body had gone.

The Great Hall seemed impossibly large. This was only bolstered by the fact that the ceiling appeared to phase into the sky—it wasn't clear where the ceiling ended and the sky began, but looking directly up gave a view of a slightly clouded, star-studded blackness and a bright white moon.

"I was hoping you'd all appreciate that enchantment," Hagrid said to the six Equestrians specifically.

"It's…gorgeous," Twilight said almost breathlessly.

Below the skylike ceiling, the hall was taken up by four tables, and black-robed students sat at all of them. The tables were set with gleaming golden flatware and goblets. Looking down the center aisle, the group of first-years saw the faculty table, where McGonagall sat at the place of honor in the center. McGonagall, upon seeing the students gather, rose from her seat.

"You'll wait here," Hagrid explained, "until you're called up by alphabetical order. Then the Sortin' Hat picks yer house for yeh."

"In front of everyone?" Fluttershy whimpered.

By this time, McGonagall had already placed an old, weather-beaten, pointed hat upon a stool before the faculty table. "Get ready now," Hagrid said. "It's about to do its song."

"A song!" Pinkie cried happily.

And, lo and behold, the hat shifted of its own accord, and one of the creases in it formed a mouthlike feature from which its song came. Thus, it sang:

"When I was young and barely sewn,

A Sorting-Hat-to-Be,

Godric took and set me down

And this he said to me:

'Hat, we've had our troubles,

But our troubles will be through.

I've fought so hard and I've made sure

They shall not trouble you!'

And so I took my post here,

As Sorting Hat most proud,

And thus I used the founders four

To separate the crowd.

For Hufflepuff, the kindest ones

Were chosen to be gold;

For Gryffindor, the crimson

Was bequeathed upon the bold.

For Slytherin, ambitious ones

Were given to the green,

And Ravenclaw's most brilliant blue

To the smartest ones I've seen.

Yes, I missed the founders,

But as they went, others came,

And though they all were different

Every friendship felt the same.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald

Once graced this very hall.

There then came the Marauders four;

And I sorted them all!

And even once, so way back when,

I must admit it's true,

I gave my blessing and my sorting

Both to You-Know-Who.

Darkness fell when those I sorted

Chose it as their way.

But others still I sorted

Chose a path as bright as day.

One night, it became clear to me

That Gryffindor had lied.

He had not vanquished trouble.

The poor man had only tried.

But trouble does not come alone,

And that's what makes me smile.

For friendship and adventure

Were returning all the while!

And so remember, when you think

The battle has been won:

It may be that the worst and best

Have only just begun!"

After that, a silence fell over the Great Hall. No one knew quite what to make of the Hat's song.

"Um…did I miss something?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The Sortin' Hat always makes up its own songs," Hagrid said softly. "They're different every year. And they're always about what it thinks we should be thinkin' about. Pretty sure that after we won the war, the last thing anyone wants to hear is that isn't really over."

McGonagall stood by the hat, speaking in a way that was such enchanted that her voice filled the enormous Hall. "Speculation is all fine and good in its time and place," she said, "but with no evidence, at this point, it will just lead to unnecessary worry and unpleasant gossip. If you must fixate on anything the Hat has said here, please remember that it also said the best has just begun, and that with bad comes good. And with that, I do not wish to hear this turned into any ugly rumors! Now, we shall commence the Sorting."

"And we're already off to a great start," Twilight sighed sarcastically.

McGonagall began to read off a list of names: "Aardman, Veronica." One of the first years, upon hearing her name called, rushed to the front of the Hall. She set the Hat upon her head and sat upon the stool; it considered her for a brief moment before yelling out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Immediately, one of the tables burst into applause as Veronica joined them. This was evidently the Ravenclaw table.

Soon enough, the call rang out: "Apple, Applejack." Applejack began her walk down the Hall, and as with the boats, she heard several confused whispers:

"Who is that?"

"Isn't she a little old to be a first-year?"

"Is she…is she a centaur?"

"What's she doing outside the Forbidden Forest?"

"Has the entire staff gone barmy?"

Ignoring them all, Applejack made her way to the stool, picking up the hat and placing it on her head before sitting on the stool. Her friends watched her from the other end of the hall. They observed as the hat sat there, perfectly still, for a while. Then, clear as a bell, it yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Applejack laid down the hat and moved to the table that had burst into applause. Ironically, as soon as she sat down among the other Gryffindors, she found that attention was not focused on her. Everyone seemed to care more about another student sitting down at the other end of the table: a young woman with bushy, somewhat unkempt brown hair and a straight posture that indicated a level of high professionalism.

Seats were switched around; a redheaded student moved so that she could sit across from Applejack. "Hey," Applejack said, "I know you. Ginny Weasley, right?"

"And you're Applejack from Madam Malkin's," Ginny replied with a broad smile. "So, how does it feel to be part of the student body?"

"Weird," Applejack admitted. "Everypony here—"

"I'm sorry, 'everypony'?"

"Uh…sayin' from the Forbidden Forest."

"I see!"

"Well, everypony knows I'm not your usual kinda student, and I think they're hung up on that."

"Well, don't listen," Ginny advised. "Everyone here should know better than to gossip or be surprised at unconventional things by now. Goodness knows enough has happened."

"So what's the deal with—"

Before Applejack could finish her question, she heard the call ring out for "Dash, Rainbow!" "Uhh…hang on a second. I gotta watch this," Applejack told Ginny. The pair turned their attention to Rainbow Dash.

The hat only sat on Rainbow Dash's head for about five seconds before calling out "GRYFFINDOR!"

"YES!" Rainbow Dash rushed to sit by Applejack. "This is officially the cool house!"

"Two of us made Gryffindor," Applejack observed. "Not a bad start."

"Maybe we'll all luck out and get in the same house!" Rainbow Dash theorized.

"Ain't likely," Applejack reminded her. "Courage is our strong suit, but I don't know about theirs."

"Oh," Rainbow Dash said, suddenly realizing who she sat across from. "Hi, Ginny! What's up?"

"And before you answer," Applejack interrupted, "I wanna ask that you include what's makin' everypony all hyped up about that mare—uh, that woman over there."

"That's Hermione Granger," Ginny explained. "She was a hero in the war, especially in the battle here last year. She was supposed to be a seventh year then. McGonagall said that she, Harry, and Ron didn't have to finish finals because of their actions, but Hermione insisted on coming back! Luna and I didn't even know! We were all good friends, you see."

"Harry as in Harry Potter?" Applejack asked.

Ginny nodded. "And Ron as in my brother."

"How many brothers you got?" Applejack teased.

"Six," Ginny answered. "I know, you're either astonished or you think it's funny…"

"Naw," Applejack replied. "I come from a big family myself. Though I got more cousins than siblings."

"You should probably go sit by Hermione and catch up," Rainbow Dash told Ginny.

"Well, you should meet her too," Ginny said. "I know she'll be interested in meeting both of you. Come on!" She rose, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash followed her.

The three sat down in a row, finding room in the crowd gathered around Hermione. "Oh, Ginny," Hermione remarked gladly, "you're back!"

"I ran into some friends I met at Diagon Alley," Ginny explained. "Applejack and Rainbow."

"Are you Kentaurides?" Hermione asked them—not derisively, but genuinely curiously.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash answered. "We're here under special circumstances."

"Me too," Hermione said with a smile.

"We decided to come see what things were like outside of the Forbidden Forest," Applejack told Hermione.

"Well, I hope you can learn everything you were hoping to," Hermione replied. "I've always wondered what things were like in the Forbidden Forest, myself—"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash exchanged nervous glances, sure she was going to ask about their lives in the forest they knew nothing about.

"—but I know it's a private subject, so you don't have to answer anything."

"Maybe we'll let you in on some stuff later," Rainbow Dash said. "Kind of a…rain check."

"Perfectly understandable." Hermione nodded. "I take it you're first years because that's where your magic level is. Oh, I didn't mean that as a bad thing…it came out rather wrong. I'm not saying you're not skilled; what I'm saying is—"

"No, you're right," Applejack answered. "We don't know that much about magic at all."

At this point, the list of names came down to "Majesty, Rarity!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to watch Rarity's sorting expectantly.

Rarity lowered the hat upon her head, thinking about how it was quite an ugly thing, even though it certainly meant well enough, and could do with some patching.

I think I am quite fine as I am, the hat said within Rarity's head.

Startled, Rarity nearly fell off the stool.

I have an idea where you should go, the hat said. I see your dreams. Your goals. You wish to give to everyone, but you want what you give to be unique and carry your mark. You want to know everyone's name, and you want everyone to know yours. Yes, I know where you belong…but before I choose, I want to know where you think you belong.

Well, Rarity replied in her thoughts, I'm certain that wherever you choose for me will be just perfect.

Are you sure, the hat asked, that is your answer?

Well, yes, Rarity replied stubbornly. Why would I want to change it? I know I'm good enough to be wherever you place me!

In that case, the hat said, I'll stand by my first decision, and you'll be right at home in…"SLYTHERIN!"

"WHAT?" Rarity shrieked, nearly falling off the stool.

"You gave me full judgment," the hat said quietly.

"WELL, I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE GOING TO PUT ME THERE!" Rarity yelled, shaking the hat.

"Miss Majesty," McGonagall ordered, "if you would please take your seat!"

Rarity put down the hat and stormed toward the Slytherin table, where everyone was cheering the addition of a new arrival, even if they didn't quite understand why she was there. "Whyyyyyy?" she moaned to herself. "Why do I have to be in the evil house?" She slammed her head down on the table and refused to lift it.

"Pie, Pinkie!" At this, Pinkie hopped up the center aisle, springing off all four legs. She eagerly put on the hat, and the hat made a few contorted faces before yelling out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Pinkie cried out. "GO HUFFLEPUFF!" She ran, cheering all the way to the Hufflepuff table.

When "Posey, Fluttershy" was called out, Fluttershy slowly, gingerly made her way up to the Sorting Hat. She placed it on her head ever so lightly. It didn't take long for the hat to proclaim her a "HUFFLEPUFF!"

At this, Pinkie leapt up and down in glee, hugging Fluttershy as the latter joined the table. "THIS IS GONNA BE SO AWESOME!" she squealed.

It then came down to "Sparkle, Twilight!"

"Here goes nothing," Twilight breathed.

"I bet it's Ravenclaw," Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack, Ginny, and Hermione. "She's all about reading and doing smart stuff!"

"But so's Hermione," Ginny replied, "and she's here in Gryffindor."

"I was considered for Ravenclaw," Hermione admitted, "but now that I'm here, I know the Sorting Hat made the right decision."

"What if she's in Slytherin?" Applejack asked. "I mean, Rarity already is…Slytherin can't be all bad, can it?"

"Not all bad," Ginny parroted, though not convincingly.

The hat took its sweet time with Twilight, going over all her thoughts. You know, it said, you have a little bit of everything in you. You have quite the ambition when it comes to your studies…ambition that would fit very well in Slytherin.

Okay, Twilight replied in thought. So…am I a Slytherin?

I wasn't finished, the hat said rather crossly. You also have devoted most of your life to your friends and preserving your relationship with them. Definitely something Helga Hufflepuff would value.

All right, Twilight thought.

But then again, the hat continued, you have taken the lead in a great many adventures…yes, I can see that well enough. I know the stories you aren't telling the others here. And you've shown a great deal of courage, worthy of Gryffindor.

So…does that mean…Twilight wondered.

But most of all, the hat concluded, you thirst for learning and knowledge. Yes, given the dilemma, you would save a friend's life rather than stop a book from being burned, but deep within you, your greatest desires are to learn more. And you hope that your time here will further that exact desire. Yes, I know now…you are most definitely suited for "RAVENCLAW!"

Twilight got down off the stool amid clapping and cheering from the Ravenclaw table. She took a seat next to Luna Lovegood, who awaited her with a smile.

"I'm so glad you've joined us," Luna said in her usual dreamy tone. "You'll learn everything here, from how to solve riddles to how to proof your things from Nargles."

Twilight didn't ask whether or not Nargles were real. She simply smiled. "Thanks, Luna. I'm glad to be here."

The Sorting wrapped up when the last name was called. For the first few times she was summoned, "Way, Ebony" didn't come into view. Then a rather gruff-looking, gray-haired man in a shabby cloak stormed up the center aisle, followed by a tabby cat wearing a tiny blue bonnet and little silver spectacles that hooked up behind her ears.

"Miss Way," he growled, "is refusing to adhere to the dress code of Hogwarts. She's not allowed in until she removes her ridiculous attire and puts on a robe. If they're good enough for everyone else, they're good enough for her! Now, if Dolores Umbridge was still running this school, I'd have her in the rack right now—"

"But she isn't, Mr. Filch," McGonagall reminded him sharply, "and I will not have any of my students subjected to torture. Especially your method of torture."

"Um…who's that?" Twilight asked Luna.

"Argus Filch," Luna replied. "He's the caretaker, and he's also in charge of discipline. He isn't exactly the most fair. You'll also want to watch out for the cat, Mrs. Norris. They can communicate."

At last, Ebony Way turned up, though she still wasn't wearing a uniform, instead wearing a black tee with the words "The Promise Ring" scrawled across it, along with several other flamboyant black accessories too numerous to detail. "Ughhh!" she yelled so the whole hall could hear. "What is the deal with you all and your preppy robes anyway?"

The Sorting Hat pronounced her a Slytherin, and Rarity saw no reason to lift her head from the table.

At that, the Sorting Hat was removed, and the ceremony over. "Before we begin the start-of-term feast," McGonagall said, standing at her seat, "I have a few announcements to make. I regret that my opening words will not be quite as…unique…as those of fondly remembered past headmasters. In any case, there are a few things you must all know this year.

"First of all, the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has once again been filled, and given recent events, hopefully, he will last longer than those who previously occupied the position. May I introduce Ermond Ricksmith."

Ricksmith, a rather unremarkable-looking wizard who appeared to be around thirty, stood and gave a slight bow. "I promise to give this position my all," he said before sitting back down.

"Thank you, Ricksmith," McGonagall said. "On the same note, as I am now acting headmistress, the role of Transfiguration professor has also been filled—by Felina Grintcliffe."

Felina, a gray-haired witch with many lines upon her face, simply gave the Great Hall a nod.

"Second," McGonagall continued, "you may have heard rumors or noticed that a certain student has returned to Hogwarts to complete her final year—even though I have maintained that she is exempt from having to do so, given her past actions. I hope you will all make Hermione Granger feel as welcome this year as you have in the past."

Before McGonagall could finish the sentence, the entire Great Hall burst into upbeat applause, complete with cheering and whistling.

"What the hay did you DO?" Rainbow Dash asked Hermione with a wink.

"It's a long story," Hermione replied. "Believe me."

When the Hall settled down, McGonagall began again. "Third, some other rather unorthodox students have become enrolled at this school. Applejack Apple, Rainbow Dash, Rarity Majesty, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy Posey, and Twilight Sparkle have been initiated as first-years, and despite their age, they will be educated as first-years. I expect you all to treat them as you would any fellow student."

"That's nice!" Pinkie said to Fluttershy. "I'm glad she's—"

"It is also vital for you to know," McGonagall went on, "that they represent the Elements of Harmony, and are in their own right heroes. Draw from this whatever conclusions you will, but I will not put up with any mistreatment directed toward them regarding their origin."

A hush fell over the Hall as most of the students tried to figure out exactly what that meant. Twilight was practically horror-stricken, as McGonagall had basically alluded to their interdimensional travels without explicitly stating such.

"Elements of Harmony," Hermione muttered. "I feel as though I've read that somewhere, but I can't quite remember…well, aside from that. Headmistress McGonagall referred to you as heroes."

"That's also a long story," Applejack said. "Maybe we'll tell you some about it…later."

"And with that," McGonagall said, "I think this year, it is time to re-instate the tradition of singing the Hogwarts school song. The tune, as usual, is up to you." She raised her wand, firing a gold ribbon from it into the air. The ribbon twisted until it formed a set of floating lyrics. Everyone then took off singing, each at a different pace, but none were so loud or so fast as Pinkie Pie:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please!

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees!"

She carried on until the very last word, which she held out long enough ("And learn until our brains all ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!") that everyone else could catch up and finish the song.

"Let the feast," McGonagall then announced, "begin!"

The plates and goblets filled up with extravagant food of all sorts, from soups to roast meats to complex side dishes. All four tables dug in with gusto.

Rarity felt a bread roll hit her on the side of the head. "Are you just going to stay like that all day?" a voice asked her.

Rarity lifted her head to view a set of identical twin girls with dark hair sitting before her. "You don't understand," she said. "I wasn't meant to be a Slytherin!"

"The Sorting Hat doesn't make mistakes," said the girl who'd thrown the bread roll.

"And not everyone in this house is as evil as you'd think," said the other. "Bloodlines notwithstanding. I'd prefer you remember that."

"But what Slytherins were ever actually good?" Rarity whined. "And what does this say about ME? Oh, of all the worst things that could happen, this is THE! WORST!—"

"There was Severus Snape," said the girl who'd thrown the bread roll. "He did sacrifice his life in the war for Hogwarts. And he played double agent between here and Voldemort's Death Eaters."

"I didn't think anyone said that name," Rarity pointed out.

"Our parents were his followers," the second twin said grumpily. "We got used to it. But before you get any ideas, nobody ever asked us what WE thought of the whole deal. WE never wanted any part of Voldemort's plans. And who was more ashamed than US when our parents turned up to torture students during the takeover?"

"I'm sorry," Rarity said sympathetically. "That must be difficult."

"Almost impossible to live down," the second twin said coldly.

"Well, I'm not about to judge you on that," Rarity said, "though if either of you attempts to torture me, we may run into a problem."

"We've got no interest in torture," the first twin said. "Just in keeping our noses clean."

"Well…since this is the house of ambition," Rarity said, "what else do you want?"

"To accomplish something great without living in the shadow of either of our parents," the second twin answered. "And something that doesn't involve murder, torment, or bigotry. Someday, people are going to look at us and think of us for what we are and not what our parents did."

"It's already sort of happened with you," the first twin pointed out. "After all, you are Prefect."

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it," Rarity said with a nod. "All you need to figure out is what you want to be remembered for—your destiny, if you will. I just realized, I never caught your names."

"Flora Carrow," said the first twin.

"Hestia Carrow," said the second, the one who was Prefect. "You were Rarity Majesty, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, welcome to Slytherin," Hestia said, a smile cracking her face for the first time.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

"Can you believe it?" Pettigrew moaned, pacing back and forth. "That frail twig of a man gets chosen, and I get left behind because of ONE MOMENT of weakness? And what else was I supposed to do? They saved my life! It doesn't weigh in against all I've done for the Dark Lord! I brought him back to physical form! I GAVE MY RIGHT HAND FOR—"

"No one cares," Scabior snorted. He'd pulled Pettigrew aside to have a discussion, and hadn't expected Pettigrew to just begin railing on his rank situation again.

"All right, then," Pettigrew groaned, "what was it YOU had to say?"

"It's about what that dragon creature said when he brought us back," Scabior answered. "That we wouldn't WANT Snape or the Malfoys? Well, there's nothing we can do about Snape now. He's dead. Voldemort killed him himself. But did YOU ever hear whether or not the Malfoys died with us? Did YOU ever hear of any of them being punished? And why don't we want them with us after all the work THEY did? Something's fishy to me about all this."

"I hadn't given it much thought, and I don't much care," Pettigrew snorted. "If Lucius were here, he'd probably be ranked above me too. Prissy pretty boy—"

"So you want to know what happened to the Malfoys, do you?"

Scabior and Pettigrew turned to face the doorway, where the young Vincent Crabbe had entered the room. "I'll tell you what happened to them," Crabbe sneered. "Traitors, all of them. Draco was a sniveling coward to the very end. I was in the Room of Requirement with him when we found Potter. He kept trying to talk me out of killing Potter's little friends. He and his family were already cowards. Slipping out of grace."

"Think about it," Scabior added. "We thought we'd won once Potter was good and dead, but as it turns out, he was alive and kicking the whole time. And who reported to us that he was dead to begin with? Narcissa. Lying bitch."

"But…our meetings at Malfoy Manor," Pettigrew pointed out. "And Draco was almost the one that killed Dumbledore!"

"'Almost' for a reason," Crabbe snapped. "You really think that little git could go through with it?"

"And here I thought you were his friend," Scabior taunted Crabbe with a grin.

"I was, back when I thought he had something resembling a spine," Crabbe replied coldly.

"Well, then, it's obvious what we have to do, isn't it?" A grin slowly crawled across Pettigrew's face. "We should track down Lucius and pay him a little…visit. See if he really was on our side, or if he was a bloody traitor. And either way, it might be nice to…" Pettigrew drew his wand, tapping it into his hand meaningfully. "Eliminate the competition…"

"You worry about your little power grab on your own time," Scabior spat. "If Lucius is with us, then he should, in fact, be with us. But I've got a feeling he deserves just as much punishment as you want to dole out to him."

"Then shall we?" Pettigrew asked, raising an eyebrow. "Crabbe?"

"I've got better things to do than risk blowing our cover on a revenge mission," Crabbe snorted.

"Or you're afraid," Scabior challenged. "But it isn't as if we need you."

"We'll let you know how your little friend is getting on, we promise," Pettigrew added. "Right up to the moment when we kill him."

"If necessary," Scabior growled.

Then the two Apparated away.

* * *

Voldemort, Bellatrix, Quirrell, and Horvath appeared in the atrium. "Welcome back," Rowle greeted. "Mister Horvath."

Horvath nodded. "Rowle." As a second wizard entered the room, he nodded towards him too: "Macnair."

"My lord," Macnair said, "Pettigrew and Scabior have—I thought you were bringing back Gorgon?"

"She will be along," Voldemort answered. "What have Pettigrew and Scabior done?"

"Left to find Lucius Malfoy, as Crabbe's son reports it," Macnair finished. "Surely you can't—"

"Trust Pettigrew not to fail? Of course not. But Scabior is another matter. He'll keep him in line," Voldemort said. "Besides…I'm rather curious to see what they bring back as to news about the Malfoys…I had long suspected Lucius of being on the verge of turning on us, but I was never quite sure. If he did indeed abandon us…then retribution will be necessary."

"Of course, my lord," Macnair said before bowing and leaving the room.

"Has anything else noteworthy happened in our absence?" Voldemort asked Rowle.

"No, of course not," Rowle answered. "I—oh, Miss Gorgon!"

All heads turned to see the Apparition of Medusa, carrying her black case. "You," she replied—she'd never bothered with learning the names of those she deemed unimportant.

"Then are we gathered?" Rowle asked.

"Not quite yet," Voldemort replied. "There are three beings yet I would seek out. It will, however, take some time to find out what has become of them and where I can find them. I would advise that you begin collecting information…immediately."

"Of course," Rowle said. "On whom?"

And Voldemort told him.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Gryffindor Prefect Nigel Wolpert led the members of his house up several flights of stairs. "I'd be careful," he warned first-years. "They like to change."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack stared in awe as some of the staircases shifted position at random. "No problem," Rainbow Dash said. "I could just fly over all of it."

"There's just so much…castle," Applejack found herself saying as she took in the voluminousness of the building's interior.

"We're here," Wolpert announced, standing before an oil painting, a portrait of a voluptuous woman seated in repose.

"What's the password?" the portrait asked.

"Consonantiam," Wolpert said, and the portrait swung aside. "You hear that? The current password is 'consonantiam'."

He then slipped through the passage the portrait had revealed. One by one, the other Gryffindors followed him, including Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Hermione, and Ginny.

They arrived in a spacious common room lit by a blazing hearth. Puffy-looking chairs and couches were scattered throughout the room. Alcoves branched this way and that to reveal a reading room, a restroom, and two stairways.

"You'll find your things in your rooms," Wolpert said, "pets included. Boys that way…girls that way."

"C'mon," Applejack said to Rainbow Dash. "Let's go up and check on Winona and Tank."

The two ascended the stairway to the girls' bunks, finding large beds with canopies and bedcurtains awaiting them. Their luggage was piled at the end of two beds, and Winona and Tank were kenneled there. Applejack released her dog, and Rainbow Dash also allowed her tortoise a chance to move about.

"So this is Gryffindor," Applejack remarked.

* * *

On the way to the dungeons, Rarity sighed melodramatically. She wasn't only traveling with Slytherin; she had to listen to the argument of two first-years. One was the stubborn Ebony Way from the end of the Sorting Ceremony; the other, she didn't recognize at all.

"I can't believe they're making me wear stupid robes," Ebony grumbled. "Everyone here is motherfucking preps." Rarity winced at the language.

"Are you always this much of a brat?" the other witch asked. "What was your name, Ebony Way?"

"Actually, my full name is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way."

"There is no way that's your actual name."

"ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?"

"How can I not? You're so easy to make fun of."

"Whatever. Prep. You probably listen to stupid prep music. I bet you don't even know who The Promise Ring is."

"No, but do you even know who the Weird Sisters are?"

"A bunch of preps!"

"You know, I thought you MIGHT be cool because of what you've got going on in your hair, but I was wrong." Rarity observed that this young witch had a short haircut, dark brunette with blonde highlights to contrast her tan-colored skin. She made a striking contrast to Ebony, who had paper-white skin and long, black hair that ended in a stripe of red. "Besides, Rarity has cooler hair. Hey, Rarity. How'd you get all that purple going on?"

"Please leave me out of this," Rarity grumbled.

"If we could all stop arguing," Hestia snapped, stopping before a segment of blank stone wall. "We're here." She turned to face the dark gray bricks. "Serpentine," she told the wall.

The wall obeyed the command, sliding aside. "It only opens if you know the password," Hestia informed the group as they moved into the common room.

Rarity had to admit that the room was fantastic. She had expected it to be somewhat cold and damp. Instead, while it wasn't the warmest room, it was quite clean and proper, with elegant wooden molding on the mantel and carvings of snakes on the walls. Green lamps gave the room an eerie glow; leather sofas basked in the glow.

As the students moved to the bedrooms to unpack, Rarity, deciding Opalescence could last a little longer in her kennel, flopped down onto one of the leather couches, stretching out her Kentauride body to fill the length of both cushions. There she lay, eyes closed, until she heard a voice:

"Hey. You okay?"

Rarity opened her eyes to see the witch with the brunette-and-blonde hair hovering over her. "Oh," she said, lackluster. "Hello."

"I saw you had your head down on the table after being Sorted," the witch said. "I was right after you. And now you're, well, here. So what's up?"

Rarity sighed. "Please don't take this the wrong way," she said, "but I was hoping for a somewhat different result than this."

"Oh, I get it," the girl replied. "You're freaked out because of the stories about Slytherin being evil and stuff. Well, it's not all really true. You-Know-Who had a bunch of supporters in all the houses. And Slytherin had some heroes."

"So I've heard. Snape, right?"

"Yeah. You could be like him, you know."

"I'm hoping."

"Don't let a few bad apples give Slytherin a bad name," the witch said with a grin. "We're the ones who are gonna make ourselves known, you know? And we can change what everybody thinks. Me? I'm gonna be a hero some day. Get everyone equal rights. So can you stop moping around? Also, you might want to get upstairs if that's your cat that keeps making noises like it's going to bust open its kennel and kill everybody."

Rarity flashed the witch a small smile. "I suppose." She got up off the couch. "Thank you, by the way. I'm Rarity. Rarity Majesty. And you are…?"

"Steveny Nichols," the witch replied. "Stevie, for short."

Rarity and Stevie walked upstairs to find their room. Rarity released a crabby Opalescence from her kennel, watching as the cat haughtily padded up to her pillow and lay there, and then began to organize the rest of her things. It was then that she noticed the carvings in the bedpost.

"What's this?" she wondered out loud. The other Slytherin first-year girls gathered around her to see the sets of initials carved into the bedpost: W.S., S.S., M.S., C.U., G.W., B.B., N.B., and many more.

"I guess the other girls put their initials here," Stevie guessed.

"It's vandalism, though, isn't it?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah," Stevie said with a shrug. "Still pretty cool."

"We should put ours," Ebony suggested, "so they KNOW we were here."

"Not yet," Rarity advised. "I'm guessing these initials were put here after the students made memories together. We should add our own only if we have sufficient enough of a year worth remembering."

"Got a point," Stevie said with a nod.

Looking at the carved letters, Rarity realized that she would never get to add "R.M." unless she lightened up and made the best of the situation. Perhaps the others were right. Perhaps being a Slytherin wasn't the worst possible thing. And this Snape was probably one to admire as an outstanding example of Slytherin ambition. She would have to learn more about him.

"Now," Rarity announced, "let's get our things unpacked and organized, shall we?"

* * *

Through a tunnel opened up in a large barrel in the kitchen corridor by tapping the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff" on the side, there was a round, low-ceilinged room with a blazing hearth and windows enchanted to show views of dandelions. Copper lanterns contributed to the light. All in all, the room was comfortably warm; this was the Hufflepuff Common Room.

"ALL RIGHT!" Pinkie Pie cried, bouncing up and down around the perimeter of the room. "Time to PAR-TAY!"

"I don't know about you," Fluttershy said to Pinkie as her fellow students looked on, "but being so warm and having eaten all that food, I feel a little…" She climbed onto a yellow-and-black sofa and yawned. "Sleepy."

"Okay," Pinkie said quietly. "But tomorrow, we can really have fun, okay?"

Prefect Anthony Otterburn hobbled into the room, holding his foot. "That rabbit upstairs kicked me in the toe!" he complained.

"Yeahhhhh," Pinkie informed him, "Angel does that…"

* * *

"…and your owl will be up in the Owlery in the West Tower," Luna Lovegood explained to Twilight. "You can send messages with him if you want."

Twilight thought back to the fireplace onboard the Starlight. "I don't really have anyone here I can send messages to," she said, "and when I do need to send a letter, I can't get it where it needs to go by owl."

The Ravenclaws climbed the spiral stairway until they came upon a stretch of wall upon which there was a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. The Prefect reached out to take hold of it, knocking thrice.

"You have to answer a riddle to get in," Luna whispered to Twilight; Twilight's face immediately lit up.

"What goes around the world," the eagle asked the Ravenclaws, "but stays in a corner?"

"A STAMP!" Twilight screamed; all turned to look at her. "Um…sorry. I just really like riddles…"

"Correct," the eagle said, and the wall slid aside.

"Can I have another one?" Twilight asked.

"You should probably wait until the next time you have to come into the common room," Luna advised her. "I remember when I first came here. I had the knocker ask me riddles all day. The others eventually pushed me out of the way so they could get to the door."

"I see." Twilight nodded sheepishly.

Twilight then gasped at the appearance of the room upon entering it. The entire common room was blue, with stars painted on the ceiling. Arched, Gothic windows provided a portal to seeing outdoors. Bookshelves lined the walls.

"It's…perfect!" Twilight squealed.

As most moved to organize their luggage, Luna asked, "Twilight, can you stay back a moment?"

"Um…sure…" Twilight waited until she and Luna were alone in the common room.

"It just seems to me," Luna said, "that your story is a little strange. I know you might be afraid that it will be too strange for everyone else. I just wanted to say you don't have to worry about me. I've heard a lot of strange stories. I won't doubt you."

Twilight turned away nervously. As much as she appreciated the gesture, she still wasn't sure whether or not she could trust Luna. "I…well…thank you. It…is a little stranger than I said. But I can't really tell you about that right now."

"It's all right. I understand."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

* * *

On the other side of the school, however, deep into the night, the secret was revealed.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash had waited up in the common room after the others had all gone to bed, and they chatted quietly about the castle, the journey there, and what was ahead. Thinking they were alone, they were startled to hear footsteps.

Hermione entered the common room, followed by Ginny. "I remembered where I'd read about the Elements of Harmony before," she said—softly, so as not to wake anyone. "It was in a book that speculated on other dimensions. You wouldn't happen to be from another world, would you?"

Caught by the truth, Applejack and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances nervously.

"I can see why you wouldn't want that out," Hermione said. "This place hasn't had the best history with interdimensional relations. You can barely even find any reading material on the matter. What I had just mentioned the Elements of Harmony in passing and said they were powerful."

Applejack sighed. "I ain't gonna lie anymore. You're on the nose. We ain't from around here at all."

"But you have to keep that a secret!" Rainbow Dash hissed, already upset that the cat was out of the bag.

"Don't worry," Ginny said. "We won't tell."

"We certainly understand the need to keep a secret," Hermione added.

"But this does change things," Ginny pointed out. "Why are you here?"

"Because we're trying to get stronger in order to deal with everything out there," Applejack answered, "and this is the best place to learn about magic."

"Well, that's certainly quite true," Hermione admitted. "Forgive me if this isn't something you should be talking about, but what exactly is out there? I know you wouldn't be here unless something was going on. Something that could affect this school."

"Well…we're still working out the details ourselves," Rainbow Dash said, "but we know this much. There's a witch of some kind named Maleficent who's trying to use darkness to mess everything up. There's a Changeling who's hopping from place to place and taking on different identities so she can ruin the people she's taking the looks of. And there's a prophecy saying that everything's going to go all chaotic, and we might be the ones that have to stop it."

"And let's not forget," Applejack reminded Rainbow Dash, "Discord might be involved in all of this."

"Chrysalis was making that up!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "He isn't back!"

"An enemy of yours?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Applejack answered. "And of yours too. If he's really out and about, if he gets here, he ain't gonna stop until he's made a giant joke out of this entire castle. A dangerous joke where people could get hurt."

"But it's just a rumor," Rainbow Dash asserted. "Something somepony made up to scare us."

"I see," said Hermione. "I do want to warn you to be careful. After all, the last time someone told me a rumor that a powerful enemy had returned…it turned out to be very true."

"So where are you from?" Ginny asked.

"It's a long story," Rainbow Dash answered. "But, if it's all right with Applejack, I wanna strike a deal with you. If you have the time, we'll tell you everything that happened to us and how we got here…if you tell us all about this war that happened with Voldemort."

"Sounds fair to me," Applejack agreed. "If you don't mind stayin' up late, that is."

"I've definitely got time," Hermione said, sitting down in an adjacent chair. Ginny nodded and also took a seat.

"Well," Applejack began, "it all started back in Equestria…"

* * *

WILTSHIRE, FOURTH EARTH

A gnome crawled about the hedges of the driveway of Malfoy Manor, pausing every now and then to dig in the perfectly trimmed lawn.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

The gnome was startled to find itself lifted off the ground. It spun round and round in the air beneath the dark evening sky before it was flung away forcefully.

Lucius Malfoy, a tall man with cascading blonde hair, pocketed his wand disdainfully. It was always a chore keeping the gnomes from tearing up the front lawn.

A voice startled him: "Lucius."

Lucius turned to see two hooded figures, hoods positioned and enchanted as such that their faces were completely obscured, looking at him. "You are Lucius Malfoy," one of them said in a low, raspy voice—a disguised voice. "Are you not?"

"I am," Lucius answered coldly. "What do you want from me?"

"You are a follower of the Dark Lord," the voice continued, "are you not?"

"That is long behind me," Lucius answered matter-of-factly. "What is your business knowing of my past?"

Instead of giving a verbal answer, the two hooded figures drew their wands. Lucius' heart rate quickened in fear as he heard one begin to recite the Killing Curse: "AVADA—"

Lucius Apparated; the cry of "—KEDAVRA!" and streak of green light that followed hit empty air.

"You think he was telling the truth?" the other hooded figure—Pettigrew—asked. "You think we should have told him who we were?"

"If we had," the first—Scabior—replied, "then he would not have answered honestly, even if he didn't believe our return. Now we know that he and his family are indeed traitors. I think we both know the punishment they deserve."

* * *

Narcissa Malfoy, the wife of Lucius, sat across from their son, Draco, at the table in the manor dining hall, a dark cavern of marble. Whatever the pair had been discussing, it was interrupted when Lucius appeared in the room.

"What's wrong?" Narcissa asked upon seeing Lucius' pale face and anxious expression.

"Someone has just made an attempt on my life," Lucius answered.

"But who would do that?" Narcissa wailed.

"Obviously, someone who does not believe we have severed ties with Voldemort's régime, and someone who believes we deserve to be punished for our association with him," Lucius theorized. "We aren't safe here. They appeared in the driveway."

Draco stood. "If they want to harm us," he said, drawing his wand, "I'll show them—"

"No," Lucius snapped. "They'll outdraw you. We have to retreat."

"But—" Draco attempted.

"We will discuss this later," Lucius said, "and that is final. Now come with me."

Narcissa and Draco each took one of Lucius' shoulders as he Apparated away from the manor, taking his family with him.

Pettigrew and Scabior appeared in the dining room not long after. "Search the house," Scabior commanded Pettigrew. "They've got to be hiding away in here somewhere."

"And if they aren't?" Pettigrew asked Scabior.

"Then we'll find wherever those cowards run to," Scabior hissed.

* * *

Chapter 26:

· I decided to go with the moving Chocolate Frogs, even though the books don't make much description of that, because it's just more fun. And besides, it's wizard candy. It has to be more than just ordinary chocolate.

· Also, Chocolate Frogs ARE NOT alive. I want to make that very clear because I tend to get into the "What Measure is a Non Human" debate a lot, and I want to erase all notions that one is sadistic for biting off the head of a Chocolate Frog.

· The Chocolate Frog card in the HPverse actually says MORGAN le Fay. I changed it to Morgana because I like that spelling better.

· Harry Potter did become a Chocolate Frog card. This is canon. However, the card describes his work after Hogwarts. I decided that for the sake of exposition, they made his card the year after he became important by defeating Voldemort and they edited it to include his later work as he grew up. Because I know they'd want to honor him somehow.

· "Will we meet him at Hogwarts?" Not YET, Pinkie Pie. But it's not a Harry Potter storylet without Harry Potter. All I'm saying.

· No reason for Twilight knowing what socks taste like. It's just a Noodle Incident.

· And now the intro of Soul Eater stuff begins. So I've seen the whole anime and read a lot of the manga, but haven't finished the manga. So it's going to be a bit of a crapshoot with what I include from each continuity because there are things I like about both. Also, when I wrote this, before the manga was technically over, I intended for it to take place after the manga ended. However, I'm not too happy with the direction the manga's ending went (as a friend who reads it spoiled it to me at my request). So I'm either going to cut it off at an earlier time period manga-wise or just run a huge Fix Fic when I get there.

· Canon: Death himself lives in Death City, and his (well…here, more like "xyr") soul's aura surrounds it all.

· My implication here is that the world of Soul Eater (which they keep calling Earth, but trust me—THERE IS NO WAY THAT PLACE IS EARTH) was once the "Death's Domain" of the Discworld books. In that continuity, the entire world is black and white, and it's small. There's just the house, Mon Repos, and it's bigger on the inside. What happened is that I had Death change it because of the appearance of Kishin Asura (the Bigger Bad of SE), who forced him to tie himself to Death City and start training Weapon Meisters to fight the Kishin. This then changed Death's Domain from the little world we see in the Discworld books to the larger world populated by humans in Soul Eater.

· Also, my Death is composite since there are so many representations of him/her. The personality will even subtly change depending on what fiction I want to reference. That's why gender of Death "depends on who's looking". So: Death from Discworld? This Death. Death from Sandman? Same person. Death from Soul Eater? Same person. (Yes, I know it's Kid as of the end of the manga. I can still work with that.) Grim from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy? Same person. Reaper that accidentally took Howard to Monkey Hell in The Mighty Boosh? Same person. Just go with it.

· Medusa's entire scheme in SE is to raise the Kishin Asura so he will be more powerful than Death and spread madness and chaos the world over. I feel like Voldemort would be on board with this because it screws Death over.

· There are many "lost" people I want Voldy to be able to find, but I don't have a tracking method. So I'm going with a gossip underground.

· The other thing about Medusa is that she never seems to die. I love putting her and Voldemort together…also, I'm aware she's Killed Off for Real in the manga. But my headcanon is that you just can't freaking kill her. (You're starting to see how much I AU things when I want them to go differently. Or just bullshit them to make it look like they could have been canon.)

· That black liquid in Medusa's lab? In SE canon, that's called "black blood". If it's injected into someone, it makes them go crazy, and if you cut someone who has black blood, it can be weaponized. This will be relevant later.

· I'm going with the manga-based event of Medusa stealing and possessing her sister Arachne's body, which caused the change of hair color and outfit.

· The thing about Medusa and Voldemort is that neither would actually "submit" to someone else's order. So I decided they should each have a relationship where they THINK they're in charge.

· The sphere Medusa coughed up is something anime-related, but NOT part of Soul Eater. It's my idea of how Medusa has come back from ridiculous deaths like being sliced into pieces.

· I wrote the Hat's song myself. Which is why some of the lines are just out of meter.

· Oh yes. I am going to be poking fun at My Immortal by putting Ebony in this. I will say one thing: in 1998, Good Charlotte didn't exist (well, they did, but they were small-time and their first record wasn't released until 2000). So Ebony's obsession has to be The Promise Ring, which was pretty much the one emo band of the 90's. (And if you MUST know: I like GC much better than The Promise Ring, though I'm not as familiar with either of those as with other bands.)

· Why does Mrs. Norris have those ridiculous accessories on? Because when I first read the books at age 7, I pictured her with a bonnet and glasses. I have no idea why. There was nothing that could lead me to that conclusion. Rowling would probably hate it. But I like the idea that Filch dresses up his cat.

· I had to fill in the staff. Ermond Ricksmith is my OC. His first name was originally "Esmond," which means "protect," but as I went on, it kind of transformed into "Ermond" by accident, so I decided to keep it uniform as Ermond. His last name is a combo of Alan Rickman (actor who plays Snape) and Maggie Smith (McGonagall). Felina Grintcliffe is not my OC, but her name is my original. There's a background witch, one of the seven registered Animagi, who can turn into a black cat. That's her. "Felina" means "cat". "Grintcliffe" is from Rupert Grint (Ron) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry).

· It bothers me that the first book is the ONLY time they ever sing the school song. So we're going to have it back.

· Hestia and Flora Carrow are Rowling's, not mine. They're the daughters of Amycus and Alecto Carrow. Since they have names of benevolent goddesses, there's fan speculation that they aren't as bad as their parents. And because I want to deny the notion that Slytherin really IS an "evil house", I'm going to run with that. Also, their age is unknown, so I made them fifth-years so I could know who one of my Slytherin Prefects was.

· Every time I make a "gave my right hand for power" joke, take a shot.

· I'm not sure, but I might accidentally have convinced myself that Pettigrew/Scabior is a good idea.

· So I'm not sure if Voldemort knew how much the Malfoys were betraying him. I mean…Narcissa's lie was REALLY obvious after Harry got up and started fighting again. And Voldemort did call Lucius out many a time. But he did situate his HQ at Malfoy Manor. So I'm not sure.

· Nigel Wolpert is also not mine. Needed a prefect for that password. Which is, BTW, Latin for "harmony".

· Welcome to the first use of hard swearing in this fic. Ebony's actions here, if you aren't familiar with My Immortal, are based on the fact that she has a ridiculously long and Gothic name that no wizarding parent would REALLY give their child, the fact that she's always described as wearing merch from emo bands instead of the uniform, and the fact that she hates "preps" and swears a lot when talking about them.

· Here's where I start punching Wizards of Waverly Place in the face. I've repeatedly tried to watch it only to be turned away by how much I don't like it. And when I saw this arc, this sealed my dislike of its moral system, and I knew I had to use this somewhere. Stevie Nichols is a "villain" from WoWP. She's a wizard there (they use that as a gender neutral term in that canon) who wants to upset the system present where only one child per wizarding family can have powers. Which, to me, sounds like a fight for equal rights. But it's seen in that canon as a horrible renegade act. And she ends up being KILLED because of it. So I've brought her back here as a good character, albeit a Slytherin because she always was a troublemaker. But…why is she only eleven? How can this be, when Voldemort knows about Alex Russo? How does this relate to WoWP canon? All shall eventually be revealed… Oh, and for reference, here, she has a British family and thus an accent.

· All the initials on the bedpost are references. Some are crossover and some aren't. You get to guess.

· And yeah…I'm a Malfoy sympathizer for all three after the seventh book happened. They did their penance, and they show enough compassion for each other that I believe they have human emotions.


	27. The Great and Powerful

27: The Great and Powerful

HOGSMEADE, FOURTH EARTH

People used to avoid the Shrieking Shack because of what they thought was there. Given the creaking and howling noises that emitted from it about once a month, it was named the most haunted building in Britain and perceived as very dangerous. However, after the summer of 1998, people stayed away from the Shrieking Shack because of what they thought wasn't there. It had become public knowledge after the death of Remus Lupin, a known werewolf, that the noises in the Shack were caused by Lupin when he'd transformed into a wolf, as he would use the building to hide away from society and keep himself from harming others. Now that Lupin was gone, and sent off with a hero's funeral, the Shack was quiet, presumed empty. No one particularly wanted to buy it after its history, so it sat out at the edge of the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, unapproached, undisturbed.

But most certainly not empty.

It contained shame, primarily. When one has been suspected all one's life of having dallied with evil, when one has been responsible for unspeakable acts that were unfortunately necessary, when one becomes aware that the only way one will be celebrated is if one is dead…why would one ever come out of hiding?

After all, it didn't seem as though anyone was ever going to look.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

"…and you'll be having Defense Against the Dark Arts," Luna told Twilight at the Ravenclaw breakfast table. "It's the most important class. It will teach you how to save yourself from mortal danger."

"That sounds useful," Twilight affirmed…to say the least.

A loud clearing of the throat caught Twilight's attention. She turned to see Applejack standing behind her.

"We need to have a meeting after all the classes are done," she told Twilight. "It's, uh…important. You have to come too, Luna."

"What's going on?" Twilight asked, suspicious.

"Clearing air," Applejack replied. "Seventh floor, left corridor, behind the tapestry of some guy dancing with trolls. Around six."

"The Room of Requirement?" Luna answered. "How did you know—"

"Because Hermione said. See you there?"

"Uh…yeah," Twilight said, and Luna nodded assent."

"Good." Applejack moved on to the Slytherin table to find Rarity. Across the room, Twilight spotted Rainbow Dash speaking to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

"I wonder what all that's about," Twilight muttered. "Well, I guess we'll find out at six."

* * *

Down in the dungeons, Hufflepuff first-years gathered for the first Potions class of the year. The professor, a corpulent man, stood at the front of the dank classroom, scowling.

"I will have you know that there will be no nonsense in this classroom," he told the students. "At the slightest note of fooling around, you will be given detention. I would also advise you to be careful with these potions, as they are quite dangerous in the wrong hands, and we wouldn't want any…accidents." After letting that sink in, his mouth split into a wide grin. "Only joking! But that was a pretty good impression, wasn't it? Oh, never mind, you're too young, you wouldn't have…in any case, this is Potions class. I, Professor Horace Slughorn, will have the opportunity to teach you this year."

"He really had me going!" Pinkie whispered—though not very quietly—to Fluttershy. "I thought he was some kinda serious meanie!"

"Ah, Fluttershy Posey and Pinkie Pie!" Slughorn said loudly, approaching the pair. "I've heard many things about you! You are quite special students indeed!"

"Um…what exactly…do you know?" Fluttershy asked.

"That you wield strange and arcane elements the likes of which haven't been heard of for centuries! I can't possibly even begin to divulge the truth of it, for this entire class would go mad from the revelation!"

Fluttershy and Pinkie realized at that point that Slughorn knew absolutely nothing about the Elements of Harmony.

"I certainly hope to see you at one of my little soirées," Slughorn said softly to them as an aside. He clapped his hands and moved to the front of the classroom. "Now! Let us begin by discussing the basic principles of the Draught of the Living Death! Which, unfortunately, we are not permitted to actually brew. Apparently, it could be used for 'evil purposes'…"

"Looks like you two are already in the Slug Club," a first-year boy whispered to Fluttershy and Pinkie.

"Huh?" Pinkie replied.

"I've heard about Slughorn," the boy continued. "He 'collects' important students. You should have seen him when Harry Potter was here. Anyway, given all the rules they broke to let you two in, you two HAVE to be important. He knows that."

"Should we be scared of him?" Fluttershy inquired.

"No," the boy said. "At least, I think not. The most he gets is annoying. He's harmless, but he just sees you as trophies to show off at his dinner parties. I hear the food is usually good at those, though."

"We're already famous!" Pinkie giggled.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Fluttershy whispered, extra softly.

* * *

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ricksmith began to his class of Ravenclaw first-years. "In this course, you will learn how to defend yourself from that which threatens you in the magical world. For every curse, there is a counter-curse. And for every dark spell, there is one of light."

At this, Twilight, remembering words that Rarity had carried to her from a certain keeper of shadows, put her hand right up.

"Yes, Miss Sparkle?" Ricksmith said.

"Will we get to learn any of the dark spells?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I know they're not all bad, and they could come in handy."

She knew immediately that she had crossed a line, one far more taboo than bringing up Fred Weasley to any of his siblings or Florean Fortescue to Caelan. The entire class went absolutely silent and still. No one turned a page or lifted a quill. Everyone just stared at Twilight.

Finally, Ricksmith found his voice. "Er…you see…there is a time and place for some dark spells, but they are usually VERY urgent circumstances. Admittedly, some charms like Incendio are technically rooted in darkness, but nowadays, the term has come to refer more to the use of magic than to its origin—"

"That doesn't seem fair," Twilight argued—since she'd broken the barrier irreparably, she might as well go all the way. "Why don't you just call spells what they are? And even the bad ones can be used for good. I once used a spell of fear to counteract a fear-inducing charm and unlock the hiding place of a sacred artifact in a fortress that belonged to a tyrant. Without it, my friends and I would have been lost."

"Even if that is so," Ricksmith said, "that would be one of those very urgent circumstances, and not likely to happen again. Such enchantments should probably be avoided in the future for your own sake. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Not that I believe that's your intention, but all the same…"

"I think I get it," Twilight said sourly.

She let Ricksmith continue, showing them the theory behind the Curse of the Bogies and then teaching the countercurse, then having the entire class practice the countercurse on empty air. Twilight thought briefly that such practice was useless without an actual Curse of the Bogies to repel—otherwise, how would one know if one had gotten the countercurse right? But mostly, her mind was occupied with the way the others stared at her. No one spoke to her, not even when class let out.

She feared her question, one she thought innocent, had made several enemies.

* * *

At the end of the day, the six Equestrians made their way to the designated meeting place. Rarity was the last to arrive, coming across the door she'd been told was the rendez-vous point. She opened it to find a spacious room filled with couches that happened to be arranged in a circle. Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger were arranged on the seats there.

"Now, what is this about?" Rarity asked, closing the door and moving toward an empty seat.

"The truth," Applejack began.

"Ginny and I know all about you," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "Beginning with the fact that you are actually all ponies from Equestria."

"Ponies?" Luna asked quizzically. "Equestria? What does this mean?"

"And how do you KNOW?" Twilight asked.

"I read about the Elements of Harmony in one book," Hermione explained. "A book about interdimensional magic. All that book said is that the Elements weren't from this world. After that…"

"After that," Rainbow Dash finished, "she told us she knew that, and we couldn't keep it a secret."

"We should catch up Luna," Applejack suggested.

"Okay!" Pinkie volunteered. She took in a great gasp before spouting in one breath: "We're actually all ponies who come from Equestria! Except that Twilight and Rarity are unicorns and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are pegasi! We have the Elements of Harmony, which are pieces of magic based on friendship, and they defeat evil! They defeated a lot of evil back home! Only we were told that we actually had to go on an adventure in the universe to stop a really bad future of chaos from happening, and we ran into this evil faerie named Maleficent who's ruining everything! And our Elements weren't strong enough to stop her! But Princess Celestia, who happens to have a sister named Luna just like you, told us that we could get stronger if we learned more about magic, so we came here, and THAT Luna talked with Professor McGonagall to make us first-years! And so we're here!"

"I see!" Luna smiled softly.

"But you have to keep it a secret!" Pinkie added.

"Of course," said Luna.

"The three of us have…experience dealing with things no one believed," Hermione said. "A lot of our adventures dealt with secrets this world wasn't ready for. I can only think of three other people who would be able to understand…and Harry, Ron, and Neville have all graduated by now."

"I can think of a fourth," Luna volunteered, "but Draco's also graduated."

"That stuck-up little brat?" Ginny wrinkled her nose. "He only knew about the rising of the dark forces because he was part of them. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."

"The point is," Hermione said, "that we're probably the only three students here your secret is safe with. That being said, if you need help with anything, we'll be there for you."

"Thanks," Twilight replied. "It means a lot to have you on our side here. I can't think of anything I need help with right now, but…girls? Anything?"

There was silence until Fluttershy spoke up: "Should we be…afraid of Professor Slughorn?"

Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes before Ginny sighed, "No…but I wouldn't go telling him just anything. He'll try to make himself the mentor of anyone he thinks is powerful or special. And that means all of you. He isn't a very good mentor, either. But you don't need to fear him."

"What do we need to watch out for here?" Twilight asked. "In the last two worlds we visited…great evils came to try and ruin things."

"The greatest evil we had is gone," Hermione answered.

"About that," Twilight said. "We keep hearing about Voldemort and this war. What exactly…happened?"

"Voldemort was a dark wizard who was infamous for murdering those who weren't pure-blooded wizards," Hermione answered. "He'd found a way to make himself immortal by putting pieces of his soul into certain objects. Once he'd done that, he tried to attack our school."

"So he transferred himself into a phylactery," Twilight said.

"A what now?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"A soul container," Twilight answered.

"Not quite," Hermione corrected. "A phylactery holds the whole soul, and I've never heard of any way to actually transfer the entire soul into another object before. It's supposedly impossible. Voldemort used Horcruxes, which means he split his soul."

"How do you split a soul?" Twilight asked.

"By killing," Hermione answered.

Twilight shuddered involuntarily.

"He'd accidentally transferred part of his soul into my friend Harry Potter when Harry was young," Hermione went on. "You see, Sybil Trelawney, the old Divination professor here, had prophesied that Harry would grow up to defeat Voldemort. And when they were bonded that way, it became so that one of them had to kill the other. To make a long story short, Harry, Ginny's brother Ron, and I found all the Horcruxes and destroyed them before the great battle for Hogwarts earlier this year. Once Voldemort was mortal, we were able to kill him. Ginny and Luna helped us all the way, and so did our friend Neville Longbottom, the wielder of the Sword of Gryffindor."

"Wow," Twilight replied. "That's…"

"So cool!" Rainbow Dash finished. "You must feel so awesome that you were able to beat the bad guy!"

"Well, it isn't without perks," Hermione admitted, "but it wasn't easy on any of us."

"We all still have bad memories," Luna said, "but then again, there's always the future to look forward to."

"There shouldn't be any more real trouble here," Hermione concluded. "Voldemort's followers were all rounded up, and most of them died. The Ministry of Magic is in hands that are on the side of the truth now. You should just be able to focus on learning."

"That's good to hear," Fluttershy sighed.

"Especially since we have a lot of studying to do for today's classes," Twilight pointed out. "Hey…you wouldn't want to have a group study session, would you?"

Hermione laughed. "Now that's something I wish I'd heard more often during the past six years! I'm open to studying together so long as classes don't get in the way."

"Is it just me," Applejack murmured to a giggling Rarity, "or have we found Twilight's long-lost twin studying sister?"

"Is the library here any good?" Twilight asked.

"You haven't been to the library!" Hermione gasped. "You…you won't even be able to believe it! We should go there right now."

"We'll have to get all our books first," Twilight said. "Well…everypony else will." She tapped the satchel at her side. "I already have mine!"

"So do I!" Hermione practically squealed.

"Yup," Applejack said with a nod. "Practically twins."

* * *

Over the first week of courses, the six Equestrians learned the oddity of their relationship to magic.

Twilight and Rarity were able to do all spells with ease—in no time, Twilight was levitating random objects around the Ravenclaw common room with Wingardium Leviosa, the levitation charm, and Rarity was doing the same soon after. However, the others seemed to have no aptitude for spells…at first.

"I…can't do it," Applejack sighed after trying to cast Wingardium Leviosa on the feather on her desk in Charms class.

"It's all right," professor Filius Flitwick, a dwarf with a white beard and a wide smile, reassured her. "You can study the theory." He then moved on.

"But I don't wanna study the theory," Applejack groaned. "This magic wand chose me for a reason, didn't it?" She sighed again. "Or maybe we ain't so magical after all. Maybe these wands made a mistake."

"A MISTAKE?" Rainbow Dash repeated. "No way! Luna—Princess Luna—said we could do this. And we can do this!"

"Have you tried to levitate anything?"

"Not yet."

"You won't be able to do it. Face it, Dash, we ain't unicorns—"

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

Applejack's jaw dropped. At Rainbow Dash's command, the feather rose into the air. "But how—how'd you—"

"I just told it to," Rainbow Dash said with a proud smirk.

"Well, I can't get it," Applejack complained. "Maybe you just got more magic than me."

"I doubt that," Rainbow Dash said, lowering the feather.

"But you can do all that rainbow stuff—"

"Okay, yeah, but maybe the others can do it too! We should check."

* * *

"I can do it just fine," Fluttershy said, levitating a book up and down in the library. "But Pinkie Pie—"

"I can't!" Pinkie sobbed, rivers of tears bursting from her eyes. "I'm a failure! A lost cause!"

"No, you're not, Pinkie," Twilight said, patting her distressed friend on the back. "You're just—um, Fluttershy? Can I have that book back? I kinda need it to look up the Gargoyle Strike of 1911."

"Oh." Fluttershy lowered the book. "Sorry."

"Anyway," Twilight said, "we all have magic to some degree. I think it might vary just what kind we have. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, you two are really connected to air anyway. That might be why you can levitate things."

"And you think Pinkie and I have other talents?" Applejack asked.

"You never know," Twilight said. "And by that, I mean…I don't exactly know what's going on or why Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy even have some powers without all of them. It's…kind of strange. But it is what it is, I guess."

"Then we'll just study the theory until we find out what our powers are," Applejack resolved. She opened a book. "Except this whole Transfiguration theory just has me baffled."

"How?" Twilight asked. "See, you just take the body mass of the wizard, multiply it by the viciousness of the caster, take it to the exponent of the wand power, and divide by concentration while leaving a space for the fifth variable when you write it out. How is that confusing you?"

She was met with five blank stares.

"Well, Hermione thought it was simple…" Twilight groaned.

* * *

And so Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie contented themselves with mostly working on studies that didn't have to do with casting spells directly. They could observe the moons of Jupiter without trouble, take note of the properties of Dittany, and discover for themselves that as interesting as it sounded, the History of Magic was actually incredibly dull.

Then came the day that the Hufflepuff first-years were introduced to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Curse of the Bogies?" Pinkie Pie read from her book. She giggled. "That sounds funny!"

"Not to me," Fluttershy said. "It actually sounds awful. Who would want to curse someone with having a cold?"

"I dunno," Pinkie replied. "Maybe if somebody was being really mean, and you didn't want to hurt them exactly…or if somebody wanted to be out sick for class!"

"Let's just practice the countercurse," Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe we can do it." She flicked her wand eagerly.

"The incantation even sounds funny!" Pinkie laughed. She jokingly waved her wand, saying loudly and clearly, "Mucus ad Nauseum!"

Fluttershy screamed.

"OH NO!" Pinkie Pie cried; Fluttershy's nose was running profusely. Fluttershy gave a couple sneezes before dizzily gripping her desk.

"What…what have you done?" Ricksmith asked, rushing to Fluttershy.

"I don't know!" Pinkie cried worriedly. "I just kinda waved my wand as a joke, and then the Curse of the Bogies happened! I'm so sorry, Fluttershy!"

"Oh, I d'ow you didi'd bea'd id," Fluttershy replied through her stuffed nose.

"But there's no way you could have…it's highly advanced magic…" Ricksmith shook his head. "Never mind. Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'll have you fixed in—"

"Ca'd I d'ry?" Fluttershy asked?

"Well, erm, I don't see why not…"

Fluttershy turned her wand on herself, muttering the countercurse as best she could through her nasal congestion. Immediately, her sinuses cleared and she felt less dizzy. "I did it," she muttered in awe. "I…cured myself!"

"Well, good show!" Ricksmith congratulated.

When the class let out, murmurs rippled through the crowd: "All these centaurs want to do is learn dark magic…" "How soon before they turn on us?"

"I really didn't mean it," Pinkie muttered to Fluttershy, sounding on the verge of tears.

In response, Fluttershy quickly turned upon the next student she heard whispering. "Did you have something you wanted to say to my friend's FACE?"

"Er…no!" The student whimpered and then scurried off.

"Don't let them make you sad," Fluttershy told Pinkie. "You were only joking. And now we know what power you have."

"I wonder what Twilight would think of that," Pinkie thought out loud.

* * *

This time, Luna, Ginny, and Hermione were present for the study session.

"This really is rather odd," Hermione agreed. "I haven't heard of witches who can only do some spells and not others."

"At least I have a theory about why they were what they were," Twilight surmised. "Pinkie can do the Curse of the Bogies because, well, giving somebody a runny nose is kind of a crazy thing, and Pinkie's really random. And Fluttershy can counter it because that's healing, and we all know how good Fluttershy is at healing others."

"I do wonder what other spells will turn up in your repertoire," Rarity said.

"Well, those are all the spells you'll be learning this week," Ginny pointed out. "So you probably won't know until later."

"I'll be patient to find out mine, then," Applejack resolved.

* * *

QUADWRANGLE MANOR, THE FLUFFY HEAVY SLOW-MOTION UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

It had taken a lot of work to get the house the way it was…floating midair above a world in flux between five dimensions, with each room disposed to giving over to a different dimension at any time. For Discord, it had involved a long and complex lie to a young child about being his uncle, a brief vacation in the Pocket Dimension adjacent to this interdimensional mess, a lot of unethically obtained chemicals, and several rewirings of a device that Discord had to admit had taken some inspiration from elsewhere—the concept of merging five parallel versions of the same house in dimensions with vastly differing physical properties had been his own, but the portable device used as the initial trigger, a right gauntlet wired with buttons leading to each dimension, was…reminiscent, Discord liked to say, of certain other magical artifacts he'd seen. At the end of the day, the poor pawn that had been manipulated into tweaking the final dimensional rift had ended up in the Pocket Dimension—safe, of course, as Discord knew that he could come in handy later, but Discord hadn't exactly told the truth when he'd sent a message across to the boy that he was "working on a way to get you out".

In any case, though it was nothing compared to the old citadel (though a step up from the time the Old Ones had all been roommates in that giant locked box), Discord had succeeded in making Quadwrangle Manor a decent substitute. Provided that he could carry all five dimensional auras, he wouldn't have said no to installing it among the old citadel (though the others would balk; the Manor was based on Euclidean geometry and would stick out like a sore thumb).

It was, however, rather large. Too large. Discord found himself rattling around the manor with only one Interdimensional Kinetic Entity, a catlike creature he referred to as "Ike", popping in and out of existence as he felt like it to provide company. Perhaps, Discord surmised, he should invite Mirage over. Not Chaos Jr…there was no way he was letting that little twerp in on his new crowning achievement. Not the Ethereal…she would try to judge it, and find it boring. Not Chrysalis…she wasn't ready. And Discord had no idea how many of the others there were still around, or who he should try to find first. Mirage would be good company, though, and she might appreciate the loftiness of the manor, as well as the randomness of the rooms that slowed down time, or flipped upside down, or became padded as cotton, or transformed into metal cells filled with weights.

As it was, Discord was alone, and trying to decide on his next path. He took a book down from the Great Hall bookshelf and opened it. It contained enchanted pictures that moved like television screens. On it, he was able to stream whatever he liked…and he chose to watch the studies of the six wielders of the Elements of Harmony as they progressed through their first week at Hogwarts.

A montage showed them trying and failing at some spells only to succeed at others. Applejack and Pinkie couldn't levitate the feather, but Rainbow Dash could. Pinkie cast the Curse of the Bogies on Fluttershy—Discord laughed out loud—and Fluttershy healed herself. And yet Pinkie was unable to produce the same countercurse—only the actual curse. They met in the library along with three seventh-year witches to discuss the oddity of this phenomenon.

Discord was taken aback. Then, slowly, he smiled.

"Ike," he began—the Entity was also sitting on the bookshelf. It couldn't talk, and Discord didn't know if it understood him, but that barely mattered. Discord would have spoken to the desk lamp in his absence. "Do you happen to know what you call a girl that has magical powers, but isn't a witch…at least not yet? No, let me rephrase that. What do you call the larval stage of becoming a witch? For those who aren't born into it the traditional way."

Ike let out a guttural purr.

"That's right!" Discord cried. "A Mahou Shoujo! A Magical Girl. And that so happens to be what our four poor little friends are. Enough magic to do certain things…snot attacks, healing spells, making books fly around…but not enough to be actual witches. And who do we know that knows EXACTLY what to do with Mahou Shoujo?"

Ike up and vanished.

"Party pooper," Discord accused. "Well, then. I think I know exactly who I have to look up now. Oh, I haven't seen him in ages! This should be fun."

With that, he left Quadwrangle Manor in a pop of light.

* * *

MITAKIHARA, 30TH EARTH

"That's the last of them," a fifteen-year-old girl with long, dark hair said as she tossed a chip of darkness at a most interesting creature. This creature was small, white, and fairly catlike, with a great red ellipse on his back in the shape of a zero. From within his two pointed ears sprouted two longer earlike appendages that faded from white to pink at the ends, and a gold ring encircled each one. His eyes were red as rubies. His mouth was frozen in a perpetual smile of satisfaction, and when he spoke, it never opened. He positioned himself so that the chip of darkness hit the center of the red ellipse on his back; it faded into his skin as though it was tossed into a garbage can.

"That will be enough for now," he assured the girl. "You've done a good job, Homura-chan. Probably better than the others tonight."

"That doesn't matter to me," Homura reminded him. "Just so long as the wraiths are gone. I'm going home now."

"Good night, Homura-chan!"

"…good night, Kyubey."

Homura walked away from the park bench, leaving Kyubey to sit there in the darkness. Kyubey remained, pondering the events of the day, thinking over the many wraiths that he'd watched Homura defeat—not to mention Mami and Kyoko. He doubted there was a single one left in Mitakihara that night. Of course, with the sunrise, there would come more. Such was the case with Echthroi like that.

Suddenly, Kyubey wasn't alone on the bench anymore. Siting next to him was an equally odd creature, one that had appeared out of thin air.

"Hello, Incubator," Discord greeted.

"Hello," Kyubey replied. "Do I know you?"

"Do you KNOW me?" Discord was taken aback. "Why, Incubator, we go way back! Don't you remember? It's me! Discord! Otherwise known as Q! And occasionally Agent Darkbootie. And that one time, Professor Quadwrangle. But I could go on all night. Now, I know we weren't always on the best of terms—your methods tended to ruin the fun of things for me when you focused on the ENERGY benefits rather than the fun—but you and I have caused loads of chaos together! Is that ringing any bells?"

"No," Kyubey answered. "I am a little surprised that you know my real name. And that I am working to fix the multiversal energy crisis. But I do not remember any of that."

"Really?" Discord continued. "Oh, but you and I had so much fun with the Mahou Shoujo! Don't you remember tricking them into their own destruction?"

"Why would I do that?" Kyubey asked calmly. "The Mahou Shoujo help me defeat the Echthroi that spawn from the negative emotions of this world. I take the remnants they leave behind and recycle them into energy."

"No, no, no!" Discord cried in frustration. "That's not how you do it! Remember what you told me, that humans are the only beings that create more energy as they grow? And when I told you that most races and species are like that, and that it's just your people who don't understand emotion? And then you got all mad at me for that."

"You are beginning to sound like Homura-chan when she tells me her fantasy stories," Kyubey informed Discord. "She keeps talking about the possibility of this world having once been a place where I exploited the Mahou Shoujo themselves for the energy. I will tell you what I told her: that would have been extremely efficient. But this way benefits us both."

"Hmm…" Discord held his chin in thought. "Well, something must have happened, then. What does this…Homura-chan say about why the world isn't like that?"

"She says it has something to do with the timeline being changed. And a girl she calls Madoka. Though I do not see how this can be."

"Tell me more," Discord said. This was the Incubator, all right…but things obviously were not the same as he remembered. For what he had planned, he needed the old Incubator—the old Kyubey—to be up to his tricks. And he needed to know how to get him back.

So he listened as Kyubey told him all of Homura's "fantasy stories". And as Kyubey went on into the night, Discord realized exactly what it was he had to do.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

It soon became clear that there was one magical act that all six Equestrians had the capability to do no matter what: flying on a broomstick. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie had all reported success; Gryffindor and Slytherin had Flying together, so the others were soon to find out.

The course was held outdoors beneath a gleaming afternoon sun; the instructor, Rolanda Hooch, was a slender witch with short silver hair. "Now, it is key that you follow my instructions to the letter," she commanded her students, "and, most importantly, that you do not show a lack of confidence. Brooms, much like animals, can tell whether you're frightened of them."

Several Hogwarts-issue brooms that had obviously seen better days were spread out across the grass. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity had lined up next to each other right away.

"To begin, put your hand out over the broom," Hooch instructed, "and command it, 'Up!'"

The air was filled with a chorus of the word "UP!" Many students' brooms lay on the ground sadly; some shivered or rolled. However, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity's brooms all leapt up into their hands—they were all confident in their speech, and were all to some degree comfortable with the thought of being in the air.

Once brooms were commanded, Hooch showed everyone how to board one. The three Equestrians found it difficult at first, but remembered that if their other friends could do it, so could they. Rarity eventually figured out how to grip the broom with all four legs, leaving her torso free of gripping the broom whatsoever. Rainbow Dash and Applejack copied her posture.

Then Hooch instructed the students to make slow laps around the pitch. The brooms all rose into the air, then began circling the pitch like skaters at an ice rink.

"Boooooriiiing," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I could go so much faster than this if I could use my actual wings. Rarity, you think you could modify this robe so I could use them?"

"As much as I think these robes need all kinds of improvements," Rarity replied, "there are benefits to actually following the standards. In other words, no."

"Then at the very least, I should be able to kick it up a bit on this thing," Rainbow Dash resolved.

"I wouldn't," Applejack warned.

But Rainbow Dash did. She sped up, leaving her friends behind. Then she passed flier after flier. Before she knew it, she had passed Applejack and Rarity again.

"Now let's see how this thing runs at MAX SPEED!" she cried. She gunned it; the broom flew round and round, knocking many off balance.

When she tired of the broom, Rainbow Dash landed. It wasn't as fast as her natural flight, but it had gotten pretty close. However, it was at this point that she realized that the entire time, she hadn't noticed Hooch snapping: "Miss Dash…Miss Dash…MISS DASH!"

Hooch stormed over to look Rainbow Dash in the eye. "Miss Dash," she said sternly, "Just because you are here under special circumstances does not give you the right to disobey in such a dangerous manner. Ten points will be subtracted from Gryffindor for your actions."

"But—" Rainbow Dash attempted. Then she sighed. "I'm sorry."

By now, the others had all landed, and the other Gryffindors minus Applejack were murmuring about how Rainbow Dash had lost them points. Rainbow Dash felt intense guilt; because of Twilight's questions about dark magic and Pinkie's accidental use of it, she and her friends were already on the fence with the others. She'd just added another nail to the coffin.

But then, a Slytherin girl walked up to her and said, "You've actually got some pretty sweet moves, Dash."

"Hey…thanks," Rainbow Dash replied. "Look, I didn't mean to try and hurt anyone—"

"I know," the girl said with a nod. "You wanted to see how fast you could get. And that was pretty darn fast. I thought it was awesome."

"It was pretty awesome, wasn't it?" Rainbow Dash chuckled. "What's your name, kid?"

"Stevie."

"Nice to meet ya."

After class, Stevie walked alongside Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. They passed Hestia Carrow, who stopped the four in the hallway.

"I heard about what happened during Flying class today," she told Rainbow Dash. "As a prefect, I should be telling you about how dangerous and disrespectful that was. But I also heard that you were able to push your broom to a practically unheard of speed and not actually cause serious damage. On paper, I don't approve, but…I wanted to give you a suggestion."

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash replied, amazed that she'd caught the attention of the Slytherin prefect in such a way.

"Try out for Quidditch," Hestia said. "Do you have much experience with it?"

"What's Quidditch?" Rainbow Dash asked, answering Hestia's question.

"A wizarding sport played on broomsticks," Hestia said. "Each house has a team. Tryouts are next week. You'll have to rent out one of the school brooms, and don't expect to make Seeker. You may be good with a broom, but you're still no Harry Potter. However, if you'll pardon the horrendous pun, I think it might be your…speed."

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash replied. "I'll keep it in mind. Do you play?"

"No, but my sister Flora is trying for Slytherin Seeker. I'm sure she'd be up for a little friendly competition."

"I'm looking forward to it."

As Hestia parted ways with them, Rainbow Dash told Rarity and Stevie, "You know, you seem to be in the cool house."

"We know," Stevie replied with a grin.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Rarity added.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

Had any wizard or witch in humanoid form tried to Apparate in Voldemort's bedchamber while he was sleeping, or even reach it by walking down the hallway, the posted guards—Rowle and Macnair—would have known and alerted him. If nothing else, Nagini, the snake familiar who kept her watch at the door, definitely would have made a fuss. However, no plan was made for animagi who could travel through vents.

The other snake slipped into the Dark Lord's chamber through the ventilation grate. She eyed Nagini at the door contemptouously, then, silently enough that Nagini's attention was not disturbed, the snake slithered up into the bed, clutching its precious, gleaming cargo.

She could have killed him. It would have been so easy. But she didn't want to do that. That would have gotten her nowhere. Instead, once the snake's head rested upon Voldemort's peacefully rising and falling chest—funny, how even the most terrifying of people look harmless when sleeping—she brought forward the gleaming silver syringe clutched in her coils. She manipulated it over to Voldemort's shoulder.

The needle stuck into the skin; the dark wizard flinched, but otherwise slept soundly. The snake pressed down upon the syringe's mechanism; black liquid seeped out of it, down into the vein. When it was empty, the syringe was removed.

Back into the grate, the snake carried the spent syringe, sliding out into a deserted hallway. She then morphed, changing shape entirely. Medusa stood to her full height, brushing off her nightgown—a simple black shift—for wrinkles.

She carried the empty syringe to her room to dispose of it. The deed was done. The experiment had begun.

* * *

Bellatrix walked out into the atrium to find Voldemort and Medusa there, listening to Horvath. She caught only the tail end of what he was saying: "…Morganians have thinned out quite a bit there, but I was still able to find information in Manehattan. I know exactly who we want and where she'll be."

"What's all this, then?" Bellatrix asked.

"Yet another failsafe," Voldemort informed her. "Someone it is imperative to add to the ranks of the Death Eaters."

"And is this person on our world?" Bellatrix asked.

"No," Horvath answered. "We were discussing the prospect of organizing a recruitment party."

"Count me in," Bellatrix said eagerly. "I'm not going to stay cooped up in this place all day."

"It would be good to have you at our side," Voldemort agreed. "Then it's settled. The four of us shall go—"

Horvath took note; Bellatrix's smile widened and her eyes sparkled.

"—as well as Quirinus."

Only Horvath saw it when Bellatrix scowled suddenly at the very mention.

* * *

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

It seemed just another idyllic day for the small village. Other than the absence of six prominent citizens, it was business as usual. Only two things threatened to interrupt daily routine.

First of all, a wagon wheeled into town…a wagon the citizens of Ponyville had seen twice before.

Second, five unicorns who were most certainly not native to the land appeared just outside the town borders, struggling to step out of robes that were clearly designed for a different species.

"What…" A light green unicorn with a dark frizzy mane and tail sputtered. "What happened? WHAT IS THIS?"

"Calm yourself, Bellatrix…" The one who had spoken was slightly taller, lankier, a darker shade of green. He had no mane or tail, and his head was strangely rounded, seeming to lack a snout. "We have conformed to this world's aura."

"So we've become horses," Bellatrix snapped at Voldemort.

"Indeed," replied a gold unicorn with a fine, dark mane and a fluffy tail. "There are certain worlds that can do such things." Horvath cast off the last of his garments save for his fedora. "Whatever species we must become to fit in…we become."

"It isn't ideal to me either," a black unicorn with a dark mane braided under her chin growled.

"It will pay off in the end, Medusa," Horvath assured her.

The fifth of their company, a purple unicorn with a short brown mane and cropped tail, attempted to walk forward, but got all four of his legs tangled up and tripped.

"And Quirrell's off to a great start," Bellatrix groaned as Medusa chuckled throatily.

"So…" Quirrell stood. "Does this mean we have unicorn's blood, then?"

"No," Voldemort replied. "The blood at our core is still that of humans. It will not provide the cursed immortality of unicorn blood to any of us. However, those that were born unicorns in this place…their blood does in fact have those properties."

"And as equines are the dominant species here," Horvath continued, "they can think and speak to us. Is the picture becoming clearer?"

"We're here to convince a unicorn to join us," Quirrell realized. "Even if he…or she…changes form on our world, it will still be the same blood, and if an accident should happen…"

"Then we can take her blood for our own lives," Medusa finished. "And we have exactly the unicorn selected, thanks to Horvath's skills in gathering information."

"Is she a Morganian?" Quirrell asked.

Horvath shook his head. "No. But sources have said she is quite powerful, a pure-blooded unicorn, and easily won over with the promise of more power."

"Then I've got just one question," Bellatrix said grumpily. "Why've I got the Dark Mark on my arse?"

Everyone else looked at her flank, where the Death Eaters' symbol of a snake curling out of the mouth of a skull was clearly there in black.

"It is something I have never understood about the equines on this world," Voldemort sighed. "Distinguishing marks on the flank."

Out of curiosity, peeks were taken at the other four flanks. Voldemort also had the Dark Mark. Quirrell's mark resembled a turban much like the one he'd worn to cover the face of Voldemort when the two had shared a body. Horvath's Cutie Mark was that of a silver, featureless container resembling a matryoshka doll. Medusa's was a bright green arrow.

"Let's not waste any more time," Medusa suggested, and the party of five set out for the village.

"It has been so long since I have tread this world," Voldemort thought out loud as Bellatrix sidled in next to him. "It was for quite a different purpose…and with quite a different unicorn at my side." For a moment, he imagined that in Bellatrix's place was the one he lost, his beloved Alexandra. Then the illusion was shattered. Alexandra would never have stood so annoyingly close.

"And what exactly did you come here for first time 'round?" Bellatrix asked.

"To eliminate an enemy," Voldemort said simply. He then stepped away from Bellatrix, making sure she got the message that she was too close.

As Bellatrix fell back, watching Voldemort choose to stand near Quirrell instead, Horvath moved in beside her. "Why's he get to be all close to the Dark Lord?" she growled.

"Perhaps there is more going on than you realize," Horvath suggested. "I don't see what was wrong with the way we were arranged. He should count himself lucky to have a soldier like you."

"That he should," Bellatrix grumbled.

* * *

The wagon had rolled into the center of town, unfolding into a stage. Everypony recognized it, especially when the fireworks were set off, and they rushed to see the show. Even after the times that the Great and Powerful Trixie had failed them, she had more than made up for her sins with apologies, and continued her traveling show simply to entertain.

And entertain she could. The blue unicorn clad in a purple, star-studded hat and cape called up volunteers from the audience, changing their manes to all colors. She charmed ropes and made them dance like snakes. She summoned clouds to make a show of lightning and rain followed by a miniature rainbow on the stage. And everypony watching cheered.

"Thank you, thank you!" Trixie bowed at the end of her show. "The Great and Powerful Trixie loves Ponyville just as much as Ponyville loves her! I am available to sign autographs!"

She stepped down into the crowd to put her hoofprint on papers for those who were fans of her stage magic. Among those who held out sheets for her to sign was a pony with a cream-colored coat and a curly mane of pink and navy blue.

"Your magic is so great," this pony gushed. "Almost as good as Twilight Sparkle's! You're the perfect pony to have around now that Twilight isn't here."

"BON BON!" The unicorn standing next to her, teal with a mint-and-white mane, gave Bon Bon a slight shove. "That's rude!"

"Oh…sorry," Bon Bon apologized.

"It is all right," Trixie responded. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not offended! Trixie has long since come to terms with the fact that Twilight Sparkle is more powerful and more important to Ponyville! Trixie merely hopes you enjoyed her little show."

The audience eventually cleared away, and Trixie climbed onboard her wagon, moving backstage to the half that was a dressing room. There, before the mirror, she removed her hat, revealing a silver-white mane, and her cape. She hung them on a nearby rack via magic. She levitated a wet washcloth, wiping her face of the eyeliner she put on for shows.

"Why?" she asked the mirror. "Trixie is indeed great and powerful…Trixie is quite magical indeed. Trixie has even been told she is almost as good as Twilight Sparkle! And Trixie knows very well that she can never be as good as Twilight." She sighed deeply. "And yet…Trixie wishes not to be compared to Twilight Sparkle every day. It's…disheartening."

She finished washing her face. She folded the wagon back up, then walked out, intending to go to the market and buy essential supplies.

They were waiting for her. Five unicorns, two green, one black, one gold, one purple.

"Can the Great and Powerful Trixie help you?" Trixie asked them.

"So you are Trixie Lulamoon," Voldemort replied.

Trixie was taken aback. "How did you know Trixie's full name? Trixie does not tell that to just anyone! And Trixie certainly has never seen YOU before!"

"You're quite well known throughout Equestria," Medusa told her. "Ponies the world over talk about your skills in magic."

"And yet they say you are not satisfied," Horvath added.

"But how're you not satisfied?" Bellatrix asked slyly. "You seem to have got it all. Fame, fortune…"

"There isn't anything else you want," Quirrell asked, "is there?"

"Well…" Trixie blushed nervously. "There is nothing more Trixie needs, to be sure."

"I would expect that of the most powerful unicorn in Equestria outside of the royal family," Horvath said.

"Well, that isn't exactly the truth," Trixie admitted. "Trixie is second best to Twilight Sparkle, who she is sure you have heard of. She used to keep the library here in Ponyville. Lately, though, she's gone away on some important mission. She truly is the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria!"

At the mention of the library, Voldemort smirked proudly. The last time he'd seen the Ponyville library, he'd been leaving it…and he had turned back only to cast a Dark Mark over it to signify what he had done there.

"So you're just a washout, then," Bellatrix accused.

"That is not true!" Trixie snapped. "There is a reason Trixie is known as the Great and Powerful!"

"Show us," Voldemort commanded.

"Well…Trixie will show you," Trixie resolved. "What is it you ask the Great and Powerful Trixie to do?"

"Can you do anything similar to this?" Medusa asked. Her horn glowed brightly green; she was heard to mutter the words, "Snake snake cobra cobra…" Then a burst of black lines ending in arrows emitted from the horn. The arrows writhed in the air, encircling each other and making an ominous hissing. Medusa then dismissed the arrows—or were they snakes?—calmly.

"That is…nothing," Trixie said. She called to her side several ropes. She raised them into the air, making them dance and writhe.

"Impressive," Medusa said.

"And…what about this?" Horvath conjured a small sphere of blue plasma—admittedly, he would have been able to make it much bigger had he remembered to bring his cane with him. He sent the plasma rocketing toward a display of flower pots in a window; the pots shattered, sending the plants to the ground.

"Very simple," Trixie countered. She blasted purple energy at the ground, leaving a small, deep crater in the road.

"She'll do," Bellatrix resolved.

"As you can see," Voldemort said, "we come from an order that is very powerful indeed. We have a scope of what you can do. We saw your little show."

"Really?" Trixie beamed. "What did you think?"

"We thought you were quite brilliant," Horvath said. "Though here and there, there was room for improvement."

"But that could be fixed easily," Medusa continued with a grin.

"Who exactly are you?" Trixie asked.

"Before we answer that," Voldemort replied, "I want to know where you think your Twilight Sparkle is."

"Erm…Fillydelphia, on royal business?" Trixie guessed.

"What if we told you she was no longer on this world, but on a different one entirely?" Horvath asked.

"What if we said, in fact," Voldemort continued, "that there are a great many worlds outside this one…and we come from three of them?"

"Trixie would…not know whether to call you liars…or believe you," Trixie admitted. "There is a lot we Equestrians do not know about the cosmos…"

"Whether or not you believe us," Voldemort said, "you will, at least, believe that we are powerful."

"Well, yes," Trixie admitted. "One of you did summon those…snake arrows, and one of you destroyed a whole row of flower pots."

"But that is nothing," Medusa said, "compared to what we can do at full power. We can teach you more…spells you never imagined."

"But there is a price," Bellatrix said.

"What kind of price?" Trixie asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Trixie is not interested in paying bits for a scam."

"It is not that kind of price," Voldemort told her.

"We just want to know," Quirrell posed, "if we could show you how to become more powerful than Twilight Sparkle…what would you do in order to become that powerful?"

"Well…Trixie would have to think about it," Trixie said. "There is not a lot that Trixie would not do…" She came to her conclusion. "You will show Trixie what kind of power you are talking about. Then, if Trixie is pleased, she will consider your price."

"That is fair," Voldemort agreed. "We will teach you and make you more powerful. Then…if you are not satisfied…you may walk away." All five knew exactly what that meant. If she took to the ways of the Death Eaters, if she was convinced to join their cause, she would be a valuable ally. If she balked, she would be allowed to turn and walk away…and the others would kill her as she tried to leave, gathering and bottling her blood.

"Then Trixie agrees to your deal," Trixie said with a smile.

"Then come with us," Bellatrix told her. "You'll have to touch one of us to do the Side-Along Apparition, but by the end, you should be able to Apparate at the speed of darkness too. Trust me…you won't believe what's waiting for you."

"Trixie is up for anything!" Trixie said, stepping toward the other five and putting a hoof up against Medusa's shoulder.

* * *

Lyra Heartstrings, the teal unicorn who had accompanied her wife Bon Bon to Trixie's performance, had been watching Trixie talk with the five mysterious unicorns from an alleyway. She'd merely been taking a shortcut from her house into town that way when she'd come across the scene, and she decided it was best to remain hidden with such shady-looking figures about. She didn't hear all they said, but had picked up on certain phrases—they discussed power. They asked Trixie what she was willing to do. And they talked of other worlds.

When they left, Lyra realized what she'd done wrong. She should have rushed forward, told Trixie to be careful…kept her from making strange deals with strangers. But then again, Trixie was an adult and knew what she was doing, was she not? And Trixie had made the decision to go along with them by herself. She had walked toward the black one and touched her shoulder.

Still, something strange was afoot, and Lyra knew it. She bolted back to the home she shared with Bon Bon.

"Lyra?" Bon Bon approached the entryway as soon as she heard Lyra slam the door and pant from running. "What's wrong?"

"Something very strange is happening," Lyra said. "Bon Bon…do you think maybe…there's more going on in Equestria…no, that there's just more going ON than we know?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I just saw Trixie talking with five unicorns I've never seen before, and…"

* * *

Chapter 27:

· So I have to explain something right off the bat. I'm sure that not all classes of first-years share the same courses. I'm pretty sure they're divided by house. I remember Ron saying once that "We have double Potions with Slytherin"—you know, that he had to SPECIFY what house Gryffindor had Potions with. But the Wiki for HP has only one first-year schedule up. So I had to fudge the course order a lot and not post specific days because I'm not sure how they're arranged for houses that aren't Gryffindor. If it turns out I'm wrong and all the first-years really do have the same classes…oops.

· Horace Slughorn is a troll. And I don't think he would see what's wrong with making fun of Snape that soon after his death.

· Twilight's reference to having used a "fear spell" is a reference to The Crystal Empire 2-parter, where she used what was CLEARLY dark magic to transform parts of the Crystal Palace into Sombra's version of it and to overcome the door that leads to one's worst fears. When that happened, by the way, I squealed that they were making Twilight's messing with dark forces canon.

· I'm not sure if "phylactery" is purely a D&D term (and I only know that from Wikipedia) or if it's accepted universally for something that holds a soul. I just know it's the term Wikipedia uses to describe the soul container for a lich.

· I'd known for a while I wanted to give the non-unicorns select powers. And that I wanted to call them Magical Girls. I mean…the spawning of the amulets at the end of the whole Nightmare Moon thing was DEFINITELY inspired by Magical Girl anime.

· Quadwrangle Manor is something that came to me within a week of starting this chapter. There's a first-person puzzle game called Quantum Conundrum that's like Portal, but instead of using a portal gun to complete tests, you're using a dimension-switching device to change your environment to get through the manor. The four dimensions available outside of the normal one are "fluffy" (everything is 10x lighter and made of pillows), "heavy" (everything is 10x heavier and made of metal), "time" (time slows down), and "gravity" (gravity is reversed and the furniture is on the ceiling). The story is that you're the nephew of an eccentric inventor uncle, Professor Quadwrangle (who kind of hates you), and you've come to his manor to visit, but he gets trapped in a Pocket Dimension because of one of his experiments and you have to use the dimension-switching gadget he invented (which IS a right-hander glove!) to manipulate the dimensions, solve puzzles, and power up the final dimension device to rescue him. The entire time, he talks to you (very condescendingly) from the Pocket Dimension. You never see him except in pictures and silhouette. In the end, it turns out that powering the dimension device sticks YOU in the Pocket Dimension and puts the entire world in flux between the dimensions. And that's where it ends. So what's relevant? Quadwrangle is voiced by John de Lancie. And it's my new headcanon that ALL John de Lancie characters are Discord/Q. So in this sort of AU thing, I'm saying that the player character wasn't his real nephew—just a pawn he recruited (you only know he's your uncle because HE tells you so). He shapeshifted just enough to give the player character those silhouettes, and either shapeshifted when he had the portraits painted or just had them painted of a fake face. His entire goal was to get the device messed with to put the world in flux between dimensions, and he succeeded. And so I'm having this be Discord's new lair. The name of the world is a combo of all the dimensions it's messed up in. I'm sure he'd want it that way.

· Ike is a character from Quantum Conundrum. He shows up at random and acts cute and/or creepy. He's a dimension traveling creature and a sort of sidekick to Quadwrangle. So I have him as Discord's housemate and sort-of pet.

· "The time all the Old Ones had been roommates in that giant locked box" = yes, Pandora's Box. What else?

· Mitakihara is from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, as are the characters of Homura and the Incubator ("Kyubey" for short). Discord wants to enlist Kyubey's help from the way that world was before the events of PMMM, but since PMMM ends with the world changing because of an altered timeline, everything's different, and that's why Discord is confused. You're seeing a post-PMMM Mitakihara, where Magical Girls fight demons spawned of negative emotions (which happens to fit the definition of Echthroi that I'm using).

· Rainbow Dash. Quidditch. Yes. Also, the idea of being able to grip a broomstick with four legs was based on a banner I saw on Equestria Daily featuring a fanart that was a parody of Kiki's Delivery Service and had Twilight riding a broomstick, gripping it with all fours like a boss.

· Slytherin has seriously given me the most to work with. You know, since the Carrow twins are canon and I couldn't put Stevie in any other house.

· AND THE FIRST INSTANCE OF PONIFICATION BEGINS! This is the perk of having ponies become not-ponies when leaving Equestria: so I can have ponified versions of visitors to Equestria. Explanations of why: All manes are based on hairstyles. Voldemort just has an association with green, and the Dark Mark had to be the Cutie Mark, as it did on Bellatrix. Bellatrix…well, green just seems a standard color for the Death Eaters proper, so I went with it. Quirrell, I believe, is in purple robes in the first film, and I like to base coats on what the characters generally wear just to make it easier to pick coat colors. The turban is the Cutie Mark for obvious reasons. Horvath wears a lot of brown and is a classy guy, so I rationalized it out to gold. Medusa's coat is black because Arachne's dress is black, and she would still be wearing that after the possession. But since Cutie Marks are based on personality and "special talent", she gets her own Vector Arrow (her standard attack) instead of anything Arachne-related like a spider.

· Death Eater Trixie had ALWAYS been in the works. The timing of the ep "Magic Duel" was incredibly convenient, even if it does kind of mean I have to make her out as worse than she currently canonically is. I decided that no matter where you shift in the worlds, your blood stays the same type – so Voldemort has a source of unicorn blood nearby.

· The Trixie toy released by Hasbro is called "Lulamoon", so some fans have accepted that as Trixie's surname. I say, why not?

· Well, there's nothing to say that same-sex marriage ISN'T allowed in Equestria—the most they can do is just not bring it up at all—and it is a fantasy universe in a show about love and tolerance, so Lyra and Bon Bon are married now. Both of them are background ponies that have been given fanon names now widely accepted in the fan community (Lyra's real name in the Hasbro toy line is "Heartstrings", so fans have given her that as a last name; Bon Bon's was "Sweetie Drops" until recently, when Hasbro decided it actually WAS Bon Bon, so no one uses Sweetie Drops). Since they've been seen together in a couple scenes, it's become a popular ship, even though we know next to nothing about them. And again, why not? I think it's cute.

· There's also a universal fanon that Lyra is obsessed with the idea that humans exist somewhere and that she wants to have hands. This comes from an episode where in the background, she and Bon Bon are on a bench. Bon Bon is sitting with all fours tucked under her like a regular pony, but Lyra is sitting up like she's bipedal. Since then, other ponies have been seen sitting in that position, but since Lyra did it first, she gets to have the humans obsession.


	28. True to Chaos

28: True to Chaos

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Gryffindor Quidditch captain Ginny Weasley looked up and down the line of those wishing to try out to fill the three open positions on the team. She would have to choose one Chaser, one Keeper, and one Seeker out of the throng of students gathered before her. All were unfamiliar with the exception of Rainbow Dash—a sight not to be missed in the lineup—but one first-year boy had traces in his face of someone Ginny might have known; perhaps he had a relative who had attended classes with her.

"We're going to need to fill three positions this year," she announced. "You all know what you're trying out for?"

Most nodded shyly; Rainbow Dash and the boy with the face that rang a bell in Ginny's mind cried "Yeah!"

The curiosity was driving Ginny crazy. She approached the young boy. "What position are you trying for?" she asked him.

"Seeker," he replied.

"That's not a position a lot of first-years get," Ginny told him sternly. "You know Harry Potter was the youngest in our history, and he was your age."

"I know. I still think I can do it. I'm good."

"What's your name?"

"Ty Dunbar."

Ginny realized where she'd seen the boy's face before. "Fay Dunbar's brother?"

"Yeah!"

Fay Dunbar was perhaps the one student who should have been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team during her attendance, but never was. She had constantly wanted the position of Beater and never achieved it. Ginny saw no reason why her younger brother shouldn't have the same aspirations.

"And you?" Ginny asked Rainbow Dash.

"That's easy," Rainbow Dash responded. "Chaser."

"Not Seeker?"

"Listen. I've read your rules. Your Seeker has to slow down and look at things in order to find the Snitch. And I'm not interested in going slow. Your Chaser needs to be somepony fast, somepony who can keep the Quaffle safe from everypony on the other team. And that's where I come in. And if that doesn't sell you, think about this: if the Seeker gets the Snitch, that team gets over two hundred points. Over two hundred! But if you get a good enough bunch of Chasers, we can score FOUR hundred points before the other team's Seeker even gets a chance to see that Snitch! When you look at it that way, the Keepers are the most important!"

"I like the way you think, Rainbow Dash," Ginny replied. "Well, let's get under way!"

She tested student after student. Many crashed into the ground. A few were sent to the infirmary. Only one student, a third-year called Ellie Gray, was able to block even a single shot into the goal post—she was appointed Keeper. Of all those who tried for Chaser, Rainbow Dash was definitely the best. Ginny, at first, felt leery about letting her on the team—she had an obvious age advantage. However, her teammates—Ritchie Coote, Jimmy Peakes, and Demelza Robins—convinced her to let Rainbow Dash stay. After all, gripping a broom with hooves was enough of a handicap to balance it, and this was Rainbow's first year working with an actual broomstick. (Well, they believed it to be her first year flying. Only Ginny knew about all the time Rainbow Dash had spent in the air back home.) When Rainbow Dash landed and griped about how the Hogwarts-owned broomstick didn't handle smoothly at all—something Ginny didn't even take into account, she had flown so smoothly—Ginny was sold, and Rainbow Dash appointed Chaser.

"YES!" Rainbow Dash cried, hoisting her rented broomstick in the air.

There was then the matter of Seeker to attend to, and only one stood out. Ty Dunbar flew quickly as a bullet, and he was able to catch and throw while on a broomstick without any trouble whatsoever. Although, compared to the rest of the potential Seekers, Ginny was about ready to award the position to whomever didn't break a bone.

Ginny informed Rainbow Dash, Ellie, and Ty of practice schedules, then dismissed tryouts.

Rainbow Dash galloped excitedly from the Quidditch pitch, whooping at her victory. On her way, she almost knocked over a fellow student. Stopping to apologize, she recognized that student as Flora Carrow.

"Hey," she said. "Did you get it? Seeker, I mean."

"Yes," Flora replied. "I was going to see how the Gryffindor team had fared. In all honesty, I want to size up the competition."

"Well, we got a first-year Seeker, which is apparently really weird. You'll have to watch out for someone called Ty Dunbar. But he's pretty fast. I'm not sure you stand a chance."

"Oh? Well, we shall have to see about that. Your first match is against Slytherin, you know."

"Well, then, bring it on!"

Flora grinned. "We'll see how your Dunbar fares against me. In the meantime, what position do you have?"

"I'm a Chaser. Which means you'll have to worry about me racking up so many points that you can't catch the snitch."

"I'll catch it before you can."

"Wanna bet?"

The two then broke into laughter. "Well, we'll find out at the first match," Flora resolved.

* * *

Twilight had memorized the route from one classroom to another well enough that she had become careless, choosing to read as she walked, her hoof memory taking her where she needed to go as her eyes fixated on the text. It was because of this that she crashed headlong into a pair that rounded the corner of the hallway she tread.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, looking up and taking a few steps back. "I'm so sorry!" She got a good look at the two she'd crashed into. She'd never seen either before, at least not enough to actually take notice and remember. One was a human woman dressed in layer upon layer of glittering shawls, with beads in her hair and a pair of oversized spectacles taking up the majority of her face. The other was a male centaur, draped in a cloak; his auburn hair was tied back in a flowing ponytail.

"Oh, my dear!" the woman gasped, reaching forward and grasping Twilight's right wrist, pulling forth her palm and turning it over. "It is just as I feared when I first saw you! Indeed, the very aura of dread surrounds you! You walk in the steps of doom, and by the year's end, doom will have fallen upon you!"

"GAAAAH!" Twilight screamed, wrenching her arm away, terrified.

The centaur chuckled. "Pay Ms. Trelawney no mind, Miss Sparkle. Everyone she meets walks in the steps of doom."

"How can you possibly speak against my predictions?" Trelawney barked. "Failure to take heed will lead you to your own destruction!"

"I will take my chances," the centaur replied. "So…you are the famous Twilight Sparkle."

"Um…yes?" Twilight replied.

"I am Firenze, professor of Divination," the centaur introduced. "This is Sybil Trelawney, former professor of Divination and honorary faculty member of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Nice to meet you," Twilight said, though her first impression of Trelawney was less than nice.

"I had actually been hoping to run into you," Firenze said. "Do you have a moment?"

"Well, I was trying to get to my class half an hour early so I'd have time to prepare…but I guess I can spare some time."

"I'm glad. Sybil, may we speak in private?"

"If you must," Trelawney huffed. She then continued down the hallway alone.

Firenze gestured for Twilight to follow him into an empty classroom. She obliged; he closed the door all but a crack.

"Do not be intimidated by Ms. Trelawney's predictions," he began. "She remains at Hogwarts for her loyal service, and she is indeed a great seer who has predicted many a turning point in the history of this world. However, her visions do not, as she claims, come at her beck and call. She tends to shun the most reliable forms of divination in favor of more…shocking predictions. Needless to say, the majority of her 'premonitions' do not come true."

"It's okay," Twilight replied. "I'm kind of one of those ponies that doom follows around anyway."

"You would not be the first like that to walk within these walls, for sure," Firenze said. "Now, what I had meant to discuss with you is…rather a delicate subject. It is, after all, a two-edged affair, to catch someone in a lie. It is best not to be deceived…and yet those who lie often have crucial reasons, especially those who are otherwise ethically sound."

Twilight swallowed hard, suspecting what was coming.

"You already know how unusual it is for centaurs to attend school alongside human witches and wizards," Firenze went on. "When I first took a position at this school, my herd excommunicated me for a time because it was not acceptable for us to do business with humans. They have since accepted me again, but I find it somewhat unbelievable that relations have suddenly improved so dramatically that six young centaurs are accepted as students. Furthermore, the common story seems to be that you and your five friends have come from the Forbidden Forest… The herd that lives there is my herd. It should be obvious to you that I have never seen you or any of your friends before this year."

"I…" Twilight cast her eyes to the floor. "I guess I can't hide that. We aren't from the Forbidden Forest."

"Yet even Professor McGonagall seems intent on protecting that story. Which gives me reason to think that your lie is essential to keep."

"I'd like to tell you the truth, but…" Twilight could think of nothing to say but what was on her mind: "I don't know how you'd react to it. I'm sorry if that offends you."

"It does not, Miss Sparkle. Though I have my suspicions about your origins. You have no doubt noticed that you and I are quite different."

Twilight had to admit that. For one, Firenze was much taller; his back came up to about the same level as those on the horses from Galifem. Twilight was much shorter, betraying that she was more pony than true horse. Firenze's hair seemed to be within the natural spectrum for humanoids on this world, and when the hem of his cloak brushed aside, Twilight could see that his coat was also auburn. Her cloak also brushed aside, and her purple legs were clearly visible, but already, her hair gave her away as something unnatural—even those who colored their hair like Ebony or Stevie did not pick such dramatic colors, and those were quite obviously false colorations anyway. She bet that Firenze didn't have a Cutie Mark and was glad he couldn't see hers.

"We observe the stars to see the future," Firenze continued. "A method of divination that is vague at best, but far more reliable than reading palms, using cards, or making shapes out of tea leaves. The stars have recently arranged themselves in a way not seen for years, not since before the rise of Voldemort. Great changes are to come to this world. There were some patterns we could not even make sense of at all…an indication, perhaps, that unfamiliar things are to come. Things we have never seen. There have even been signs that there is a doom to come upon us…something I would not willingly admit to Ms. Trelawney, of course. Who knows what she would do with that news… There is a distinct possibility that we are wrong, but great things are to come, and I believe you are part of it."

"From what I know, that's true," Twilight said, "though I thought we'd only come here to learn. I was kind of hoping that for once, we wouldn't have to deal with any of the other problems. But we can handle them. Hang on…" Something sank in about Firenze's words. "Who's 'we'?"

"Those of us who live in the Forbidden Forest," Firenze answered. "My herd. That is what I wished to speak with you about. Whether it is to be able to keep up your lie with accurate information or to learn what we have to share with you, I think it best that you enter the Forest and meet with my herd sometime. There are, of course, many reasons that the Forest is forbidden, but I will give my herd advance knowledge of you, and they should be able to prevent any misfortunes from happening to you. Also, do not worry…they will accept you as fellow centaurs. You will not have to worry as a human would upon entering their company. I think you would find what they have to say quite relevant."

"Thank you," said Twilight. "That's really kind of you. I don't know that we'll be able to get there right away, with the Forest being out of bounds to us students and all, but…"

"Do not worry about that," Firenze replied. "I will put in a word with the groundskeeper about your ability to pass the borders."

"You know, back home, we also have a dangerous forest. We've learned to navigate it pretty well. I think we should be able to handle it."

"I have no doubt. I should not keep you from your coursework anymore, Miss Sparkle. However, do keep my words in mind."

"I will. Thank you, Firenze."

Firenze reopened the door, and Twilight resumed her route to class.

* * *

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Ginny, Hermione, and Luna sat around their favorite large table in the library, reading over the homework of the day.

"Well, I guess I found one I can finally do," Applejack announced proudly.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "She cast a perfect Flipendo Knockback Jinx! She knocked the stack of target pillows right over!"

"Fluttershy and I also found one we can do!" Pinkie added. "Wanna show 'em, Fluttershy?"

"Well…all right…" Fluttershy gave in.

The two held their wands over the table and quietly—or at least, in Pinkie's case, as quietly as was manageable—said, "Lumos!" Both wands glowed with a soft but bright light. They were dismissed with a "Nox" before Fluttershy went back to reading about the Cure for Boils potion.

"Very intriguing," Rarity said. "Anypony had any luck with Transfiguration yet?"

"No," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Nopony can even understand that theory anyway."

"I thought it was simple," Rarity replied, laying a match on the table. With a quick flick of the wrist and a short incantation, the match became a silver needle.

"How did you do that?" Ginny asked, dumbfounded. "No one in our year could get that after the first lesson."

"I was able to," Hermione pointed out, "but I'm probably not the best example…"

"Well," Rarity said, almost blushing, "I was a little fascinated by the idea of Transfiguration when I was younger. Turning one thing into another and all."

"I never knew that," Fluttershy told her innocuously.

"Well…it was a passing interest!" Rarity defended. "I only studied it for a while! Of course, my real strength lay in fashion and beautification spells."

"O-kaaaayyyy…" Rainbow Dash set down her History of Magic textbook. "I don't think I wanna study any more about the Soap Blizzard of 1378."

"What's wrong with it?" Luna asked.

"Too familiar," Rainbow Dash answered. "I had to live through the simultaneous chocolate blizzard and soapy road incident of Equestria, after all."

Fluttershy gave a pronounced shudder, and Pinkie Pie protectively put a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder upon noticing this.

"Twilight?" Luna turned to her fellow Ravenclaw. "You've been awfully quiet. Usually you have so much to say."

"Huh?" Twilight looked up from her textbooks. "Oh. Sorry. I've just been a little distracted thinking about something. Something I should actually tell you all about."

"Huh?" Everyone leaned in to look at her.

"I ran into Firenze today," she said. "He's a centaur too, but he's…different from the six of us. Turns out we kinda stand out, even in these bodies. He figured out that there was something about me that didn't belong. And he lives in the Forbidden Forest. He knows everypony in there. Which means he knows we're not from there."

"How did he react?" Hermione inquired.

"He didn't ask where we were really from," Twilight answered, "but at the same time…he told us about things that the centaurs in the Forest read in the stars. Apparently, he can sort of read the future that way, or parts of it. He doesn't know exactly what's going to happen, but it's going to be big. He said he knew I was involved with it somehow. Well, first of all, that means our time here is probably going to be spent doing a little more than just studying."

"Another disaster?" Pinkie asked.

"Maleficent?" Rarity theorized.

"I don't know," Twilight replied. "Anyway, Firenze also said it would be a good thing if we, meaning the six Kentaurides here at this table, met up with the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. That they had things to say to us and we should listen. At the very least, it would help us keep our cover story. I think he's going to talk to Hagrid about us being able to leave the grounds."

"You should definitely go!" Hermione practically cried, remembering at the last second to keep her tone down in the library. "No human Hogwarts student has ever REALLY learned anything about the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest! Well, Harry and Ron and I spoke to them on several occasions, but there was still tension, of course."

"When centaurs see things in the stars," Ginny added, "they're usually right. Who knows what Firenze was referring to…"

"Do you think we can just do it?" Twilight asked. "Just walk out into the Forest? I mean, it can't be any worse than the Everfree Forest, can it?"

"You'll probably have to ask Hagrid to make sure," Hermione advised. "He's been around the Forest many times. In fact…I think Fluttershy would get along really well with him."

"Really?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hagrid teaches Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione explained. "He's taken care of all sorts of animals. Most of them incredibly dangerous, of course. But you two still do have the same interest."

"Wonder if he's taken care of any manticores," Twilight said with a wink at Fluttershy.

"Okay," Fluttershy resolved. "I'll talk to him. Um…what should I say to start?"

"Just go out to his hut on the grounds and tell him Hermione sent you," Hermione answered. "He's usually very open to visitors. And I have a feeling you two will get on quite well besides just talking about business."

Fluttershy still worried over what to say. Even after all this time, she still felt slightly timid toward meeting strangers.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

Voldemort's eyes were fixed upon the fire in the hearth, but his mind was elsewhere, the flames not registering within his vision. Memories cycled through his brain, welcome and unwelcome at the same time.

They said he'd never understood love or friendship…and for the most part, they were right, all of them. Yet there was still the one…the one who had been close. The one who had ignited his lust as a young boy. The girl in his house, in his year.

Now he saw her face again and again. Why hadn't the draconequus let him have her back? Because of this, he'd set Rodolphus Lestrange and Rosier on a special mission to collect information on parallel worlds. Somewhere, there had to be a version of her.

Dark, flowing hair. A look of apathy; dull eyes, pursed lips.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

FIFTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

The young boy, Tom Riddle, had exited his bed at midnight, quietly slinking out to the Slytherin common room. There she waited, staring at the wall that would open up to lead them out.

Alexandra Russo.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tom asked teasingly. "If your mum and dad knew, they just might kill you."

"More like the other way around," Alexandra replied. "Come on, Tom."

They opened the door, slunk out into the hallway.

"So you decided on the giant?" Alexandra asked.

"Of course," Tom replied as they made their way up and up. "Fortunately for us, he happens to have acquired a rather unusual pet. The alibi will be flawless. And I have you to thank for suggesting he be the scapegoat in the first place."

"No one likes him anyway," Alexandra pointed out. "All that lumbering around and breaking things. And it's not like he's a REAL wizard."

They stopped before the door to the girls' bathroom on the second floor. "You were serious?" Alexandra remarked. "It's in a bathroom?"

"Salazar would have known that no one would expect that."

"I almost wish we could tell someone what we were doing just so I could tell them you were in the girls' room."

They entered; Tom searched the tap of every sink until he found what he wanted. The faucet was carved with the emblem of a snake. "It's here."

"So open it already."

Tom stepped back, facing the sink. What he said was, technically, "Open." However, the sound was completely different, a thick hiss—Parseltongue, the tongue of the snakes.

At Tom's command, the sink dropped away, leaving a circular tunnel that led down into darkness.

"Ew," Alexandra said, looking it over. "We have to slide down that?"

"It isn't preferable, but it is the only way."

"This had better be worth it."

"I agree…but I'm sure we won't be disappointed."

Tom took the initiative, practically vaulting into the tunnel and sliding down in a manner that he thought most ungraceful. Could Salazar Slytherin not have devised a more flattering way to enter his chamber? After what seemed an eternity of sliding and sliding—quite uncomfortable on the body, to be sliding against stone for that long—Tom was dumped with a crunch onto a pile of human bones in a dungeon antechamber. He stood, dusting himself off, not caring about the bones.

A second crunch signaled that Alexandra had made it down the slide. "That was officially the grossest thing I've ever done," she complained. "That was…slimy."

"If you're going to be disgusted, don't look down."

"Oh, that?" She stomped, giving another crunch. "Just so long as it doesn't get my clothes dirty, I'm good. After all, these probably belong to friends who are together in death or some sappy crap like that."

"A fate I'd rather avoid," Tom said coldly. "I'd rather we be together in life."

"You going soft?"

"You know what I mean."

"I'm just teasing you. You're not very fun to tease, you know."

"Is that so? Then I'm rather pleased with myself. Save your jokes for the others."

They pressed onward down a dank tunnel, reaching an imposing stone gate carved with snakes. Tom told it again to "open" in Parseltongue, and the gate obliged, allowing both him and Alexandra to pass through.

"Shield your eyes when I tell you," he warned. "I'm going to tell it to leave you alone, but even I can't be certain it won't…"

"I get it. Just say when."

They entered a lofty chamber…this, the infamous Chamber of Secrets. The pathway was lined with stone snake heads that stared down at the wizards who dared tread the way, judging them to see if they were worthy. To either side of the walkway was shallow water…either clever decoration on Salazar Slytherin's part, or runoff from the bathroom. When the walkway ended, opening out into a great stone expanse, Tom and Alexandra stood at two great stone feet. They looked up. The ceiling was so high, it was invisible, merely appearing as darkness. However, the top of the statue at whose base they stood was clear, even in the dim light. Head to toe, it was a likeness of Salazar Slytherin. His cold eyes stared out and forward. Tom knew that inside that stone body, real life did writhe, hoping for the chance to awaken, to be set free of the stone skin.

He spoke, all in Parseltongue: "It is I, the heir of Slytherin. Son of Merope Gaunt. I am Tom Marvolo Riddle."

He could almost feel the shuddering from within the statue. The beast within was listening.

"It is time to fulfill what Salazar Slytherin had always wished," Tom continued. "To purge the school of those who do not belong. The filthy…the Mudbloods."

He felt a chill. Perhaps the thing was calling him a hypocrite from within.

"I know my heritage, and it matters not to me," Tom hastily explained. "No…that is wrong. It does matter. I am not proud. In fact, I am disgusted. If ever I found my father…I would slay him for making me what I am. No…I do not want to be considered a half-blood. I am not like the others."

Maybe it had accepted that. It was, after all, the truth.

"Come forth," Tom encouraged it. "I wish for you to leave me alone…and to refrain from attacking those I choose." He named a few of his close allies, finishing with, "…and, of course, Alexandra Russo. However, the rest of them…"

And for the first time, the beast answered back:

"RIP THEM. TEAR THEM. KILL THEM."

"Yes," Tom agreed.

He heard the sliding of a great stone hinge far above. "Now," he told Alexandra in English. "Shield your eyes."

"Okay then." She closed them. Tom didn't even know if that would be effective…if one could stave off the deadly stare simply by not looking back, or if the eyes would destroy what they beheld no matter what.

The Slytherin statue's mouth opened. A massive serpent, a basilisk, slithered down from it, crawling down the length of Slytherin's body. When its head touched ground, Tom could see that it didn't matter what Alexandra did to hide from it. Its eyes were closed. It was respecting its master…the one chosen to command it by bloodline.

"IS IT TIME TO KILL?" the basilisk asked Tom.

"Yes," Tom told it. "Kill."

* * *

After the basilisk had disappeared into the darkness, choosing the route of the school plumbing to travel through the castle walls, Tom and Alexandra returned to the Slytherin Common Room as soldiers celebrating a great victory.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

PRESENT TIMELINE

Perhaps that, Voldemort thought, was when he first knew deep within that he felt something for her. He hadn't admitted it to himself for years and years. She had grown up with him, standing beside him as he claimed the honors for "catching" the student who'd released the monster of Chamber of Secrets. She matured into a woman of nearly unmatched beauty…Bellatrix could try, but only fail. She became a Death Eater. A prime warrior in the First Wizarding War. So many corpses lay under the glow of her wand…including the bodies of her parents and her brothers. Nothing was sacred to her…except for Voldemort himself. She being one of the few privy to the change of his name.

Voldemort let his mind wander to another memory. A moment of weakness. Were not even the strong allowed those? He hated himself for it, but it had been such a beautiful forbidden pleasure.

* * *

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

TWENTY-EIGHT FOURTH EARTH YEARS AGO

THREE FOURTH EQUESTRIAN YEARS AGO

It had been the first time that he had secured his safety from the Elements of Harmony, or so he thought. Knowing of the power, he and Alexandra tread the ground of Ponyville in Fourth Equestria on the night before the Summer Sun Celebration. So the little one thought she could hide…it was altogether unfortunate that she had not known, or so Voldemort thought, about the Morganian underground of gossip. Her location was betrayed. Soon she would be dead.

Alexandra had been tall and stately, with a crimson coat, a flowing black mane and tail, and a Cutie Mark shaped like a skull—not the Dark Mark, but a simple skull on its own. A striking symbol of independence that still coincided with Voldemort's ideal.

They approached the great tree that held the library. A simple Alohomora charm opened it. There was the pegasus—a green mare with a shaggy green mane and a Cutie Mark representing a stack of books. She lay on a pile of pillows on the floor, reading calmly.

She looked up. She faced them bravely. Voldemort knew she knew. It unnerved him.

"I was expecting you," she said to him. "Or someone. I'm ready."

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The pegasus lay stretched across the floor. The life was gone from her. And so was the Element. At least, Voldemort had thought so. He hadn't known for sure that she'd actually had a failsafe in place, one that would assure the passing of the Element to safety…one that Princess Celestia would never mention unless absolutely necessary. As far as anypony would know, the Element of Generosity had always safely belonged to her and nopony else. Even without knowing all this, Voldemort suspected something was off beause of the mare's calm demeanor.

"Does it strike you as odd," he said, "that she expected us, and that she faced us without fear?"

"Who cares?" Alexandra replied. "Generosity's dead and gone. Laughter's all on her lonesome now. And she doesn't have much to laugh about anymore. Man…this one was an egghead anyway. We might have actually done a good thing getting rid of the town nerd."

That was when, and that was probably why, he kissed her.

When his lips left hers, she asked, "Okay, what was that?"

Already he was furious with himself. "Meaningless."

"I don't think it was." She was smiling. That was a rare feat, Alexandra smiling. "I didn't mind it."

"I minded it."

"But you were the one that did it."

"It isn't what I want. Lust stands in the way of power."

"All right, then."

He vowed never to do such a reckless thing again.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

PRESENT TIMELINE

Perhaps that was why he felt resentment still that Horvath had abandoned Morgana for what seemed to be similar lust. It got in the way of power. Morgana was gone because Horvath's heart had faltered.

There wasn't much more to the tale of Alexandra Russo. At the end of the First Wizarding War, she was killed. And that was the end of it. The loss was of a valuable soldier and, Voldemort claimed, nothing more.

But he did want her ruthlessness and her skills back. That was why he'd sent the search party.

And they returned before him. "There is good news," Rosier announced, "and bad news."

"Then begin with the good," Voldemort commanded.

"There is another Alexandra. On another world. One where our endeavors have actually been…quite successful."

"And the bad?"

"You see," Rodolphus Lestrange picked up, "it is a PARALLEL world. One shaped by choices and changes. It is definitely Alexandra, but not the same as you knew her."

"Is she any less ruthless or skilled?"

"No…she is in fact quite loyal to you. But she is much younger. Sixteen. She is also American. And, perhaps worst of all…she is a half-blood."

That came as a stunning surprise. "It cannot be," Voldemort whispered to himself. "She…cannot…"

"Abandon her, my lord," Rosier begged.

"No," Rodolphus countered. "Take her. She is valuable to us."

"I must at least see her," Voldemort resolved. "Tell me where I can find her."

Rodolphus gave the details; Voldemort left the room.

"What was that?" Rosier asked. "That one is worthless to us."

"All the same," Rodolphus said, "I wouldn't mind having some form of Alexandra with us again. I was never sure of his relationship to her. If it was lust, then this will most certainly not work. She's too young and too wrong. But if our dark lord told us the truth for all those years, that she was merely a close ally for her skill…it would be most beneficial for us to have her back."

"What does it matter to you?"

"She might become his right-hand. And that will mean my wife has no more reason to be close to him."

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

"Jus' a minute, jus' a minute!" Rubeus Hagrid made his way to the door of his hut, where someone was knocking…very softly, as it had taken him a while to figure out anyone was even making a noise to get his attention.

He swung open the door to look down upon a familiar face, one that flinched. "Fluttershy?" he asked.

"Um…that's me…" Fluttershy replied softly. "You're…Hagrid?"

"Right yeh are! An' what brings you down here today? Oh, does this have anythin' to do with what Firenze told me?"

"Um…maybe…"

"Well, yeh don't have to worry about that," Hagrid assured Fluttershy. "It's all worked out. You an' yer friends can come an' go as yeh please. Though that shouldn't be a problem anyway, seein' as it's yer home."

Fluttershy had nothing to say to that but a squeak.

"What brings yeh down here, anyway?" Hagrid asked. "Yer kind of a shy one to send about it, if yeh ask me."

"Well…you see…" Fluttershy squeaked out. "We needed to make sure it was clear with staff, so I wanted to ask…but also…I've heard that you teach a class on all sorts of magical animals."

"An' lemme guess." Hagrid's face broke out in a wide smile. "That's right up yer alley."

"Um…maybe a little…"

"Tell yeh what. Let's go out to the station in the forest where I'll be supervisin' yer comin' and goin' so no one asks questions. We can talk about when you want to make yer first outing. An' even though yeh don' have the class, I'll show you some of the creatures I'm thinkin' of teachin' about this year. Sound fair?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Well, c'mon, then," Hagrid said, leaving the hut and closing the door. He made his way toward the edge of the forest on campus, Fluttershy following closely.

"Here'd be the entrance point," Hagrid said, walking into a specific area of forest. "This's where most of the Care of Magical Creatures classes go on. When were yeh thinkin' of goin' out to the Forest first?"

"I don't know. Maybe…this Thursday?"

"Sounds good. I'll be out here 'round ten."

"We'll be there."

Hagrid led her deeper into the forest until a small wooden shack came into view. "Now, this is where I'm keepin' this year's coursework," Hagrid said, "an' I gotta say, I nearly can't wait to see what the student reaction is to these." He moved to the door of the shack, opening it wide so Fluttershy could see what was inside. "Careful. The front ends are harmless, but you'll want to avoid the back."

Fluttershy gasped. Giant tortoises with gilded, jeweled shells roamed about inside the shack. One of them moved toward the door, interested in the newcomer.

"Fire-crabs!" Fluttershy squealed with glee. "I've only ever read about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!" She knelt to stroke the head of the fire-crab that had moved forward to look at her. She let her hand hover over it, waiting for it to feel comfortable enough to press its forehead into her palm. "There you go…you're a good fire-crab. I can tell."

"Yeh know," Hagrid said, "a lot of people have been sayin' that I pick animals that are too dangerous to study for these classes. But really, most of 'em are just big softies on the inside once you get to know 'em."

"I believe you," Fluttershy said, still petting the fire-crab. "These might be a little fiery, but they just want to be loved like anything else."

"Here," Hagrid said, kneeling by Fluttershy and handing her half a head of lettuce that he'd produced from his voluminous coat. "You can feed 'im if yeh like."

"Thank you!" Fluttershy offered the vegetables to the fire-crab, which ate with gusto. Fluttershy then took a moment to look around the shack. She couldn't divine the purpose for which it had been constructed. It seemed to just be a large, roomy building, perhaps for holding fire-crabs…but Fluttershy noticed the debris in the corners. Jagged pieces of thin stone, curved…eggshells?

When the fire-crab was done eating, Fluttershy stood. "We should let them get their rest," she said.

Hagrid closed the door, then turned around, only for his breath to catch. Fluttershy couldn't understand what he was staring at. His eyes seemed fixed on an empty patch of forest.

"Shhh," he said hushedly. "Yeh don't want to scare her…"

"I don't see anything," Fluttershy admitted.

"Oh," Hagrid realized. "'Course yeh wouldn't…she's a thestral."

"I don't remember those from my book. Are they invisible?"

"Yeah…unless…well, it ain't a pretty subject."

"What?"

"Yeh can see one if yeh see someone die."

"Oh."

Hagrid tentatively walked forward. He could see it plainly: the gaunt, horselike creature with gray skin and batlike wings. It didn't move when he approached.

"Come closer," Hagrid told Fluttershy.

Fluttershy obeyed, walking up to the same general area gingerly. Hagrid reached out, putting his hand on what looked to Fluttershy to be empty air. "Righ' here," he said.

Fluttershy put up her own hand and was surprised to feel the touch of leathery skin. From what she could feel, she cradled an equine snout, a mouth. The thestral leaned into her touch the same way the fire-crab had.

"Now I know you're there," Fluttershy said with a smile. "It's okay. I don't have to see you to know."

She heard a low noise like a whinny…but one more ethereal, one that chilled Fluttershy to the bone. And she didn't mind that.

"What year can we sign up for Care of Magical Creatures again?" she asked Hagrid.

"Third year," he replied.

* * *

Back at the hut, a quaint place if overcrowded with furniture, Hagrid and Fluttershy sat at the kitchen table having a cup of tea. Fang, Hagrid's loyal boarhound, had taken an immediate liking to Fluttershy's gentle ways, drooling all over her.

"…and ever since then," Fluttershy said, "I've been visiting that manticore. He really likes being cuddled." She was careful to edit her story so that it contained no mention of Equestria, Everfree, or the fact that she was a pony…but all the same, she told the story of her favorite manticore friend. "Do you teach about manticores?"

"No," Hagrid admitted, "but I'd like to. Misunderstood creatures, they are. An'…as much as I want to show everyone the truth about creatures like that, I've…kind of been forbidden from certain animals."

"Oh?"

"Well, a couple years back, a student got badly hurt because of a hippogriff in my class. Buckbeak never meant to hurt anyone—"

"Oh, I think I can guess. Was that student being mean to him?"

"Exactly. Yeh gotta treat hippogriffs with a certain amount of respect. Yeh can't just walk up to 'em an' insult 'em to their faces. Proud beings, hippogriffs are. But the fact remains I can't bring 'em back to the school ever since that. The fire-crabs are a bit of a replacement study."

"That's too bad. I'm sorry."

"'S all right."

"Can I ask you a question?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sure thing!"

"That place where you kept the fire-crabs. It had sort of…eggshells…in it. What used to live there?"

"Oh, that! Well…maybe yeh've heard, but things used to be a little different back when I was at Hogwarts. A lot more…well, I'm not quite at liberty to say exactly what."

Fluttershy could guess. Otherworldly things.

"Anyway…" Hagrid went on. "There're a lot of things left around here from back then. Like the Wiggentree out in the forest. The bark's used to make Wiggenweld healing potion. Hogwarts used to export it…out. Trade stopped after You-Know-Who came into power. The shack is actually from way before that. Used to be that a clan of real gargoyles, not just the statues, lived up at the castle. Y'know about real gargoyles? Ain't many left on this planet."

"I've heard about them," Fluttershy said, recalling Angela.

"And yer a first-year…yeh'll have heard of the Gargoyle Strike of 1911. They all walked out. Left us behind. We never saw 'em again. I wasn't there, so I don't know, but I'm guessin' it's the same case as with the hippogriff, only worse. Humans not treatin' them with respect just 'cause they're different. Only unlike a hippogriff, gargoyles've got brains like humans. An' like giants, fer that matter."

Fluttershy could both believe and revile the fact that humans would lash out at Angela because she had wings and talons.

"So, t'answer yer question," Hagrid finished, "that place out their was their hatchery. Where the Hogwarts clan kept their eggs. Gargoyles raise eggs communally, y'know. Entire generations are hatched outta the collective nest, an' they don't keep track of who's the parent of who. Doesn't matter to them. They're all family. Fascinatin' culture." He stopped. "Sorry if this is bringin' up bad memories."

"Of what?"

"Y'know. Of humans an' how they react to…"

"Oh." Fluttershy realized what he was getting at: the conflict between humans and centaurs. Though she had never experienced it, she was beginning to understand it. "It's all right. I try not to hold grudges. Against anyone, I mean. Sometimes people can be mean, but a lot of times, they have reasons. Maybe they don't know better. Sometimes it isn't worth it to try too hard to be friends, because some people will just hurt you, but a lot of times, if you just try to give someone kindness, you can open up a new door."

"Well. Yer quite different from any centaur I've ever met."

"I guess I am. Kindness is…well, it's sort of in my destiny."

"An' yeh never held any grudges toward anyone?"

"Well…I can think of at least one time that it was really, really hard." She swallowed hard. "There was someone once…who ruined things for me and my friends. But then I had a chance to talk to him, really talk to him…and we became friends for a while. We even had a deal that we wouldn't hurt each other. But then things went wrong. I guess…if he wasn't doing things the way he wanted, he wasn't being himself, and I wouldn't want him to suffer for that. But it came down to a point where he broke his half of the promise…and I had to break mine." She remembered very well when she and her friends had to seal Discord in the statue once more, though she had told him so long ago that she would never use her Element of Harmony against him. Once a painful memory…not so much anymore. "The thing is, though it hurt that he broke his promise, I realized I'd rather not make him pretend to be something he's not. Even if that something ended up meaning that we needed to…keep everyone else safe from him. I know he would rather have had it that way. And I don't think it's impossible that we could be friends again. It might be hard, but you just never know. I'm not angry at him for that in particular anymore. And I'm not sad about that either. There is…something, though."

"What's that?"

"He caused a lot of problems for us. Big ones. He nearly turned us to ruin just for fun. We thought we were done with all of that, but…there have been rumors that he's back, and that he's doing things like that again. Now, I'm still not mad at him for what happened between us…but that doesn't mean I won't be mad if he starts ruining things again…and it doesn't mean I'm not a little afraid, and that I hope it isn't really true."

"That's tough," Hagrid agreed. "The last time that happened around here, it was the rumors of You-Know-Who. The Ministry tried to deny that he was alive, but…we all figured out far too late that he was. Even I didn't want to believe it, but the person who told me…is one of the people I trust more than anyone else in the world. For your sake, I hope this isn't like that."

"Thank you. As it is, we already have a lot of problems to think about…oh, but it isn't anything we won't be able to eventually handle. I'm sure of it!"

"Make sure you bring some of this up to Firenze, Bane, and Ronan in the Forest. They know a lot of things, after all."

"Do they know," Fluttershy inquired, "about the way things used to be? About what it was like here before Voldemort—" She observed that Hagrid flinched when she said the name "—showed up?"

"I'm sure they do. An' I'm sure they could tell you about all sorts of things I never even knew about."

"So…what was it like for you to go to Hogwarts? It seems like a wonderful place to be a student."

"Well…" Hagrid shifted in his seat. "I wasn't one of the most popular students. To say the least. Didn't have many friends in school. One transfer student, once…a visitor. Eskarina, her name was, but preferred we all called her Esk. But after my second year, she went back where she came from, an'…there ain't any way right now to get communication to 'er. I was actually expelled, third year."

"Oh my goodness, that's awful! I can't imagine that you would have done anything so bad intentionally."

"Well…I don' want yeh to think I'm just lookin' for pity."

"I don't think you are. If you want to talk about it…"

"Well, I had my love for magical creatures even back then, y'know?" Hagrid explained. "That was the year that I was raisin' an acromantula on the sly. Y'know acromantulas?"

"Yes. I've read all about them in my books. They seem scary, but I'm sure they're very nice once you get to know them."

"His name was Aragog. Probably my best friend after Esk left. That was the year that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was let loose, though, and before anyone knew it was a basilisk. A girl called Myrtle ended up dead because of that thing, an'…they thought it was Aragog, an' that I'd put 'im up to it. That I was controllin' 'im to kill people. The one who really was directin' the basilisk called it off after they expelled me to make it look like I did it."

"That's terrible! I don't really know much about this Chamber of Secrets, but I'm guessing that it was something very bad. And I already don't have a very good opinion of the student that got you expelled!"

"Yeh shouldn't. It was…You-Know-Who."

"You went to SCHOOL with Volde—I mean, You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah. He was a student like the rest of us in the beginning." Hagrid's demeanor then changed; he smiled slightly. "No, things weren't good in the past, but Albus Dumbledore—he was Headmaster before yeh ever got here—never thought I was the killer."

"I should hope. You just don't seem like the type to me."

"Well, thank yeh, Fluttershy. Anyway, he let me stay on as the groundskeeper, an' it was in these past few years that I made most of my real friends. Professor McGonagall. Harry Potter. Ron Weasley. Hermione Granger—oh, but y'know Hermione."

"She's very kind and very smart," Fluttershy confirmed.

"So in the end, I haven't really had it so bad. I like to think more on the present than the past."

"That's good. Oh, and I don't want to be presumptuous, but…"

"What is it?"

"Well," Fluttershy admitted, "I was just thinking that I'd like to be on that list. I want to be your friend. They weren't wrong when they said we had a lot in common."

"Heh, it's been a long time since I've known anyone else who had the same way with animals. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still scared of things like manticores. An' you seem like a sweet person. Don't be afraid to drop by for tea anytime, y'hear?"

"Oh, I definitely won't!"

* * *

MANHATTAN, 26TH EARTH

Voldemort was in disbelief. Even though he'd been warned of all the things that were…wrong…with the parallel Alexandra, he still found it off-putting that he was standing outside a sub sandwich shop in downtown Manhattan. He certainly hoped Rodolphus and Rosier hadn't made a mistake—for their sakes.

He'd gone alone this time, leaving behind Bellatrix, Horvath, Medusa, and even Quirrell. They had their hands full instructing Trixie in any case. This was something the Dark Lord had to do alone.

He entered the sub shop, prepared to be disgusted.

She was there. Exactly as he remembered her from when they were young—the spitting image of the girl who had helped him, as Tom Riddle, to release the basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets. She was wiping down a counter, scowling as she tackled the stickier stains. The same mouth, not used to smiles. The same derision in her eyes. She was the only one in the room—no patrons, no staff.

She looked up; when Voldemort had entered, a bell had signaled the arrival of a customer. When she saw who it was, she nearly dropped her rag in shock. "Lord Voldemort!"

Voldemort was suddenly incredibly curious. "Have we met?"

"No," Alexandra said, "but I've seen you all over the news and in the papers and everything."

"You have?" Voldemort replied.

"Um…yeah? Duh. You're the leader of the entire wizarding community? The one who enforced the one-wizarding-child-per-family law? Did you hit your head or something?" Another possibility occurred to her. "Or are you just one of those really convincing costume nerds? What do they call 'em, 'cosplayers'?"

It took a while for Voldemort to register what she'd said; he was thrown by the fact that she was speaking in an American accent. Then it sank in: on 26th Earth, the Death Eaters had won. Voldemort was the ruler of the entire wizarding community. Harry Potter was dead, or had never existed. And there was a new law…one that reduced wizarding children.

"Prove to me that you are not lying," he commanded.

"O…kay…" Alexandra reached under the counter to bring out a wizarding newspaper, which she slid across the counter. Voldemort walked forward to pick it up. There, on the front page, was a story detailing an address he'd given from his headquarters at the Ministry of Magic in Great Britain. She'd not been wrong.

"So what's your problem?" Alexandra asked.

"It is a most interesting thing," Voldemort replied. "I presume you have heard of the concept of parallel worlds." He couldn't help but notice that his powers did seem limited to this world…well, the powers that belonged to the him here. Obviously, this version of him did not have as much ambition.

"Wait." Alexandra did a double take. "Are you trying to tell me that you're some kind of parallel Voldemort from another world?"

"That would be correct indeed. A world where I have not been quite so successful."

"A world without Voldemort in charge?" Alexandra was now scrubbing out glasses. "That must suck."

Though her dialogue was riddled with slang, this was most certainly the same Alexandra, Voldemort knew. "And your view is…?"

"Hey, you're kinda my hero. I've actually done a lot of stuff to help your cause. I knew this wizard once who was trying to change things so that all wizarding children got to keep their powers no matter what, and they were going to storm the government. So I stood up to her, and I stopped her. Aaaaand I might have accidentally killed her…but that's just the way the cookie crumbles." She shrugged.

"Would you kill more," Voldemort asked, "for my cause?"

"Well, the first one was no big deal, so…" Another shrug. "It's not like she didn't have it coming and everything."  
"Alexandra…"

"It's Alex. And how did you know my name anyway?"

"Alex…? Let me just say that in my world, in my timeline, things were different. Very different indeed. You meant something great to the Death Eaters. And you still can mean something great."

"Alex?" A rather stout man descended the stairway that led from the upper apartment to the sub shop. "How are those glasses—LORD VOLDEMORT!" He froze in shock. "I'm sorry, your excellency, but I didn't know you were…there was NOTHING on the news…!"

"I had hardly anticipated this visit myself," Voldemort admitted. "You…are Alexandra's father, yes?"

"Alex?" Mr. Russo scowled down at his daughter. "What did you do to offend Lord Voldemort?"

"On the contrary," Voldemort countered. "She has not offended me. Quite the opposite. Might I speak with the entire family?"

"Well…I guess…"

* * *

Voldemort was granted a table in the sandwich shop and offered anything, everything he wanted off the menu, on the house. The five Russos gathered around the table, staring expectantly at him. So strange, he thought, to see the parents and the two brothers alive again. It was probably only a matter of time before that was no longer the case. And the woman…this must have been the Muggle. She even tried to defend it:

"I know that marriages between wizards and non-wizards aren't exactly looked upon well," she sputtered, "but it was an odd circumstance. And I've raised our children to follow your ideals as best as I could…though SOMETIMES they insist on being rebels."

"I do not mind a little rebelliousness in this case," Voldemort admitted. "You see, I have a proposition for Alexa—for…Alex. I am indeed Lord Voldemort, but I am not the one you know. I come from a world where the Death Eaters never established power."

"Never?" The older brother looked stunned.

"There were unfortunate circumstances standing in my way," Voldemort said. "It was a world where history differed greatly from the way it is here. The Alex of my world was born in my generation, and she was one of those closest to me in battle. She is now lost to me. Assuming that the Alex of this world is just as powerful…I should like to take her in as my apprentice."

"Just as powerful?" Alex snorted. "I could probably kick your Alex's butt. You have no idea the kind of spells I can do."

"Alex!" Mr. Russo cautioned. "Don't speak out of turn!" He cleared his throat embarrassedly. "Though she does have a point. She's very proficient at her lessons…when she actually puts her mind to finishing them."

"And what, may I ask," Voldemort inquired, "gets in the way of her putting her mind to finishing them?"

"I dunno." Alex shrugged. "Sometimes I just wanna do what I want instead."

"ALEX!" Her parents gasped.

But this was exactly what Voldemort wanted to hear. His own Alexandra had often shirked her studies to do "whatever she wanted". Her disrespect for her elders had probably contributed to the hardening of her conscience and led to her ability to kill with only a shrug of reaction when questioned about it later.

"My offer still stands," he said.

"Well…I guess I wouldn't be against it," Mr. Russo said.

"I feel a little weird about sending my baby to other universes," Ms. Russo moaned.

"But she'll be with THE Dark Lord!" Mr. Russo argued. "She'll be fine!"

"Alex?" Voldemort posed the question directly to the girl.

She flashed him one of her rare smiles as she said, "Why not?"

* * *

She followed him out of the sandwich shop. He was glad to have her amongst his forces again, but he also felt assured that he would not fall prey to the lust that had bothered him. She was too young. Even entertaining the notion about her disgusted him—even in ways that killing, for all that it split the soul, never had. And this was good. Whatever had prompted that kiss in the Ponyville Library…he was confident that it would never happen again.

"I must ask," he said. "Are you bothered that you are a half-blood?"

"Should it matter?" she replied. "Well, actually, yeah, it does matter in a way. It bugs me. Why couldn't Dad have picked a real wizard to marry instead of…? Well, what can you do, anyway? I'd rather leave it all behind. Thanks for springing me from that prison of a sandwich shop, anyway."

Yes, Voldemort thought, he had made the right choice. He brought her into the Side-Along Apparition.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

Voldemort and Alex appeared in the dining room in the midst of an argument. "Well," Rodolphus yelled at Bellatrix Lestrange, "if that's what you really insist, I don't HAVE to hold you back anymore!"

"Get out," Bellatrix told Rodolphus coldly.

Rodolphus stormed from the room.

"What has happened?" Voldemort asked.

"I just lost two hundred pounds of dead weight," Bellatrix replied calmly. "Besides, death already did us part. Not like I had any obligation to stay with—IS THAT ALEXANDRA?" She stepped backward in shock.

"A parallel version," Voldemort answered. "Different in a few ways, but still quite powerful."

"Nice digs," Alex complimented. "So, what's next?"

"You will undergo the rest of your training alongside Trixie Lulamoon," Voldemort answered. "Bellatrix, how is our little centaur doing?"

"Not shabby. She's picking up magic very well, and we got her to do the Imperius curse on Rosier. She had a few reservations about some of our philosophy, but…we managed to talk her into thinking it over. Turns out that deep down, there's a part of her, always thought there were just some people meant to be better than others."

Voldemort nodded. "I had a feeling Quirrell would be able to reach her in that regard."

Bellatrix made a face. Yes, Quirrell had been the one to finally break through to Trixie and convince her that there was merit in devaluing others, starting her on the road to becoming a killer. No, she hadn't wanted Voldemort to know that. Quirrell seemed to get too much credit from him already. "So. Does this little brat have what it takes?"

"Chillax," Alex replied. "I have more than what it takes for you guys."

"I mean," Bellatrix asserted, "when push comes to shove, what're you going to do when you run into Mudbloods that won't get out of your way?"

Alex showed no sign of conscience when she replied, "Well, I'd get them out of my way."

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

At ten o'clock sharp, six shapes slipped across the darkened fields of Hogwarts grounds.

"It still feels like we're breaking the rules," Twilight voiced worriedly.

"Don't be such a drama queen," Rarity replied. "Everything's squared away with Hagrid and Firenze."

They approached the tree line of the forest, where Hagrid awaited. "Right on time!" he called out. "I'll take you most of the way, but at a certain point, yeh are on yer own."

The seven walked into the thick of the dark woods. Fluttershy recognized the path they'd taken on the way to the fire-crab enclosure—the old gargoyle hatchery—but after sundown it seemed completely different, as though every tree was menacing, as though every shadow was alive.

"Just remember, girls," Twilight said, trying to keep up morale. "If things get scary, we initiate the usual plan and Giggle at the Ghostly."

That lightened the mood considerably.

"Here's where I'll be droppin' yeh off," Hagrid said at last. "Jus' keep goin' in the same direction. Yeh should be fine, but if anythin' goes wrong, send up red sparks like a signal flare, an' I'll come runnin'. I can handle mos' everything in this forest."

"Thank you," Fluttershy said. "We'll see you later, all right?"

Hagrid turned to go back down the path from which they'd come; the six pressed on. They passed through the trees that practically formed dark abyss, wondering when they were to reach their destination. At last, moonlight broke the canopy of trees; a circular clearing was visible. The six stepped out into it before they noticed the centaurs waiting in the shadows at the clearing's edge.

Firenze stepped forward into the moonlight. "I'm glad you have come," he said. One by one, the other centaurs came forward.

"H-hi, everypony," Twilight greeted. "Um…I'm Twilight Sparkle, and—"

"We know who you are," a dark-haired centaur said gruffly.

"There's no need to be curt with them, Bane," another centaur, with lighter hair, reprimanded. "They are quite similar to us, after all." He turned his attention to the six Equestrians. "I am Ronan. Firenze has told us about you."

"He also told us a little bit about you," Twilight said. "But just a little."

"So you are the ones," Bane said coldly.

"What ones?" Pinkie asked sincerely.

"The signs have been read," Bane announced. "Our eyes have been on the stars, and for the first time in many years, we could not make sense of everything we saw."

"I heard," Twilight replied.

"Then you know that what is to come is not of this world," Bane went on. "In fact, I do not believe you are of this world. It is the only explanation for so many things."

"Do not feel you have to disclose every detail," Ronan said. "Your origin is your business. What we consider our business is that you are here."

"So now you know too," Applejack reiterated. "I'm startin' to wonder if it wouldn't just be easier to tell everypony the truth about where we're from. Everypony we met so far is takin' it well."

"That will not always be the case," Firenze cautioned. "You have made a few friends here who are tolerant, but there are also those who would be frightened. May the heavens forbid that Sybil Trelawney know that you are not of this world."

"The point is, your arrival has happened at the same time that the stars have predicted for us several things," Ronan pointed out. "They have spoken to us of a great darkness and also of a great chaos blooming from the cosmos. But they have also spoken of a ray of harmony."

"Between what I have seen of you on campus and the way Minerva McGonagall has treated you," Firenze said, "I believe you six may just be that ray of harmony. If you are not, then your arrival is certainly relevant to the changes that are to come. The patterns in the stars have aligned in a way not seen since before the rise of Voldemort, after all. We believe this to mean that you are not going to be the only otherworldly force to touch this land. Your coming here is a sort of…bridge."

"Firenze is convinced that you are a bridge between many things," Bane huffed. "Between humans and centaurs, for one, given your status on campus. I do not see it, myself, but he has faith."

"A bridge," Twilight repeated softly.

"And that is why we wished to speak to you," Ronan said. "If you are, as Ronan said, a bridge…perhaps you can help to guide this land toward its eventual destiny. And because it will be so similar to what has happened in the past…there are things we know about Hogwarts that have become lost among propaganda. Perhaps you should be the ones to uncover them."

"Hagrid did say you knew about Hogwarts' secrets," Fluttershy recalled. "I'm guessing that some of it has to do with a witch named Eskarina."

"Eskarina Smith was one of many otherworldly visitors," Ronan said. "She came from another school of magic on another world. You see, Hogwarts was founded on the principle that knowledge offered the greatest power of all, and so many came to its gates to take part in the knowledge shared there. Vampires and werewolves. Elves and dwarves. The light and the dark. Masters of the elements. Each left marks on the school. If you can find these marks, they will help you to understand what is going on."

"And in the meantime," Bane sighed, "it would admittedly be beneficial for you to learn OUR ways as well as the humans'. The humans do not know the only way."

"I think I speak for all of us," Twilight said, "when I say we'd LOVE to learn from you!" The other five nodded.

"Is Thursday night convenient?" Firenze asked.

After the six exchanged glances, Rainbow Dash replied, "I think we can swing it."

"In the meantime," Ronan said, "I want to trust you with this first piece of information. Witchcraft has been both revered and reviled by those who associate with light. Hogwarts has offered those closest to the light a place to have sanctuary and worship, but out of bigoted desires, they ultimately shunned the castle. Their sanctuary was one of the many areas closed over. Should you wish to find the Luminary Hall, you need only to cast Lumos in the Eastmost hall of the ninth floor."

"Luminary Hall," Twilight repeated.

"You had best return to the grounds before Hagrid worries," Firenze advised. "We will see you again this time next week."

"Of course," Rarity agreed.

"Thank you for telling us all this," Twilight said. "I promise we won't let you down. I'm kind of surprised you trust us with all this."

"You have the stars on your side," Firenze reminded her. "Your name, as well, Miss Sparkle. The twilight is the area between two opposing points. Between humanity and centaurs, between light seekers and witches, between wizards and Muggles. Perhaps I am giving you too much of a burden to bear, but I believe you have the strength to bear such a name. Not alone, of course. No one could, alone. That is why you all have each other."

* * *

The six passed Hagrid on their way out, nodding to him as they moved back toward the castle in the dark.

"Just one thing bothers me," Twilight said. "They mentioned a great darkness. And I bet that's Maleficent. But they ALSO mentioned a great chaos. You don't think—"

"Hagrid said that the last time he heard rumors that an enemy was around, they turned out to be true," Fluttershy said.

"Didn't Hermione, Ginny, or Luna say the same thing?" Applejack recalled.

"I'm just thinking that we might have to deal with some old faces from our past," Twilight thought out loud. "I hoped not, but…well. No use in worrying over things that haven't happened…right?" Her eye twitched even as she said that.

"Hey, Rainbow!" Pinkie said suddenly. "What's wrong? You're real quiet!"

"It's nothing," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"What is it, dear?" Rarity prodded.

"I don't wanna say," Rainbow Dash replied.

"You know you can trust us with anything," Applejack reminded her.

"But I don't want to be rude," Rainbow Dash shot back.

"Just say it," Twilight commanded.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Firenze made such a big deal out of YOU and YOUR name, okay? And he made it sound like we were all just your sidekicks. But I guess it's always been that way. Even the Elements gave you the big crown thingy before they were fixed into our necklaces. I know I shouldn't be mad. I just…I kind of like being important, okay? That should be kind of obvious by now. I'd rather be your friend than have the chance to be better than you, Twilight, and I'm with you to the end, but sometimes I just want a little recognition, okay?"

"I understand," Twilight replied. "I'm not the most important, all right? The Elements worked that way because my Element was the sixth. It couldn't have existed without the other five, remember? And while Firenze was right about my name, he left a lot out. For one, a name doesn't define a pony. Maybe I can live up to that name. Maybe not. But for another, 'Twilight' isn't the only name that has a big meaning. I mean, have you ever thought about 'Rainbow'? A rainbow is when all colors come together. They don't even have to be bridged by the twilight. They exist in peace, though each color is different. And everypony admires how awesome they are. Kinda like how everypony admires you once they see what you can do. You're not my sidekick. None of you are. We're probably going to end up being heroes together…but I wouldn't even be surprised if you ended up being the one to save us all, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash smiled at that. "Thanks, Twilight."

"And hey," Applejack added, "you are the only one of us who has a starring role in the big Quidditch match against Slytherin."

"Right!" Rainbow Dash remembered. "You're all going to be there, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Applejack asserted, and the others nodded assent.

"It will be hard having to cheer against my home team, especially with my dear friend Flora playing Seeker," Rarity admitted, "but in all honesty, I hope you beat Slytherin so quickly, they won't have the first clue as to what happened!"

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

For Charon, it was just another day at work. A thankless job, he had to ferry in the majority of new souls. However, they were all simply going to be dumped unceremoniously into the Styx, unless Hades (or his new assistant, the one who sat on the throne that had once belonged to Queen Persephone) was feeling particularly angry, happy, or creative…or any strong emotion at all, really…and came up with a good punishment for the souls in Tartarus. The only way anyone got into Elysium, Valhalla, or any of the other afterlives was through trickery. Thankfully, there was enough of that to go around. Osiris and Hel were both major partakers in the smuggling of souls, and Hecate was glad to lend a hand wherever it would hurt Hades (not that she actually cared what happened to the souls of the dead, but whatever angered Hades made her happy). Ever since Persephone had gone, Charon lamented, and Hades had…changed, everything had gone downhill for Charon. All he had to do was take the dead up to the dumpster, where Hades would just tally them up and chuck them in without a word to the ferryman. At least he'd gotten used to the routine. All the sights, all the boring steps.

Which was why, as Charon rowed his vessel down the Styx to the central palace of Bardo—the neutral space in the Underworld from which Hades directed operations—he had to stop and adjust the sunglasses that covered his eyes, each of which was made up of a miniature mouth lined with several fangs. Despite this, his vision was perfect, but even he had doubts when he saw the draconequus speed past him in a motorboat and wave gleefully.

If Charon had been the drinking type, he would have dumped all his alcohol into the Styx then and there.

Discord steered right up the bank of the palace at Bardo, ramming the boat into the rocky shore so hard it dented. He'd figured out what was "wrong" with Kyubey and how his world was different. The way to get the old Kyubey and his old ways back lay here, in Bardo. A fun little hurdle Discord had to jump over.

He strode toward the stairs to walk up into the central rooms. However, his path was immediately blocked when two small demons ran down the stairs. Discord had to put a paw over his mouth to keep from bursting into laughter. One of the demons was a squat, magenta thing, while the other was teal and rail-thin. Neither was over a foot tall. And these were the guard dogs of Hades?

"HALT!" the magenta one cried. "You're not allowed up there!"

"Oh, did I forget to make a reservation?" Discord replied dramatically. "Well, that is most certainly my mistake!"

"Th-th-there aren't reservations," the teal one said with a reptilian flicker of the tongue. "You aren't part of the Underworld! So…you can't go up there!"

"And who says?" Discord wondered out loud.

"Pain!" the magenta one answered.

"Aaaand Panic!" the teal one chimed in.

"Pain and Panic?" Discord repeated. "Well, those are two things I like. Now, if only I happened to be a force that was equal to both of them, or stronger…oh, wait! I'm DISCORD!"

"YOU'RE DISCORD?" the pair of demons replied before clutching each other in terror.

"I see my reputation precedes me," Discord giggled. "I'm guessing you aren't REALLY incarnations of pain and panic. In fact, you're new. When I was down here last, you weren't around. Did Hades drive up security? Oh, well, no matter. I'll just take what I came for and—"

He attempted to step around the quivering demons, but Pain leapt out in front of him, shifting into a swaying serpent that met him at eye level. "I don't care if you're Discord, Doubt, or Diarrhea! NOBODY gets into Lord Hades' palace without his permission!"

"Oh, please." Discord snapped his fingers, and the fangs protruding from Pain's mouth all fell out. He pushed Pain aside with a burst of strength not found in mortals. He then strode up the stairs.

"Ohhhhh no you don't!" Panic also became a snake, rushing up the stairs. The next thing he knew, Discord was twirling him about by the end of the tail, yelling "WHEEEEE!" before letting Panic fly and plunge into the Styx some distance away.

"PANIC!" Pain rushed toward his fallen comrade while Discord continued up the stairs.

Pain stood at the bank to fish Panic out of the waters when he floated up; both were again in their demon forms. "Oh man!" Panic moaned. "What are we gonna do? That guy's gonna—"

"What guy?"

Pain and Panic let out twin squeals at the sight of Hades' assistant, the one who filled in for Persephone. The tall, thin man looked down upon them with a mixture of preemptive anger and curiosity.

The two of them answered by pointing up the stairs and yelling "DISCORD!"

He started on his own way up the stairs. Behind him, he heard Pain calling out, "Be careful! He's one of the Old Ones!"

"Oh, I know about Old Ones," he muttered in return, though the demons couldn't hear them. "It'll be more than a pleasure to catch up with old friends."

* * *

THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAINS, THE ENCHANTED DOMINION

"Angel of Darkness?" Hades asked Maleficent. "Isn't that, you know, a little pretentious?"

"Not for the one to whom all the cosmos will bow," Maleficent answered calmly. "However, my curiosity is peaked. Did you leave those two bumbling fools called Pain and Panic in charge of the Underworld while you came here, or did you pass the keys on to one of your subordinates?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Hades put up his hands. "I did NOT leave the Underworld in the hands of any of those idiots. You would not BELIEVE the stroke of luck I've had! Okay, so get this. You know the Loa? The Old Ones that make all the voodoo deals with mortals? Well, apparently they made a deal with this guy that made them SO angry, they actually brought him BACK in time in the Underworld to drop him off at my door so he'd have MORE eternity to be punished. Like eternity gets any longer if you just send him in at 1920 A.D.! And apparently they also did the usual torture to him, you know, the soul-splitting agony they put deal-breakers through in the first place, but they want me to give him an EXTRA sentence. You just have to wonder what the HECK this guy did!

"Anyway, this soul gets dumped on my doorstep, and I, y'know, I haven't been having that bad of a day for once, so I start thinking about what I can do to this guy. I mean, if the Loa wanted him punished THAT BADLY, it doesn't seem fair to just drop him in the Styx with the others. So I start thinking about what I can give this guy in Tartarus. Strap him to a wheel of fire? The rolling-the-rock-up-the-mountain bit? Put him in a pool of water that dries up whenever he tries to drink it? But those all just seem so overdone by now. And I don't want anyone to think I'm getting predictable.

"While I'm thinking, this guy tries to talk me out of it. Calls me his friend, starts kissing up to me, blah blah blah, the whole schpiel, when he gets to the story of how he actually turned up there and suddenly, I'm listening. I mean, this guy, he's actually got a brain in his head. And an ambition. I like that.

"So I start thinking. Because I am actually starting to like this guy. And I figure out EXACTLY where I want him. Now, the Loa might think I went soft on him, but what's that they say? Haters gonna hate? Anyway, as you very well remember, due to unfortunate circumstances, the throne of the queen of the Underworld has been rather disappointingly EMPTY. So basically, I'm not just doing the worst job in the cosmos, I am doing the worst TWO-GOD job in the cosmos as a one-god gig. The late great Persephone's life wasn't all moonshine and asphodel, though. There's order to keep. Lists to maintain. Tallies. Punishment records. Paperwork. Sure, the job comes with a cozy title and a few perks, but it is a JOB.

"Now, I know what you're thinking. It's just a job, really. I have no intention of marrying this guy or anything. He doesn't even have to be called 'Queen'. We're still working out the title details. Back in the mortal world, he tended to like 'Doctor', but I'm not sure that's entirely appropriate for this gig. Anyway, I decide not to punish the guy in Tartarus or the Styx, but to split up the responsibility of the Underworld with him. And he starts doing the job with flying colors. I even hand him a few godlike abilities so he can keep the escapees in check. You should see him fry the ones that try to pull a runner! And that's who's looking after things right now. The only person I can actually trust with that job."

"So basically," Gothel reiterated, "you made one of the souls you were supposed to punish into the second highest ranking entity in the Underworld because he talked you into it?"

"And you have a problem with this?" Hades raised an eyebrow at Gothel.

"No," Gothel admitted. "Just making sure I'm following along. This gets complicated, after all."

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

A pair of midnight-blue doors parted, and Discord peered down the corridor. The far walls of the wide hallway were lined with alcoves containing various items of divine value—Lethe river water, a gleaming helmet that appeared transparent from some angles, glistening pomegranates. However, Discord's attention was drawn to the centerpiece at the end of the hallway. The small glass vial was suspended in a beam of light at the center of a column made of the bones and skulls of the dead.

Discord walked up to the column, looking at the vial. Small and unassuming, it contained a bubbling pink liquid and was capped with a skull-shaped stopper. This was, Discord knew, the potion that Hades had used to turn Hercules from a god into a mortal—in this timeline, anyway. And that was if you accepted the validity of the boy's "godhood" in the first place. In any case, Discord knew that once a potion that powerful was used, the great Lord of the Dead wouldn't waste any time replacing his supply in case he needed it again. It was this potion that Discord had come for.

He grasped it, tossing it up and down. He clenched it in his fist until it disappeared into his personal Hammerspace, unseen until he wanted it back. Then he turned to leave only to find that the doors were closed.

Between Discord and the doors stood a human man, rail-thin, with dark skin, a few visible curls of ebony hair beneath his top hat, and eyes that stared with intent. Discord had to suppress a laugh. The purple and black suit this man wore reminded him of the god known as Baron Samedi, who this human most certainly was not. In addition to that, the man clutched a long cane, though he didn't seem to need it for walking.

"So," the human remarked. "Thought you could get away with stealing Hades' things."

"Oh, well, I would have asked," Discord said with a shrug, "but Hades seems to have stepped out. Then again, I would have taken it even if he HAD said no, but asking only seemed polite. And who exactly are you to care?"

"The one who watches over this base of operations when Hades is away," the man replied. "You could call me the second-in-command Lord of the Dead. 'Shadow Man' is also fine."

"So you're the new Persephone?" Discord asked. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her around. Whatever DID become of her?"

"That would be none of your business. Now, we can do this the easy way, and you can put that vial back where you found it. Or we can—"

"EXCUSE me?" Now Discord laughed. "Do you even KNOW who you're talking to? I'm Discord. Spirit of chaos."

"Never heard of you," the man replied, "but I know what kind of things you can do. I only ended up down here because I crossed the wrong Old Ones. But lucky for me, Hades gave me a bit of an upgrade in power to make sure this kind of thing didn't happen."

"Oh, whatever, New Persephone."

"If we're gonna be on real-name terms, DISCORD, you're going to call me Dr. Facilier."

"Somehow I doubt you have a medical license."

"ENOUGH!" Facilier, angered, lifted his cane into the air. The sphere at the top crackled with blue plasma. "You're still in my world, not yours! And I don't need help from ANYONE to take on the likes of you!"

He used the cane to blast a wave of blue fire at Discord. Discord's eyes widened as he took in the magnitude of the attack Facilier had peformed; he hadn't been exaggerating about getting an upgrade from Hades. He didn't have time to dodge the flames.

Facilier smirked proudly as the fire engulfed Discord…and then the smile faded when he realized that Discord was just standing there, on fire, not damaged at all.

"I suppose I should thank you," Discord teased. "After all, it was starting to get drafty in here."

Facilier responded by planting the cane on the floor, drawing dark energy toward it. Once he'd built up enough, he sent it out toward Discord in tendrils.

Discord tied the curls of darkness into knots before they could strangle him. "I think it's time we get rid of that," he said, raising his claw and clenching it. The cane, surrounded by the red aura of Discord's energy, flew out of Facilier's hands and into Discord's.

Discord flinched; the removal of Facilier's preferred conduit didn't dull his powers. The self-proclaimed Shadow Man was then engulfed in flame himself, a manifestation of his anger. "Now you'll learn NOT to disrespect me!" he yelled, rushing Discord and striking out at him. His fist connected with Discord's jaw, and this time, Discord could actually feel the pain from the burning fire.

Discord ducked, attempting to slide around Facilier and make a beeline for the doors, but found himself unable to move from the spot where he stood. He felt a pressure on his throat. Turning to look, he saw Facilier, still aflame, proudly standing over Discord's shadow, on the area of the neck. In this way, he kept Discord pinned in place. Had Discord known Faciler's history, he might have known that this was a power that had been stripped from him by the Loa and given back to him by Hades.

"Well, this is unfortunate," Discord lamented.

Then came the rain of flames. Fireball after fireball, Facilier threw them at Discord, and Discord felt blasts of searing pain with each one.

Then they stopped. Confused, Facilier looked at his hands. They were covered in fuzzy pink mittens that blocked the flames. Discord burst into laughter.

"I designed them myself!" Discord guffawed.

Facilier removed the mittens, throwing them to the ground. Discord snapped his fingers. Gravity reversed; he and Facilier were thrown to the ceiling. This broke Facilier's hold on Discord's shadow; Discord made for the door with a cry of "Learn the meaning of 'chaos'!"

As Discord wrenched the doors open, Facilier ran along the ceiling, leaping toward the rogue draconequus. He threw a jet of bright blue flame, and it sank into Discord's shadow, causing Discord to temporarily contort in shock.

"I've had just about enough of this game," Discord sighed. He drew a bubble wand from seemingly nowhere, blowing into it to send a hail of soap bubbles into the air.

Facilier found that gravity had been restored to normal, at some whim of Discord's, and he strode angrily toward his new enemy, attempting to say, "I will NOT be DEMEANED—"

He touched the first bubble. Whatever it was made of, it certainly wasn't soap. It exploded violently, causing the rest of the bubbles to go off in a chain reaction. Facilier was thrown into the now empty skeleton column by the impact.

Discord couldn't stop laughing as he forced the doors open and left the corridor.

Facilier rushed after him, only to see his tail flicker around the edge of the doorway out of the throne room of the palace of Bardo. Instead of giving chase—he knew he would lose—Facilier ran to the window. It was time to call in the soul that was trained for this.

"DAN!" he barked.

From the swirling of the Styx, a single soul emerged: a muscular man dressed in a black-and-white suit like that of a superhero, with a white "D" emblazoned on his chest and a flowing cape attached to his shoulders. He also wore bronze epaulets on his shoulders—gifts from Hades. His skin was a teal color that contrasted with his blazing white flame of hair and his blood-red eyes.

"An Old One just made off with one of Hades' potions," Facilier told him. "He's on his way to the exit right now."

The red-eyed man smiled, revealing fangs. "I'll handle him."

Then this spirit, known to most as "Dark Danny," sped off in flight on a path that would intercept with Discord's.

* * *

THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAIN, THE ENCHANTED DOMINION

"…but as if that wasn't good enough," Hades continued, "you would NOT believe what happened to me in the same week that Facilier turned up. Okay, so apparently, in some lost timeline, some weird stuff went on, two guys that were half ghost fused their ghost halves, the result was an abomination of a ghost that wanted to destroy everything and created a temporal paradox to make sure of his existence, yada yada yada, the point is, this ghost, Dark Danny, has a bloodthirst like nothing I have EVER seen. Anyway, he was so much of a threat that everyone's favorite timekeeper ghost, Clockwork—" Hades rolled his eyes "—locked him up outside the main space-time continuum so he wouldn't hurt anybody. But, as it turns out, one of Death's little death-lings ended up creating an even more powerful monster that almost destroyed the entire cosmos. And who would've thought? So Clockwork let Dark Danny go in order to kill that thing. And it worked.

"So, multiverse spared from the giant monster Death's kid made, Dark Danny had nowhere to go. And given that he and I see timelines more as guidelines than actual rules, our paths crossed. After proving that I am in fact a god and he shouldn't try to mess with me if he doesn't want a one-way trip to the bowels of Tartarus, I offered Dark Danny a job as captain of my guard. Imagine that! A second in command ruler AND a captain of the guard in the same week!"

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

The motorboat pealed out of the vicinity of the palace, speeding down the Styx at top speed. Discord leaned back, steering the boat with his feet.

Dark Danny landed on the front of the boat hard enough that it almost tipped forward, nearly spilling Discord into the Styx. "This is as far as you go," Dark Danny warned.

"Oh, really?" Discord raised an eyebrow.

Dark Danny smiled, showing his fangs. "Really."

Discord didn't expect the shockwave that came next. He was thrown out of the boat, plunged into the Styx several yards away. He bobbed up to the surface, spitting green water. Souls clutched at him, tearing at his skin, begging him to release them from their prison.

Dark Danny floated above Discord. "It looks like even the Old Ones are weak against the Ghostly Wail," he remarked.

"You know," Discord said, annoyed, "I could have just Apparated out of here as soon as I got my potion. But I didn't. Do you want to know why?"

"Humor me, draconequus."

"Because the journey is just too much fun. And that includes THIS!"

Discord pumped his wings, flying up out of the water to face Dark Danny at eye level. He snapped his fingers. A tidal wave roared up from the river of souls, sweeping over Dark Danny and driving him down into the waters.

Discord made for the exit once more, flying over the motorboat—he would just leave that there for Charon to clean up—and sailing toward the portal that led from the Underworld up to the realm of mortals. He was suddenly tackled from behind by Dark Danny, who put him in a headlock in midair. The momentum of the pair's flight and their struggle turned them head over feet again and again as Discord squirmed and Danny attempted to get a good enough grip that he could just lay a beatdown on his rogue opponent.

Then the spinning became faster and faster. Dark Danny became disoriented, and he realized far too late that Discord was speeding up their momentum. He let go. That was the wrong choice.

Dark Danny was flung back toward the palace at incredible speed, and Discord was free to head for the exit.

"Well, that was fun," Discord remarked before starting on the climb up to the realm of mortals.

Back in the throne room, Dark Danny stormed in to where Facilier was checking over records while sitting on Persephone's old throne. "It had better be good news," Facilier growled.

"He bested me," Dark Danny replied with equal venom in his voice, "but it will not happen again. We need to mobilize every spare soul. If that draconequus tries to come down here again…we'll stuff his skin and set him up in the dining hall."

"And I suppose you want me to be the one to tell Lord Hades."

"There's a greater chance he won't incinerate you. He likes you. Look at where you're sitting, after all."

"And you'd let him believe you were afraid, even of him?"

"At this point, I can't afford to make an enemy of him." Dark Danny shrugged. "He's still the Lord of the Dead, and I am still the dead. But you know he won't make an enemy of you." That last remark said seethingly.

"Fine," Facilier resolved, throwing down the scrolls he looked over. "Either way, that 'Discord' has just made some very powerful enemies."

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

Madoka wasn't like other goddesses. She did not call any of the usual territories home—not Olympus, not Asgard, not Bardo. Instead, she contented herself to flow amongst the fabric of the universe, feeling its expanse. It was, for her, a beautiful existence, with no need to worry, no need to eat or drink or feel pain…only the ability to watch the cosmos and to absorb the pain of those she had become the patron of. True, there was still much sorrow in the multiverse…but she had taken away the pain of many with her choice to ascend to godhood. She had given hope.

She had no idea that such hope could be taken away as easily as floating through a pink mist.

She still retained somewhat of a definable form, even as she floated on the higher plane. This form passed through the mist and mixed with it. Suddenly, a great pull, as though a drain had been opened and Madoka's soul was rushing down like water…

* * *

MITAKIHARA, 30TH EARTH

Madoka lay on the grass of the riverbank, looking up into the midnight sky. She hadn't touched earthly ground since her last wish. The sensation of physical feeling terrified her.

She sat up. She was small…the size of a fourteen-year-old girl. Her skin felt the pressure of the ground upon which she lay and the chill of the air. She looked down at herself to find that she wore a school uniform. She reached up; her pink hair was bound into two pigtails by purple ribbons. She was, in fact, a fourteen-year-old girl.

"NO!" she cried out.

"Really?" a voice asked. "I would've thought you would be happy."

Madoka stood and turned to see a strange creature—part dragon, part equine, part many other animals—standing beside her on the bank.

"After all," Discord said, "I've given you your old life back. Your family remembers you, and it's as if they never forgot. Walpurgisnacht is defeated, and everyone remembers it as a passing storm. Your old friends Homura, Mami, and Kyoko are all here. Oh, and I have one more little gift for you. You should be thanking me."

Madoka looked down at her right hand, where she saw a familiar ring encircling her index finger—a ring with a pink stone implanted in it. At the very sight of it, she began to cry. "Why?" she sobbed. "Why…am I alive?"

"Oh, yes, that," Discord remarked. "That was for my own benefit. You see, with you out there absorbing all the energy from the Mahou Shoujo that forged contracts with Kyubey in this timeline, not to mention the other ones, you were getting in the way of having some fun with some Mahou Shoujo of my own choice. Now things can go back to the way I liked them. The Mahou Shoujo, the witches, and good riddance to that ugly timeline where everything was…HAPPY." Discord stuck out his tongue.

"But how could you?" Madoka bawled. "You've ruined everything! Now Kyoko and Mami and Homura will have to suffer and die!"

"You don't know that. This is, after all, after Walpurgisnacht. We'll see how things go. Either way, it should be entertaining to watch."

"THAT'S WHY YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL?" Madoka screamed. "BECAUSE IT ENTERTAINS YOU?"

"No," Discord corrected. "I've pitted you against potential doom because it entertains me. There's a difference. You might lose…again. You might win…again. Anyway, now that Kyubey is the Kyubey I know and love, I have business with him. But before I go, I should give you my last gift. After all, the game is more fun when there are more players." He held out the Resurrection Stone. "Do you know what this is?"

"Is that…your soul gem?"

"Silly Madoka. I don't need one of those. This is the Resurrection Stone. With a few adjustments, I made it able to bring anyone I wanted back from the dead, so long as they died in the traditional way. If I recall, you had a best friend who died tragically after causing a lot of delicious chaos."

"Are you…are you saying…"

Discord stepped aside. Madoka stared into the face of another girl, the same age as herself and wearing the same uniform. Her soft blue hair stood out against her pale skin. She, too, wore the ring on her finger, but with a blue stone inset.

"Sayaka…?" Madoka asked, not sure if she was seeing reality or an illusion.

"Madoka!" Sayaka cried. "I don't understand! I was dead! I became…and then you…"

"I'll leave you two to catch up," Discord said. "Have fun with your new lives!"

He vanished, leaving Madoka and Sayaka to lament the fate that had been brought upon their world.

* * *

HOGSMEADE, FOURTH EARTH

After hopping from place to place, Lucius Malfoy had settled upon a place in which to hide. Narcissa and Draco made him swear that this would be the last move. "After all," as Draco had pointed out, "they weren't able to find us in any of the last ten places we hid. When will you stop being paranoid?"

"When I am sure we are safe," Lucius answered, matter-of-fact.

So they appeared within the Shrieking Shack. "No one would think to look for us here," Narcissa remarked. "Not after all that's happened…"

"We can't keep running like cowards," Draco snapped at his father, failing to notice the hypocrisy in his own words. "Sooner or later, we'll need to turn around and give these assassins a taste of their own medicine."

Before Lucius could make another rebuttal, there was a creak from upstairs.

"We may not be alone," Lucius whispered.

On feet as light as a dancer's, Lucius crept toward the room from whence he'd heard the noise. He eased the door open. He looked, beholding what was beyond.

From downstairs, Narcissa and Draco heard him cry out, "Bloody HELL!"

* * *

Chapter 28:

· There's a slight imbalance here in that the villains are having great multicrossover adventures while the heroes are trying out for sports and doing homework. I have no excuse for this.

· There were only three open Quidditch positions after Deathly Hallows. One was Chaser, which I see Dash as. One is Keeper. Ellie Gray is my OC. Not that I plan to develop her actual character or anything. One is Seeker, of course, and this was the most important. Ty Dunbar is my OC, but he's based on an existing HP concept. Apparently, there was a girl in Harry's year (this is canon) by the name of Faye Dunbar who wanted desperately to be a Beater on the Quidditch team but never even got to try out. I thought I'd make that up to her by giving the most important spot to a family member of hers that I invented. And yes, they have the kind of brother-sister relationship where it ISN'T a slap in the face for Ty to get the spot Faye never got. I'm calling this now.

· Trelawney wears glitter shawls because I went as her for Halloween once and wore every piece of glitter clothing I owned. Firenze is cloaked because I couldn't remember if he wore one on faculty business or not. I'm sure McGonagall didn't want the students to be distracted by his shirtlessness anymore…anyway, the way it works: Trelawney teaches NOTHING and still lives at the castle because she's like family to the staff. Firenze may have been accepted back into his herd, but he still teaches Divination at Hogwarts during the school year. Though this wasn't stated explicitly, I feel like this is how Rowling would have wanted it.

· I hate the centaur design from the HP movies. I apologize if that's Fantastic Racism on my part. But I don't see the point in making their human halves actually look more like some type of elf. In fact, I feel like that conscious decision by the filmmakers alienates them even more from humanity. Though I'm sure that wasn't the intent. In my HPverse, centaurs look like half humans and half horses, like I'm sure you all pictured when you first read the books (if you read them before the movies, and I'm not judging you if you didn't). Oh, and I picked all the centaurs' hair colors at random because I don't think they were described. If they were, and I'm wrong, my bad.

· I drop a lot of "Wait for it…"s in this chapter. See Rarity admitting nervously that she had an interest in Transfiguration when she was a foal? REMEMBER THAT.

· Soap Blizzard of 1378 = canon in HP. Look it up if you don't believe me!

· So I finally explain how WOWP fits into this. In my headcanon, Wizards of Waverly Place is a Harry Potter AU where Harry was killed as a young'un and Voldemort rules the world. Why else are there stupid laws like only one child with powers per wizarding family? (I know that doesn't match his ideals, but it just seems a nasty thing to do and Voldemort is known for nasty, so yeah.) Why else would someone like ALEX be considered the GOOD end of the moral spectrum and someone like STEVIE be EVIL?

· In fact, young Tom Riddle x Alex is one of my favorite ships. So what happened is that in the HPverse (Fourth Earth), Alex was Tom's girlfriend and part of the original Death Eaters. In WOWP, she wasn't born at that time, and was born waaaay later, to an American family of mixed wizard/Muggle marriage. I'm not sure what event to pin the butterfly effect on for the WOWP world, but that's how I want it to go.

· The saddest part is, I can actually believe Selena Gomez saying all that stuff about killing people.

· The first flashback is when Tom released the Basilisk for the first time, if that wasn't clear. And the statue of Slytherin is full-body, not just a face, because that's what I pictured when I read the books. The rest of the chamber is like in the movie because I do like the snake-hall design.

· The second flashback, with the Ponyville Library? REMEMBER THIS. It's going to be part of an important backstory that I'll get to when it becomes relevant. The green pegasus is my OC (one I actually care about developing) and was the previous librarian before Twilight (the murder takes place the DAY before Twilight turned up in Ponyville, and this explains why the library was empty when she got there…).

· I knew from the start…like, when I was even tossing around the idea of doing this story overall…that I wanted Fluttershy and Hagrid to be great friends.

· Pretty sure Fluttershy hasn't seen anyone die. I don't even think I killed anyone in this fic. (Too busy bringing back people who shouldn't even be alive.) So thestrals are invisible to her.

· Fluttershy's manticore story is a reference to the very first MLPFIM two-parter episode, where she tames a manticore so the six can progress through the woods to find Nightmare Moon.

· And more of my crossovery Hogwarts backstory is revealed. The shed was actually inspired by something in one of the HP licensed games. There was a gargoyle in it. So I thought…why not have there be a Hogwarts Clan, Gargoyles-style? And the Strike is a canon event in the HPverse (though we don't know the details of it). I find it believable that they left for other worlds because humans were being jerks to them. Not to say that all humans are jerks. Anyway, it's canon in Gargoyles that clans work that way—entire generations hatch together and no parental claims are made. They live as a giant family.

· The Wiggentree is also from the licensed games, as is Wiggenweld healing potion. And you guessed it…in this canon, all unnamed "potions" in RPGs are, in this universe, Wiggenweld, and they originally were all exported out from Fourth Earth.

· Eskarina Smith is from the Discworld books (particularly "Equal Rites"; she was also in "I Shall Wear Midnight", but I haven't read that one yet). She studied at the Unseen University, the wizarding school in that universe. She was initially denied access because she was a woman, but she was actually given at birth the designated "wizard" powers that are supposed to go to men on the Disc instead of getting "witch" powers. I see her and Hagrid as getting along really well.

· For now, this is all I have planned to see of the WOWP world itself. I'm not saying no to there EVER being an arc with it, but there are roughly 2000 other works I'd rather do stories about first, and it would have to be a story centered around Alex being a death eater and why things on that world just don't WORK.

· I actually think pedophilia is across Voldemort's Moral Event Horizon. He wouldn't do it. And I needed an excuse to both do and sink the Tom/Alex ship anyway. BTW, just because he says he'll never be weak to lust/love again doesn't mean that it won't happen. Or that the person he'll fall for isn't IN HIS FACTION ALREADY.

· I know, I know. A child conceived of a love potion shouldn't be able to love. I'm just retconning that right out because I didn't actually remember/know that when I wrote this arc, and I don't want to kill the development I have for Voldy ship-wise.

· So I remembered that Bellatrix's last name is Lestrange because she's married…I just divorced her and Rodolphus.

· So in the licensed games, there are a lot of hidden chambers, like obstacle courses, you have to go through to learn spells. They always had so much intricate decoration that looked meaningful to me. So I'm taking the chance to use them to make my crossovery backstory for Hogwarts even more complicated by making them actually mean something. Luminary Hall will be the first.

· I wanted to draw that parallel to Twilight's name for a looooong time. But at the same time, I don't want it to be all like TWILIGHT IS THE MAIN CHARACTER AND EVERYONE ELSE IS JUST SIDEKICKS. Because all six ARE important. Yes, Twilight's destiny is a little more…complicated…than the others', but I have things I want to do with all of them. All six are important.

· "Bardo" is a Buddhist term for the in-between of the afterlife. It basically means a neutral state. I'm using it to house "administrative" places in the Underworld that aren't part of actual afterlives.

· This design of Charon, with the teeth in his eyes, is from The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.

· Hades is my king of Underworld gods here, but the other Underworld gods work for him. Osiris, Hel, Anubis, etc. And Hecate lives down there.

· Where did Persephone go? Spoilers. Anyway, I'm using it as a backstory for Hades' motivations—that losing someone you thought was your immortal companion can make you kind of not care about hurting the immortal souls you're supposed to be taking care of. So Hades either chucks them in the Styx or puts them in Tartarus. Souls DO still get to Elysium, Valhalla, etc. by other means. Most of which mean routing Hades.

· I said some weird stuff about Hercules, this timeline, and godhood. REMEMBER IT.

· The motorboat was partially inspired by a YouTube video entitled "Discord Found a Motorboat," where Discord is riding a motorboat pulled by Steven Magnet (the flamboyant water dragon from the first 2-part ep of MLPFIM) as "In the Navy" plays. It was also inspired by my desire to just see someone drive a motorboat down the Styx.

· Discord and Hades know each other from olden days, but Pain and Panic were hired after Discord was first turned to stone in his timeline. (Note: not everything Discord did before petrification was in the past. He time danced. See: anything to do with the starship Enterprise.)

· Pain and Panic are in name only and NOT incarnations of either.

· Enter Dr. Facilier. I knew I wanted him with Hades for a long time. Actually, this goes all the way back to when I first watched Princess and the Frog. I figure that if the Loa (a certain faction of voodoo gods) are going to take you anywhere for punishment, you'll be dropped in the Underworld from Hercules. Such is the Disneyverse in my head. So I added in a bit that the Loa did torment Facilier on their own before putting him in Hades' timeline because otherwise, he just wouldn't have met any consequences for his actions, pretty much. I mean, I knew I wanted him and Hades in close quarters. I thought about Hades punishing Facilier by making him a servant, but that seemed to have Unfortunate Implications (Hades may not be white, but he isn't black either). But here's the thing: I SHIP HADES/FACILIER LIKE CRAZY. So Hades basically gave Facilier Persephone's old position and the responsibilities she had as queen of the dead. It's "punishment" because ruling an Underworld is hard work. But really, Facilier gets to live in the palace of Bardo and not suffer the torment of Tartarus or the Styx. And he and Hades are friends. So he's got a sweet deal.

· Decided the Loa are Old Ones.

· I'll flesh out the concept of Hammerspace later. It's a term used among gamers to explain where the weapons of RPG characters go when not in use. Or their inventory, which is huge despite the fact that you don't see them lugging around giant suitcases.

· I had to give Facilier an entirely new skill set because the Loa (again, they were never called that in the movie—I figured out the term through my own research) would have taken away his shadow powers. His new powers are based on Hades' own because that's what Hades would have given him—fire and darkness. (The darkness can be credited in part to Maleficent.) And some shadow power, because Hades and I thought he needed a little bit of it back. Oh, and it's canon that Facilier's outfit is based on Baron Samedi. (Discord thinks it's hilarious when humans try to act like they're gods.)

· Dark Danny. This was admittedly a more recent idea I had based on a friend's suggestion once of Dark Danny and Hades as a ship. Dark Danny is the most powerful villain in Danny Phantom. He's made up of the ghost halves of protagonist Danny and antagonist Vlad. His power, the "Ghostly Wail", is basically a sonic boom that messes everything up. He loves violence so much, I had to make him into Hades' captain of the guard. It works too well. He and Hades also have similar hairdos.

· He would actually have quarters on land in Bardo, but I couldn't resist the imagery of him rising from the Styx. I also almost gave him a spear, but then I realized Dark Danny wouldn't need or even want one.

· I'm going to be using a lot of Grim Tales from Down Below and Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi as canon here because they're so popular and well put together. In canon, Dark Danny was sealed away in time. In the webcomic "Grim Tales from Down Below", Dark Danny was released by Clockwork because he was needed to destroy a hell-monster that almost destroyed existence. After that, he was free to do what he wanted. I'm taking that as canon here. (And yes. He did have an affair with the adult version of Mandy from Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.)

· You probably thought I was going to keep relations between the Overtakers and Discord okay since they teamed up in Corona. Well, so did I, at first. Politics between villains are complicated. Some alliances are certain while others are not.

· Puella Magi Madoka Magica ends with Madoka solving the problems and reversing the system of Magical Girls by becoming a goddess and changing the fate of Magical Girls. I'm going to keep that fate under wraps because if you don't know it, it WILL make a more surprising reveal for this story. Anyway, the timeline where Discord first entered Mitakihara depends on Madoka being a goddess and absorbing the Magical Girls' fates. That's why he took the potion from Hades, which we know turns gods into mortals. Turning her back reversed the timeline.

· Walpurgisnacht was the final enemy in PMMM. Basically, we're now in the old timeline of PMMM as though Walpurgisnacht were defeated and all the Magical Girls lived, though their fates are…still doomed.

· It seems like Discord did a good deed by bringing Madoka and Sayaka back. Trust me. The ramifications of that on the PMMM world are TERRIBLE. And we'll get there.

· He brought back Sayaka because…well, my explanation is that he liked how much chaos she caused in PMMM and thought she'd be fun. My real reason? It's not a complete set without Sayaka. I couldn't stand to have her stay dead. (Note: the Resurrection Stone routs Hades completely. He doesn't have any control over who Discord pulls through the modification he did on that thing.)


	29. The Luminary Hall

29: The Luminary Hall

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The Quidditch pitch bleachers were filled up with raucously cheering students and staff beneath a clear blue sky and warm sun. Anticipation ran thick as the crowd waited for the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams to rush out on their broomsticks.

"I still can't believe you're going traitor on us," Stevie teased Rarity.

"But the Chaser is THE Rainbow Dash!" Rarity teased back.

Rarity, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy had snagged seats together, and before they knew it, Stevie, Hestia, Luna, and Hermione had filtered in around them. Luna showed her support for Gryffindor by wearing a giant lion-shaped hat that roared whenever she prompted it via enchantment; Fluttershy found this very entertaining.

"LOOK! LOOKLOOKLOOK!" Pinkie Pie pointed down toward the field excitedly. The teams had walked out onto the grass, mounting their brooms. The Quaffle was tossed, and they were off.

Rainbow Dash raced for the Quaffle as soon as it hit the air. Before she knew it, the ball was in her arms, and she was taking it toward the Slytherin goal post. The first score; ten points.

Ellie Gray proved to be worth her salt as a Keeper, blocking the next shot in time for Ginny to take the Quaffle and speed toward the Slytherin goal post. Another ten points. The Quaffle dropped right to Rainbow Dash, and ten more were scored.

"It's almost strange," Hermione remarked.

"What is?" Applejack asked.

"Watching a Quidditch game without fearing that something awful will happen."

"What's the worst that could happen in Quidditch?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well," Luna said, "in the time I've watched, I've seen Dementors attack the Seeker, I've seen someone lose all the bones in his right arm…come to think of it, though, that was Harry every time."

"Sounds like Harry was a bad luck charm," Pinkie said thoughtlessly.

"Well…it was more that he had enough of the dark side pursuing him that everything was a threat," Hermione clarified.

Twilight became nervous at these words. After all, she and her friends had their own share of evils pursuing them.

"What in Celestia's name is a Dementor?" Rarity asked.

"What in God's name is a Celestia?" Hestia replied.

"A very close friend," Applejack answered.

Hestia just had to accept this, though she was curious as to how close a friend had to be before her name was acceptable to use as a deity.

"Well," Luna said, "Dementors feed off emotion, particularly happiness. Their kiss can remove your soul."

"Please tell me this is another one of your made-up beasts," Rarity said with a shiver.

Hermione shook her head. "Dementors are very real."

"Eat emotions…" Twilight muttered. It occurred to her that she was hearing about the second variety of Echthroi she'd ever encountered knowledge of.

"They sound cool," Stevie admitted. "Something that can eat a whole soul?"

"You won't think that when you meet one…" Hermione stopped. "I'm sorry, Stevie. I didn't mean…you most definitely won't ever meet a Dementor. I don't see why you would."

"Everyone!" Hestia snapped. "Flora's found the Snitch!"

And so Flora had. She chased the little fleck of gold through the zooming, airborne bodies, only to find Ty Dunbar next to her, racing her. The two sped on, neck and neck, neither losing pace. As they grew closer and closer to the Snitch, Flora put out her arm; so did Ty. Neither wished to play dirty, and so they willed their brooms to go faster—

A Bludger blindsided Ty. He plummeted. Flora's hand encircled the Snitch before she even had time to register what was going on. Then she looked back in horror.

Ty had fallen from his broom entirely, heading on a direct collision course with the ground. Hermione, Luna, Stevie, Hestia, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie gasped, afraid that this Quidditch game wouldn't be so harmless after all.

Then Ty landed hard in a pair of strong arms that clutched him under the knees and around the back. Whoever had caught him was dragged down only slightly by the weight and momentum; then, they stabilized. When Ty's senses cleared, he realized that he'd only really fallen a few feet, and the ground was still far below him. His rented broomstick was still on the way down, about to splinter. Dazed, Ty looked into the face of his savior to realize it was the centaur woman from his team, the one with the unusual name he couldn't quite remember. "Dasher…"

"That's Rainbow Dash," Rainbow corrected. "You okay?"

"Yeah…you?"

"Hey, kid, this ain't the first time I've had to catch somepony falling out of the sky." She grinned. "Having six limbs has advantages." Of course, Twilight would have corrected her to say her wings counted as numbers seven and eight, had Twilight been there, but she wasn't, so it went unspoken.

The crowd was abuzz over the chain of events that had happened. The Gryffindor Seeker had just been saved from what would have been a very ugly fate, and the Slytherin Seeker had caught the Snitch. Now relieved that Ty was not in mortal peril, Stevie attempted, "Hey, looks like we won—"

At that, Applejack had to grin. "Nope."

"What do you mean, 'nope'?"

"The math, Stevie," Hestia replied with a sigh.

"What?" Stevie was confused. "Don't you get, like, two hundred points if you catch the Snitch—"

"Yes, but look how many points the Gryffindor Chasers—"

At about this time, Flora realized it. She looked up at the scoreboard, where it was clearly displayed that Rainbow Dash, Ginny Weasley, and Demelza Robins had collaboratively scored five hundred points for Gryffindor.

The stadium exploded with chants of "GRYF-FIN-DOR! GRYF-FIN-DOR!" Luna's hat roared gleefully.

Rainbow Dash landed on the ground, gently setting Ty down, only to be rushed by her teammates in a celebratory huddle.

"That's cheating," someone remarked from two rows behind Rainbow Dash's supporters. "She's too old, and she's got wings!"

Hestia swiveled around before anyone else. "Rainbow Dash didn't have an opportunity to use her wings once. And her age has no bearing on speed, especially since she didn't have a chance to touch a broom before this year."

That quieted the student down.

On the pitch, Flora rushed toward Ty. "I'm sorry," she gushed. "I didn't mean—"

"It's Quidditch," Ty replied with a grin from ear to ear. "I knew this was going to be dangerous when I signed up!"

"Just for that," Rainbow Dash told Ty, "I like you more than ever!"

* * *

On the way out of the Quidditch Pitch, the group broke up, heading in different directions based on obligations. The usual study group got together to make way for the library, and the Carrow twins moved away with Stevie.

"I know I shouldn't feel this way," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "It's just as bigoted as anything else, is what it is, but…"

"Let me guess," Rarity ventured. "Slytherins haven't gotten along well with everypony else in the past?"

"We've never actually…you know…sat at Quidditch matches with Slytherins before," Ginny said. "And I can't remember a Slytherin Seeker ever apologizing to a Gryffindor Seeker for damages."

"Well, that was the past," Rarity said. "Things are different now. I say we all move forward, shall we?"

* * *

And forward things did move. The Gryffindor first-years and the Slytherin first-years still carried remnants of the old rivalry when they united for double Potions, but Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were just pleased to meet up again.

Slughorn handed back tests one by one. "Here you are, Rarity…full marks! Rainbow…perhaps try a little harder. Applejack…very good indeed!"

"Aw…" Rainbow Dash glowered at her exam parchment.

"And…" Slughorn frowned over the exam paper he held. "Strange…I don't remember having a student by that name…" He held the paper aloft. "Is there anyone in class who goes by 'Enoby'?"

Chuckles were unable to be contained. "Enoby?" Stevie giggled. "Really? ENOBY? You can't even spell your own name?"

"Oh my god, just shut the fuck up!" Ebony stood and ripped the paper from Slughorn's hands.

"Whatever," Stevie replied. "…Enoby."

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"Oh, dear…" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Looks like we might have to do a little chaos control in the Slytherin common room tonight if those two keep at it…"

Slughorn had, in the meantime, strode back toward Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. "I had been meaning to speak to the three of you," he said. "I'm sure you're aware that I am known among the Hogwarts faculty for my extravagant dinner parties, of which the guest lists are quite exclusive."

"Uh…yeah?" Rainbow Dash replied.

"Well," Slughorn said, "you also must know that it is simply a marvelous thing for three women of your age and, erm, species to be attending this institution. Not within the ordinary at all! And that is why I was hoping that you and your other centaur friends—Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie—would be able to attend my next dinner party, next Saturday evening. You would all be the guests of honor?"

Rarity opened her mouth to agree immediately, but Applejack headed her off. "I don't know," she said. "We're pretty busy."

"But your friends Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and the Carrow twins will be there," Slughorn pointed out. "Or, at least, they are all invited…Luna and the Carrows seem to be the regulars among them…it will be a most unforgettable night!"

"Well…" Applejack looked back at her two compatriots. "Can we, uh, have a conference?"

"Most certainly," Slughorn said, though he sounded a little disappointed. He left, moving to the front of the classroom to actually begin teaching.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity ignored him. "Hermione warned us about him," Applejack reminded the others. "He's just out to collect us 'cause we're unusual."

"And of course he'd want Hermione, Ginny, and Luna at the party," Rainbow Dash added. "They're national heroes! But that's kind of why I wanna go."

"Really?" Applejack was confused.

"Hermione and Ginny didn't seem really comfortable with Slughorn," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "And even if they don't go, Luna will, and she's going to have to put up with him pointing out how 'special' she is. Now, I might just be overreacting, but it doesn't sound to me like something they'd want to go to. Which means if they do, they'd probably have a better time if there were more friends with them instead of just Slughorn to bother them."

"You got a point," Applejack agreed. "And besides…I just know what Rarity wants to say."

"It may be exploitation," Rarity admitted, "but exclusive dinner parties are what I dream about! Think of everypony I could meet! Think of the food! The elegance!"

"Then we'll go," Applejack resolved.

"And lest we forget," Rarity pointed out, "Flora and Hestia will probably also be in attendance. I, for one, would enjoy spending an evening with them."

* * *

Hestia Carrow, in fact, awaited the trio outside the dungeon when class let out. "I've just come from McGonagall," she said. "She wants to see you in her office."

"I hope that's a good thing," Applejack replied.

"She didn't seem angry or disappointed when she gave me the message," Hestia clarified, "so I wouldn't assume the worst."

"Hey," Rainbow Dash asked. "Are you going to Slughorn's dinner next Saturday?"

"I have attended all so far," Hestia answered. "Flora does enjoy them so."

"We've just been invited," Rarity said, "and we've decided to accept the invitation."

"So I'll see you there." Hestia seemed almost to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Indeed," Rarity confirmed. "Well, I suppose we mustn't keep McGonagall waiting."

Hestia continued on her way, and Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack made their way up to the office.

* * *

When the trio arrived, they found Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy already there. McGonagall was seated behind her desk, looking rather pleased.

"What is going on?" Rarity asked.

"Something I thought would be helpful to you has surfaced," McGonagall said, taking a thick stack of what appeared to be Chocolate Frog cards out of her desk and setting them atop it. "Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt found these in an archive of the Ministry, under lock and key, and sent them to me straightaway, being that they were exactly what I wanted. These were Chocolate Frog cards taken out of circulation after the rise of Voldemort. They contain the profiles of famous witches and wizards who either originated on or migrated to worlds other than this one. They will offer you much information that isn't known to the general public."

"Oh my gosh!" Twilight exclaimed. "I can't believe it!"

McGonagall edged the stack of cards toward the six. "You may, if you wish."

They grabbed for the cards, each taking a handful.

"Elphaba Thropp," Rainbow Dash read from hers. "Otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West. Famed for enslaving the Vinkus region of Oz and attempting to kill heroine Dorothy Gale for control of ruby slippers."

"Jadis," Rarity read. "Otherwise known as the White Witch or the Lady of the Green Kirtle. Brought eternal winter to the land of Narnia, and possessed knowledge of the Deplorable Word, which can obliterate entire civilizations merely by being spoken."

"Esmerelda Weatherwax," Fluttershy read. "Protector of the Discworld. Adept at Borrowing the eyes of others from which to see, including the hearts of entire nations. Solved the dispute over the leadership of Lancre."

"Winifred Sanderson," Rarity read. "One of the three famous Sanderson Sisters. Made a contract with the devil himself for powers that would last beyond death. Known best for the kidnapping of innocent children and stealing their souls for youth."

"The Witch of the Waste," Pinkie Pie read. "Known for cursing those who did not meet her every whim. Met her undoing at the hands of fire demon Lily Angorian, who dominated her soul by possessing her heart."

"Girls," Twilight said suddenly. "This one."

"What?" the others all looked at her.

"Maleficent," Twilight read. "Daughter of the faerie queen Nicnevin. Able to transform into a dragon and perform nation-sized curses, including the Cosmic Reset. Known and feared on several worlds for her attempts at domination." She swallowed hard before reading the last few lines: "Reputed as heartless and suspected to be immortal. Perhaps one of the most dangerous and powerful magical beings in recorded history." She looked to McGonagall. "Had you heard of her?"

"The name was slightly familiar," McGonagall admitted.

"We met her," Twilight said. "We saw what she could do. She's trying to dominate the cosmos even now. I guess it only really confirms what we suspected. She's powerful, all right." Twilight lay the card down on the desk so all could see Maleficent's cold gaze; though the picture had the ability to move, she obviously preferred to stand stock-still, glowering at whoever beheld her. "Well, I doubt we're going to find anything more shocking in these cards than that."

"Uhhh…Twilight?" Rainbow Dash noticed the next card in her own hand. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Twilight turned to see that Rainbow Dash had a self-assured smirk on her face. "What?"

"Dark wizard best known for his hostile takeover of the Land of the Black Sands and attempted conquering of the Seven Deserts," Rainbow Dash read from her card. "Most famous wielder of the Gauntlet of Leeching Life. Perfected body-switching spells."

"WHAT?" Twilight cried, blushing furiously.

Rainbow Dash handed over the card. Twilight took hold of it to see a picture of Mozenrath staring smugly back at her.

"An old foe?" McGonagall asked.

"It's complicated," Rarity replied.

Twilight turned the card over a couple times. "No dates…"

"Because each world ran on a vastly different timeline from our own," McGonagall explained, "to include dates of birth and death would have been not only irrelevant, but impossible."

"So…nopony knows how long he lived," Twilight inferred. "Or how long he's going to live." She set the card on the desk, slowly, almost reverently.

"It isn't as though we need another dark wizard at our doorstep looking for conquest," McGonagall pointed out.

"I guess you're right," Twilight admitted. "Anyway, thank you so much for the cards. I can't wait to look through the rest of them and see what I can find."

The other five voiced their agreement, and the six friends left the room with all the cards but two, looking over the strange witches and wizards that dabbled in both light and dark and conversing about them.

"Saruman the White…well, he seems powerful…"

"Gruntilda Winkybunion? That's a silly name!"

"Balthazar Blake…oh. That's quite tragic indeed."

"Ceridwen. Okay, this card officially doesn't make any sense."

"Neither does the one for Walpurgisnacht…"

"The one for Morwena the water witch is frightening!"

McGonagall filed away the Maleficent card within her desk, taking from the reaction of the six that it was important. The Mozenrath card went in a much lower drawer, as information about him did not seem nearly as pertinent.

* * *

Come Saturday night, Horace Slughorn's office was packed with people. Pinkie and Fluttershy were the first of the six Equestrians to arrive, fellow Hufflepuff Melinda Bobbin tagging along with them.

"Wowee!" Pinkie remarked. "Now this is a PARTY!"

The office, on ordinary days, must have looked like a spacious room with a desk and various cabinets. Now the desk was pushed to the side to make room for the many invited students to gather around a table of delicious-looking appetizers. Pinkie rushed to the table, eager to stuff her face.

Fluttershy stayed close. She could tell there were even a few people of her age and older here. Slughorn must have invited old favorite alumni back.

"Ah, there you are!" Slughorn remarked, moving toward the pair. "So wonderful that you could make it! After all, this is the place to see and be seen! Everyone here is destined for greatness, and I'll see to it myself that you know all the right names! After all, given your…rather strange status among human society, I could see you in high-ranking positions at the Ministry working with human-centaur relations. In fact, I should introduce you to the Minister of Magical Transportation, who—ah, Twilight Sparkle and Luna Lovegood!"

The aforementioned pair moved in to join Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Slughorn. "This looks really nice," Twilight said. It was an honest sentiment, but truly, she had only come to accompany her friends, particularly Luna, who had said, "They really are nice events, and no one ever tries to steal my things or call me names there. Going alone is nice. Going with friends is nicer. But I have a lot of fun there on my own as well."

"I am glad to have impressed you," Slughorn replied. "And here she is…part of the team that led the resistance against You-Know-Who! Simply wonderful!"

"Thank you," Luna replied.

Next, Rarity filed in with Flora and Hestia; Slughorn extended to them the same welcome. Rarity immediately accepted the invitation to be introduced to others, and Slughorn took her around the room, making sure that the name "Rarity Majesty" was known very well by all the alumni, from Ministry workers to candy shop owners.

"So…the food looks good," Twilight said, picking up a truffle. "And it is good that Rarity is getting to know everypony. She always did like to rub noses with the important."

Next in were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Hermione, and Ginny. They moved to the small gathering around the table. Though she tried to say it softly, everyone else definitely caught when Ginny whispered to her fellow three Gryffindors, "Remember…we are ONLY here to support our friends."

This caused an awkward silence when the group converged. It was broken when Ginny asked, "Flora, don't you play Ravenclaw next?"

"Of course," Flora replied. "And you…Hufflepuff?"

"Exactly. Between us, it shouldn't be that difficult of a win."

"Playing this year's Ravenclaw lineup will be tougher, but I can assure you, I am fast enough for the challenge. Which reminds me." Flora turned to Rainbow Dash. "There's a rumor going around that you have wings, and that you can fly even faster than any broomstick with them."

"Oh yeah!" Rainbow Dash confirmed. "Back home, I'm sort of a champion."

"You don't think we could get the recipes for these," Applejack remarked, looking at the treats on the table. "Do ya?"

"Well…we could ask the house-elves in the kitchens," Hermione said. "I've been meaning to go there anyway. After all, I have time now to concentrate on S.P.E.W."

"Ummm…spew?" Applejack asked.

"Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Hermione explained. "An organization I founded in order to help house-elves gain the same rights as humans. It doesn't seem fair to me, that they do all the work in this castle and hardly get any of the credit, so much as fair pay or freedom."

Pinkie couldn't contain her laughter. "But the acronym is SPEW!"

"Hang on," Twilight interrupted. "Exactly…how much of the work?"

"Food preparation, cleaning, keeping order in the common rooms—everything Filch doesn't have the time or inclination to do," Hermione clarified.

"That doesn't sound fair," Fluttershy agreed.

"My past work with S.P.E.W. didn't exactly go over well with the humans OR the elves of the castle," Hermione admitted, "or any other group, for that matter. But after last year, when we came together in the last battle, I feel like things might be a little different."

By this time, Slughorn had come back around to the group at the table. "You really must mingle!" Rarity gushed. "Everypony who's everypony is here! And if they're not, well, then somepony who KNOWS everypony is here!"

"Oh, it's not everyone," Slughorn said with fake bashfulness. "Only a few minor politicians and well-known names from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley…anyway, I trust you've all had a lively conversation here? It does warm my heart, to see so much greatness in one room. I haven't seen this much potential before me since…well…it's hard to decide between my years with Lily Evans and my year with her son Harry. You've heard of Harry Potter, though. In fact, three of you are his good friends. Luna Lovegood…Ginny Weasley…even Hermione Granger. Would that I only had Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom here to complete the outfit…oh, but never mind. I've got six new up-and-comers in the magical community! As I said, the six of you would work wonderfully at the Ministry with human-centaur relations! Then again, Applejack and Rarity are quite talented at Potions…perhaps you would be better suited brewing potions for the elite?"

"Actually," Rarity said, "I have, well, let's call it an interest in fashion and design. Would there, perhaps, be a place in the wizarding world for that?"

"Oh, but of course! This whole cloak fashion is getting quite stale, after all!"

Rarity beamed.

"And then…the Carrow twins," Slughorn remarked. "Flora and Hestia. My, my. I always knew you girls were destined for greatness, given your academic marks…but look what fate has done! The children of two of the most infamous Death Eaters to tread Hogwarts ground! The whole world is buzzing with questions about you. Will you follow in their footsteps? Will you reject their name?"

"Please," Hestia said sternly. "We don't want to talk about—"

"Personally, and don't let this on to anyone else," Slughorn said, "I wouldn't mind it if you went to the Dark Side. Quite understandable. It's in your blood, after all. And what powerful witches you'd be…oh, it isn't as if the Ministry is unprepared to deal with a few new villains."

"STOP!" Flora yelled. She ran from the office, knocking over a plate of truffles. For a moment, the entire room was silent, watching her leave. Then conversation slowly, awkwardly began again among the many present.

"We do NOT like to talk about our parents when we don't have good reason to bring it up," Hestia growled.

"But they have laid out the path to your success!" Slughorn argued. "Whether you become revered or reviled, you will make headlines because of the name of Carrow! Oh, come now…it was just a joke. I know you won't go bad. You're already on the road to reformation. The most celebrated are the rehabilitated! Hum…sounds like that should be a song lyric…"

"This conversation is over," Hestia growled, storming after her sister.

"Well," Slughorn huffed. "So touchy, over a little—"

"If you'll excuse me," Rarity told Slughorn, "I have to go and find my Housemates." She, too, left at a moderate gallop.

"Don't you think that was a little uncalled for?" Twilight asked. "I mean, it's bad enough to bother people about a big and terrible war, but the Carrow sisters aren't really proud of what their parents did, and—"

"Twilight?" Fluttershy said softly. "May I?"

"Umm…sure?" Twilight stepped aside.

Fluttershy walked up to Slughorn, staring him down. "Listen to me," she said coldly. "You have NO right bringing up people's pasts when they don't want to talk about them, and you have NO right to compare people to old enemies! I don't care whether or not you think the Carrows' parents did good or bad or amazing things or…or whatever you think of them! Flora and Hestia are different people, and their potential comes from different things! And if you try to bring that up to them again when it makes them obviously upset, well, then, so help me, I'll—"

"Um, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash slipped a hand over Fluttershy's mouth before she could issue a threat. "I think that's enough."

"Then I'll finish it," Pinkie volunteered. "If you do that again, WE'LL TELL EVERYPONY IN THIS SCHOOL NEVER EVER TO COME TO ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR STUPID PARTIES EVER AGAIN!"

The room was again silent after a collective gasp. Slughorn looked stunned.

"I…suppose I was out of line," he muttered. "I'm…quite sorry…"

"Good," Fluttershy said; Rainbow had let her speak once more.

"Come on, girls," Twilight said. "Let's get out of here before this jerk embarrasses himself any more."

Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna walked out together, shrugging off the stares they collected from everyone in the room.

"Can we agree?" Applejack asked. "No more Slughorn parties?"

Even Luna joined in on the collective "Yes."

* * *

Rarity found Hestia comforting her sobbing sister in the Slytherin common room. "Ahem," she said. "Am I…interrupting?"

"No," Hestia said. "You're all right. I see you left early."

"Well…we are Housemates," Rarity said. "I figure it only fair we stick together. It is a shame that…happened. I just want to let you know that I am here if you want to talk about anything whatsoever."

Hestia sighed. "You already know most of it. We want to make our names outside of our parents. After they died in the last war, we were…well…sad, for a while. We didn't want things to change. We did love them. But we couldn't stand for what they stood for. I will do many things, but I will not kill an innocent. And their standards for purity stopped making sense to us. We moved in with an aunt and uncle, and we've been trying to put this all behind us. I don't want to think about what they did. Who they tortured. Who they killed. And I don't want to become that."

"Me either," Flora said, finally able to speak through her sobs. "I…I wish he'd never said that! I'm never going to be like that, and I don't want to have to deal with any of that EVER AGAIN!"

"I believe you," Rarity said softly. "I…well, I never knew much about the Death Eaters while the war was going on, but I know you two, and you're both very wonderful people. You helped me when I knew absolutely nothing about this place, and you were the ones who told me that Slytherin wasn't all the awfulness it was made out to be. You absolutely did NOT deserve what Slughorn said. I think you two do have potential and are going to become great things…but that's because of the people you are. I hope that makes you feel somewhat better at least."

"It does," Flora admitted, wiping at her eyes.

"Thank you," Hestia added. "But you didn't have to leave the party on our account. I saw how you were getting on with everyone. Horrible as he is, Slughorn really does have connections. He can find you a future with the elite."

"Well…as nice as that is," Rarity said, "it really isn't as important as some other things. Like protecting the dignity of good friends. You won't catch me at another of his little Slug dinners."

"Oi," a voice came from the door to the girls' bedchamber. Stevie stood there, bewildered. "Things go bad at the Slug Club thing?"

"It's all right," Hestia said.

"Flora's crying," Stevie observed. "You need me to curse someone for you?"

"No thank you, Stevie."

"Offer's good whenever," Stevie said with a wink before returning to the upstairs beds to study.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

"Any news?" Voldemort asked Rowle.

"It's bad," Rowle told the Dark Lord. "Szilard Quates is dead."

"Impossible," Voldemort said. "He was one of the immortals. Unless…"

"We have reason to believe he was eaten."

"And what's this about?" Bellatrix asked. She, Horvath, Quirrell, and Medusa were gathered in the room as well.

"Szilard Quates," Voldemort answered. "The only Muggle I would have ever considered good enough to join our ranks. He was an alchemist, a master of immortality. He reproduced a substance known as the Grand Panacea, a giver of eternal life. One who took it in could only meet death at the hands of another immortal by the same means—if that immortal chose to 'eat' the other." He turned back to Rowle. "And the Panacea?"

"All traces are gone," Rowle reported. "Ingested. Every last bit."

"Gone," Voldemort repeated, "as with the only man who could produce it." He sighed deeply. "Then I suppose it is a return to the Horcruxes that is in order."

"You mean…Quates would have been able to prevent you needing to make them?" Quirrell asked with interest.

"And we could have focused on the more important things?" Horvath added.

"Indeed," Voldemort confirmed. "And, as another acquaintance of mine, I knew…he had the right mind to join our ranks. He would have been a valuable asset. A warrior for our cause."

"A Muggle," Bellatrix reiterated. "For the sake of pure blood."

"He would not have considered himself a Muggle," Voldemort informed her.

"A Muggle…a half-blooded Alexandra…it seems you are going soft, Voldemort," Medusa teased.

"I will not tolerate such accusations," Voldemort retorted, infinitely grateful that Medusa never had known and never would know about the kiss he and the real Alexandra had shared so long ago in the Ponyville Library. "Speaking of the new Alexandra, how has she been progressing…she and Trixie?"

"Trixie said to me, last time we spoke, that she knew a lot of things were unimportant compared to gaining power," Quirrell reported. "In fact…I asked her if she believed that for the most part, there was only power and those too weak to take it. She liked the idea. She will be ready soon. On the other hand…Alex is already ready."

"Very good." Voldemort smiled gladly. He hadn't regretted trusting Quirrell with this much. In fact, he was quite pleased with how Quirrell handled it all. If only, he thought, he'd had someone like him around for the later years instead of Pettigrew. Or perhaps thinking such things was another sign that he was "going soft." Whatever the case, Quirrell certainly deserved more than Pettigrew had ever gotten.

"Then if I can make a suggestion…"

As if called by Voldemort's condescending thoughts about him, Pettigrew entered the room, Scabior at his side. "Now that we're done chasing all of your lost sheep, Lord Voldemort," Pettigrew said, "and the new recruits are progressing, there's something else I'd like to focus on."

"And that would be?" Voldemort inquired.

"Giving the Malfoys their due," Pettigrew answered. "We can't let them get away that easily after what they've done."

"So long as it does not betray our secret," Voldemort said, "I would agree that it is a worthwhile pursuit."

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The empty, little-used Eastmost hall of the ninth floor appeared, at first, to lead to a dead end. It had taken Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity a while to go find and see this for themselves—they weren't sure what to expect or how to prepare, and there were classes to worry about. However, a day came when their workload lightened, and it was decided that they should explore the "Luminary Hall" the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest had mentioned.

"Ready?" Twilight asked.

"Ready!" Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie chorused.

"On three," Twilight commanded. "One…two…three…"

She, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie said as one: "LUMOS!"

Four lights went up, and a door began to reveal itself in the wall, outlined in a similar bright light. Rainbow Dash walked up to the door, pressing on a small spot of light that appeared where a handle might otherwise be. The door slid aside, revealing a darkened hallway beyond.

"Let's go," Twilight ordered, and the six moved in.

The hallway was cavernous, so much so that it seemed impossible that such a room could even fit in this part of the castle. There must have been extra magic in this architecture to make it all work. Greenish lamps lit the hallway, which led up to a circular room.

Because of the green lamps, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie doused their wandlights with a "Nox." At that, the door closed behind them, ready to open again when given the light.

"So this is the Luminary Hall," Applejack remarked as the six slowly trotted toward the circular room. She noticed a few odd decorations on the walls—stone bowls holding water. "What d'you suppose those are?"

"I don't know," Twilight answered.

They reached the circular room, brightly lit by the sun pouring down from a round window above. "Something about this," Twilight said. "It seems…I don't know. Special. Like we should be reverent."

"Look!" Pinkie Pie sprang toward an alcove in the wall. "Stairs!"

"Let's go further up," Rainbow Dash suggested. "Whatever's up there has got to be more interesting than down here. Maybe we'll find some booby traps or something."

"But I think this is interesting," Twilight argued. "We just don't know what it means. Why would there be a big window in the ceiling? And it's called the Luminary Hall. Light is important here. This window can't just be here for decoration."

"But the fact is, we still don't know what it means," Applejack pointed out, "and we ain't gonna get anywhere by starin' at that light."

"You're right," Twilight sighed, and she moved toward the stairway.

She was soon glad she had. The stairway moved out of the dark stone motif and up into a well-lit room that looked like a small library, with short bookshelves lined in neat rows. "BOOKS!" Twilight cried. "But…why are they hidden?"

"This might be where we find out what this place is!" Pinkie Pie began taking books from the shelves and looking through them.

"It could take us ages to find a book that's useful!" Rarity moaned.

"Found one!" Pinkie cried. "It's got a map of the hall!"

"WHAT?" Rarity replied in disbelief. "How did you…oh, never mind. Might we see?"

"Sure!" Pinkie moved to a small table, spreading out the book. The others gathered around her. They'd passed through the "Lower Corridor," and the circular room appeared to be known as the "Altar of Worship."

"I knew it was something special!" Twilight cried.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash groaned, "but whatever altar was there is gone now. We don't know what they worshipped."

"Maybe we do," Twilight thought out loud. "Maybe…they worshipped light! Like the sun! Or like light MAGIC!"

"That does make sense," Fluttershy agreed. "But why would it be deserted? Who would have used this place?"

"That's probably in another book," Twilight theorized. "Let's finish looking at this one first. Looks like after this reading room, there's a 'Hall of Minor Altars' to go." She backed off, looking at the shelves. "I don't want to leave empty-hooved. There has to be something in this room that can tell us what all this is about. Some kind of…compendium!"

"Let's see…" Pinkie flitted about the shelves. "'Light Magic for Every Occasion'…'Shibusen Records'…'Heralds Past and Present'…Ooh! Ooh! 'The Journal of Joseph St. Alphege'!" While the others wondered why that title caught Pinkie's attention, she answered their query by opening the book up and reading, "This journal was made with the intent to record all annals of the Lumen Sages and our mission to promote the light!"

"It's a start," Twilight said. "Can I see it?"

"Sure!" Pinkie handed the book to Twilight.

"I think I'm going to keep this," Twilight said. "It could come in handy. Actually…Pinkie, didn't you say there was a book of light magic?"

"Already got ya covered!" Pinkie handed that book over as well.

"I have all I need here," Twilight announced.

"Then let's keep going," Rainbow Dash suggested.

The room after the reading room was yet another dark stone hall lit by green lamps. The room towered upwards, and a staircase spiraled round and round the wall, leading past several doors. The six began the climb up, looking into the room beyond the first door. It contained what appeared to be another altar, albeit one that was clearly an altar, with a raised platform decorated with sun symbols and carved with the emblem of a wolf. The word "Amaterasu" was clearly depicted above it.

The other doors all held similar rooms, but with differently decorated altars. The next pictured a human male slitting the throat of a bull; this was labeled "Mithras." Next, one adorned with a chariot emblem and labeled "Helios." After that, a falcon: "Re-Horakhty." The altars and names continued all the way up.

"Well, that was the most boring secret room I've ever explored," Rainbow Dash complained on the way down.

"How many secret rooms HAVE you explored?" Applejack challenged.

"And at least there weren't as many stairs here as in King Sombra's wing of the Crystal Palace," Twilight pointed out.

"But there were a lot of stairs here," Rainbow Dash replied. "Okay, so HOW many stairs were there in that wing, exactly? Because if it was more than this, I don't think I really understood the first time you told me how many stairs there were."

"The point is, we learned something," Twilight said, switching gears. "People came to Hogwarts to learn, right? Well, these people obviously came to either learn or teach about light. All these names mean something. I think Joseph's journal is going to reveal exactly who used this hall, and what all these altars are for. And the light magic should have some handy tricks."

"I'll just be glad to get out of here," Fluttershy said. "This hall is a little frightening, don't you think?"

"I'd hate to be in here alone," Rarity agreed.

They moved back down through the reading room, through the Altar of Worship, and back to the door, which opened again with the casting of Lumos. When all were back in the main school hallways and the wandlights were doused, the door closed, hiding the fact that there had ever been a Luminary Hall.

"I'm going to study these books," Twilight said. "I'll report back to you everything I find that seems important."

"It's a plan!" Pinkie affirmed.

* * *

Twilight looked around the bedchambers of the Ravenclaw first-year girls' dormitory. Empty…perfect. She maneuvered herself into a position where she lay all four legs down on her bed, opening Joseph's journal and propping it up against a pillow. Then she began to read.

* * *

"My name is Joseph St. Alphege, and it is my intent to record all important annals among the Lumen Sages, lest the records be otherwise incomplete. It has always been my goal as a Prayermaster in training to work towards the truth, and if the truth is obscured and I have not done anything to prevent this, then I have failed in my mission.

"We, the Lumen Sages, are the worshippers and protectors of the true Light, that Light that comes from its gods—the most powerful gods—and ensures peace and goodness in this world through the elimination of the darkness. It is our mission to spread the truth of the Light throughout all worlds.

"We have not always got on well with the witches and wizards of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but seeing as Headmaster Newton Scamander has offered us a place to gather, teach and learn about the Light, and worship, it would be foolish to turn him down. He has granted us a space of worship which we have dubbed the Luminary Hall. We have made camp here, and are working from the Luminary Hall as a base of operations as well as worshipping there. After all, it may be our chance to rescue these poor witches and wizards from the darkness that most likely binds them."

* * *

"What darkness?" Twilight said to the book, as though it could answer. She wasn't sure if there had been some sort of incident in the past, or if Joseph mistakenly believed the darkness—or should it be Darkness, with a capital D?—had a hold on Hogwarts. He seemed to be overly sure of a lot of things already, in a way that was off-putting to Twilight, but not enough for her to dismiss the book entirely. After all, she was no stranger to making presumptions.

* * *

"…The balance of Light and Darkness is held by two individuals, each in his or her own timeline. Darkness is held by the Left Eye of the universe; Light by the Right. The Right Eye is our leader. In my time, this position is held by Father Balder. I do not know the identity of the Left Eye at this time.

"The Left Eye, to me, seems an altogether threatening concept. I should not like to meet him or her. He or she will most certainly bring all manners of evil.

"There have always been two Eyes, ever since the time when all worlds were one and Atlantis was the center. After the tragic destruction of beloved Atlantis, it was known that King Creon, thought to be a staunch warrior of Light, had been corrupted by the Darkness and became the Left Eye. He was offset by the Right Eye, known as Ten. There may have been Right and Left Eyes before them, but records of before that time have been lost…"

* * *

"Wait," Twilight said again. "Atlantis? I know I've heard that name. The sunken city! I thought it was just a fable. Well, then again, I have been traveling to all sorts of different worlds. Here I am as a Kentauride at a school of magic. And I've seen Avalon. I guess Atlantis really was…wait. WAIT!" She read it over again. "All worlds were ONE? But that doesn't make any sense. What about parallel universes? Alternate timelines? All worlds couldn't possibly exist at the same time. The Guide said so. That's why there are all these different Earths and Equestrias and…and…and I'm talking to a book."

* * *

"…As time goes by, I am beginning to lose faith in the minor deities. For centuries, the Lumen Sages have held high the pantheon of gods of the Light, such as Amaterasu, Mithras, and Re-Horakhty. However, I find it increasingly hard to believe that the Light could come from several sources. The Light is pure and true and must only come from ONE God.

"A schism is growing between those of us who choose to pay homage to the false gods and those who have limited our worship to the ONE God, the only God of Light. I can only hope my brothers and sisters among the Sages will see the truth so that we do not have to continue this ugly fight.

"My faith in the saints, however, has not weakened; I am as much of an admirer of Saint Aelphaba of the Waterfall as ever. May she guide our path…"

* * *

"Well, we KNOW the other gods aren't all fake," Twilight retorted, not caring that she was talking to a book. "Celestia, Luna, and the Old Ones might even BE gods. Then again, I haven't actually seen proof of any of those other gods from the altars, so maybe they aren't real…and there's no saying that there isn't one God that's more powerful than them all…but I DO know that some other gods exist. I mean, I've been to the Underworld! I know about Hades! And Mozenrath couldn't have been wrong about all those Chthonic gods, either!" Joseph was frustrating her quite a bit, but still, important information lay in his words, and Twilight well knew this.

* * *

"…I am ever more convinced in the presence of one God and one alone. This God is the one we sometimes refer to as Jubileus, though truly, God has no name, and Jubileus is a title of respect more than anything. If God does have a name, it is secret from us.

"It is Jubileus whom we worship in the simple light of the Altar of Worship. She requires no sacrifices, merely prayer and that we bask in her simple Light from the sun that shines upon this world…"

* * *

"Okay, now I get it," Twilight realized. "So the little rooms with the altars were for the minor gods, and the big room was for Jubileus. A-ha! I KNEW there wasn't anything missing from that altar!"

* * *

"…I am increasingly concerned with the reports about Asriel. His experimentations have been highly beneficial to the Lumen Sages, and it was his work that allowed us to forge our alliance across worlds. There are those not so open-minded as myself who believe there is only the mortal plane and the ethereal, and that the existence of other worlds defies the nature of the divine. Asriel's theories have allowed us to defy such a misconception.

"However, I hear rumors that Asriel is experimenting on things which he should not, such as how to enter the divine realm. I have also heard rumors that he has defamed the Lumen Sages to others, though he is part of our order. If any of these are proven true, he will have to be stripped of his title at the very least…"

* * *

"There were Sages LESS open-minded than you?" Twilight yelled at the book.

"Twilight?" Luna walked into the bedchamber. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh…" Twilight's face flushed in embarrassment. "No one. I was actually yelling at a book."

"Did it talk back?" Luna asked. She was sincere.

"No…" Twilight sighed. "I was just reacting to the things I was reading. Luna, Firenze told me about a secret place in the castle, and I found these books there. I'm finding all about this order that worshipped Light, though I can't quite tell if they were good or bad. Maybe both. Maybe neither. I'm just surprised that something this big has been hidden all this time." She paused. "Did they ever teach here about a time when all worlds were one, or about the city of Atlantis?"

"No," Luna said, "but there are a lot of things they don't teach here. There have never been Crumple-Horned Snorkacks in Care of Magical Creatures, after all."

"When I finish these books," Twilight promised, "I'll tell you all about what I find. And Hermione and Ginny. For now, I need to be alone to read."

Luna nodded in understanding before leaving. Twilight turned back to the journal.

* * *

"…There are many spells based in Light that have become useful to us. The purpose of Light magic, or 'White Magic,' is to protect rather than to attack, with a few exceptions…"

* * *

"That's right!" Twilight remembered. "The spellbook!" She opened the second book up eagerly, only to do a double take at the table of contents. "Invisira? Barwater? Libra? There must be over a hundred spells in here!" She turned back to the journal. "You better help me out here, Joseph!"

* * *

"…There are hundreds of spells that can be generated from Light, and it would take one years to master them all…"

* * *

"Well," Twilight huffed, "you could have told me THAT before I opened the other book."

* * *

"…but these are the ones I have considered to be of the most use. Lumos is the most basic, allowing one to light an area for visibility. Some Echthroi are repelled by it alone. Curaja (or Curaga/Curasa) allows healing of injuries. Esunaga dispels curses and acts as an antivenom. And in the rare case that damage must be dealt, Holyja will harm those wielding Darkness. It must never be misused, such as on innocents.

"All elemental magic—spells having to deal with fire, air, and the like—are rooted at the core in Darkness, though they can have positive effects. I tend to avoid them for my own safety and recommend that others do the same. I feel as though other spells taught in this place (especially "Diffindo") are rooted in Darkness…"

* * *

Twilight turned to the other book, looking briefly at the entries for the Cure, Esuna, and Holy sets of spells. Lumos, she already knew, so she left that alone. Making a note to study them later—all three seemed fairly simple—she returned to Joseph's writings.

* * *

"…I shall not be able to take it much longer. I cannot work amongst practitioners of witchcraft.

"There is another schism developing amongst the Sages who work in the Luminary Hall. Some of us have said that most witches are good, and must only be considered threats if they are of the Umbra Witches or if they are actively harming others. Still others say that even the Umbra Witches should be granted forgiveness, for they are doing the best they can under the circumstances and most do not actively threaten others.

"Do they not see that all these witches and wizards are using magic most Dark and will become the undoing of us all? I shall soon leave. I do not know where I am to go, but I will leave this journal behind so no one ever forgets the truth…"

* * *

"Riiiiight," Twilight snorted. "Do YOU not see that your Light magic is technically witchcraft?"

* * *

"…It is a pity that Death will not open his doors the way Headmaster Scamander has. Shibusen, much unlike Hogwarts, is a place of Light, despite its association with Death. Its students are devoted to the destruction of witches and Darkness. Would that I could transfer myself and a small party to Death's Domain, it would be immediate. However, Death has refused us space several times, saying he prefers to restrict Shibusen to those who are actually studying to become Weapon Meisters…"

* * *

"Shibusen," Twilight thought out loud. "That name was on another book spine up in the Hall…I wonder if I could go back…"

* * *

"…I have received news most disturbing. Princess Celestia has abandoned her post as our Herald, leaving the position empty. She says that we have become closed-minded, and that she will no longer stand for our intolerance.

"Those among the Sages who still give homage to the false gods and excuse witchcraft have looked to me and those who share my beliefs as those who are responsible for this, saying that if we did not preach 'intolerance,' Celestia would still act as our Herald, which is to say, not the one who leads us, but the one who is our 'mascot' and brings us moral fortitude. To be a Herald is not a challenging position, but it does require the right fortitude of soul.

"I do not believe myself at fault for Celestia's defection. She is being wooed by the Darkness. Her own sister became a being of Darkness, and she is still infatuated by the idea that Luna can be saved. Luna cannot be saved. In my humble opinion, all that remains is for Luna to be destroyed.

"The other Sages, those who stand apart from me in their belief of lies, say that Luna can be saved, and that the truth of Light is that it can be brought back to even those lost in Darkness. They are blind. Their trust will destroy them…"

* * *

"That's it, mister," Twilight growled. "You're officially on my list of…of…of people I don't like! You're just lucky you're informative and that I don't like to burn books."

* * *

"…I have decided to relocate by myself. There is an opening for a full-time Prayermaster in Loggia City. I am suited for this position and will go. I plan to take on at least one Prayerboy and teach him in the ways of the truth and the Light. No more of this foolishness.

"I am leaving this book behind, as promised. However, for the sake of completion, I have one final note. I believed, as did many of us, that the Mahou Shoujo were benevolent, blessed by the Light, and devoted to the destruction of witches consumed by Darkness. This has recently been revealed to be false. Through an elaborate cosmic deceit, we were fooled. To anyone reading, take heed: MAHOU SHOUJO ARE SIMPLY ANOTHER FORM OF WITCH."

* * *

The journal ended there. Twilight couldn't believe she'd finished it all. She thoroughly hated Joseph St. Aelphege, but at the same time, he had provided so much she had questions about. Atlantis…the past…Celestia…Mahou Shoujo…Shibusen…Light and Darkness…

There was a Restricted Section in the library, Twilight remembered. She would have to find a way to get there to find all of those things. Well…except for information on Celestia's involvement with the Sages. That, she would have to write to Celestia about herself.

She took the spellbook back, propping it up on the pillow. It was time to begin studying.

* * *

There was always more to learn, no matter where on the grounds one went. Long after Twilight had revealed all she learned from Joseph's journal to Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Hermione, Luna, and Ginny, the six Equestrians found themselves out at their regular time of night on Thursday, among the Forbidden Forest centaurs and looking to the sky as Firenze explained the meanings of all the stars.

"Hang on," Twilight muttered, writing the star patterns down in a sketchbook. "I need to memorize this!"

"It's not that complicated," Pinkie argued. "It's easy, see! That constellation over there means a repetition of past history!"

"How have you already got this down?" Rarity asked. "No, no…I remember…you're Pinkie Pie. That's how."

"Repetition of history…doesn't sound very nice in these circumstances," Fluttershy pointed out.

"And that over there means…" Pinkie frowned. "I forget. Firenze?"

"It means that which was to be is no longer," Firenze said, "and that which was not supposed to be, now is. It is a difficult concept to explain."

"So…it's like somethin' got changed in time," Applejack guessed. "Things were gonna be one future, but somepony was messin' around, and now things are goin' differently?"

"That is perhaps acute," Firenze replied.

Twilight looked up from her sketches. "Wow," she commented. "Mars is sure bright tonight. Is that a good sign?"

Firenze simply answered, "No."

* * *

Chapter 29:

· I must AGAIN apologize in advance. Crossover worldbuilding is one of my favorite things to do in fanfic, so…a lot of that.

· Dash saying it wasn't her first time catching someone is a reference to "Sonic Rainboom," where she saves a falling Rarity.

· And another My Immortal joke. The author couldn't keep a consistent spelling of her own OC's name, and "Enoby" was one of the most frequent misspellings. I thought it would be funny if Ebony herself was the one to do it.

· Rarity liking elite parties is a reference to the ep "Sweet and Elite," where she basically almost abandons her friends for a chance to rub noses with everyone important in Canterlot. Though she would now prioritize her friends, I think she always likes meeting the important.

· Can you play "spot the references" in the Chocolate Frog cards?

· You should already know Maleficent and Mozenrath at this point. The rest are from the following works: Elphaba Thropp – Wicked by Gregory Maguire (based on The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum), Jadis – The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Esmerelda Weatherwax – The Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, Winifred Sanderson – Hocus Pocus, The Witch of the Waste – Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (and adapted into a Miyazaki film), Saruman – Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, Gruntilda – Banjo-Kazooie, Balthazar – The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010 film), Ceridwen – The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen, Walpurgisnacht – Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Morwena – The Wardstone Chronicles (known here in the USA as "The Last Apprentice," which is STILL an inferior title) by Joseph Delaney.

· The Minister of Magical Transportation was actually a guest at the Slug Club dinner in Half-Blood Prince. He was the most important-looking guy on the list of canon Slug Club members.

· Yes, I'm going to TRY and tackle the house-elf issue. This is going to be a nest of thorns; of that I am well aware. I want to try anyway.

· I feel somewhat bad that I made Slughorn such an ass to characters that are pretty much my female OCs. Like that's going full Ron the Death Eater. But I cross checked this with a fellow HP reader (Ophira), and I have been assured that making Slughorn an asshole is not too much of a stretch. (I still am aware that he's going to come out looking less sympathetic than Voldemort when the wash is done…)

· "The most celebrated/are the rehabilitated" is a lyric from the song "Wonderful" from the musical version of Wicked.

· Just reaffirming my whole "Slytherins aren't evil" bit. I know I used the "raised by a relative" thing on Goyle, if not in the prose, but I think that probably would happen to a lot of Death Eaters' children.

· Szilard Quates is from the anime Baccano!. He's obsessed with immortality and creating the "Grand Panacea" that grants it. Which is why, even though he's a Muggle, I think he would go really well with Voldemort. (And Medusa, for that matter…they both love experimenting on humans.) Why bring him up if he's dead? Same reason I bring up Drake Stone. Because he might be useful later in this context. Anyway, Baccano! ends with Szilard getting "eaten" by another immortal. In that canon, if you were made immortal by the Panacea, you have the power to "eat" other immortals, which is the ONLY way they can die. And if you "eat" someone, you absorb all his/her memories and knowledge. And no, it's not LITERALLY eating—you kind of suck them into your hand.

· "Luminary Hall" is a modification on the room set from the Playstation game based on Sorcerer's Stone in the Lumos challenge (the rooms you go through to get the Lumos spell). The name is mine. This is the start of me taking those "challenge" room sets and giving them backstories.

· It's canon that Pinkie Pie can find important books by kind of just walking up to the shelf and they're in front of her. Can't remember the episode, but it happened.

· Amaterasu is the sun goddess of Shinto mythology (but from the wolf motif, you can tell I'm using the Okami version). Mithras is from the Mithraic cult, and you probably already know the connections I have between Mozenrath and Mithraism. Re-Horakhty is a sun god compilation thing from Egyptian mythology—Ra and Horus are both sun gods, and Re-Horakhty is a fusion of the two.

· Joseph St. Alphege is the fan name I've given to the Prayermaster (a minor villain) from "The Merlin Conspiracy" by Diana Wynne Jones. The journal takes place in the past of Merlin Conspiracy (in fact, that last entry was a reference to where we meet him in the book—in Loggia City with two Prayerboy apprentices). Now, the Lumen Sage stuff I'm building here is all from obscure stuff like that, so trust me when I say…this is still ALL fanfic. I didn't make any of this. I just put it together.

· Also, this entire bit is going to be a bit harsh on monotheism in general. I'm going to try and make up for that later. Anyway, the main thing to remember here is that the Prayermaster IS A VILLAIN AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE INTOLERANT IN CANON. And the Lumen Sages are largely villains in general in their canon, too.

· Lumen Sages are from Bayonetta. I REALLY liked the concept and wanted to run with it. They're a religious sect devoted to light and associated with Heaven. In canon, they do some really nasty things in the name of light and Heaven. Though they probably weren't ALL bad. Hence I gave them some schisms to imply that they weren't all on the same page about everything.

· Newt Scamander was the headmaster before Armando Dippet, so one gen before Tom Riddle was at school. Now, Father Balder is the Right Eye one gen back from the main canon of Bayonetta (and the events of EoH). Scamander was about six gens ago. How is this possible? TIMEFUCKERY!

· Left and Right Eye are still from Bayonetta, but the concept actually does turn up in the "Atlantis: The Lost Tales" set of point-and-click puzzle games—the first of which being one of my favorites. I haven't watched a playthrough of the second yet (they're too old to actually obtain and play anymore), but it introduces the idea of a "Bearer of Light" and "Bearer of Darkness." The Bearer of Light is Ten, the son of an Atlantean hero. The Bearer of Darkness is actually a beast that I would categorize as either an Echthros or an Old One, but it was released by King Creon, and it's canonically stated that doing so drove Creon mad, so I figured Creon can stand in as the Bearer of Darkness.

· While the Atlantis I'm referencing is so far purely based on Lost Tales, I do want to make it a conglomeration world with the Atlantis of the Disney film (I'm going to do some AU haberdashery) and, well, a few other Atlantises.

· "When all worlds were one." A concept alluded to in Kingdom Hearts, and I'm running with it because I KNOW what I want to use as that setting—a combination between the Lands of Legend in the Voyage of the Basset books and the Archipelago in Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica. And yes, I DO have plans to eventually have the Mane Six go to that time, since the Starlight can pull that kind of timefuckery. Anyway, CotIG has it that Atlantis was the capital of everything before it sank, then that was passed on to Avalon and then the successor city of Paralon. So Atlantis is a BIG DEAL.

· Saint Aelphaba of the Waterfall is the saint in the Oz pantheon for which Elphaba is named in the book version of Wicked. All the more ironic that St. Aelphege is worshipping her, since he would HATE Elphaba…

· Jubileus is the God from Bayonetta, and is a destructive force that will destroy the world if awakened. She is most definitely female, and at the same time, I want to go ahead and call it that she's the same thing as the Authority from the His Dark Materials books, who is definitely MALE. I guess it once again depends on who is looking.

· Asriel is from the His Dark Materials books, and is the Big Bad. He basically wants to find a way to cross the worlds so he can invade Heaven and kill God. He is a theologian, but also a church enemy, so I figure it makes sense for him to have been part of the Sages and then betrayed them. (It frustrates me to no end that he has no canon last name.)

· With the exception of Lumos, ALL the White Magic/Light magic I referenced is from the White Mage moveset in the Final Fantasy series. All of it.

· Oh yeah, and Shibusen's Weapon Meisters are trained to kill witches, if I didn't mention that in the notes from the first chapter with Death's Domain.

· The Herald is the ONE thing that I made up myself. It really is just kind of a figurehead for moral support. I have plans to work with the idea of the Sages needing one to represent them. Oh, yeah, I have plans for the Sages to become more important and physically present in this story later.

· I COULD explain the stuff about the Mahou Shoujo…but again, it's going to be a plot point and VERY soon, so you'll all have more suspense to enjoy if I don't explain it!

· "Mars is bright tonight" = when I was a kid, I thought it was freaking hysterical that every centaur Hagrid met in Sorcerer's Stone opened by saying this. As an adult, I now understand that it was really serious business and not a laughing matter at all. But I still HAD to reference it.


	30. SPEW

30: S.P.E.W.

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The movement of the semester found the regular study group around a table in the library yet again.

"And that's how I found out I can cast Incendio!" Pinkie boasted happily. "You want me to demonstrate?"

As one, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy yelled, "NO!"

"Awww…" Pinkie hung her head.

"Maybe later," Rarity suggested. "Somewhere not so…flammable."

"I've actually been really interested in the new History of Magic subject," Applejack said.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Ginny asked, "Did you really mean to say 'interested'? Or did you get the name of the class wrong?"

"Yeah, Binns is boring," Applejack admitted, "but we're learnin' all about the Werewolf Code of Conduct now. I didn't even know there were werewolves on this world."

"Did you ever know any?" Twilight asked. "Werewolves, I mean."

"Just…just one," Hermione answered. "He died in the war. He was one of our professors, just for one year. And I daresay one of the best. If you were wondering, I guess he could be a little dangerous when he was in wolf form. He would go out of his mind, not be able to remember us as his friends. But when he was human, he was one of the kindest people imaginable, so much so that he took measures to make sure his wolf side would never hurt anyone. His name was Lupin. Remus Lupin."

"I wish we could have gotten to know him," Fluttershy said softly.

"You would have loved him," Hermione asserted.

"All right," Rarity announced, turning a note sheet over. "I think I've finally memorized that Forgetfulness Potion. Now, if only I had a silver Sickle for every time that caused trouble with the other first-years…"

"What happened?" Luna asked.

"Ebony and Stevie tried to slip it in each other's drinks," Rarity sighed. "I just can't for the life of me seem to know what to say to get those two not to hate each other. Well, then again, Ebony seems to hate mostly everypony."

"And speaking of hating, or at least not liking very much," Rainbow Dash added, "anypony else bothered by how much Slughorn's been trying to weasel his way back onto our good sides?"

"I'm sure he's just ignorant," Fluttershy said. "If he knew how much what he said hurt Flora and Hestia…"

"But you yelled at him and everything, and he still doesn't," Rainbow Dash sighed. "He's just sorry that he lost the loyalty of the only six overage centaur first-years in the building. And he didn't even know the HALF of why we're special!"

"Speaking of…" Rarity looked to Twilight. She'd already revealed the contents of the journal to them. "Have you thought any more about what you're going to do with…everything you found?"

"Well…" Twilight replied. "All this stuff was kind of off-limits to know, right? So where better to go from here than…" Her eyes traveled to a large, locked door.

"The Restricted Section!" Hermione filled in. "I wouldn't put too much stock in it, as it's still a place that students are technically allowed to access with the proper permission, but I wouldn't rule it out either."

"I'm still amazed," Luna said. "All this time, and I thought the secret rooms in this castle were used for brewing bootleg Veritaserum and housing overflow from the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries."

"Did you even have any evidence for that?" Rainbow Dash asked her.

"Well, next to what you already found, it doesn't seem that far-fetched," Ginny pointed out. "It almost makes my head hurt…thinking about how big it is. You don't think there are any of those Sages around here who still want to strike against Hogwarts, do you?"

"If they haven't made a move yet, they probably won't just now," Hermione theorized. "I would bet there aren't even that many on this world."

"But what about other worlds?" Luna asked.

"A question we'll deal with when it comes to that," Hermione insisted. "Twilight, you know the protocol for the Restricted Section, right?"

"A signed note from a professor," Twilight said. "It just so happens that I have a plan to get one."

"Trick Slughorn into giving you his autograph, and then forge a note on top of it?" Rainbow Dash guessed.

"That plan is ridiculous," Rarity sighed.

"Not as ridiculous as you'd think…" Hermione said suspiciously. "Though Slughorn isn't quite gullible enough to fall for it. Not like SOME professors this school has had."

"Actually, I was going to get someone to legitimately approve my going in the Restricted Section," Twilight said. "It's a bit risky, and will involve some showing off, but I've already impressed Professor Ricksmith a lot. I think I'm on his good side. If I can show him that there's a reason worth my going into the Restricted Section…I think he'll help me out."

* * *

"Today," Ricksmith told his class of Ravenclaw first-years, "we will be learning the Verdimillious spell. It is one of the few pieces of pure Light magic we will teach, and has multiple uses."

Twilight perked up at that. This would make the perfect opportunity.

"Verdimillious," Ricksmith continued, "can be used as an offensive spell in a duel, but will not cause any lasting damage as will, say, Sectumsempra…which, for the record, you will NOT be learning in this course. It is, however, more potent than the Flipendo Knockback Jinx. It can be used as a countercurse to many popular curses if cast in time, and, perhaps most importantly, it can be used to find objects that are hidden by Dark magic. First, I want you all to practice the use of offensive Verdimillious without wands, just to make sure no one gets hurt. Use the regular flick of the wrist, and say it with me: Verdimillious!"

"VERDIMILLIOUS!" the class chorused.

"And now for the second use," Ricksmith went on. "I have hidden in this classroom one object for every student here. I covered them with Dark magic. You may not take more than one object; everyone needs a chance to try and use the spell. To find your object, raise your wands like this, draw out the casting, and make sure you don't aim in the direction of any living bodies…use your wands this time, and say it with me:"

"VERDIMILLIOUS!" the class said along with Ricksmith. Beams of green shot into the air. Some students pulled it off right away, while others had trouble getting the green beams to show.

Twilight's green beam seemed to glow brightest around her own desk. She looked under it to find a gleaming marble taped beneath it. When Twilight let the Verdimillious light fade, the marble vanished from view. Twilight cast Verdimillious one more time before removing the marble from beneath the desk.

"Very good, Miss Sparkle!" Ricksmith congratulated.

"Well, I am very interested in Light magic," Twilight said. "In fact…I've found a few spells that I was practicing." She looked around the classroom; most of the students were busy searching for hidden objects. "Would you mind taking a look at how I'm doing with some of them while everyone else is busy?"

"Well…I don't see why not…" Ricksmith said.

"First, though," Twilight said, "I'm going to need you to cast a jinx on me. Something that leaves me able to use my wand, preferably."

"You want me…to jinx you?" Ricksmith looked nervous. "I'm sure that's against the code of—"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Well…all right…but we'll use something that we were going to practice the countercurse to later in term anyway." Ricksmith pointed his wand at Twilight. "Tarantallegra!"

Immediately, all four of Twilight's hooves began a wild tap-dance. Had Twilight not been slightly struggling to keep her balance and her concentration, she might have found it hilarious. She pointed her wand at her dancing hooves. "Esuna!"

A ring of light settled around Twilight's hooves, and she ceased dancing. "See?" she said to Ricksmith.

"Where…where did you learn that?" Ricksmith asked.

"I found it in a book," Twilight said; it wasn't a lie. "I found some other spells too—"

"Ow!" One student hit his head on the bottom of a desk while crawling toward a hidden pocket watch.

"Cure!" Twilight called out, aiming for that student. A blast of green shot at him.

"TWILIGHT!" Ricksmith cried in horror—most of his associations of green spells were with things that could injure people.

"Hey," the student murmured, "that doesn't hurt! Er, thanks, Twilight!"

Ricksmith was in awe. "Miss Sparkle…these spells are amazing! In what book did you find them?"

"It…was with a bunch of others when I found it," Twilight said. Also not, technically, a lie. "There was one more spell in it that was interesting."

"Well, do show me!"

"I can't really show you on anything because it was meant to be used as an offensive spell against Dark magic, but I can cast it on the air," Twilight said. She pointed her wand straight up. "HOLY!"

The white light burst against the ceiling in a harmless shower of sparks, but not before lighting up the whole room. Now all eyes were fixed on Twilight.

"Amazing!" Ricksmith cried. "Simply amazing! I've never seen such th…erm, I mean, those are indeed rare spells, but I'm sure I will eventually come across them as I continue to teach in this position."

"I want to learn more," Twilight said. "That was why I was wondering something."

"And what was that, Miss Sparkle?"

"If you'd help me get into the Restricted Section of the library. Just to see what else I can dig up on these spells. They are rare, after all."

"Well…" Ricksmith shrugged. "You've proven yourself a good and trustworthy student. I don't see why not. And I certainly don't want to hinder you from learning more in this direction!"

He moved toward his desk, taking out a sheet of parchment and drafting a permission slip for Twilight to enter the Restricted Section of the library. "There you go! Now, if you find anything special, don't hesitate to share it with the class!"

"Thank you," Twilight said sincerely.

After class, a throng of students surrounded Twilight. "I can't believe it!" said the boy who'd hit his head on the desk. "I've never seen spells like that! That looked like really high-level magic!"

"Are you sure you should be a first-year?" another asked. "That looked like second-year stuff at LEAST!"

"I'm just really interested in learning all the spells I can find," Twilight said humbly. "Especially if I read about—"

"Doesn't anyone think there's something a little too odd about all this?" one first-year boy sneered. "It isn't natural. Those spells can't be as Light as you say. Otherwise, Professor Ricksmith would have heard of them. Isn't anyone else seeing this? It's unnatural magic that she brought from…weird places!"

A few students regarded him with interest, but most still gushed over Twilight's skill. Twilight put on a happy face, but the boy's remarks troubled her. What would happen if the others figured out that not only her magic but her entire self came from somewhere "unnatural" to them?

* * *

"I'm going in," Twilight told the study group as she looked up at the Restricted Section.

"Good luck!" Luna wished her.

Twilight approached Irma Pince's desk. Pince, a small witch with dark hair and piercing dark eyes, regarded her with suspicion. "Umm…" Twilight handed over the permission slip from Ricksmith. "I have a note for access to the Restricted Section?"

Pince took the note. "It seems to check out," she said. "Follow me."

She led Twilight to the locked door, opening it with an "Alohomora." Pince turned to face Twilight. "Now, be careful. And don't mess with anything you shouldn't. I wouldn't abuse my first time in the Restricted Section, were I you. It would not earn you any invitations back."

"I'll be careful," Twilight promised. Then she crossed into the other room, Pince resealing the door behind her.

The Restricted Section was massive. Row upon row of shelves faced Twilight, and she hardly knew where to begin. It unsettled her that this part of the library was painted a slightly darker shade of gray than the rest—perhaps that was to make her feel uneasy on purpose. Perhaps it was supposed to be a deterrent to mischief. Mischief was not at all what Twilight had in mind. What she wanted were history books and glossaries of terms. She sought out the history sections and began taking down encyclopedias.

The majority of the books seemed to be devoted to the works of Dark witches and wizards that had terrorized Fourth Earth in general. Or so Twilight thought. She passed over the work on Morgana le Fay without giving a second thought that le Fay might have affected more than just one planet. However, even had she known, she was not here to investigate le Fay; she was here to elaborate upon Joseph's journal. She knew the key terms she wanted to look up, and so she sought them.

Right Eye: nothing.

Lumen Sage: nothing.

Shibusen: nothing.

Mahou Shoujo: nothing.

Prayermaster: nothing.

Herald: nothing.

Amaterasu: something, but not much. Merely a statement that she was a goddess worshipped in feudal Japan. This was juxtaposed with chapter upon chapter about witches and wizards that committed horrible crimes in feudal Japan and had little to nothing to do with Amaterasu. By the time she reached the chapter on kitsunes and how they possessed the bodies of unsuspecting women, Twilight knew that she was more likely to find a horror story to keep her up at night than she was anything about Amaterasu.

Re-Horakhty: a similar situation. He was a sun god of ancient Egypt, mentioned in a book about terrors committed in ancient Egypt.

Atlantis: Twilight was stunned. There was a whole book. Short, but definitely a book in its own right. "Essays on Atlantis" was bound in blue leather with gold leaf lettering. Twilight flipped through it; unlike the other books, it wasn't filled with gory illustrations or tales of terror and terrorism. It seemed to simply be essays on a city.

She looked at the introduction:

"Atlantis is infamous for many reasons. While scholars can, for the most part, say it did in fact exist and did in fact contain a degree of magic, it is uncertain what exactly this city was like. Some even speculate that Atlantis was not of this world, and that it was a separate dimension. However, that is highly unlikely."

Based on that statement alone, Twilight guessed it was more likely than the author had imagined.

"This book is filled with theories about Atlantis and its significance. Each essay in this book is penned by a renowned magical historian. However, because evidence is scant, keep in mind that these essays are filled with hypothesis only."

Twilight didn't have time to read through every essay, and if they were only going to be theories, she wasn't going to check out the whole book. However, she figured she had enough time to sit down and skim the essays for the important parts. She put back the books she'd taken down and made her way to a table upon which to read the book she had.

On her way there, she noticed that some of the other books seemed to…whisper, and make other rustling noises. Many a spellbook was chained to the shelf. She shuddered. The history books must have been the "Muggles" of the Restricted Section; what the others contained, Twilight wasn't sure she wanted to know just yet. Perhaps the sort of curse that Esuna was designed to counter when Verdimillious failed. Perhaps stronger curses yet.

Trying to ignore the thought that the books on the shelf probably wanted to kill her, Twilight set the book open in front of her and leafed through it.

Partway through, she was interrupted by the sound of footfalls. She looked up. "Is…is somepony there?"

To her surprise, an orangutan shuffled out from behind one of the shelves.

"Um…hi?" Twilight tried.

The orangutan merely said "Ook" and began to survey the shelves.

"Okaaaay…" Twilight watched him (at least, she thought it was a him) search the bookshelves. Eventually, he took down a thick black volume.

"Ook," he said, looking back at her, and she knew it meant something akin to "Goodbye." Then he shuffled away between the shelves.

"Wait!" Twilight got up, galloping after him. However, after looking up and down every row of books, Twilight had to concede that the orangutan had simply, inexplicably disappeared.

* * *

"Did you find everything you were looking for?" Pince asked Twilight.

"Yes," Twilight answered. "Although the orangutan was kind of a distraction."

"Come again?"

"I ran into an orangutan in the library. I thought he might have been part of the staff or something."

"There isn't any orangutan on campus that I know of," Pince replied. "However, stranger has happened in this school…"

With that, Twilight returned to the study table.

"So?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"What did you find?" Luna added.

"Not much," Twilight said. "A lot of…creepy stuff."

"That's generally what's in the Restricted Section," Hermione pointed out.

"Turns out the gods we saw altars to in the Luminary Hall are gods from different parts of the world, though I'm willing to bet they're not limited to just there," Twilight began. "Amaterasu is from someplace called 'Japan,' and Re-Horakhty is from 'Egypt.' But that's not the most interesting thing I found. There was a whole book in there on Atlantis. It wasn't even creepy. It was probably restricted because it had speculations on the cosmos and otherworldly things, even though it didn't say them outright. After all, it looks like Atlantis was really important to magical history on this world too."

"It was," Ginny said. "I thought you knew. Everyone knows the legend of the sunken city. It was in the Mediterranean Sea."

"If it was on this planet," Twilight said. "Or…maybe it was in that sea and on this planet, but ALSO on others. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's the best I've got right now. Anyway, it was respected as this kind of…big city of good. When it sank, and nopony knows exactly why it sank, the entire world grieved. It was a center of art and culture, and it preached peace…except that it was at war with an unknown nation. Probably unknown because it wasn't on Fourth Earth, I'm guessing. It also pioneered technology using crystals. Even more than the Crystal Empire back home. And that's all anypony knows for sure."

"Isn't there anything about it in your electric book thingy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Great idea!" Twilight realized, taking the Guide out of her bookbag where she'd had it stored. She hadn't used it since arriving at Hogwarts; she hadn't needed to. When she attempted to use it, however, it came up blank.

"Electric things don't work on campus," Hermione reminded her.

"Goodness knows if they did," Rarity sighed, "we wouldn't have to listen to Ebony whine about how her Walkman doesn't work so much."

"I don't really feel like going all the way off campus just to read it," Twilight sighed. "I know this is important, but I also feel like it can wait." She replaced the Guide. "Well, I guess for now, the trail is cold."

"But that means we can focus on other things," Applejack pointed out.

"Like helping out with S.P.E.W.," Fluttershy added.

Pinkie Pie giggled. "It still spells 'spew'!"

"We're agreed to meet in the kitchens on Friday?" Hermione asked.

Everyone around the table nodded assent.

* * *

"The trail is not necessarily cold," Firenze said as he and his six protégés watched the sky that Thursday evening. "You have only found one of the secret rooms. The others do not contain so much information, but it will still be enlightening to see them. Now that you have the Incendio spell, you may use it to open the room on the north corner of the main story of the castle. It looks unassuming, but will lead you to the Moshu and Mofa ballroom. I can explain it to you well enough myself, but it will do you good to see it for yourselves."

"I LOVE ballrooms!" Pinkie cried.

"The Moshu and Mofa ballroom is one worth loving," Firenze asserted. "It was the gathering place for all who were at Hogwarts—students, staff, and guests. It was where they would dance and celebrate. It was founded by a royal family from another world, and the reason Incendio was chosen as the unlocking incantation was in their honor…they were of a family which was close to fire. It symbolized the coming together and mingling of all who were in the castle. After it was sealed, all formal events were held in the Great Hall instead."

"So that was back when parties were for more than just the Slug Club," Rainbow Dash laughed.

"In a sense," Firenze agreed.

"Well, I for one am incredibly excited to see it in person," Rarity affirmed.

"Hey, Firenze," Twilight said, "do you know anything about Atlantis?"

"Atlantis…" Firenze looked directly up toward the sky. "A dream of utopia. Though it was ruled by humans, it is said that it was a city where everyone from human to centaur to house-elf could be treated with integrity. Then it was destroyed."

"Was it of this world?" Twilight asked.

"The historians of this world would like to claim that," Firenze said. "Though in a sense, they are not entirely wrong. This world was part of the same fabric as Atlantis."

"You've said a lot about how everypony used to get along here," Applejack pointed out, "and if even the Lumen Sages could get along here for a while…heck. Maybe this place could become the new Atlantis."

"It could never fully replace it for many reasons," Firenze said. "But to follow in Atlantis' footsteps would be a dream indeed."

"Minus the getting destroyed part, of course," Rainbow Dash offered.

* * *

The study group, as they had come to think of themselves, gathered before the massive painting situated on the wall in the first basement. The painting portrayed a still life of fruit: a vibrantly crimson apple, an almost edible looking green pear.

"Is it a password painting?" Twilight asked.

"Actually, it works very differently," Hermione answered. "It's rather silly." She reached up to touch the pear and gently tickled it. The pear went into a laughing fit before transforming into a green handle.

"That WAS silly!" Pinkie agreed.

Six Kentaurides and three humans stepped into the kitchens to find them bustling with activity. The kitchens themselves were enormous. At the center were four tables that paralleled the tables in the Great Hall, which was directly above; Twilight guessed the food was transported from one table directly to another. Around the walls were stoves, cooking fires, and chopping boards of all sorts. And working these stations were creatures that the six Equestrians were surprised never to have seen before despite their involvement in the running of the school. The house-elves were about half as tall as Hermione, or a little shorter. They had large, shining eyes; pointed noses; and batlike ears. Each wore a toga made of a pillowcase, a towel, or similar material, barring one who wore a ratty blue suit marred by tears and burns.

"Excuse me!" Hermione said.

At the sound of her voice, every house-elf turned to face her. At first, the collective expression was unreadable. Then, one angrily said, "Not this again!"

"I know we didn't part on the best of terms," Hermione said, "but we—"

"Get out!" another house-elf yelled. "Don't you understand? We don't want you here!"

"HEY!" Twilight yelled. "Why aren't you even listening to her?"

"Because," said the house-elf nearest to the group, "she's going to goes on about us needing pay and vacations and freedom. She's been at this for years. We doesn't want any of that stuff."

Fluttershy didn't miss it when the house-elf in the blue suit said very softly, "Most of us don't want any of that…"

"I thought you'd changed your tunes after the battle last year," Ginny said sternly. "You all pitched in, didn't you?"

"Doesn't mean we're going to starts getting above ourselves," another house-elf said from the crowd. "Can't we just works in peace?"

"I'm startin' to think it might be best if we just let 'em work in peace," Applejack told Hermione. "They obviously don't want—"

"Why?" Fluttershy asked.

"What?" several of the house-elves chorused back at her.

"Why don't you want to do anything but work, and without pay or vacation or anything fair?" Fluttershy asked. "I'm not criticizing you. I'm just curious."

The house-elves looked around amongst themselves. Then one stepped forward to speak. "It's our lot," she said. "Since the beginning of time, house-elves have served wizards and witches and been perfectly fine with it. If it was good enough for our ancestors, it's good enough for us. It's why we're called house-elves. We isn't good for anything more. We're born servants."

"No one is born a servant," Hermione argued.

"We," the house-elf insisted, "is."

"So…it's more that you think…you can't have any other kind of life?" Fluttershy asked.

Now the house-elf in the blue suit pushed aside the one who had been speaking. "Winky wants another kind of life!" she cried. "Winky wants more! But it's never going to happen to Winky because…because Winky has never been anything more than a failure!"

The other house-elves all shot her angry glares. "Backs off, Winky," the one who'd been shoved aside said.

"Leaves her alone, Linney." Easily the oldest house-elf in the kitchens stepped forward.

"And you're going to be the one who talks, Kreacher?" Linney shot back. "After all you did for the House of Black? You barely has any ability to distinguish between fiction and reality as it is!"

"Linney is obnoxious when she speaks out of turn," Kreacher muttered to himself, not quite aware that he had said that out loud instead of just thinking it.

"That's it!" Rainbow Dash said sternly. "Everypony, LISTEN UP!"

All eyes were then on Rainbow Dash.

"So you think this is all you're good for," Rainbow Dash said. "That this is a dead end because of history. But haven't you ever dared to dream? Haven't you ever wanted more? Let me tell you a story about a little filly I once knew who—"

"Rainbow Dash," Applejack hissed, "this is not the time for a personal story—"

"—who had a dream," Rainbow Dash said. "She wanted to be the best and fastest flier in the entire world. She was born to ordinary parents in an ordinary town, but she never gave up, and she kept on trying every day until she was accepted into the finest flying academy in the world! And there, she was nominated as a group leader! After that, she became a hero! You probably couldn't tell, but that filly was me."

"Everyone could tell," Hermione muttered.

"You think I could have become what I did if I hadn't decided to try for my dream, even when it looked like I shouldn't have been able to do it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "No! I didn't just accept everything that was given to me! And I'm here to tell you right now: no matter what your ancestors did, no matter what you think you were born to do, and no matter what's stopping you from getting what you want, there's nothing saying you can't try! Do you really want to stay in these kitchens all your life without fair conditions? If you do, that's fine. Then do it. But haven't any of you ever wanted to be paid? To buy things for yourselves? To get a vacation and go see…go see…um…hand me a place that's good for a vacation."

"Norway can be nice," Luna offered.

"To Norway!" Rainbow Dash picked up. "Or maybe you even want to work somewhere that's not the kitchens! Maybe you want to work in Diagon Alley! Own a shop! Sure, there are a lot of things that say you can't. But you can say you can! Do you think you can? What do you REALLY want?"

After a silence, Winky said, "Winky…Winky is all right with the kitchen…but Winky would like pay so…so Winky can has things for myself. Not other people's things."

"Kreacher wants to see more of this school," Kreacher said. Then, again confusing thoughts for dialogue: "It hides all sorts of nasty secrets Kreacher must knows…"

"And?" Rainbow Dash stared Linney down.

Linney's lip quivered. "Sometimes…sometimes Linney thinks about Diagon Alley. Linney is the best at making cakes and pies and wonders if anyone would likes them…but those is bad thoughts! BAD thoughts! Linney is supposed to make cakes HERE!"

"Says who?" Rainbow Dash challenged. "History? Tradition? Neigh-sayers? Forget it all! I think everypony here who isn't happy, and I'm not talking on the outside, I'm talking way deep down not happy, with the way things are, should get together and do something about it! NOW, WHO'S WITH ME!"

Several house-elves found themselves cheering. A few more gave soft yelps of approval.

"ALL RIGHT!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Now, I think the first thing we should do is—"

"Can Winky speaks?" Winky asked.

"Sure!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"Winky thinks…we should starts with a letter," Winky said. "We should gives it to the Headmistress."

"We can even help you write and deliver it!" Twilight said happily.

"We does not need your help for little things we can does ourselves," Linney snapped. "We wants to do this on our own."

"Whatever you want is just fine," Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Of course it makes sense," Rarity said softly. "We couldn't just act like they're powerless."

"But they could need our help more than they know," Ginny argued.

"They seem quite confident that they can get on well by themselves," Rarity replied.

"Just remember," Pinkie told the house-elf crowd, "if you need help, Hermione is really cool with helping you, okay? She wants what's best for you! So, um, don't be mad at her!"

"But she won't leaves us alone!" another house-elf cried.

"Quiet," Kreacher hissed. "He doesn't know when someone's trying to helps him…completely blind…"

"We can writes the letter ourselves," Winky told the study group. "But if we needs your help, at the very least Winky will ask. Thank you for saying what you says."

"No problem!" Rainbow Dash said with a wink. "Keep us posted on the letter, okay?"

The study group left the kitchens. "That…went strangely better than all my other attempts," Hermione said. "Rainbow Dash, you are quite the leader."

"I know," Rainbow Dash bragged. "I wasn't kidding about being named lead pony at Wonderbolt Academy. It just comes naturally!"

"But it wouldn't have gone that way four years ago," Ginny pointed out. "The battle showed them all that they have more power. And Winky is relatively new to the kitchens. She's probably changed their views a lot."

"What's her story, anyway?" Rarity asked. "I couldn't help but notice she was different in many ways."

"Winky was mistreated by her first masters and punished for things she didn't do in order to cover up actions by the Death Eaters," Hermione explained. "They threw her out, and she came here. She had more freedom than the other house-elves, and that made the others in the kitchens angry. It took them a long time to get used to her. Kreacher is a different story. He worked for the Death Eaters himself, sort of, but he sort of changed his tune and came to work here instead. Harry could have kept him on as a servant, but for all he laughs at my work with S.P.E.W., he still thought it was important to let Kreacher have a choice. And Kreacher picked these kitchens."

"Did they really think that all they were good for was being servants?" Pinkie asked.

"It isn't that hard," Luna said, "for people to convince you that you belong somewhere, whether you want to be there or not."

"That's just so sad," Pinkie said.

"McGonagall should be receptive to a petition from the house-elves," Ginny said. "I don't know how much she can do outside of improving conditions in the castle, but we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

MITAKIHARA, 30TH EARTH

"NOW do you remember?" Discord asked Kyubey as the two sat on the park bench.

"Now I remember," Kyubey said. "Madoka's wish changed the timeline and the fate of all the Mahou Shoujo that signed the contract. As long as she was what she was, they would fight wraiths and not witches, and never go through the maturing process."

"You're not mad, are you?" Discord asked. "After all, the other timeline gave you the energy source you needed without the, er, nasty side effects."

"I am not mad. I cannot be mad. I do not have the capacity. I am not pleased either. I do not know whether I would be mad or pleased. But it takes the defeat of several wraiths to equal the energy produced by one contract. Perhaps I would be pleased. I see them all as disposable. May I ask where the wraiths have gone?"

"They're still around. Just not on this world, or at least not in that quantity. Anyway, now that things are normal, I suppose you're wanting to expand the business."

"In order to keep entropy from depleting the cosmos, I will have to make as many contracts as I can," Kyubey said. "There are many planets filled with emotional girls in the second stage of development. As there were in the past. There are even some that are already Mahou Shoujo without a contract. I can make a contract with them if I want."

"And there's the thing," Discord said. "The reason I went through all this in the first place. You see, with Madoka out of the way, you can make contracts, and they will end the way I like them."

"In disorder."

"Precisely. But I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you. Something rather small in the grand scheme of things, and it benefits you too."

"I will choose whether or not I want to accept," Kyubey said. Throughout, the expression on his face remained the same—the blank, staring eyes, the upturned mouth.

"There are six in particular I want you to make the contract with," Discord said.

"What makes them so special?"

"Let's just say I know, and you'll find out. And I can't wait to see the look on your face when you do—well, admittedly, it will be the same as it always is—but you know what I mean. Now, don't worry. You'll still get your energy from them. A lot of energy indeed."

"Is it one of your little games? You know the only option is for them to lose."

"I know very well what the options are."

"Show me who they are," Kyubey commanded.

Discord produced several photographs from thin air. There was one of each—Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Applejack—and one of them all together. All had been taken candidly in Ponyville. "Technically, they're already Mahou Shoujo," he said. "But they don't have the contract signed. And they're actually working far under full potential."

Kyubey took a look at the photographs. "They are outgrowing the ideal stage of development."

"But trust me. Emotionally, they're just as volatile."

"Then I see no reason why not—"

"There is a catch."

"Go on."

"You see," Discord said, "their goals are a little different than those of the girls you usually deal with. The exact reason you give for most of the girls to get powers is one they would hate. And the exact reason most girls end up hating what you give them is actually what they want…well, if you worded it a little differently. If they knew what it REALLY meant, they'd be as horrified by the others, but they like the concept. So to get them to make the contract, you're going to have to NOT tell them what you usually tell the others, and tell them what you usually DON'T tell the others."

"And you promise a high net gain in energy? I don't want to waste my time if they won't contribute to the combat of entropy."

"Believe me, Kyubey, no one would hate the end of the cosmos more than me. The more energy they give off from the contract in order to make sure that doesn't happen, the better."

"Tell me more about what you would specifically like me to tell them," Kyubey said.

"I knew you'd agree to it!" Discord cried happily. "So here's the thing…"

* * *

HOGSMEADE, FOURTH EARTH

In the Shrieking Shack, Narcissa Malfoy lay a plate of sandwiches on the dining room table. "It was the best I could get from town today," she said. Shopping for food was always an ordeal for the Malfoys; each kept a hood up or a hat pulled low to keep the hair covered and the face obscured. All feared being discovered.

"It's all right," Lucius told her.

"Perhaps soon," Narcissa said, "we should…seek help, or something…"

"Or fight back," Draco suggested.

"Draco," Lucius said, "you cannot make up for battles you didn't pick in the past by picking this one now, and I won't entertain the notion of it any longer."

"But how long should we stay like this?" Narcissa asked. "Running—"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

Narcissa's arms snapped to her sides, and she fell to the ground, hitting it as though she were a statue, unmoving.

"NARCISSA!" Lucius cried, rushing to her; Draco followed.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

Lucius and Draco's stonelike forms fell alongside Narcissa's. All three could only stare upward and do nothing else. Two hooded forms shimmered into view, out of a cloaking charm.

"It's finally time for the traitors to die," said the shorter of the two. "Did you three really think you could hide forever? What an obvious place to choose."

"I don't see why we couldn't have just killed them," said the taller.

"Because I want them to know why they are dying," the shorter growled. "I want them to fear the way we feared. To know that there would NEVER be any freedom from consequences for what they did!"

"Don't," the taller cautioned. "Just kill them. Don't tell them—"

The shorter wouldn't listen. He removed his hood. He was then recognizable as Peter Pettigrew. "Thought I'd died, hadn't you?" he jeered. "I did. We all did. Thanks to you three snitches. Did you really think the Death Eaters were just some club you could join for luncheon and then leave when you felt like it?"

"Pettigrew," the taller said—his voice, come to think of it, was recognizable to all three Malfoys as Scabior's—not afraid to use Pettigrew's name since Pettigrew himself had spoiled it. "STOP."

"No," Pettigrew said. "They need to know. We aren't dead anymore. Not one little bit. We found a way back. But you never will. Lord Voldemort will rise once more, and you won't be around with your little snitching ways to annoy him. He'll be quite pleased with me, actually, once I turn in your bodies. But first…I want to have a little fun." He grinned. "Do you know everything I sacrificed?" He cradled his right wrist with his left hand. "Well, it's about time you sacrificed something yourselves, you stuck-up—"

"If you won't," Scabior growled, drawing his wand, "I will."

"I want to take the boy's right hand first," Pettigrew replied. "I gave that AND my life to the Dark Lord, only to take a demotion! And they betrayed us completely…led us all to our deaths…and they didn't give up ONE! SINGLE! THING!"

"Stupefy."

When Pettigrew hit the ground, unconscious, it took Scabior a while to register what had happened. All three Malfoys were down for the count, and Scabior certainly hadn't cast a stunning spell. By the time it occurred to him that there was someone else in the house—

"Stupefy."

Scabior didn't manage to turn around and get a good look at his attacker.

The fourth member of the household of the Shrieking Shack approached the Malfoys, casting the counter-curse for the full-body bind. The three scrambled to their feet hastily.

"It's not possible," Narcissa wailed. "It can't be—"

Lucius peeled back Scabior's hood. "It is."

"I would suggest," said the fourth, "that you leave this place. Now that you know what you know…"

"How did they even do it?" Draco asked.

"I do not know," the fourth said. "This is a grave matter indeed. No doubt this will be of interest to your allies among the authorities. Now that you know you were not targeted by those against the Death Eaters, I would assume it safe to trust those you had trusted."

"The Ministry," Narcissa suggested.

"Will never believe us," Lucius argued.

Draco thought it over. Then he knelt, taking Pettigrew and Scabior's wands. "What about Hogwarts?" he suggested.

"The safest bet," the fourth agreed. "After all, the last time Voldemort returned from the dead—"

"Don't say that!" Lucius retorted. "All we know is that these two are somehow here. Perhaps it's even an illusion!" He looked closer at the wands Draco held. "Though…those are the wands they held…"

"Minerva McGonagall will know better than Minister Shacklebolt how to react to the situation," the fourth concluded. "I would not delay further."

"You'll be coming with us," Draco said, "right?"

"No. I will be moving on to a new shelter."

"But don't they deserve to know—"

"No. And I will thank you to keep it a secret."

"Be careful," Draco said softly.

"We must go," Lucius insisted.

The three Malfoys huddled together for a group Apparition, and then were gone. The fourth regarded the two prone Death Eaters on the floor with no doubt that they were in fact who they appeared to be. After all, who would know better about coming back from the dead? The fourth—now the one, since the Malfoys had left—contemplated killing them, but knew that more death would not solve the problem, and would probably only draw out even more assassins. The only solution would be to find elsewhere to hide. And so the one Apparated away as well, hoping to fade out of the fabric of memory of the world, to be forgotten.

But Draco wasn't about to forget.

* * *

Chapter 30:

· Pinkie Pie HAS to get fire. I love the Pinkie Pyro meme as much as the next brony meme-maker.

· Verdimillious is a canon spell in the Potterverse. It's mostly game-specific. It has versatile uses, but my favorite is the ability to find items hidden by Dark magic.

· Tarantallegra is another canon spell…one those who recall the magic duel between Draco and Harry will remember fondly.

· I really should come up with more OC names for the people in Twilight's class.

· I couldn't resist going with Pince's movie design. It's just too perfect.

· And the Restricted Section is one area where the movies and games trump the books. In the books, the Restricted Section is separated from the rest of the library by a rope. Not only is a door better security than a rope, but making the Restricted Section a separate room allowed me to go a little Creepypasta on it. I mean…it's very canon that the books are filled with disturbing things and that some of them are even CHAINED TO THE SHELVES. In fact, if you like creepy/horror-style music, I would suggest listening to the song "The Trial" by Attrition while thinking about the Restricted Section. Also, it has a darker paint job because, again, that's just creepier.

· The orangutan isn't really a Chekhov's Gun so much as he is a cameo. In the Discworld books, it's established that there's such a thing as "library space" that those with the knowhow can use to travel from one library to another. All libraries are connected that way. You get yourself lost in the shelves of one and you come out in another. The orangutan is the librarian of the Unseen University (wizarding college) in the Disc. (He used to be human. Then he was enchanted into an orangutan. He doesn't mind and he actually kinda prefers being an orangutan.) He's probably the smartest character in the series and spends a lot of time in the library and using the library space, so I don't find it a stretch that he travels the libraries of the universe to find the books he wants.

· The Disney film of Atlantis and the Atlantis: The Lost Tales games I mentioned earlier BOTH have Atlantis running on crystal-based technology.

· Atlantis is mentioned in philosophy a lot as an example of utopia, so they would, of course, preach peace. But I need them to be at war with this "mysterious nation." Because I need to. (I wonder if anyone recalls a certain conversation Discord had with the Old Ones back in Morbus…)

· I'm surprised it took me this long to mention that the Guide doesn't work here.

· "Moshu" and "Mofa" are both Chinese words that essentially mean "magic" in slightly different contexts.

· Potter Wiki says that Kreacher MIGHT have stayed on as Harry's servant and MIGHT have moved to the kitchens. I chose kitchens. Not only because I needed more house-elf characters there and I wanted him to have at least an acquaintanceship with Winky, but I do think that Hermione probably would have influenced Harry's desire to not rely on a house-elf in a way that might be unfair.

· Linney is my OC because there are only two house elves with actual names in the Potterverse.

· Again, I'm trying to tackle it as best I can. I don't think it fair that this entire race thinks it's BORN to serve, and one of my readers and helpful idea-bouncers suggested to me the very convincing idea that house-elves are resigned to unpaid servitude because they believe they aren't good for anything else, as told by society. I tried to have characters in this scene offer at least one statement on different perspectives of the argument. And I realize that one solitary speech might not be enough, but I didn't know how else to kick it off (besides, Potter Wiki says emotions in the kitchen had changed since the house-elves participated in the Battle of Hogwarts…and also, the one giving the speech was Rainbow Dash).

· Again, I'm trying to keep a lot of the Puella Magi stuff hush-hush, so if it doesn't make sense to you now…it isn't really supposed to. What basically happened: Discord put the timeline back, so now Kyubey has memories of the contracts he used to make with Mahou Shoujo before the wraiths showed up and he didn't have to do that. Also, Kyubey's main motivation is to collect energy to combat entropy. Defeating wraiths is a source of that. So is forging contracts with the Mahou Shoujo in the timeline where Madoka is not a goddess.

· Canonically, Kyubey is incapable of feeling emotion. This time, I'm not retconning that out like I did with Voldemort and love/lust.

· And Kyubey's favorite target for Mahou Shoujo is preteen girls because they're more emotional, which leads to the conversion of more energy in the mysterious process of the contract. Which is why he balked at the Mane Six at first…but we ALL know how emotionally volatile they are!

· Pettigrew monologues because I need a way for the mainstream world to suspect that the Death Eaters are back.


	31. Enter the Malfoys

31: Enter the Malfoys

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Atop the main staircase in the atrium, the hallway split in two directions. Down one was the doorway that led to the grand system of stairways that connected the towers and storeys. Down the other was an unassuming little door that led into what seemed like an empty storage room.

"Here it is," Twilight said. She, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash gathered in the small room, anxious to see what lay beyond the stone wall. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Pinkie chirped.

"As am I," Rarity agreed.

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack stepped back to let the other three stand before the blank stone wall. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie drew their wands, pointing them at the wall. "INCENDIO!" they cried as one.

The flames hit the wall and then flickered into the outline of a glimmering orange door that, like the door to the Luminary Hall, slid open to reveal a room beyond. The six stepped through the door before the flames went out and closed it.

The room stripped them of words. Unlike the Luminary Hall, it was not a convoluted corridor, nor was it mostly dark. Windows set up high—the ceiling was vaulted in a way that almost dizzied those that looked up—filtered sunlight into the room, lighting up the dust flecks that settled in after the years of disuse. The room was mostly circular, with an astonishing diameter. Of course it would have made the perfect ballroom. Rarity imagined hundreds of beings, human, equine, and otherwise, standing around and making small talk, or dancing in the center.

"At least it isn't too complicated," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash huffed. "It's just way more boring."

"Look at it this way," Applejack offered. "This way, we're definitely gonna finish exploring before the Quidditch match. How're ya feelin' about it?"

"Pretty confident," Rainbow Dash said. "It's Hufflepuff. We can drive their team into the ground."

"I wonder where this room came from," Twilight muttered, thinking out loud. "There has to be a reason for the name."

"I found something!" Pinkie called from across the room.

Twilight trotted over beside her, looking at a brass plaque on the wall. She wiped the dust away with her sleeve to read the text:

This ballroom was granted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

For the purpose of celebration of harmony between students, staff, and guests by

FIRE LORD MOSHU

And his wife

MOFA

With special respect to their son

PRINCE SOZIN

"Well, that explains the name," Twilight said as her other friends gathered around to look at the plaque.

"What's a Fire Lord?" Pinkie asked. "That sounds like something I want to be!"

"You think that would be in the Restricted Section?" Twilight wondered out loud.

"Given our luck so far, I don't know that I'd bet on it," Rarity cautioned.

"And it might undermine my credibility to keep asking for permission to get in there," Twilight sighed.

"I wonder what they were like," Fluttershy mused. "Do you think they were kind people?"

"They did obviously donate the funding for an entire ballroom to this school," Rarity pointed out.

"That doesn't mean they were kind," Rainbow Dash said as a rebuttal.

"There's just no way of knowing," Twilight said. "Our best bet is probably to ask Firenze about it. Well, I think I've seen everything. We should probably get down to the Quidditch Pitch."

* * *

"All right," Ginny said to the Gryffindor Quidditch team before they were to walk out onto the field. "We've had one win so far, but that doesn't mean we can just kick back and relax. We need to treat this game like the first one. One win doesn't guarantee another! Especially against Hufflepuff. They may have a reputation for being athletically weak, but don't be fooled by that. They have top-of-the-line fliers. That's why I want everyone to do their very best today! Now let's go!"

As Ginny led the team out onto the field, Rainbow Dash murmured to Ty, "Like I need to be reminded of that. I'm Rainbow Dash!" She cleared her throat. "Oh, and, kid…"

"Yes?" Ty replied.

"Could you…be more careful out there today? I'm pretty good at catching people, but I don't want to worry that today might be the day I miss."

Ty looked at Rainbow Dash's expression to see that she was genuinely concerned. "There won't be any falling off my broomstick today," he said. "I promise."

"Good."

"I also promise to get the Snitch this time."

"Do your best. But if you don't get it, don't worry. I got this team's back."

The Gryffindor team walked out onto the sunlit field. The chill of approaching winter slipped through the air, nipping any exposed skin. Soon, the first snow would come, and the season would halt. But first, there would be this showdown between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

Bright maroon and yellow robes met at the center of the field. Rainbow Dash sized up the Hufflepuffs. They certainly didn't look like much, but then again, you couldn't tell one's ability to ride a broomstick by most physical characteristics. Muscles and running speed weren't as important here—

While Rainbow Dash thought this over, the Quaffle was tossed. Snapping out of her reverie, Rainbow Dash charged for it only to have it taken from her by a Hufflepuff Chaser. Enraged, Rainbow Dash charged after the Chaser.

The first goal against Gryffindor was scored right before her eyes. Horrified, Rainbow Dash felt the eyes of the entire audience upon her. She'd messed up; she'd let the opposing team get the first goal.

"Gosh," Fluttershy said up in the stands. "I hope she doesn't let it get to her."

But she did. Two more goals were scored against Gryffindor.

A glint of gold; Ty Dunbar's attention was caught. He took off, chasing after it. Hufflepuff Seeker Summerby saw his quick takeoff and followed, doubting that Dunbar would lead him on a wild goose chase.

"This can't be happening," Rainbow Dash moaned, sitting still atop her broom midfield. She hadn't been able to score a single goal against the Hufflepuff Keeper.

"Rainbow!" Ginny barked at her. "Move!"

"Right…" Rainbow Dash steeled herself to fly again, moving out to find the Quaffle.

The Golden Snitch seemed determined to lose its followers. It wove in between the other players, and Dunbar focused on it with Summerby in close pursuit. Dunbar kept full focus on the Snitch, keeping after its trail, when suddenly, a memory of the last match invaded his mind.

He chanced to look away from the Snitch, widening his scope. He was able to dodge the Bludger; otherwise, he almost certainly would have ended up in another freefall. He put his focus back on the Snitch, speeding up, ever faster, reaching out—

His hand closed around the Snitch before Summerby could even match his speed. Every Gryffindor in the stadium erupted into wild cheering.

Every Gryffindor, that is, except for Applejack. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie didn't cheer either. They saw the scoreboard. They knew the implications. And it was only a matter of time before Rainbow Dash did too.

Rainbow Dash looked up at the scoreboard. Gryffindor had won by ten points: 150 to 140. The former number was the exact amount of points granted by Dunbar's catching of the Snitch. The Gryffindor Chasers hadn't been able to score a single goal.

"No," she muttered.

The teams landed. The rest of the Gryffindor team was ecstatic, but Rainbow Dash, upon touching ground, stormed off to the lockers.

"Rainbow!" a voice called.

Rainbow Dash turned to see Summerby standing behind her. "Erm…I wanted to say I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" she asked. "You didn't do anything."

"Well, that's not exactly true…" Summerby glanced down nervously. "I've been holding the point that the Gryffindor team having you was cheating."

"And now," Rainbow Dash clarified, "because I lost so epically, you know there's no way they could possibly be cheating?"

"Well…" Summerby shuffled his feet. "I…didn't mean for it to come out exactly that way…"

"And everypony else in this school is going to think the same thing now?"

"Look, Dash, I didn't—"

Rainbow Dash broke into a grin. "That's AWESOME!" she cried.

"I thought you were offended that I, well, rubbed in the loss," Summerby said, perplexed.

"I'm a little mad about that," Rainbow Dash admitted, "but I'd rather us all be sure that Gryffindor plays a fair game. Heck, even I was beginning to be afraid that having me was cheating." She looked back to her team, still celebrating on the field. "Though I guess I didn't really act like a team player today. Thanks, Summerby. I'll catch you later, okay?"

She walked back to her teammates. "Hey, kid!" she yelled at Dunbar. "You really saved our skin out there! Something tells me picking you for Seeker was one of the best moves this team ever made!"

As the team retired to the lockers together, everyone cheered Ty on; he'd put them that much further down the road to the Quidditch Cup.

* * *

McGonagall adjusted her glasses to read for the third time the document that sat before her on the desk. She was surprised to see such a paper there. She was also surprised it hadn't come earlier. She was even a little ashamed not to have thought about the matter herself.

The house-elves had drafted a letter to her asking for pay, vacations, and support if they wanted to leave the castle. Not all of them had signed it—some were still entrenched in their old beliefs—but over half the kitchen had placed their names at the end, making an official petition.

After some deliberation, McGonagall realized the path to take was obvious. She dipped a quill in ink and began to draft a response.

* * *

"McGonagall says we can have our pay!" Winky cried happily in the midst of the kitchen.

The study group had returned there to check up on the progress of the movement. Winky was the first to break the news of McGonagall's response. She waved the letter from McGonagall in her hand happily.

"Might I see that?" Hermione asked.

"Yes!" Winky said, handing it over.

Hermione took the letter, reading it aloud. "To the house-elves currently in the employ of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: It has been a grave oversight in my role as headmaster to not offer the proper benefits to staff members such as yourselves. As such, any house-elf who requests a salary or other related benefits will be granted these things. In the interest of preserving a relationship based on freedom of will and respect, at this time, I will only grant these to those who do ask, as I am well aware that many house-elves at this time still do not wish to receive such benefits. However, there is no time limit on when a house-elf may request these conditions. Clothing will also be offered to those who wish for it.

"You may be wondering from where this school will get the funding to support so many house-elves' salaries. However, I am sure that the Gobstones Club, the Rat Race Club, and the Slugs and Bugs Club, while all worthwhile pursuits, do not need school funding any longer and should be able to fundraise for whatever they need, including tournament entry. Nor does the school budget need to provide gobstones for the Gobstones Club any longer; members will be responsible for their own stones. They will complain, but treating you with fairness is of the utmost priority. If funds are still insufficient, I will look into revoking the terms of first-years not being allowed their own brooms so that they may purchase their own and the school budget will not have to factor as many brooms into the system. The first-years will certainly be happy about that. However, as this is an EXTREME measure, do not mention it to anyone outside the kitchens."

"Well, there went the plan of not mentioning it," Twilight broke in.

"I'm all for it!" Rainbow Dash squeaked.

"But by next year, you can own a broom anyway," Ginny pointed out.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash rebutted, "but there will still be other first-years that want brooms."

"Keep reading, Hermione," Twilight encouraged.

Hermione picked back up where she'd left off. "There is no decree maintaining that house-elves cannot walk the halls of Hogwarts as they so desire, nor is there one preventing them from attending staff functions. However, I realize that traditions have cemented these beliefs and that prejudices may make it difficult for house-elves to go where they please in the castle. Should anyone encounter such prejudices or other difficulties, refer all incidents to me, and those who dare mistreat valuable members of Hogwarts staff shall be reprimanded harshly.

"Finally, to the point of the freedom to seek work outside Hogwarts: I am afraid to say that due to previously mentioned entrenched prejudices, it is highly unlikely for house-elves to find employment outside of house servitude or work at Hogwarts. This will hopefully change as time passes, and sooner rather than later. I shall be an advocate for house-elf employment in the mainstream magical community, but as of right now, it will be very difficult to find outside work. I am by no means saying you should not try—I am merely warning you of current circumstances.

"I apologize for my lack of attentiveness to the situation at hand in the past, and wish you all the best of luck. You will begin to receive pay starting next week. Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress." Hermione rolled up the letter. "I can't believe it…"

"House-elves is going to get pay and vacations and even clothes!" Winky gushed.

"Linney will not wears clothes yet," Linney scoffed. "That is too far."

"Maybe you think that now," Twilight said. "And that's okay. But if you ever change your mind…there might be a cake shop waiting out there with your name written all over it."

"That isn't true," Linney said, though Twilight could tell she wasn't sure.

"Well, that settles it," said Hermione. "S.P.E.W. has to go into overdrive. We have to start lobbying for house-elves to have equal working rights outside of servitude…we have to…"

"Is the girl talking about those things again?" a house-elf chided from the furthest stove.

"Sorry," Hermione said quickly. "We'll take little steps."

"We doesn't need these steps at all," that house-elf grumbled.

"You doesn't," Kreacher muttered in return. "He doesn't have any respect for Kreacher, what Kreacher might wants…Kreacher wants to find out all the secrets hidden in this school, all the nasty secrets."

"I have to say," Rarity assessed, "things are definitely looking up!"

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

"Things are not looking up in your favor…Pettigrew…Scabior."

"In my defense," Pettigrew said, even his voice shaking, "we…didn't tell them where we were stationed…or about our new recruits and allies…"

"I didn't tell them anything," Scabior huffed. "It was all Pettigrew."

"I do not care," Voldemort said. "CRUCIO!"

As Scabior and Pettigrew hit the ground, their bodies wracked with pain, Bellatrix, Horvath, Quirrell, and Medusa watched and smiled broadly.

When the Cruciatus Curse subsided, Voldemort asked, "Did you see who Stupefied you?"

"No," said Scabior.

"Wormtail?" Voldemort asked.

"N-no," Pettigrew answered.

"CRUCIO!"

The pair writhed again. This time, Bellatrix giggled. "Mightn't I have a turn?" she asked Voldemort.

"Do whatever you wish to them," he said. "I would prefer you left them alive…for now."

Bellatrix cast the next round of Cruciatus on Pettigrew and Scabior, Horvath looking on with interest. Bored, Medusa left, presumably to work on her experiments. Voldemort decided it was time to check up on his little experiment.

"Come with me, Quirinus," he beckoned, and Quirrell followed him out of the room and down the hall; Pettigrew and Scabior's screams and Bellatrix's laughing faded into background noise. "How are our students progressing?" Voldemort asked.

"They are ready," Quirrell replied.

The pair opened a door, beyond which Trixie and Alex sat in the living room. Trixie pored over a book while Alex played some sort of little game on her smartphone. Both looked up upon the entrance of their superiors.

"So I hear that everyone up at Hogwarts knows what we're doing now," Alex began.

"What has been done with Pettigrew and Scabior?" Trixie inquired.

"They are being punished," Voldemort answered simply.

In an example of excellent timing, Pettigrew could be heard screaming, "NO! MAKE IT STOP!"

"That is an example of what happens to those who disobey the Dark Lord," Quirrell said sternly.

"Point taken," Alex said. "Memo to self. Don't tick you off."

"Why could you not have simply killed them?" Trixie asked.

Voldemort grinned wildly just to hear her say that. "They may yet be useful to me. But even more so…we cannot risk death for our own sake, as the being who brought us back will not likely do so again. But should he get it in his head to do so, it would not be good for Pettigrew and Scabior to be revived from death elsewhere, with the freedom to stand against us. This way, we can tighten our control over them."

"Discord is horribly playful," Trixie confirmed. "He would have no problem with leaving you all for dead OR with reviving them in order to start a counter-movement."

"I see you have no problem with the deaths of two of our own," Voldemort observed.

"They were getting on my nerves," Alex piped up.

"They're meaningless to Trixie," Trixie added. "And Trixie has come to recognize the truth about power. Sacrifices must be made." She grinned. "Trixie is now able to cast spells Trixie had only dreamed of!"

"Then it is time," Voldemort said. "Rise. Come to me."

When Alex and Trixie stood before him, he bade them, "Show me your forearms. Today is the day you are marked as true Death Eaters."

Alex and Trixie rolled up their sleeves. Upon each forearm, Voldemort cast an enchantment; it stung horribly for a while, but the pain faded. Trixie looked down at her arm to see a Dark Mark shining there. She wondered briefly where it would go if she transformed back into her unicorn state. Alex admired her own, smiling proudly at it.

"Now," Voldemort said, "you are truly two of us. We will leave you to your own devices now. Just know that this is a bond you can never break. If you dare to break it…simply remember Pettigrew and Scabior at this very moment."

He turned and left, Quirrell following. "I'm quite proud with how they turned out," Quirrell said, beaming. "I wasn't sure at first, but they're growing into such excellent Dark witches!"

"It almost makes up for what we lost in terms of anonymity," Voldemort said, "thanks to Wormtail and Scabior."

"Will we have to strike earlier? Change locations?"

"No. Not at the moment. They do not know where we are. In that, we have an advantage. It may also be incomprehensible to them that we have indeed returned from the dead. It may be that no real damage has been done. We shall proceed as we have been…albeit, with a closer eye on the opposition should they strike first."

"That is good to hear. I had been worried."

"You should not worry. I wouldn't want to see it from you."

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The Great Hall was abuzz with chatter as students settled down for dinner.

"It's going to take forever for the weather to get warm enough for Quidditch again!" Rainbow Dash moaned at the Gryffindor table.

"I know the feeling," Ginny agreed.

"Maybe a Fire Lord is someone who governs flames so they don't go awry or set inflammable things on fire," Luna suggested over at the Ravenclaw table.

"Somehow, I don't think that's it," Twilight sighed.

At the Hufflepuff table, Fluttershy recounted a recent visit she'd had with Hagrid: "He told me a lot of interesting things about dragons. He talks about them like they're not scary at all."

"And that's when I put on the Headless Hat," Stevie laughed at the Slytherin table.

"I can't imagine Flitwick was happy with you for that," Rarity said, though she also giggled.

"Yeah, he took it away from me. But it was so worth it to see the look on everyone's face when my head just disappeared."

All this happy chatter was interrupted when the doors were flung open. Filch stormed in, bellowing, "I tried to tell them to stay out, but they wouldn't take no for an answer!"

When those eating in the Great Hall saw the three people following Filch—a tall, graceful wizard with a mane of blonde hair; a slight but striking witch with hair that was half black and half blonde; and a young man whose blonde hair suggested that the other two were his parents—first, there was a collective gasp, then silence.

"I can't believe it," Hermione whispered.

"Who is it?" Applejack asked her.

"Oh…my…Satan," Ebony gushed. "It's him! It's Draco Malfoy! He is, like, soooooo hot!"

The three Malfoys passed Filch and walked right up to the staff table. "Headmistress McGonagall," Lucius said.

"Lucius," McGonagall replied. "What has brought you here at this time? You look as though you've been through something positively dreadful."

"That's because we have," he replied. "We've come to you for help…we don't know what to do…"

"What's happened?" McGonagall asked.

"Perhaps it shouldn't be mentioned in present company," Lucius said.

"No!" Draco cried. "There isn't any use in keeping it a secret! They'll all know when they come for them anyway!"

"Draco," Narcissa warned, "hush—"

"They tried to kill us!" Draco yelled, turning to the whole hallway. "Peter Pettigrew and Christopher Scabior! They came to us to tell us they were back from the dead, and they said the rest of the Death Eaters were too!"

The silence was broken by a multitude of whispers that broke down into nervous laughter.

"Was he always that insane?" Stevie asked.

"I'M NOT LYING!" Draco raged.

"There is simply no way that either of those men could have appeared before you," McGonagall said. "They are dead. Tell me, what really happened?"

"We were under attack by a pair of assassins," Lucius said. "Draco is still…traumatized. The assassins were supporters of the old Death Eaters, and they wanted us killed for our betrayal—"

"Don't make me look like a fool!" Draco snapped. "They weren't supporters of the old Death Eaters! They WERE the Death Eaters!"

"Not possible," McGonagall said, matter-of-factly.

"WAIT!" Twilight stood and rushed to the faculty table.

"What's this?" Lucius commented. "A…centaur?"

"They might not be lying," Twilight said once she reached McGonagall. "In fact, they're probably not. Before my friends and I came here, we saw that several people, particularly evildoers, who were supposed to be dead…weren't. It happened twice to us already. This is probably the same pattern!"

"But it is impossible," McGonagall repeated.

Twilight stared her directly in the eye. "As far as you know on this world."

"She's right!" Applejack called out, standing as well. "It's happened before!"

"And it could happen again!" Rarity added, standing.

Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash also stood. Then Hermione as well: "We should listen and take this seriously. This isn't the first time we believed Voldemort dead only to be proven wrong!"

"There are many things we don't know about the mysteries of the universe," Luna added, also standing. "There could very well be a way that the Death Eaters have returned!"

Ginny stood as well; then no one else. Concerned, Rarity looked down at the Carrow twins. "You don't think I'm lying," she said, "do you?"

"Hestia," Flora said, "what if—"

"No," Hestia said sternly. "Rarity, I think Draco has a reason for thinking he saw what he saw, and so do you. But no one has come back from the dead. Particularly not them."

Noticing the stiffening of Hestia's body, Rarity realized that even if Hestia did understand that there were otherworldly ways of transcending death, she couldn't believe the return of Death Eaters simply because she didn't want to, because of what that would imply about her own parents. Rarity let the issue drop.

McGonagall cleared her throat. "We shall be glad to offer you protection from whatever has happened. Consider yourselves welcome here at Hogwarts. But we shall have to discuss…what you saw…elsewhere and at a different time. Is that clear?"

"Very clear," Narcissa said.

"We may move to my office now, if you like," McGonagall said.

"May I come too?" Twilight asked. "I might be able to help clear things up."

"Most certainly," McGonagall said. "It would be helpful to have your…experiences on the table."

Then she rose, leading the Malfoys and Twilight down the Great Hall. Twilight's gaze connected with each member of the study group, and as she looked at them, they joined the group: Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Ginny, Hermione, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Luna.

"This is quite the group," McGonagall said. "Miss Granger. Miss Weasley. Miss Lovegood. Do you understand—"

"Quite a lot," Hermione said. "More than you might think."

"Were you friends with him?" Applejack whispered to Hermione. "I mean, you two bein' in the same year during the war—"

"We weren't exactly friends," Hermione replied, equally quietly. "But by the end of it all, we weren't enemies."

* * *

The motley group assembled in McGonagall's office; McGonagall herself sat at the desk, looking out over everyone.

"Centaurs at Hogwarts," Lucius commented. "Only last year would I have taken that as a sign of how far wizarding civilization has fallen."

"And now?" McGonagall asked.

"The war's end has forced me to rethink many things," Lucius admitted. "While I'm not entirely sure humans and centaurs belong in the same facility, I can't say with certainty that they don't. After all…I owe my life and that of my family to several centaurs, house-elves, and a werewolf."

"But why don't you think we belong here?" Rainbow Dash asked angrily.

"As much as your kind contributed to last year's battle," Lucius replied coldly, "the fact remains that you are not true witches."

"OH YEAH?" Rainbow Dash cried.

"I order this conversation to cease, lest it should become necessary that I intervene!" McGonagall barked. Silence fell. "Thank you. Now, Lucius, I wish to ask you: what did truly happen to you?"

"My life was attempted on by two hooded assassins at our manor," Lucius explained. "We did not know why we were being targeted, and assumed that it was because of our past involvement with the Death Eaters. We fled. We eventually took refuge at the Shrieking Shack, and our pursuers caught up to us there. We saw their faces, and they did have the appearance of Peter Pettigrew and Christopher Scabior. The one resembling Pettigrew did claim that they were indeed Pettigrew and Scabior, and that Voldemort himself and other Death Eaters were also alive and in hiding. I do not know whether they were using enchantments or Polyjuice Potion to create the illusion."

"But we saw this happen before!" Pinkie Pie pointed out. "First there was Jafar, and he was supposed to be dead TWICE! And then there was Mother Gothel! All sorts of bad guys came back from the grave for us!"

"This might explain what we've been seeing in the stars about chaos and disaster," Twilight muttered.

"You see," Rarity clarified, "while we aren't sure exactly how it's being done, we think there's a link between these resurrections and someone calling herself the 'angel of darkness.' You might recall that one of the Chocolate Frog cards you gave to us featured a woman called Maleficent. She has been making advances recently, and where she has struck, an old villain has returned from beyond the grave."

"There was never a Chocolate Frog card for anyone named that," Ginny said. "Unless you mean…those cards that were banned…"

"You SHARED them?" McGonagall was stunned.

"Ginny and Luna and I understand the implications of where they came from and what exactly is going on," Hermione pointed out. "Do I have permission to explain it to the Malfoys so that they understand?"

"I do not know that I would recommend it," McGonagall said, her eyes flickering toward Lucius.

"I would recommend it," Lucius said. "In fact, I demand to know what you are not telling me!"

"Only that in recent light, it seems that there is a possibility that the Death Eaters that attacked you were, in fact, who they claimed to be," McGonagall said. "It also, as you suggested, may have been an illusion. We shall treat both with equal possibility until further notice. Until then, you were right to come here, and frankly, you should have done so sooner. We will not hesitate to deter these assassins from finding you. You may even stay under this roof."

"Why are you being so kind to us," Narcissa asked, "after all the years we worked against you?"

"There was a saying," McGonagall said. "Albus Dumbledore always said that help would be given at Hogwarts to those who asked for it. Recently, I heard another version: that help would be given to those who deserved it. Your assistance in the arrest of the remaining Death Eaters after the battle has earned you this much at least."

At this point, Draco leaned over to Hermione and whispered to her, softly, "I want to speak to you outside this office. Now. Bring Weasley and Lovegood."

"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione said. "Permission to leave?"

"I…suppose," McGonagall said. She watched as Hermione, Luna, and Ginny exited, then with surprise as Draco followed. "Whatever could they be speaking about?"

"Who can even say?" Applejack answered. "Maybe they're just catchin' up. They were classmates, after all."

"So tell me," Lucius said, "how did it come to pass that six centaurs were enrolled at this school?"

"They are here under special circumstances," McGonagall answered calmly. "They have an interest in studying magic, and have come with an irrefutable recommendation. As such, I have enrolled them as first-years, though they are much older than the traditional age. So far, they have not only excelled at what is in their capacity to achieve, but it has also challenged them, and they have gotten on quite well with the younger students. I have not been given any reason to regret that decision."

Just outside the office, facing his former three schoolmates, Draco hissed, "You had better tell me what is really going on. Whatever it is that you aren't telling my father."

"And why should we?" Ginny countered. "Why would you believe what we had to say? And, more importantly, how do we know you didn't make this up to get back within our walls under good graces? You WERE with the Death Eaters. If there really is a…revival of them, how do we know you aren't at the forefront of it?"

"Because, unfortunately, I owe you a debt," Draco hissed. "Especially you, Granger. You three all know that if it weren't for you…and Potter and Weasley, and, to give credit where it's due, Longbottom…I wouldn't be standing here. I would have met the same fate as Crabbe. You remember Crabbe, don't you? You weren't the only ones who lost friends to the war. I'm not devoid of humanity."

"I'm still not sure I trust you," Ginny seethed. "You were the one who tried to kill Dumbledore in the first place."

"I trust you," Luna said softly. "I know why you weren't able to kill Dumbledore. You aren't a killer, Draco. I—"

"Luna!" Ginny said with indignation.

"I don't think now is the time for wild accusations about Draco's involvement with a…Death Eater revival," Hermione said calmly. "If anything, Draco, I'm more concerned with the fact that you've never been anything but a stuck-up, prejudiced brat. But I don't actually believe I'm in any real danger from you, for what that's worth."

"Does there have to be so much bad blood here?" Luna asked worriedly.

"Depends on what kind of blood he thinks is valuable," Ginny answered.

"Then we'll make a deal," Draco said coldly. "If you tell me what you know…about what those centaurs mean about coming back from the dead…then I'll stay out of your hair, and you'll stay out of mine. You won't have to put up with me being a 'brat,' as you put it, and I won't have to put up with you being naïve simpletons."

"SIMPLETONS?" Ginny growled.

"Ginny, please, no…" Luna begged.

Hermione sighed. "All right. We'll tell you, and we go separate ways. The six of them are our friends. They've seen people come back from the dead before because they've seen other worlds. They aren't even native to this planet. They've seen things we've only ever dreamed of, and that includes the 'Maleficent' they mentioned, who might just be even more powerful than Voldemort was from the sounds of it. I'm not saying that this is definitely what happened with Pettigrew and Scabior. It might have been a hoax. But whatever the case, we'd best watch out, because in any case, someone is using the names of the Death Eaters, and that can't be for anything good. That's the truth. Take it or leave it."

Draco thought it over. Then, very simply, he said, "You were right not to tell my father. He doesn't believe in such things. He'd dismiss you as liars. And my mother would agree with him. That's all I needed to know."

He turned to re-enter the office; Luna, Hermione, and then Ginny followed him.

"Ah, there you are," McGonagall said. "We were discussing lodging arrangements. The Room of Requirement can easily be converted into a space for you to stay; otherwise, as you are all still Slytherins, we could make special arrangements for you to stay in the Slytherin common room."

"We shan't mix with students," Lucius said. Narcissa nodded.

"If it's all the same," Draco said, "I'd rather take the space in the common room."

"Why?" Lucius asked incredulously.

"It isn't anything against you," Draco replied. "It's simply that…well. I never did have much of a seventh year, did I?"

"Then it's settled," McGonagall said. "Lucius, Narcissa, you will stay in the Room of Requirement. Draco, you will take an empty bed in the Slytherin common room. Rarity can show you the way there. With that, I believe we have concluded business. I have work to attend to, and would prefer to work in solitude. You are all dismissed."

The group moved out and split up. Rarity led Draco toward the Slytherin common room, and the two shared as few words as possible. Lucius and Narcissa moved toward the Room of Requirement—a room that could transform, so the six Equestrians had been informed, into whatever was needed. The rest stayed back in the hallway in a tight group.

"We had to tell Draco about the other worlds, and Maleficent," Hermione admitted. "The good news is, he believes it, and he isn't going to let on to anyone else. The bad news is that he's just as stuck-up as ever."

"What happened between you and him?" Fluttershy inquired.

"He allied with Voldemort for power," Hermione explained, "but he couldn't carry out crucial tasks. Murders. He was always our enemy, but after the battle…well, if you were to ask Voldemort, he'd probably say Draco went soft. Harry, Ron, and I ended up saving his life from a fiend-fyre that killed one of his best friends. So he's in our debt. And after the battle, his family reported the remaining Death Eaters to the Ministry, which put them on the Ministry's good side. The problem is that they all have a lingering belief to some degree that pure-blood wizards and witches are better than everyone else. Centaurs, house-elves, witches and wizards with Muggle parentage…maybe that's changed over the summer after all that happened. But it doesn't really seem that way right now."

"I think it's more important," Luna reminded everyone, "to think about the implications. Two people using the names and faces of known Death Eaters have reappeared. They might even be those Death Eaters, back from the dead."

"And that's what really worries me," Twilight admitted.

* * *

Alone, McGonagall sat down to pen a letter. It seemed she was doing a lot of that nowadays, whether it was to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the house-elves, or the current recipients she had in mind. This time, it seemed more urgent than usual. If there was some sort of revival of Death Eaters, there were scant few wizards she wished to contact regarding the matter who weren't already in the school building. However, three names did come to mind. And so she set quill to parchment to begin her plea:

"Dear Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Longbottom…"

* * *

Chapter 31

· You'll notice that my design of the atrium is once again stolen from the game version of Hogwarts. As is the actual "ballroom," which is based on the last room of the Incendio challenge from the game adaptation of Sorcerer's Stone…albeit originally in an entirely different location.

· And you'll see a reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender here. I had to make up names for one generation before Sozin because as far as I can tell, Sozin's rule is when the Fire Nation stopped playing nice. His parents were probably more peaceful. So here they have an influence on Hogwarts.

· By the way, there is no official title for the spouse of a Fire Lord. Which made it awkward to write the plaque.

· Summerby is the canon name of the replacement Hufflepuff Seeker. I was too lazy to think up a good first name for him.

· I don't see McGonagall as the kind of person to turn down house-elf requests. I added the stuff about the clubs because the budget has to come from SOMEWHERE and have real-life consequences for the school. Those three clubs are all canon, by the way.

· Fluttershy has still been visiting with Hagrid. I just haven't been chronicling their teatimes. Other mundane and pointless scenes like Quidditch, yes. But not that.

· "Oh my Satan" is another My Immortal joke. In MI, Ebony says that expression and is dead serious about it. Not realizing that it kinda sounds ridiculous, at least in the Hogwarts context. Also, her obsessive crush on Draco Malfoy is another gag I lifted and you're not seeing the last of it.

· I really do believe that the Malfoys, Draco in particular, underwent a lot of personality changes after Half-Blood Prince. But I know it couldn't have been sudden. I hope I came across all right with that balance.

· I determined the level of how each of the three girls should react to him by my fanon about them. Ginny hates Draco because the two of them have no reason to be on good terms at all, and he trashed her brother one too many times. Hermione is neutral because even though he still views her as of "impure" heritage, I kinda ship that (though after all she and Ron put me through in Deathly Hallows to get together, I am NOT going to break those two up for it). And because the A Very Potter Musical sequel had Luna basically as Draco's bestie, and she's kinda chill about everything anyway, she's most receptive to him and hates that there's fighting.

· AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! I bet you were all wondering if I was seriously going to do a Harry Potter arc without Harry, Ron, or Neville. The answer? Of course not! They just haven't had a reason to get involved until now!


	32. Mahou Shoujo

32: Mahou Shoujo

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Rarity was briefed on all Hermione had said about Draco; she knew the situation was complicated. And she had every intention of leaving well enough alone until she came back to the Common Room after class to sort out her books. Upon entry, she sighed disappointedly. The Slytherin students proper were sending a message, loud and clear. Flora, Hestia, Stevie, and a large group of other students sat together, reading and doing homework, in one group of couches turned to face each other. Draco sat at the extreme opposite of the room, engrossed in his own book, completely isolated. Or perhaps, Rarity thought, it was he who was sending the others a message.

She approached the main group. "Ahem," she said softly. "Might I ask what the meaning is of this particular seating arrangement?"

"No one wants to talk to the new guy," Stevie whispered back. "Apparently he betrayed us or something?"

"That he did," Flora insisted. "Didn't you hear? Years ago, he was right in You-Know-Who's inner circle! He nearly killed the old headmaster, and he was there to watch his death! He's the one who gave all of Slytherin a bad name!"

"The very name," Hestia concluded, "that we have been trying to overwrite."

"And that sounds pretty bad," Stevie agreed. "So we're not talking to him."

"But things changed," Rarity replied. "I thought I heard his family became informants that got rid of the rest of Voldemort's followers."

"I refuse to believe things have changed," Hestia hissed. "He was born a traitor and he'll always be one."

Rarity very nearly told Hestia how hypocritical that was, given the judgments people made about her based on her lineage. She stopped herself just in time. The two really weren't a good comparison, and it would only have hurt Hestia's feelings. "I just think," she said at last, "that if he's going to be in our company, somepony should give him half a chance. If he wastes it, well, that's his problem."

"OH, YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF FUCKING POSERS!" Ebony yelled as she stormed down from the bedchambers. Every eye in the room was fixed on her. "Are none of you SERIOUSLY going to…well, more for me!"

The throng of Slytherins watched as Ebony rushed toward Draco, leaning over him so he shied away, disgusted. "Draco Malfoy," Ebony said, "you are, like, sooooooo hot. I'm pretty sure I love you. Will you have sex with me?"

Stevie nearly burst into laughter, catching herself after an audible snort.

"You're just so dark and gothic and sexy," Ebony continued. "I would love you to take me to the Forbidden Forest, pin me up against a tree, and—"

"Leave. Me. ALONE," Draco snapped, visibly frightened at that point.

"Are you serious?" Ebony replied. Her eyes widened and her lip quivered. "Are you in love with…someone else?"

"What are you, eleven? Go AWAY! NOW!"

In tears, Ebony joined the main Slytherin grouping. Stevie still struggled to hold in her laughter.

"YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS!" Ebony screamed. "ALL OF YOU PREPS ARE JEALOUS!"

"Jealous that you got shot down, Enoby?" Stevie retorted. Flora and Hestia just rolled their eyes in synchrony.

With a sigh, Rarity left the main group, walking toward Draco. "Excuse me," she said, announcing her presence. "Might I have a word?"

"Please tell me," Draco said sternly without looking up from his book, "that you are not going to ask me to have sex with you."

"Oh, no, no!" Rarity said hastily. "Nothing of the sort! I had a…less disturbing conversational topic in mind."

Draco's eyes shifted from the book to her. He regarded her with interest.

"It's just that you seem to be alone," Rarity said. "Now, I've heard a lot of things. I'm not one to say, really, what's true and what isn't. All I know is that you were a Slytherin once, you've come back to the Common Room for a reason, and I find it unreasonable that there shouldn't be at least one fellow Slytherin to welcome you. So, on behalf of Slytherin house, I do want to say it's good to have you here, and if you did want company, I'm currently free. I don't have to be down at the library for another hour. Then again, if you'd rather be alone, that's also all right."

First, there was silence. Then, cautiously, Draco remarked, "I've never heard of a centaur being hospitable to a wizard."

"Well, you are seeing it now," Rarity said. "Take it or leave it."

After another pause, Draco asked, "Is there anything you want to talk about? My 'hallucinations' of Death Eaters? What my family's done for Voldemort?"

"Nothing like that. Really, I haven't heard anything about you beyond that, and I'd like to know more of the basics. What were your talents here at Hogwarts? Ooh, what's your preference between sweater vests and cardigans? And seeing as I technically am a first-year, are there any professors you'd recommend I watch out for?"

Another pause. Then he replied: "Do you know what a hippogriff is?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

"Don't taunt them. It never ends well."

"Duly noted."

"You can…sit, if you want."

"Why, thank you. I—"

Rarity nearly settled herself on a nearby couch, but her attention, as Draco's, was diverted by the scene across the room:

"WELL, EAT THIS, YOU BITCH!"

A howl of anguish in reply, followed by, "What did you DO?"

"Erm…I seem to be needed," Rarity said, rushing back to the other side of the room. She was horrified at the sight that awaited her. Stevie's left arm was somehow…broken. It hung limply at her side. Stevie prodded it with her right index finger; the arm wobbled in ways that shouldn't have been physically possible with a normal human skeleton.

"What did you DO to me?" Stevie repeated. "You just GOT RID OF MY ARM BONES!"

"That's what you get for being a bitch!" Ebony yelled. "I know a lot more dark curses, and I'm not afraid to use them!" She pointed her wand at Stevie a second time. "CROOKSHANKS!"

Nothing happened. "Er…why are you yelling the name of Hermione's cat?" Rarity asked.

"It's supposed to be the curse that puts you in unbearable pain and stuff!" Ebony whined.

Hestia stood. "Stevie, come with me. We'll go to the infirmary and get that fixed. As for you, Ebony…that's thirty points from Slytherin."

Hestia and Stevie rushed forth from the room. Rarity retreated to Draco's corner to see if they could pick up where they left off. "That was…rather awkward," Rarity began.

"What is her problem?" Draco asked. "Not the hurt one. The one that tried to assault me."

"Well, the way I see it, she thinks she's above everypony else, she doesn't want to play by the rules, and she doesn't have a firm grasp on reality," Rarity analyzed. "She is only a first-year. Perhaps she'll grow out of it. I know I was like that once upon a time. Well, not so distanced from reality, and not so foul-mouthed. But I had a certain feeling of entitlement."

"So did I," Draco replied. "That's probably something else they've told you."

"It is, but I guess I can't judge. I've had my moments. I am willing to listen, if you want to clarify things."

"They're not wrong. I come from a long line of pure-blooded wizards, unlike a large part of the student body."

"And so you…think you deserve more."

"I did. It's a bit complicated now. The idea of pure-blood privilege was something Voldemort championed, and all he ended up doing was killing. One of my own best friends died in the battle last year. I would have, too, if Potter hadn't risked his neck to save mine."

"So what did you think of him after that?" Rarity asked.

"It's not as though I'm going to worship the ground he walks on," Draco replied. "He hated me for a good six years, and I hated him. Him and Weasley and Granger. Maybe I deserved it. I don't know."

"Perhaps 'deserved' isn't right," Rarity suggested. "You were both young. From what you've told me, maybe it was a…change in perspective you needed. I apologize if that's too critical."

"I'm not offended."

"What did you think of Luna Lovegood, by the way?"

"She was never really anything I thought about. She's been trying to get me to talk things out with Granger and Weasley's sister. Which I guess just proves that she's as loony as everyone says."

"I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but why can't the four of you get along?"

"Because they see me as a Death Eater…and I see them as idiots."

"Well, they certainly aren't idiots," Rarity said. "They're three of the best and most understanding friends we found at this school. 'We' being myself and the other Kentaurides, of course. They're also three of the brightest. Well, Luna does have a tendency to believe in things that apparently don't exist, but she gets good marks, and perhaps we'll find out one day that she was right about everything all along."

"I've noticed all that," Draco said coldly.

"If you were interested," Rarity said, "which you don't have to be at all, it looks to me like all four of you just need to put your walls down. If you'll pardon my analysis, it seems that you do have walls up. I'm guessing that last year left you not knowing quite what to believe or who to trust."

"You could say that."

"That is difficult. I'm quite sorry. While I can't exactly understand, myself, why you subscribed to Voldemort in the first place, I do understand that the realization that his faction wasn't where you belonged in the gravest sense was quite painful. Especially if you had to…lose a friend to figure that out. I'm…I'm very sorry that you did."

After another silence, Draco announced, "This is another thing."

"What is?"

"This conversation. I wouldn't have expected it of your kind—I'm sorry." He did look sincerely embarrassed. "What I mean—"

"I know what you mean," Rarity sighed. "You either thought centaurs were mean or stupid. Because they weren't of full human wizarding blood."

"And you don't seem like either."

"I'd like to think I'm not, though I can be petty on occasion. But really, you have to realize that we're mostly the same. Wizards, witches, half-Muggles, house-elves, centaurs, even Muggles."

"It's a thought that hasn't stopped bothering me," Draco admitted.

"And it's hard to get your mind around, since it goes against everything you were taught," Rarity guessed.

"It isn't as if it matters," Draco replied gruffly. "Even if I did know where to stand, no one here will listen. You've seen…this." He looked over toward the couches where the majority of the Slytherins sat. At this, Flora ducked her head downward, trying not to betray that she'd been spying. Ebony made no attempt to conceal that she'd been watching, alternating between a loving gaze at Draco and an envious glare of daggers at Rarity.

"They'll come around," Rarity said. "I know them quite well. They have legitimate reasons for not wanting to be around you right now, but things will settle down. Which brings me back to my other hypothetical situation. Seeing as Hermione, Ginny, and Luna seem to be three of the most open-minded of people here, I keep wondering if there isn't a way you can connect to them. First, you take down your wall of seeing them as idiots because of how you've seen them for years. Then they have to take down their wall of seeing you as despicable because…well, because…"

"Because of how I've seen them for years," Draco filled in.

"I didn't want to say it outright…"

"If they did want to talk to me," Draco suggested, "I suppose I could listen to them and see if what they said was worth listening to."

"It is. Trust me. And I think it could be the key to you not being alone here anymore. That's really what the killer is for me. That you're alone. If it doesn't work out, well, there is me."

"And you did all this just because you didn't want me to be alone, even after everything you heard?"

"Even if you were a villain of the highest order," Rarity said, "even the 'bad guys' need companionship. This is something I learned firsthand, and in a roundabout way, it saved my own life."

"Then…I suppose I should thank you," Draco said sincerely. "…thank you."

"It isn't any trouble whatsoever."

* * *

"No, no, no," Twilight said at the study table in the library. "You're thinking of Uric the Oddball. Emeric the Evil was the terror of Southern England."

"Even I still can't get those two right," Ginny sighed.

"It's rather like you and the Soap Blizzard," Hermione said. "This talk of dark wizards being terrors is all a bit too…familiar for me, given the recent events."

"So let's talk about something else," Applejack said, closing her book. "After all, we're gettin' close to the Christmas break. No more studying for a while."

"Um…has anypony else wondered where Rarity is?" Fluttershy asked nervously.

"She's probably on her way," Rainbow Dash said.

"So where are you goin' for the break?" Applejack asked Hermione, Ginny, and Luna.

"We're all going to the same place," Ginny said. "I'm going back home to the Burrow. That's the Weasley family house. We have a great celebration every Christmas. It shouldn't be a surprise that we've invited Hermione and Luna to join us this year…as well as Harry and Neville."

"Sounds like a real party!" Pinkie squealed. "I bet you just can't wait to catch up on everything!"

"I am quite excited," Hermione admitted.

"Me too," said Luna. "What are you planning to do for the break?"

"Just hang around here," Applejack said. "Y'all know we don't have anywhere to go unless we wanted to load up the Starlight and set out, and since we can show up at home whatever time we want anyway, we thought it'd just be easier to stay on this world 'till the school year ends. At least this first year. Maybe we'll do some traveling over break once we figure out the ropes."

"Won't it look suspicious if you don't go to the Forbidden Forest?" Luna asked.

"Not really," Twilight explained. "We want to experience human culture. So, naturally, we want to stay in the castle and learn as much as we can."

"Speaking of the Forbidden Forest," Hermione asked, "did anyone there ever explain what a Fire Lord was?"

"Apparently, there was this world where there are only four types of magic, relating to the four primary elements of nature," Twilight answered. "The masters of each type of magic were divided into different tribes. There was an entire nation that was just wizards and witches—well, sort of—that only did magic with fire. A Fire Lord is whoever's in charge of that nation. Moshu was the last generation of Fire Lord that did business with this school before everything closed off. After that, no one really knows what happened on that world, or even how much time passed in their timeline compared to this one."

"That's very strange," Ginny commented. "So they could basically only cast Incendio? That seems—WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?"

Ginny stood in a rage; Pince shushed her loudly all the way from her desk. She'd spotted the missing Rarity, headed toward the usual table with none other than Draco Malfoy at her side.

"Hello," Rarity said as the pair approached; she tried to act calm and nonchalant.

"What," Ginny repeated, in a low seethe, "is he doing here?"

"It was her idea," Draco replied calmly.

All eyes turned to Rarity. "Uh, Rarity?" Applejack said. "You sure this is the best—"

"Yes, I am," Rarity said. "The way I understand it, the four of you were schoolmates here, and you left a lot of baggage on the table between you."

"We made a deal to cover that," Hermione stated. "A pact to leave each other alone."

"I didn't really like the idea in the first place," Luna said quietly.

"So, for the final time," Ginny asked, "why…are YOU…" The question was now directed at Draco himself. "Here?"

"Because I'm not happy with the idea anymore either," he stated. "Apparently, the entire school took the same oath to leave me alone."

"And well you deserve it," Ginny growled.

"Hey," Twilight said sternly. "Can we all just hear each other out?"

"It's crossed my mind," Draco said, "that I do deserve to be left alone. I don't want to be, but I deserve to be. After all, what I've done can hardly be erased, can it? Particularly to Albus Dumbledore."

"But you didn't kill him," Luna pointed out. "You couldn't have."

"How do you know that?" Ginny hissed to her.

"Um, Ginny?" Fluttershy said. "You seem to be really angry."

"I am angry," Ginny hissed. "For years, this brat stormed around the school with his holier-than-thou attitude, and my family got the worst of it all. Not even being of full-blooded heritage can protect you from the elitists if you're a Weasley. His family's old money. Mine's hand-me-downs. But I'm damn proud of my family, and I won't just sit back and let anyone talk rubbish about my brothers, my father, my mother, my house, or what have you."

"Then you and I have more in common than either of us would like to admit," Draco told Ginny.

"Don't say that."

"I don't want anyone talking rubbish about my family either. It's occurred to me that I haven't been fair about it at all. And I want to apologize."

It took Ginny a while to process that. "You…want…what?"

"To apologize for things said and done because you were a Weasley," Draco clarified. "Our parents' fight isn't our fight. And Granger. I have to admit that you are actually quite intelligent. Whatever your bloodline."

"What happened to you," Ginny asked, "and where's the real Malfoy?"

"Rarity happened," Draco answered. "She convinced me to take down my wall."

"And I was hoping you would take down yours," Rarity added.

"You don't have anything to apologize for to me," Luna said, though no one had asked.

"Well…" Hermione looked to Ginny, then Luna, then Twilight, then Rarity, then Draco. "I suppose we can't really refute that. I'm sorry for not letting you have your say in full earlier."

"It wouldn't have gone like that," Draco told her.

"I'm sorry for nothing," Ginny said, "but thank you for apologizing to me."

"So were you two hoping to get in on studying?" Twilight asked. "We can bring in another chair. Hang on. I'll go get one." She rose to find another chair and bring it to the table."

"We weren't exactly studying," Luna admitted. "We were talking about what we were going to do over Christmas vacation."

Twilight returned with the chair, and Draco took it gingerly while Rarity sat at her usual seat.

"I still don't understand," Ginny said incredulously. "So are you trying to tell me that all your brattiness and pettiness and general hatred of everything is gone now?"

"I wouldn't say that," Draco replied. "I can think of someone I hate right now. Someone who ruined my life. And if he really is back somehow, or even if there are just people acting in his name…when I come across them, they'll all pay." He cracked sort of a grin. "I can't really rat them to my father on this one, can I? We all saw how well that went."

"Believe me," Hermione said, "we feel the same."

"Lucky for us, vanquishing evil is old territory," Rainbow Dash boasted. "But we can let you in on a piece of the action if you're looking for revenge."

"Here's to common enemies?" Ginny proposed.

"To common enemies," Draco replied.

"I really think we should get back to studying now," Twilight said sternly. "It might be close to break, but there's still class until then, and we can't afford to slack off!"

At this, Draco snorted and went into fits of silent laughter.

"What's funny?" Twilight asked.

"And I thought one Hermione was all this school could handle," he replied.

The others, barring Twilight and Hermione, all giggled at that. Eventually, Twilight directed the group back around to actual studying.

* * *

The end of the semester came with a rush of snow and several goodbyes. Hermione, Ginny, and Luna wished their friends farewell, headed to the Burrow for the Weasley family Christmas; the six Equestrians watched the three of them leave together, chatting as though they were sisters. Flora and Hestia left to spend Christmas with their aunt, and this cheered both of them greatly. Ebony and Stevie returned to their respective families; Stevie's bones had grown back in a process she described as "wicked painful," and she couldn't help but get in one last dig at how "I don't see how Enoby can have a family that actually WANTS her back."

As the six Equestrians, select members of staff, and the Malfoys watched the castle empty out from within, two others watched from without. Across the lake, Discord took his opera glasses down from his eyes. "And that's all of them," he said. "You'll just have to catch the six of them alone. Then it's hook, line, and sinker!"

"Of course," Kyubey replied. The small catlike creature began his walk toward the castle.

"As for me," Discord said to himself, "I've got other matters to take care of…ELSEWHERE." He turned and walked away, chuckling as he thought on his plans. It was time for a reunion.

* * *

"SNOW FIIIIIGHT!"

"GAAAH!" Twilight put her hands up in front of her face as Rainbow Dash pelted her with snowballs. "Why did I agree to leave the library for this?"

"Because it's fun," Rainbow Dash argued. "And we weren't going to spend all our free time in the library being quiet."

"I've got you, Twilight!" Rarity cried, levitating a wave of snow to shower Rainbow Dash.

The six frolicked about in the snowy plains of the grounds. Fluttershy had tried to stay hidden behind a well-crafted snow fort, but after being hit with some well-aimed snowballs, she had responded with a rage and a shower of snowballs in return. Somehow, Pinkie Pie had managed to craft a snow-Celestia even while taking part in the fight.

"Are you having fun?" a voice none of them had ever heard before asked.

They stopped, looking around for the source. Fluttershy was the first to see him, white on white snow. "Oh, hello," she said. "Who are you?"

The others gradually noticed the small creature with his jewel-red eyes and strange ears. "My name is Kyubey," he replied in a high voice.

"He's soooooo adorable!" Pinkie squealed.

"You don't simply say someone's adorable to their face," Rarity reminded her.

"No, it's all right," Kyubey said. "I'm not offended." He looked before the young women in front of him. Though he'd been shown pictures of ponies, and these were most definitely Kentaurides, he knew they were the very ones Discord wanted. He could also tell that they had more than enough potential to serve his cause. Discord hadn't steered him wrong. "You are all very special," he said.

"Um…thanks?" Twilight said with suspicion.

"I know about where you come from," Kyubey said. "I'm not from this world either. I travel a lot of worlds, in fact. I look for people who are special like you. And now I found you."

"Okay," Rainbow Dash said, "you'd better explain what's going on right now."

"Do you know about the conflicts in the universe between light and darkness and between chaos and harmony?" Kyubey said. "These are very expansive conflicts that bridge all worlds. Sooner or later, you're going to be involved. I know that you are the current bearers of the Elements of Harmony in your timeline. So things will catch up to you. I'm involved in the conflicts right now. I think it might be wise if we made an alliance, or if you at least let me help you. You are able to defeat evil with the powers of magic, honesty, loyalty, kindness, laughter, and generosity, right?"

"That's right!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly.

"But how do you know all that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because I have been traveling the multiverse for years and years, and I keep track of everything that goes on in it," Kyubey said. "I am from a planet where we are able to watch everything unfold, like we're in a theater. Do you want to see?"

"You can show us?" Pinkie Pie replied.

"Yes," Kyubey said. "Watch."

Suddenly, the seven of them floated in space. They grew nearer and nearer to one planet in particular, drawing close to a city at what would have been a deadly speed had the entire thing not been a giant projection, a detailed illusion depicting Kyubey's memories. The city was built of strange architecture, which none of the six would be able to adequately describe later—suffice to say, none of it was based on Euclidean geometry. Many of the same creature as Kyubey walked the streets, chatting with each other.

"Did you hear about what happened on All-World?" one asked.

"The same thing that happens with every cycle," another said. "It will never change."

"I am back," said a third, walking up to these two. This one was Kyubey, as he saw himself in his memory.

"Did you make the contract?" his fellow asked.

"Yes," the memory Kyubey said. "Now there is another Mahou Shoujo to help us."

"That is what I wanted to talk about," the real Kyubey said. "I specialize in helping girls with magical potential to realize it in full and become Mahou Shoujo."

"I've heard those words," Twilight said. "What do they mean?"

"I will show you," Kyubey said.

The illusion changed. Now the seven were surrounded by darkness, punctuated by a strange pileup of items—test tubes, syringes, other things reminiscent of a hospital, alternated with lollipops and other giant candiesm. The landscape changed, moving around the viewers instead of the viewers moving through it. A great clearing, a giant room, opened up, and a blonde girl wearing a flouncy yellow dress was seen battling a monstrous creature. She summoned white rifles from thin air, using them to shoot at the creature before discarding them; she did not appear ruffled or fazed, but confident.

"That is a Mahou Shoujo," Kyubey said. "A magical girl. She is using the extra burst of power that was given to her when we made the contract. As you can see, she is using it to fight evil."

The illusion changed again. Now all was darkness but for two figures: another memory version of Kyubey, and a girl with blue hair.

"I transform the girls into Mahou Shoujo by making contracts with them," the real Kyubey said. "Watch."

"I have made my choice," said the blue-haired girl. "I wish for him to heal."

Beside this spectacle appeared another: a boy lying in a hospital bed with a damaged hand. Twilight in particular winced. Simultaneously, the boy sat up and flexed his fingers, surprised at their mobility, as twin beams of light emitted from Kyubey's ears, reaching inside the girl with blue hair and pulling out of her a ball of pure light that was fabricated into a blue jewel. Then it all changed again, and the blue-haired girl was seen sporting an ensemble as flouncy as the blonde's, but with a definite blue theme to it. She rushed another creature at impossible speed, brandishing a katana.

"The Mahou Shoujo are warriors in the great conflicts of the multiverse," Kyubey said, and immediately, the illusion changed to show girl after girl, some human, some ponies, some neither at all, all wearing elaborate clothing, drawing weapons from nowhere, and using magic of all sorts—elemental, plasma, transfiguration—against strange and twisted creatures. "As you can see, they are very powerful. Right now, you all have the potential to be that powerful. On your own, you could grow that power. But it would take years and years. I can help you realize your power in a simple contract. And then it would grow from there." The images faded, and Kyubey sat before six Kentaurides in a snowy field.

"Was all that true?" Applejack asked.

"It was," Twilight said. "What we saw were Kyubey's memories, exactly."

"I see you have a lot of power over memory already," Kyubey observed.

"I studied it a lot," Twilight admitted. "It came in handy in some tough spots. So…those were Mahou Shoujo. Kyubey…"

"Yes?"

"I read somewhere that Mahou Shoujo were…a kind of witch," Twilight said, thinking back to Joseph's journal.

"Indeed," Kyubey said. "That is what I wanted to tell you. I know that two of you are fully witches because you are unicorns. The rest of you only have some magical power. That is because of your Mahou Shoujo potential. If I realize your full Mahou Shoujo potential, you will be able to summon great amounts of magic for the times when you come into conflict with the most evil. But a 'magical girl' is only the larva stage of a magical woman, or a witch. When your powers grow, you will all become witches and have a full spectrum of magic. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack: you would be able to do the same magic as Twilight and Rarity without being unicorns. And Twilight and Rarity, you would be able to do bigger and better magic than ever before once you matured into the sort of witch that grows from a Magical Girl."

"Would we lose some of the powers we have already if we became Magical Girls?" Rarity asked.

"No," Kyubey said. "The transformation never regresses you in power. And there is one more thing I forgot to say. The contracts are made by making a wish. It can be a big wish, or a small. You saw Sayaka Miki wish for her friend to be healed, and it happened. I can make whatever you wish for happen."

"Sounds like a win-win!" Pinkie said excitedly. "We can have whatever wish we want, AND new powers!"

"Something still feels suspicious about this," Applejack said. "It can't just be win-win for us. Somethin's gotta be a catch."

"A lot of girls are afraid to become witches because witches are so persecuted," Kyubey said. "Maybe not on this world, but on others. And it does benefit me because it means I have more warriors in this multiverse to do battle. I would not have come to you if I did not consider this an important matter. We all have our missions to carry out, and this will help us to achieve all of them. That is why I want to ask: will you make contracts with me and become Mahou Shoujo?"

"I'm in!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly. "Did you see that? I want to be like that! Charging into battle against the bad guys, showing off my powers, getting a cool weapon…that's part of the deal, right? Wait. Hang on. Do I have to wear one of those frilly outfits? Is that part of the deal too?"

"Traditionally, Mahou Shoujo gain certain clothing in their transformations, but it tends to conform to what the wearer likes," Kyubey said. "The ability to summon the weapons will be part of your powers. When you are not in your transformed mode, the weapons will be stored in your personal Hammerspace, and you may call or dismiss them as you like. They are manifestations of your power and your soul."

"What's Hammerspace?" Fluttershy asked.

"A small pocket dimension relative to each living being where those who know how to use it can carry large inventories," Kyubey explained.

"Oh, I know all about that!" Pinkie stated. "Where do you think I keep my party cannon?" She produced the cannon from thin air to demonstrate.

"I always did wonder about that," Twilight said, shaking her head.

"You must remember that there is a great turning point coming up," Kyubey said. "You have seen it in the stars just as I have. I do not know if you can afford not to have the power."

"This still sounds a little suspicious," Applejack said. "But…if Twilight's sure it's all right…"

"All I can say for sure is that the memories we did see were real," Twilight said. "I don't know if it's 'all right' for sure. But at the same time…" She recalled the skirmish in Corona against Maleficent. "I think Kyubey's right. We can't afford to pass up that kind of power."

"It looks frightening," Fluttershy said softly. "Does it…hurt?"

"The transformation is painless," Kyubey said. "The battles will come to you either way."

"I say we do it," Rainbow Dash said.

"Me too," Twilight agreed. "Girls?"

"Well…okay," Fluttershy said. "Actually, I'm more happy to make the wish. I think there's a lot of good we can do with it."

"Sign me up too!" Pinkie cried.

"I wouldn't mind," Rarity said.

Finally, after a pause, Applejack sighed. "Okay. I'll do it too."

"You don't have to," Fluttershy told her. "If you really don't want to, five is a lot of wishes and a lot of Mahou Shoujo to do the fighting."

"Yeah," Applejack said, "but I don't feel like it's right for five of us to go and do it and one not to. After everything Celestia said about the Elements, it probably ain't a good idea to have 'em in an inbalance. Besides…there's a wish I want to make."

"Who will be first?" Kyubey asked.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "I will!"

"What do you want to wish for?" Kyubey inquired.

"Well…" Rainbow Dash thought it over.

"I wouldn't try anything too…you know…anything that might break the multiverse and cause a paradox," Twilight warned. "Wishing for all the evil in existence to go away, for example. That's probably too big."

"I wouldn't really want that anyway," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "I'd prefer to have a chance to do some of the fighting! I think that's what I'm going to wish for. To beat the bad guys!"

"Do you want to leave it that vague?" Kyubey asked.

"Well…if this is a trick," Rainbow Dash mused, "which I'm pretty sure it's not, but you never know…no offense…I don't want that wish to hang over every single battle I do. So…I know that eventually, some sort of villain is going to show up at Hogwarts. We're not really sure who it is, if it's Voldemort back from the dead or not. You probably know, don't you?"

"In the interest of not creating a paradox," Kyubey said calmly, "I cannot tell you."

"Man, the rules of the multiverse are complicated…anyway, whoever ends up being behind whatever happened to the Malfoys? When they turn up and try to ruin Hogwarts, I want to beat them."

"That is your final wish?"

"You betcha!"

"Then it shall be done." The shine of Rainbow Dash's amulet, the bright red lightning bolt, caught Kyubey's eye. "Is that the amulet that manifests the Element of Loyalty?"

"Yeah."

"Normally, when a Mahou Shoujo signs a contract, a Soul Gem is created," Kyubey explained. "It facilitates the transfer of power. However, because you keep those amulets within you always, I think I can transfer the necessary essence into those gems instead of creating new. Just remember not to lose them. They are very important!"

"Just hit me with the transformation already!" Rainbow Dash complained.

"It is done."

As soon as Kyubey said that, rays of light poured from his ears, forming into beams that twisted in the air like snakes before diving into Rainbow Dash's chest. Fluttershy gasped in horror. The beams of light pulled; out of Rainbow Dash's body they came, with a glimmering ball of red light held between them. Kyubey maneuvered the beams so that they overlaid the ball of light with the gem in Rainbow Dash's amulet; the gem accepted the light, glowing brightly. Once the essence was placed, the beams of light retracted into Kyubey's ears. "You are now fully a Mahou Shoujo," he said, "and whenever you choose, you may manifest your new powers. However, I would not transform too much. Every time you use your powers, it drains from the energy of your gem."

"You could have told us that before you transformed one of us," Twilight said. "Is there any way to replace the energy?"

"There is," Kyubey said, "but the only thing that can purify such a gem is a by-product created when certain creatures of darkness are killed. And they are not Echthroi. They are fully formed, with consciousnesses. If I recall, you are opposed to such killing."

"Again, something you could have told us before the transformation," Twilight growled.

"Hey, it's okay, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "When I run out, I run out. And I won't be able to use that power. I'll still be able to grow into a witch, right, Kyubey?"

"Yes," Kyubey said, "and it is possible to become a witch without ever purifying your gem. In fact, one hundred percent of Mahou Shoujo who use up the energy of their gems are able to successfully mature into powerful witches."

"So I'll just hold off on using my power until I really need it," Rainbow Dash assured Twilight. "Well…I do kinda wanna test it out to see how this works. How do I do it?"

"Just find the will within you," Kyubey said. "It is like casting a spell, but with no incantation."

"All right, then. Let's do this!"

When Rainbow Dash tapped into the will, which was not as difficult as she thought, the world went dark around her. She took a cautious step forward. Instantly, she felt a change. Her school robes and winter cloak disappeared, leaving her only in upper undergarments. With a twinkle of light, a fitted shirt featuring a rainbow gradient appeared on the human half of her body, the back of it draping across her equine back like a cape, and a glimmering belt of rainbow scales cinched it at the waist. A fedora covered in rainbow sequins perched atop Rainbow Dash's head in another flash, and a gold chainmail epaulet draped from her neck over her right shoulder. Silver earrings shaped like tiny wings appeared on her earlobes in another flash. Then came a set of shining golden shorts over her rear. Rainbow-colored sleeves appeared on each of Rainbow Dash's four legs, and on each hoof, a shimmering lace-up shoe whose blue and purple pattern reminded her of midnight. When all this was done, the darkness cleared.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie had not seen the transformation happen step-by-step, or experienced the darkness Rainbow Dash had been plunged into; they merely knew that before, she had been wearing her school robes, and in a flash, she had changed into this new ensemble.

"It's…gorgeous!" Rarity gasped.

Rainbow Dash flexed her wings. "Not bad at all," she said. "And I feel sort of…tingly!"

"It doesn't hurt?" Fluttershy asked.

"None of it," Rainbow Dash assured. "Hmm…let's see what I can do."

She thought about weaponry, about swords. She reached up, gripping her hand around empty air; suddenly, a great sword whose silver blade, a foot wide and just over three feet long, shone in many colors and whose hilt was etched with patterns of wind swirls and lightning bolts appeared out of Hammerspace, cutting downward through the chilling winter wind. Rainbow Dash gave it a few swipes; each stroke of the sword emitted a wave of rainbow-colored energy that reminded her of a smaller version of the Sonic Rainboom. "NICE!"

"You should probably put that all away," Twilight suggested. "All of it's draining on your gem. Even the sword."

"All right, all right." Rainbow Dash dismissed the transformation, and away it went. She once more wore her school robes. "But you have all GOT to try this. It feels…well, epic! I KNOW I can beat evil with that kind of power! Did you see the rainbowy stuff that came off the sword?"

"I did," Twilight replied. "It looked like a greater concentration of the energy I use in battle. And I mean a MUCH greater concentration. I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of it. I bet you could even learn to warp it for other purposes."

"Though…you should take a look at your amulet," Rarity pointed out.

Rainbow Dash removed her amulet to get a look. At first, she wasn't sure what was wrong. It looked fine. Then she noticed that it was just the slightest bit duller. That must have been the drain. It really wasn't much, though, so she figured that it depleted at a reasonable rate. She fastened the amulet around her neck once again. "But seriously," she said. "You HAVE to try it! It feels great!"

"Well, with that ringing endorsement, I guess I should go next," Twilight said. "Kyubey…do the wishes have to be for ourselves, or can they be to help other people?"

"That is a question I am often asked," Kyubey said. "You must make very sure that it is not a wish for you in secret, or it will not bring you happiness, only despair. It is better if you wish for yourself."

"But I know what I want," Twilight said. "And…it's…well…"

"Embarrassing?"

"That isn't really the word I was going for." She looked back at her friends. "Just…don't judge me, okay?"

"Whatever you want," Fluttershy said, "we won't judge you." The others nodded assent.

"Are you sure it is what you want?" Kyubey asked Twilight.

"Yes," Twilight said, nervous to state it outright. "The thing is, there's someone I know who's…in danger. And he knows it. He put himself there. But because of it, he's probably going to die pretty young. No one knows how soon. He might have a while longer, or…it might be tomorrow. In fact…he might already be gone in his timeline. There's no way for me to know."

"She doesn't mean—" Rarity gasped before Applejack elbowed her in the side, hard.

"We promised not to judge her," Applejack hissed.

"I want to buy him a few more years, if I can," Twilight said.

"How many years?" Kyubey asked.

"Well, not immortality. That'd just be a curse. What about…just one hundred?"

"Remember that they are his years to do with as he wants. Am I correct that he is using some sort of magical conduit that is feeding upon his life as a fuel source?"

"Yes."

"Then depending on how he uses it," Kyubey pointed out, "he might turn one hundred years into only fifty, or one thousand into one hundred. It all depends on how much life force his magic requires and how much he uses it. In an overdrive, he may spend it all at once."

"I still have to try, don't I? One hundred years. No matter what, it will be more time than he has."

"And what is his name?"

"…Mozenrath. The Lord of the Black Sands."

"In the Seven Deserts?" Kyubey said. "I have heard of him. He does indeed pay a heavy price for his magic. And he does not use it for virtuous causes."

"I know, I know, okay?" Twilight groaned in frustration. "I've thought it over a lot. And that's how I know this isn't a wish for me. Because even if he uses those years to destroy everything and hurt everypony, I still won't regret giving them to him. I'll make my wish and then move on. I'll do what I have to, and he'll do what he wants. I don't even want him to know it was me. At all. I just…can't stand to think that he doesn't have much time left."

"The good news is, he is at a point in his timeline where he can be given those years," Kyubey informed Twilight. "Like Rainbow Dash said, the laws of the multiverse are complicated. You could not give extra years to the father of Harry Potter, for example, even though you could go back in time to meet him. I could not allow you to make that wish. It would cause a paradox too great, and the butterfly effect would either spawn a new timeline entirely, rewriting this world or leaving the timeline where James is dead intact, or it would destroy the timeline. It is almost arbitrary, what can stand as a new timeline, what can rewrite history, and what can collapse. But where Mozenrath is now, his life can be extended without consequence. If that is your wish."

"Yes," Twilight said. "It is."

"Then I shall grant it."

Her friends watched as the process used on Rainbow Dash was repeated on her. A glowing pink light settled into the amulet gem. Twilight breathed in and out slowly.

"Do you wish to test your new powers?" Kyubey asked her.

"No," Twilight said. "I want to save them up and not run my gem out."

"You will not be disappointed when you see what you can become. It will amplify your magical ability by quite a great margin."

"Thank you."

"Who is next?" Kyubey asked.

"Ooh!" Pinkie cried. "Me! Me me me!"

"What is your wish?" Kyubey inquired.

"Hmmmmm…" Pinkie thought it over. "I want…a cake!"

There was a silence, and Kyubey experienced something that was almost like what those with emotions called being "stunned." "A cake?" he reiterated.

"I don't need much," Pinkie replied. "Things are what they are, and I'm pretty happy with that! Unless anypony wants me to wish something special for her…" She looked around at her friends.

"We'll take care of what we need with our wishes, sugar cube," Applejack replied with a nod. "You just take care of what you want."

"I do want a cake, though," Pinkie said. "I'm hungry."

"Then…if that is what you truly want, you shall have a cake," Kyubey answered. "What kind of cake?"

"There was a kind that we made back at Sugar Cube Corner," Pinkie gushed, "and it was the best ever! It was called the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness! But we just called it the MMMM for short. Because that's the sound you make when you eat it! Mmmm!"

"Then I will give you one," Kyubey said.

This time, as the blue essence settled into the amulet where Kyubey transported it, a shape materialized before Pinkie, sitting on the snow. First came a delicate porcelain plate decorated with a complex floral design. Atop that sat a small round cake, the perfect size for a single serving, frosted in yellow with red flowers. Finally, a silver fork appeared on the plate beside the cake.

"Goody!" Pinkie cried, picking up the cake and beginning to eat immediately. "It tastes just like Mr. and Mrs. Cake make it!" she announced joyously.

"It is good that you are happy," Kyubey said. "Who is next?"

"That will be me," Rarity said. "And I know exactly what it is I'm wishing for. Now, I'm not going to put a deadline on it. You can't rush such things. But if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to meet the one I am destined to fall in love with sometime before I die."

"That can be arranged," Kyubey replied.

Purple essence settled into the diamond-shaped gem over Rarity's collarbone.

"Um…I think I want to try," Fluttershy said softly. "If it's all right with you…I'd like to be able to help all the people I meet that I feel bad for."

"Another wish made for someone else," Kyubey replied. "You must be very careful that it is what you really want."

"Oh, it is," Fluttershy insisted. "I especially want to be able to give emotional support. I hate it when others suffer."

"If you are sure."

"I am."

The soft pink butterfly-shaped gem glimmered as the matching pink essence settled into it.

"And you?" Kyubey asked Applejack. "Have you changed your mind?"

Applejack sighed. "No…I still wanna do it. Especially 'cause…well, there's somethin' important I gotta wish for."

"What is your wish?"

"I still get worried, sometimes, about my family workin' back on Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack admitted. "I hope they're holdin' up. That they can keep the business runnin' but still have time to take care of themselves. So…if you could, help my family take care of the farm."

"So many wishes made for others," Kyubey remarked. "They have a high chance of causing sorrow."

"I don't care. Please."

"Then it will be done."

The final gem was set into place, a bright orange aura settling into the orange apple.

"You are now all official Mahou Shoujo," Kyubey announced. "Use your powers wisely. I do not have much more time I can spend here. I must make other contracts and assist in the great battles. But we will see each other again. I will come to visit you."

"Thank you!" Pinkie Pie cried loudly as Kyubey turned his back to walk away.

"Well, that's kind of rude," Twilight remarked. "He just showed up, gave us vague information, handed us our powers, and then left. We might have had questions!"

But questions were what Kyubey wanted to avoid. This wasn't a normal process. He had, to Discord's specifications, swapped around what he usually told the girls. His routine was so set in stone, it was difficult for him to figure out what more he could do by staying there. They had all signed the contract much more quickly than most, however. That was for sure. And at least five of them would yield incredible bursts of energy when they came into full bloom.

If only, Kyubey thought, the sixth hadn't wished for a cake.

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that."

The six Equestrians had returned to the castle, to the warmth of the indoors. There, they had found their way to the library, and to one of the few other people on campus who was not staff—that is to say, Draco. He and his parents had spent the majority of the day together, but he had broken off to head to the library, and out of a desire for companionship, joined the six when he found them at the usual table. They asked him how his day had gone, and he replied in kind, leading to them confiding in him about Kyubey's visit—he knew so much already. His response was not one of approval.

"How do you think Voldemort got so many people on his side?" he hissed. "He promised them power, and he tried to grant their wishes as best he could. That's how he convinced my parents. You would be surprised what you could convince people to do with the promise of power."

"But we're not going to use our powers to hurt innocents," Fluttershy said. "In fact, I'm hoping we can use them in a way that hurts evil people as little as possible."

"Sure," Rainbow Dash said in response, somewhat nervously. As much as she wanted to have clean hooves, in her mind, evil was evil and she wanted a chance to try her new sword.

"And some of us made our wishes to protect others," Twilight said, earning herself an awkward silence as her friends remembered her wish in particular.

"It's a kinder version of Voldemort's favorite threat," Draco pointed out. "If you didn't submit to him, your loved ones would be harmed or killed outright."

"Well, we can't take back the contract," Rarity said, "and we need the power. Not to mention our wishes! What would happen if we hadn't made them?"

"What did you wish for that was so special?" Draco challenged her.

"Well…I may have wished to meet my true love sometime before I die…" Rarity admitted.

"You're right in that there's no taking it back," Draco sighed. "But if I were you, I'd watch out next time that Kyubey comes back around here. Make sure that what he's doing is really as good as you think it is."

"I think we can trust him," Pinkie said plainly. "He's been through a lot of the same travels as us!"

"And everything he showed us was the truth," Rainbow Dash added. "Twilight ran a scan on the memories he showed us."

"All the same," Draco said, "I'd be careful. There's a saying that Voldemort told us all once. An old one among wizards: 'All magic comes at a price.'"

* * *

GRIMMAULD PLACE, FOURTH EARTH

Ron Weasley sighed, looking over the array that was spread out before him on his bed. On one side were the plain shirts. On the other were the Christmas sweaters from years past. "So," he asked, "how badly do I want to make Mum feel appreciated?" He held up one of the sweaters, a positively abominable creation of maroon.

"I'd wear at least one," Neville Longbottom suggested. "Your mum's nice. She'd like to see you wear one of them."

"I guess you're right," Ron sighed, dropping the maroon sweater into his trunk, not bothering to fold it.

"Let's look on the bright side," Harry Potter suggested. "This is going to be our first Christmas together since the war."

He'd inherited the rather gloomy manor of number 12 Grimmauld Place upon his graduation from Hogwarts, thanks to the untimely death of its previous owner, Sirius Black, his godfather. Number 12 had, in the past, served as a hideout for the Order of the Phoenix—a gathering of those who vowed to fight Voldemort and the Death Eaters—and had been kept secret from public knowledge for that reason. However, with the war done and Harry's inheritance at hand, knowledge of number 12 was revealed to the wizarding public, and rent was placed upon the upkeep of the building. Due to its vast size, it was a hefty cost. But the building's size also offered a solution: it had enough bedrooms to house several tenants, and there a few recent graduates from Hogwarts who were quite close to Harry—like family, in fact—and needed a place to go.

That was how Harry, Ron, and Neville ended up as roommates. All three had internships at the Ministry, studying to be Aurors. Hermione Granger had also moved in with them and was planning to begin her internship as soon as she completed her official seventh year at Hogwarts. The invitation was extended to Ginny and Luna as well, and it was decided that when Neville and Luna found significant others, those two could move in as well—unless, of course, the happy couples wanted to find their own housing. Either way, number 12 was large enough to hold a great many tenants.

Currently, all those tenants were invited to the Weasley family Christmas at the Burrow, and thus, excitement was centered around packing for the several-day stay. Having helped Ron select the proper ugly sweater for the occasion, Neville and Harry returned to their own rooms, packing their own trunks.

Harry found himself caught up in daydreams of seeing Ginny; those were rudely interrupted when Ron screamed "Bloody HELL!"

Neville and Harry rushed back to Ron's room. The window was cracked open—it hadn't been when they'd left. Ron's trunk was haphazardly packed with necessities; had Hermione been there, she probably wouldn't have been able to resist organizing it into neat piles. That, however, was relatively unremarkable. An owl rested on the bedpost, looking tall and proud. And Ron held in his hands a parchment letter, one the owl had obviously brought and that he had just finished reading.

"What is it?" Harry inquired.

"It's from Hogwarts," Ron replied, looking shaken. "You aren't going to believe this. They want us to go back."

"To finish our seventh year?" Neville asked. "But I thought—"

"It isn't that," Ron dismissed. "It's…something else. You…you have to read this for yourselves."

Harry and Neville took the letter, reading it between the two of them.

Dear Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Longbottom,

I regret to inform you that something rather grave has occurred as of late. The Malfoy family recently suffered an attack led by two wizards bearing the faces and names of deceased Death Eaters. It is unsure if they are merely using those likenesses or if there is something far more sinister afoot.

I realize that you have had your fill of Death Eater activity, and you have every right to disregard this message. However, because of your intimate experiences with the situation and your knowledge of ways to defend oneself against the Dark Arts in particular, I beg you to at least consider returning to Hogwarts. Not to study, of course, but to discuss the event at hand and make preparations.

I seem to recall, in the past, a certain extracurricular organization known as "Dumbledore's Army" that was devoted to Defense Against the Dark Arts. It would interest you to know that this group has not reformed since your departure, and also, that our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Ermond Ricksmith, is quite fascinated by tales of your doings in the war. I had wondered if the three of you would not wish to perhaps assist in the teaching of the subject and coach the students, should the need arise.

I suggest you take Christmas vacation to think this over. Please do not take this lightly—whatever threat is at our doorstep is very real, no matter its connection to Lord Voldemort (and unfortunately, despite what you might wish to believe, evidence has surfaced that it is indeed possible for certain of those Death Eaters presumed dead to have returned—but that is better explained in person). However, I do not wish for you to reopen wounds. Enjoy your Christmas at the Burrow, and each of you should only respond in the most honest manner.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

P.S. It would interest you to know that there are certain students enrolled at Hogwarts who have also had extensive dealings with battling evil forces. They are a little unconventional, but I believe you would all get along quite well. If you do not choose to return to Hogwarts, it might be within your interest to meet them outside these circumstances. I can help to arrange such a meeting if you wish.

"It can't be," Neville said, stunned, as he sat down on Ron's bed. "It was over…right? It was over!"

"Well, whatever's going on, I know I've already made my decision," Harry said forcefully, rolling up the parchment. "You two can do whatever you like."

"You're going back, aren't you?" Ron sighed. "You really do have a 'saving people' problem."

"I don't really believe Voldemort is back from the dead," Harry offered. "It's probably a hoax by some fringe followers. But all the same, if Hogwarts is in danger…if McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid are in danger…and ESPECIALLY if Ginny, Luna, and Hermione are in danger, I'm not going to just sit back and do nothing."

"Then you can count me in," Ron replied.

"And me," Neville added.

* * *

Chapter 32:

· More My Immortal jokes. Ebony and Draco are the first couple in MI (Ebony ends up sleeping with everyone else at least once), and she's obsessed with him to a stalker level even there. So I decided to have her torment Draco a little bit. I was originally going to quote more lines from the sex scene (which are hilarious because it's the least sexy thing ever), but decided now wasn't the time to go that sexual.

· Ophira and I were having a discussion about the bone-removal curse Lockhart used on Harry in Chamber of Secrets and how many times that one got cast by asshole students. So, I figured, why not?

· And in My Immortal, Ebony actually does mix up "Crucio" with "Crookshanks."

· Canon: students always confuse Uric the Oddball and Emeric the Evil.

· So Kyubey met up with the Mane Six! Here is something very important to note: I took care to make sure that everything he said and showed was technically true. He, at no point, lied. However, keep in mind that things can be misrepresented if taken out of context. Misdirection. Omission. Just because he told the truth doesn't mean it's on the up-and-up!

· All-World is a reference to Stephen King's Dark Tower.

· The memory of the blonde is of Mami Tomoe from PMMM. Right down to the syringes and candy being part of the labyrinth where her big battle went down in canon. And again: Kyubey showed something canon. That does not mean he showed all the important parts.

· The contract he showed taking place is also canon—Sayaka Miki wishing to heal her friend/crush Kyosuke.

· By the way, if this whole chapter just reads like "And then there was a big confusing anime concept," don't worry. The consequences will turn up in a more show-don't-tell way. I've been setting this up for a while. You don't have to have understood the whole thing right away. If you ARE a PMMM fan, then you're in the loop, and that's cool too.

· I'm expanding Kyubey's role in honor of a crossover universe. In canon, he only deals with Earth girls, but here, I've given him more territory. He's even recruited fillies from the Equestrias!

· So I made Hammerspace a thing. Which sacrifices the "where does the party cannon come from" joke, but allows me to explain how characters can carry around huge weapon arsenals. Like Rainbow's new sword.

· Okay, so in a crossover universe, it's tough to consistently treat mucking with the time stream. In J.J. Abrams' Star Trek and PMMM, it spawns new timelines. In Back to the Future and the Ray Bradbury story canon, it changes history. In one quite infamous episode of Doctor Who, it causes the entire timeline to be eaten up by dragon-things. So the rules are arbitrary.

· Soul Gems are a canon thing from PMMM. It's probably breaking the rules not to have them be generated freshly, given what they are…but the amulets were already there, so I used them.

· Pardon me, but I have to do the outfits again. You know I can't resist the fashion description at this point. I apologize in advance for all the NOPONY CARES WHAT THEY'RE WEARING. Oh, and I'm pretty sure giving RD pants as a Mahou Shoujo outfit makes up for me putting her in a skirt in Corona.

· There was actually a joke in PMMM where Madoka wondered what would happen if she wished for a cake. Everyone else warned her not to waste a wish on that. So, putting Pinkie in the same situation…I absolutely HAD to go for it!

· The MMMM is a canon cake from the ep "MMMystery on the Friendship Express."

· So I totally stole "All magic comes at a price" from Once Upon a Time, but I've heard it used in other stuff too, and the CONCEPT seems nearly universal, so I figured, why not?

· And now we see the future I conjured up for the main characters. It's canon that Harry inherited number 12. And I couldn't resist having everyone else move in as roomies. Even Neville. It pays the bills and it's my happy little fantasy of how they all lived together as a big family.

· YES. I'M BRINGING THEM BACK TO HOGWARTS! You KNEW they had to join the party! Also, it's canon that the DADA prof after the series ended liked to have Harry give lectures to the class. And you should also have known right away that Harry's saving-people complex wouldn't allow him to turn it down.


	33. The Alicorn Amulet

33: The Alicorn Amulet

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"It is good to see you here," Zecora, the zebra who made her home in the seclusion of the Everfree Forest, told Lyra and Bon Bon as she set teacups before each of them at her table. Bon Bon and Zecora then sat down as quadrupeds usually do, with legs folded under, upon the benches surrounding the table; Lyra chose instead to perch on her rear, letting her hind legs dangle off the front of the bench and her forelegs rest upon the table. It was a quirk she had taken up ever since reading fantasy stories about the creatures called "humans."

"Hang on," Bon Bon replied, confused. "I thought you were the one that rhymed all the time."

"While I once did speak just in rhyme," Zecora answered, "it was a challenge to do all the time. And to keep my pentameter iambic, we'll say was…even more difficult. Now, what was the question you had?"

"You know a lot of things that are…not well known by most ponies," Lyra began.

"The mystical and magical are interesting to me," Zecora affirmed. "As are the practical aspects of life. I have made a point of learning all that I can. Much like, if I remember correctly, you have made a point of collecting tales about humans."

"Then I wanted to know," Lyra went on, "if you knew whether or not there was anything…beyond Equestria. Beyond this whole world. Even beyond the sun and moon!"

"Lyra saw some strange ponies in town," Bon Bon clarified. "They were talking about things like that. And they were talking to Trixie Lulamoon. As far as I know, after that, she hasn't been heard from. I don't think her show has turned up in any of the towns. And usually, when Trixie tours, she makes sure all of Equestria knows where she's going to be next."

"That is indeed strange," Zecora agreed. "As for what lies outside this world, that is something that I have wondered for myself. Many nights, I think that there absolutely must be more than we see, because it simply does not make sense to me that existence should be so small. But I have very little concrete evidence of what is out there."

"But you do have SOME evidence?" Lyra, picking up on that, leaned forward with interest.

"Perhaps, and perhaps not," Zecora said. "I do not know what I have found. It was something that fell from the sky during a meteor shower. If there is anything beyond Equestria, I believe, it would come from the sky. And it has a magical aura to it. The only problem is, I cannot tell exactly what sort of aura. It is something I wish to find out for myself at least, but I do not know what more I can do to experiment on it."

"Well, can you at least show us?" Bon Bon asked.

"I would not have brought it up had I intended to keep it a secret," Zecora replied. She got up, crossing the room to a locked chest. Lyra and Bon Bon followed her as she took a key from a nail in the wall and unlocked it, pushing the lid open. When the three of them saw the contents of the chest, they all gasped, but Zecora was the only one to reel back in horror and cry out, "NO!"

"What's wrong?" Lyra said, regarding the objects with interest.

While nopony present knew exactly what to term the glimmering crystals, they were in fact Dark Matter. Zecora was not concerned with the Dark Matter, or with what was in the chest at all, for that matter. She was far more concerned with what was missing. "It is gone! But how can this be?"

"What's gone?" Bon Bon asked. "Were you robbed?"

"This is not good at all," Zecora continued, shaking.

"Just tell us what's wrong already!" Bon Bon asserted.

"This chest is where I keep the most mystic and powerful items I have found," Zecora explained. "The crystals are only some of the things that are supposed to be there. There was one other item, and it is missing! It could spell doom for all of Equestria!"

"It can't be that bad," Lyra said.

"But it is," Zecora rebutted. "Do you not remember when Trixie appeared in town bearing the Alicorn Amulet?"

"Was that that necklace that made Trixie go all evil and crazy and put the big barrier around Ponyville and try to take it over?" Bon Bon asked.

"It was worse than that!" Lyra cried. "She…she did SCARY things! She took Pinkie Pie's mouth away, remember? And she glued Snips and Snails together by the horns! Don't you remember?"

"I remember her trying to make servants out of all of us," Bon Bon grumbled. "But it was that necklace's fault, so I don't really think she meant it."

"It was indeed the fault of the Alicorn Amulet," Zecora clarified. "It drives the wearer mad! You will recall that because the Amulet can only be removed by the wearer due to its magical lock, Twilight Sparkle and I devised a plan to convince her to trade the Amulet for a fake that she believed more powerful. The counterfeit talisman was made from my doorstep. And in return, I took the Alicorn Amulet to keep safe and ensure that nopony would ever find it and misuse it again. I believed myself a fitting guardian."

"But what does that have to do with—" Bon Bon stopped midsentence. It clicked. "Wait. You're saying someone stole the ALICORN AMULET?"

"WE'RE ALL DOOMED!" Lyra cried.

"We must spread the word immediately," Zecora said. "Everypony must know that there is danger in their midst!"

Zecora, Lyra, and Bon Bon left the house at a run, making their way back toward town at top speed.

* * *

THE FROZEN NORTH, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Discord stood in the midst of the freezing plains, waiting. In his lion paw, he held the Resurrection Stone, ready to give it another spin. In his birdlike claw, he held the Alicorn Amulet, which had been a cinch to steal from Zecora. He regarded the Amulet with interest. It had served him well during his reign, though even he hadn't realized its true power at first. He had accredited much of its power to its wearer. Not that its wearer was worthless. That was why Discord stood in the Frozen North in the first place. But still, the trinket was far more valuable than Discord had originally perceived.

He hadn't known where it had come from. He had only learned about it through the existence of its wearer, whose deeds of infamy had attracted his attention. There was no real explanation as to where the Amulet had been forged. It was made of a silver-black metal, set in the center with a glimmering crimson gemstone and topped with the head and wings of a carved alicorn, hence the name. As Discord turned the Amulet over and over in his claw, he realized that he recognized the metal from which it was crafted. It was most definitely mithril. That pointed at first to the Mines of Moria on Middle-Earth, but that certainly wasn't the only place such a thing could have been forged—and why would the dwarves of Middle-Earth make it, anyway? That made even less sense than Discord was willing to believe—that it was forged with the emblem of a being found mostly in the world on which it ended up, and that it was made with the intent of granting the wearer great power but great insanity. The metal had been exported to many a world, though.

For a moment, it crossed Discord's mind that perhaps this had been forged in a certain homeworld of gods that had a close connection to Middle-Earth. In fact, he could think of someone in that divine land who would most certainly have found entertainment in forging something like that…

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard hoof-falls on snow. He looked up. The Changeling he was waiting for had arrived.

"And to think I had plans of my own to come here," Chrysalis remarked slyly, "when I received your invitation."

"Chrysalis!" Discord put both his talismans away in Hammerspace before charging forward to stare her directly in the eyes, to stroke one clawlike finger down the side of her cheek. Chrysalis, used to this, rolled her eyes. "How is my favorite Queen of the Changelings?"

"Dispense with this," she barked, and Discord backed off two paces. "I could be much better. My loss of control over Rapunzel left me dissatisfied. I realized that if I wanted to truly have dominion over these princesses that Maleficent has informed me about, I needed to finish what I began so long ago. That is why I wished to come here in the first place." She shot a glance into the distance; all that was visible was more snow and ice, but in that direction, if one went far enough, there lay the Crystal Empire. "For Princess Cadance. This time, she will not escape from me. And perhaps it was fate that we did not meet again until the reappearance of the Crystal Empire. Its population is even larger than that of Canterlot, and its entire essence contains so much more love to devour! If only…"

"If only it weren't for that Crystal Heart," Discord filled in for her. "Let me guess. Its existence refines the love of everypony in the Empire and makes it that much more delicious to harvest, but so long as it stands on its little pedestal in the palace and so long as the Crystal Princess keeps it full of love and magic—"

"I can't get near!" Chrysalis finished. "The Crystal Heart acts as some sort of repellent against those with unkind intentions. I have sent brigades of soldiers to try and penetrate its defenses, but it is as though they hit a barrier at the edge of the Empire!"

"It seems there was only one pony who was ever able to get near the Crystal Heart long enough to remove it," Discord said dramatically, "and in the end, even he was destroyed by standing too near it when it was replaced in that pedestal. Oh, if only he had the same power he had when he first approached it! But I suppose that doesn't matter. He's dead now."

"Don't speak to me of Sombra," Chrysalis hissed.

"Oh, and why not? You two made such wonderful apprentices during our reign! With him in charge of making sure the Empire didn't pump the atmosphere of Equestria full of happiness, you in charge of deceiving hapless ponies with the Changeling act, and me in charge of the entire world, we made the perfect team! And three better friends were never found in all of history!"

"Sombra and I hated each other," Chrysalis spat. "What warped version of history are you remembering?"

"It's called poetic license, dear Chrysalis."

"The times you made me work with him were the times in my life I revile most! He encouraged hatred and destroyed the love I needed to absorb before I could use it to become powerful! And atop that…the fool could barely speak. He was an aggravation the likes of which I have not yet found a match to! I am glad he is dead and gone!"

"Shame," Discord remarked. He made a great show out of doing a double take, then smiling broadly: "Oh, I forgot to mention! I found a handy little stone on Fourth Earth that allowed people to summon shades back from the dead, and I fixed it so it brings the dead back in entirety!"

"YOU WOULDN'T!" Chrysalis barked.

"Oh, come now, Chrysalis." Discord pouted. "You don't miss the old days, with the three of us working as a team—"

"WE WERE NOT A TEAM! You and I were a team, and you and he were a team, but he was REPULSIVE!"

"Even if he could get rid of the Crystal Heart for you?"

"And then what? Devour it? Rid the Empire of its greatest source of love and therefore my power?"

"Eating the magical means to preventing evil in that civilization…are you sure you haven't confused his methods with mine?"

"I don't even want to know what you ate," Chrysalis said flatly.

"Oh, nothing. Just a few reforming spells that were barely effective and probably unethical. Please, Chrysalis? Let me bring him back!"

"No."

"Please?"

"NO!"

"Well, then, I suppose I've got no choice other than to completely ignore you. After all, I have a Resurrection Stone, and you don't!"

Chrysalis gritted her teeth. "You fool…"

Discord summoned the stone, clutching it in his claw. It glowed brightly. In a brilliant flash of light that toned down to a cloud of darkness, the figure of a well-muscled unicorn, black with a luxurious black mane and a beaming red horn, formed between Discord and Chrysalis. As his figure became more clear, it was easy to tell that he wore a plated armor collar and a matching greave on each leg. A silver circlet rested atop his head, and a red cape trimmed with white fur flowed down his back. His eyes were closed at first; they opened to reveal green "whites" around red irises—which, Discord now realized the more he thought about it, had probably not always been red. Purple smoke, pure darkness, leaked out from the back edge of each green-and-red eye. Finally, the unicorn, upon realizing where he was, opened his mouth to laugh a deep, throaty laugh, revealing two sharp fangs.

"SOMBRA!" Discord cried happily, as though welcoming back a long-lost lover. In keeping with that, he quickly moved to Sombra's side and threw his birdlike arm around Sombra's neck. "How are you feeling, now that I've brought you back to the land of the living?"

"Hehehehehehehhhhh…" Sombra laughed. "Alive…"

"PERFECT!" Discord cried in glee.

"Explain," Chrysalis demanded. "Exactly WHAT did we need him for?"

Sombra turned to face her for the first time. He growled in the back of his throat. "Chrysalis."

"Yes," Chrysalis said through gritted teeth. "I Chrysalis, you Sombra." She turned her gaze to Discord. "He absolute fool for whom my loyalty is waning."

"You know you love me," Discord retaliated. "Now, I wanted to ACTUALLY explain what I've called the two of you here for, if you didn't mind."

"I would absolutely love to hear this," Chrysalis droned.

Sombra just gave another laugh. "Hehehehehehehhhh…"

"As you both know," Discord said, "This version of Equestria is somehow emotionally controlled by the Crystal Empire. The happier the Empire is, the happier Equestria is. If the Empire is infected with hate and evil, then the rest of Equestria is just how I like it: in chaos! If we had that Empire back, now that it's in its full glory, we could turn this world back into the way it was when WE ran things! And yes, Sombra, I would reinstate you to the throne of the Empire…just like I did last time…after what I might mention was a completely unnecessary and overly gory show of destroying the last Crystal Princess. But it got the job done, so I guess I can't argue with the results."

Sombra gave a great bellowing laugh: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Chrysalis rolled her eyes.

"Now, as you both know, the Crystal Empire is currently run by Pwincess Cadance, Awicown of Wove!" Discord mocked. "And each of you has a personal grudge against her, if I remember correctly. After all, Chrysalis, she blasted you back to your home kingdom without so much as a how-do-you-do. And Sombra, well, she DESTROYED you. Chrysalis, you want control over Cadance and the other princesses of her status in this multiverse. Sombra, you want her throne. Like it or not, you two have a goal in common."

"Crystals," Sombra said with a nod.

"I don't like where this is going," Chrysalis sighed, "but you do have a point."

"The only thing standing in your way of getting revenge on Cadance and taking the Empire by force," Discord pointed out, "is the Crystal Heart. Which would currently repel both of you if you tried to enter. But, Sombra, there was something that allowed you to get close enough to it the first time that you could take it down and hide it. Back when I gave you that assignment, I didn't know it would actually create a barrier. When you broke out of the ice to try and reclaim the Empire this last time around, that something was gone. Almost like it had been taken from you after Celestia and Luna zapped you with their little Elements to avenge their little crystal friends…and then stored in a curio shop for years and years until some selfish little unicorn purchased it and tried to use it for the menial task of taking over a small town."

Sombra's eyes widened.

"That's right!" Discord cried, producing the Alicorn Amulet. "I've brought back your—"

"MINE!" Sombra tackled Discord, ripping the Alicorn Amulet out of his hands with his teeth before using magic to fasten it around his neck, the lock that only the wearer could undo clicking into place.

As Sombra backed away from Discord, allowing him to stand again, Discord came to a realization. Back when he had recruited Sombra to the task of holding the throne of the Crystal Empire, Sombra had been this way since their first meeting: less then eloquent, far less than sane. Discord began to wonder if Sombra truly had always been that way. After all, it had been recently proven that the Amulet drove the wearer insane. Perhaps Sombra had been meeker, kinder, able to speak in sentences of more than one word, before whoever had forged the mysterious trinket had given it to him. It was true that Sombra was still the way Discord knew him when the Amulet was off in the later years, but perhaps, by that time, the Amulet had eaten up too much of his mind—it was too late to turn back. Discord made a mental note to try and figure out where that Amulet had REALLY come from. It was disconcerting for Discord to think that the whole time, he and Sombra had been playing into someone else's hooves by using it.

He shrugged it off. "Well, Sombra, you can most certainly go back and take that Heart again now. But if you want to stand any chance against Cadance and Shining Armor, I suggest you two stick together."

"What about you?" Chrysalis asked angrily. "Are you abandoning us?"

"Excuse me!" Discord placed his hands upon his sides angrily. "I'm currently juggling several worlds, contemplating various resurrections, doing analysis on what paths would plunge which parts of the cosmos into the MOST chaos, and, lest we forget, trying to bring the rest of the Old Ones out of hiding. All you two have to worry about is one little empire."

"Point taken," Chrysalis replied resignedly. "Sombra. It seems we must work together if we are to succeed."

"Yes," Sombra agreed.

"Good luck, my little ponies!" Discord cried before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Seeing as I have more of a mind remaining intact," Chrysalis said immediately, "I should be the one to coordinate our strategy. I will first need to gather my army. Then you will use your powers to shield me from the Crystal Heart so that I may enter the Empire, displace the Heart, and feed upon the love of the Crystal Ponies. All their love will give me strength, and I will be able to capture Cadance and hold her permanently."

"NO," Sombra growled emphatically.

"Do you have a better idea?" Chrysalis asked condescendingly.

Sombra raised his head to the skies. His horn glowed a bright red, sending out a beacon. It took a while for the response to occur, but when it did, Chrysalis was stunned. The form of white horses appeared in the wind, ghostly, snarling like wolves. She recognized these as a very special sort of Echthros, one she could not recall anypony ever having completely controlled before.

"The windigos," she gasped.

Sombra looked down from the windigos to stare down Chrysalis. "Hate," he emphasized.

"You would drive the Crystal Ponies apart with hate and ravage the Empire with the windigos?" Chrysalis clarified.

"Yes…"

"And Cadance?"

"Die."

"And the Crystal Heart?"

"Eat!"

"You FOOL!" Chrysalis roared. "From where would my army derive its power THEN, if the Empire was frozen by hate? And what would prevent Cadance's powers of light from being passed down to a cosmic successor upon her death?"

Sombra shrugged, then laughed.

"I want to lead MY army into the Empire instead," Chrysalis bellowed, "and feed upon LOVE!"

"HATE!" Sombra roared back.

"LOVE!"

"HATE!"

"LOVE!"

"HATE!"

"Between love, between hate…" a voice calmly sang. "Shake the silence back, but it's too late! And it haunts you, and it haunts you, it's a love/hate heartbreak…"

"DISCORD!" Sombra and Chrysalis yelled in unison annoyance, turning to stare at the returned draconequus.

"Sorry," Discord said with a grin. "Just had to get that one in. Now I'm really leaving." He faded away.

Chrysalis sighed. "It seems that neither of our plans will work on their own. We truly must pool our resources. My powers with yours. Your windigos with my Changelings. I will find a way to spread hatred among the Crystal Ponies, and you would do well to find a way to let me gather enough love that I can gain power. Can we at least agree on that?"

"Agree," Sombra said with a nod.

* * *

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

The sun had dipped below the arctic horizon of the snowy plains that lay outside the borders of the green grass and temperate winds of the Crystal Empire. The juxtaposition of the Empire's enchanted summer and the surrounding Frozen North's eternal winter allowed the subjects to be able to witness glorious sunsets that reflected off the white snow and towering ice peaks without having to leave the comfort of warmth.

Cadance and Shining Armor stood out on the balcony of the palace, watching the sunset from on high. Even after the sun went down, they kept watching as the sky blackened and stars appeared, one by one. Down below, the Empire's night life kicked in; some went to bed while some trotted out onto the streets for the most fun they'd have all day.

"Good thing we have the day off from proclamations tomorrow," Shining Armor said, looking up at the stars. "No bedtime for us!"

Cadance smiled. Shining Armor could be such a child sometimes…and she loved that he was able to retain so much of his youth. "That's assuming no important emergency news comes in from Canterlot."

"Nah, that's probably not gonna happen. Tomorrow, you and I are free!"

"I'm glad," Cadance admitted. "I actually got a little nervous delivering today's speech. I don't really understand it. I've never been nervous like that before, but to tell you the truth…it made me a little sick."

"Hey, it happens. Some times, you're just gonna feel more confident, and some times, you're gonna feel more scared. Whatever happens, you always do great." A motion in the sky caught his eye. "Hey, a shooting star! Wanna make a wish?"

"All right," Cadance said, looking up to see the star in question, a bright light careening across the sky.

"Now remember," Shining Armor said, "no telling what the wish is, or it won't come true!"

"I remember," Cadance said, eyes still on the celestial object. "Wait…Shining Armor."

"What?"

"Look at it."

The star wasn't making its way across the sky as most shooting stars did. It seemed instead to be getting closer to the planet, glowing brighter as it fell. Eventually, it was briefly visible as a certain shape that wasn't a star at all.

"Did that look like-?" Cadance began.

"A boat!" Shining Armor finished.

The falling, glowing boat landed somewhere out in the snowy plains, to the west. Cadance and Shining Armor looked downward. Nopony else down below seemed to have taken that much notice of the boat. Then they looked at each other.

"Should we—" Cadance began.

"We should," Shining Armor answered.

The subjects of the Crystal Empire were slightly surprised when they saw their prince and princess barreling down Main Street at top speed, but they eventually put the thought of it aside and returned to their business.

* * *

Cadance and Shining Armor were able to find the boat easily by tracking the position in which they'd seen it fall. They could ascertain a few things from it. The vessel itself was about the size of a fishing boat, but constructed to resemble a miniature medieval galleon, with wood paneling and a mast with a sail. It had landed rather gracefully in the snow instead of crashing; it was completely upright. A blue glow was visible from within through the portholes. The gangplank of the boat was down, and two ponies had just disembarked from it.

The taller was an earth pony—no wings, no horn—and was built lankily, with a coat of light green. His thick chestnut mane was only as long as the base of his head, and his tail was also short, thick, and brown. A Cutie Mark portraying an intricate jeweled crown stood out on his flank. His brown eyes flickered around as he took in his surroundings with confusion.

His shorter companion, a mare of a soft purple coat, was a unicorn. Her mane was also chestnut brown, but a bit shaggier and a bit shorter; the same could be said for her tail in comparison to his. A few freckles stood out next to her bright green eyes. Her Cutie Mark, oddly enough, resembled Celestia's—a radiant golden sun.

"Hello!" Cadance called out.

The green stallion gave a start, looking up in surprise to see the royal pair finally coming to a stop before them. "They just talked," he said in surprise. "Well, I guess this explains why we're horses, then. Don't tell me…everyone…here…is a talking horse."

"But you know what that means, don't you?" the purple unicorn cried happily. "This means we're in THEIR world! Where THEY came from!"

"I take it you're not from around here," Shining Armor said.

The two newcomers exchanged glances. "We're…um…" the green stallion attempted, grasping for words.

"Don't worry," Cadance reassured them. "We know plenty about what's out there. Though it is a little weird that you came from the sky. The last time we saw a ship take off for other worlds, it was over the sea."

"I think that only happens if you're traveling with the Mists," the purple unicorn theorized. "We used a Dark Matter crystal, so our ship works differently."

"Hang on," Shining Armor said. "How do you know about the mists? And…" It began to click in his mind. "Exactly WHOSE world did you say you landed on?" He beamed with anticipation.

"Okay, so this is probably a long shot," the green stallion replied, "but do you happen to know anyone named Rainbow Dash—"

"Or Pinkie Pie—" the unicorn continued.

"Or Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, or Twilight Sparkle!" Shining Armor cried gleefully.

"They're some of our very best friends," Cadance explained.

"And I'm Twilight's brother!" Shining Armor added.

"How did you meet them?" Cadance asked.

"They came to our world," the purple unicorn said. "And let me tell you, they helped us out of a pretty tight spot! It was because of their travels that we decided to make our own ship in the first place!"

"How were they?" Cadance asked. "Were they all right?"

"I'd say so," the green stallion replied. "I mean, they kind of helped us kick a bunch of superpowered evils out of our kingdom…"

"We haven't seen them since then, though," the purple unicorn added. "They moved on to other adventures. So we took the Dark Matter crystal they left us and decided to have some adventures of our own!"

"I will say that Rainbow Dash has excellent taste in literature," said the stallion.

"And Pinkie Pie really knows how to cheer a friend up," the unicorn added.

"But what's Dark Matter?" Cadance asked. "They didn't have any of that when they left. I don't even know what that is."

"Well, they got it from…get this: one of the bad guys that wanted to take over our kingdom," the stallion explained, deadpan. "This sorcerer turns up, announces he's going to destroy everything, my wife here knocks him out with kitchenware, proving she's amazing as usual, we have a beast of a time dealing with the magical weaponry he left around, and when he comes to, he and Twilight turn out to actually be some kind of weird friends, and he gives her the crystal. Go…figure."

Events were starting to sound familiar and match up with the narrative of the letters Cadance and Shining Armor had received from the traveling crew. They began to have an idea of who stood before them.

To make sure, Cadance initiated introductions. "I'm sorry," she said. "We should have introduced ourselves. I'm Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire."

"And I'm Prince Shining Armor," Shining Armor added. "We're married. What're your names?"

As Cadance and Shining Armor had expected, the unicorn replied, "I'm Princess Rapunzel of Corona!"

"And the name's Eugene Fitzherbert," the stallion added. "Prince of Corona. Occasionally known by the alias of 'Flynn Rider.'"

"It's really nice to meet you," Rapunzel emphasized.

"It's nice to meet you too!" Shining Armor gushed.

"So this…Corona," Cadance said for clarification. "It's not a pony kingdom, is it?"

"No," Rapunzel said. "In fact, it was kind of hard to believe that Pinkie and Twilight and their friends were actually really ponies until we came here. Back home, we're humans, and so is everyone in our kingdom."

"Well, our captain of the guard is a horse," Eugene added, "but he's kind of a weird horse."

"Hey," Shining Armor realized. "You probably don't have anywhere to stay."

"We can stay on the boat for the night," Rapunzel said. "We have it outfitted like a little room."

"Well, if you wanted to come to the Crystal Empire for the night instead, we could arrange for you to stay in the palace," Cadance offered. "And whatever you decided, we'd be more than happy to help give you an official tour of the Empire tomorrow, or as much as you can see in a day. We have a day off tomorrow, and since this is your first time on a new world, it might be fun to have a bit of a guided tour."

"What do you think?" Rapunzel asked Eugene.

"Conference on the other side of the boat?" Eugene replied.

Rapunzel followed him to the other side of the boat. There, Eugene whispered, "Do you think we can trust them?"

"I don't know," Rapunzel admitted. "But right now, they're the only people—er, ponies—we know here. If things start to look suspicious, we can break off."

"All right. Let's go for it."

They returned to where Shining Armor and Cadance were waiting. "We decided that if you're offering," Rapunzel said, "we'll go with you to the Crystal Empire!"

"Awesome!" Shining Armor cried.

"Let's go," Cadance suggested, "before it gets too late."

The four set out.

"I realize you might not have wanted to trust us," Cadance said. "After all, we only just met. Thank you for at least coming this far with us."

"Hey, what are the odds we'd run into another Changeling queen?" Eugene joked.

Cadance visibly stiffened. "That's right. They DID say you met…her."

"Met who?" Rapunzel asked. "Chrysalis?"

"Yes," Cadance answered.

"We've had bad dealings with Chrysalis in the past," Shining Armor explained. "She tried to take Cadance's shape and marry me, then use the love everypony gave her to take over all of Equestria."

"Déjà vu," Eugene remarked.

"She did almost the exact same thing to us," Rapunzel clarified. "I think we can all agree she's nasty."

"Hey, look," Eugene said, "we already have something in common!"

* * *

By the time they reached the Crystal Empire, Cadance, Eugene, Shining Armor, and Rapunzel had swapped many stories, learning more about each other. Rapunzel and Eugene were distracted once they entered the Empire and saw every glimmering building, every beaming light, every pony rushing through the streets eager to be somewhere.

"It's beautiful," Rapunzel gasped.

"We'll show you all over tomorrow," Cadance promised.

At last, they made their way to the great spire that was the crystal palace at the center of the Empire. Once inside, Shining Armor and Cadance informed several members of the Crystal Guard that they were entertaining a very special guest.

"They'll lead you to the guest bedroom," Cadance explained. "Have a wonderful night, and sweet dreams. It was very nice to meet you today."

"You too," Rapunzel said in return.

"Sweet dreams!" Shining Armor called out as he and Cadance made their way to the royal bedchambers.

Once Rapunzel and Eugene were settled into the large bed in the guest chambers, they gazed into each other's eyes awhile, getting used to each other's new face. "So," Eugene said, "not bad for our first landing, don't you think?"

"I just can't believe it," Rapunzel replied. "It's even more beautiful than home! And Cadance and Shining Armor…well…"

"What about them?"

"Don't they kind of remind you of…us? Well, not exactly. But the way they greeted us…that's how I'd want to welcome any visitors from another world, now that I know there could be. And the way they talk about the Empire…they care about it more than just ruling it from a distance."

"Now that you mention it…yeah, they are kinda like us. Sort of."

"We should probably go to sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"Probably."

"Eugene?"

"Rapunzel?"

"We're in THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE. We're here. We made it."

Eugene couldn't help but beam as broadly upon hearing that statement as his wife did upon making it. "As I said: not a bad first landing."

They exchanged goodnights and "I love you"s before dropping into exhausted sleep.

* * *

Chapter 33:

· The elephant in the room: why didn't I have Zecora rhyme? I'm not against characters with rhyming tics in general. It's just that Zecora…when she was introduced as the Token Zebra, which was obviously a metaphor for race, she came with a lot of traditional African stereotypes. Even the fact that she's all "mystical" probably has some Unfortunate Implications, though as of "Magic Duel," I actually came to appreciate that trait, as I thought it was cool that there was somepony out there who possibly knew more magic than Celestia and it was the one who was most often pushed aside at first. Zecora is a character with a lot of potential—she just came with Unfortunate Implications. I thought the very least I could do was to take away the rhyming. It just doesn't feel right to me and makes me a little uncomfortable. I know that's not the way most people, especially hardcore bronies, feel, and I'm not even always as on top of social justice as I could be when writing these things and have probably left things in that are as bad or worse, but my fic, my rules. Anyway, I hope I did the explanation well enough—the Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion was fun to pull.

· Dark Matter falls from the sky sometimes! It just…does, okay! (Well, in KH, we do have "meteor showers"…)

· The Alicorn Amulet was featured in the episode "Magic Duel." What we know about it canonically: it comes from a mysterious source that nopony really knows. Whoever wears it gets impressive, near-godlike power, but it slowly turns the wearer evil and crazy. When the wearer uses it, his/her eyes glow temporarily red. And finally, it has a magic lock; only the wearer can take it off. In the episode itself, it was wielded by Trixie. In the end, Twilight and Zecora tricked Trixie into swapping it for a fake, so I thought it reasonable that Zecora probably took it to keep it safe.

· Now, there is HUGE fanon about whether or not the Amulet is connected to Sombra because they have the same color scheme (black/silver/red). I decided to play on that. Not to mention Sombra's eyes have red irises… Everything I say here about him getting the Amulet when he was younger and it turning him evil and crazy is COMPLETELY my fanon. But it really makes sense to me. Also, there's the whole matter that when he was younger, he was able to move the Crystal Heart, but when he returned, the Crystal Heart vaporized him. He had to have had some kind of advantage over it the first time that he didn't the second, right? Again, completely my fanon, but the Amulet makes sense.

· Droppin' some crossover referencing with mithril. Mithril is actually found in many franchises other than LOTR…but the origin story I have planned for the Alicorn Amulet involves one that never mentioned mithril, not really. It's just something I think would be…connected. But yes, I'm setting up that someone else forged the Amulet a long time ago (or a short time, depending on the timefuckery involved) for his/her own purposes…

· This is the first time I've written Discord with characters I like to ship him with since I decided he's in relationship anarchy. So I'm going to try to portray him as more flirtatious and anti-monogamy. I actually ship him with both Chrysalis and Sombra, as you could probably tell…but I do NOT ship Chrysalis/Sombra. It just never spoke to me. And they each run on different ideals (love vs. hate), so I thought it would be fun to make them enemies.

· Dear…GODS, I love making fun of Sombra. The canon reason: his lines consist only of growls, evil laughter, and one-word phrases. There became fanon that he couldn't speak. I decided to push that along with "the Amulet made him insane," and made the characterization you see here…insane and only capable of one-word sentences. Another reason I like putting him at odds with Chrysalis. She's very eloquent and mentally sound. He's…not.

· But the one thing Sombra and Chrysalis have in common? Cadance whipped both their asses.

· I don't know if the Crystal Heart really does form a barrier against evil. I just know that its very presence vaporizes Sombra. Also, I saw a hilarious comic once about the Crystal Empire being a "bug zapper" for Changelings. So that's where that came from.

· Windigos are creatures that appeared in the ep about Hearth's Warming Eve. They appear as horses made of wind and freeze nations that are filled with ponies that fight too much. They seemed like Echthroi material. I thought it would be cool to ally Sombra with them because they're both associated with the Frozen North.

· Discord quotes some lyrics from "Love/Hate Heartbreak" by Halestorm.

· I have plans for characters I want to ponify. Anyone who has both flight and magic powers? Possibly alicorn, but I may end up picking either unicorn or pegasus just to keep from having too many alicorns. Gods? Alicorns. Mozenrath? Alicorn, just because. If I made all princesses alicorns on top of that, that's too many freaking alicorns. And that's why Zel is not.

· Zel's Cutie Mark is the sun emblem of Corona; Eugene's is Zel's crown. Eugene's was hard to pick, but I thought the crown represented both his royal status and his background as a thief (as that was his greatest theft).


	34. The Crystal Heart

34: The Crystal Heart

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Okay, I'll admit it," Shining Armor said as he magically ran a comb through his mane in front of the mirror in the bedroom he shared with Cadance, "I'm pretty excited."

"Me too," Cadance said, exiting the bathroom. "I've actually got butterflies in my stomach. They seem really nice."

"I can totally see how Twily got along with those two already," Shining Armor admitted, finishing with the comb. "Ready to move out?"

"Let's do it!"

They met up with Rapunzel and Eugene, who were guided by a few members of the Crystal Guard, in the atrium of the palace. As the four moved out, Rapunzel predicted, "This is going to be the best day EVER!"

* * *

Cadance and Shining Armor first led their guests to the library. "There isn't much to do here actively," Cadance explained, "but I thought it would make a nice low-key start to the tour. This is where we have all the books that document history from over a thousand years ago. We're starting to rebuild to include modern history."

"Wow!" Rapunzel moved to where an atlas was spread out on a bookstand, admiring a map of Equestria. "Look at all this, Eugene!"

"Hang on," Eugene said. "Why is this library missing a thousand years of books?"

"Well…" Cadance explained, "the Crystal Empire was a major power in Equestria a thousand years ago, and it is today. It's always had a special place in Equestria, but we can explain that more on the last stop of the trip, which is extra special. Anyway, one thousand years ago, something…happened. Things were already changing from peaceful to chaotic because of a draconequus named Discord, who made Equestria into his playground. When he ruled, he helped a unicorn named Sombra to take over the Crystal Empire. Sombra was terribly cruel, and he forced everypony in the Empire to be his slaves while turning the Empire into a place of sadness and evil…which reflected in part over the rest of Equestria because of the Empire's powers."

"But Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who have ruled over Equestria ever since the defeat of Discord, wielded the powers of the Elements of Harmony against Sombra," Shining Armor picked up. "This was before my sister and her friends got them. Anyway, Sombra was sealed away under the ice, but there was a curse on the Empire, and it disappeared in time for a thousand years. When it returned, nopony even remembered what it was supposed to be like, and the throne was empty. Twily and her friends joined up with Cadance and me to try and save it, but when it came back, Sombra started to break free of the ice. We ended up destroying Sombra and finding out that Cadance was the rightful Crystal Princess."

"I see," Eugene replied, trying to comprehend it all. "Two questions. One, how have the same princesses been ruling for a thousand years?"

"We…were never sure," Cadance admitted. "I'm part of their family line, and even I don't know. Well, technically, I'm their niece by adoption now, but by blood, there are hundreds of generations between us. I guess it's just strong magic."

"Okay," Eugene answered. "I can go with that. Two: do you two just run into evil villains wherever you go? First Chrysalis, now this Sombra."

"We can be a bit of a trouble magnet," Shining Armor said with a wink.

"I can't believe this!" Rapunzel gushed, looking over book after book. "There's so MUCH here! Eugene, look at these!"

Eugene trotted over to look at the book Rapunzel flipped through—rather awkwardly, as she was still getting used to hooves. His eyes alit upon a page spread featuring three elegantly painted ponies: a unicorn decked out in a silver crown and purple cape, a pegasus wearing hardy armor, and an earth pony with a yellow-and-brown set of ruffled robes and a hat resembling, of all things, pudding.

"Whoa," Eugene sighed.

"Our founders," Shining Armor explained. "Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead. Platinum and Hurricane are actually Celestia and Luna's parents."

"There's just so much more…MAGIC here than back home," Rapunzel remarked. "I mean, I love home, but this world seems amazing just from what I can see here!"

"It even surprises us sometimes," Cadance admitted.

* * *

In a musical instrument shop, Cadance took a double-bell flugelhorn made of transparent blue crystal off the shelf. "This is the national instrument of the Crystal Empire," she said. "The crystal flugelhorn. To master it takes years of practice and dedication—"

"Can I try?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well…I don't see why not." Cadance handed over the flugelhorn.

Rapunzel grasped the mouthpiece with her lips and blew, giving her best attempt. For all the musical training she had with the guitar, wind instruments were still a mystery to her. This was apparent when the noise that emitted from the flugelhorn caused the shop owner and every patron to cringe simultaneously.

"I guess I need some of those years of practice, huh?" Rapunzel asked sheepishly.

"I thought it was pretty good," Eugene remarked sarcastically with a shrug.

"You think you could do better?" Rapunzel challenged with a wink.

"I…am smart enough to know NOT to answer that question."

"Here," Shining Armor said, putting the flugelhorn down on the counter along with the proper amount of bits. "You can have it as a gift. So you'll always remember the Crystal Empire!"

Rapunzel squealed happily.

* * *

By the time the four reached the jousting arena, a few things had changed in their inventory. Cadance had been generous with gifts after noticing that Rapunzel needed a way to carry the flugelhorn and provided her with a pair of saddlebags to wear slung over her back. To this, Rapunzel had remarked that the saddlebags would be perfect for the eventual carrying of a frying pan around Equestria, which rather confused Shining Armor and Cadance.

The tournament of the day had almost concluded; the final jousters had lined up on either side of the arena, staring each other down. From the royal box, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene watched them charge each other, wearing sturdy, sparkling armor and bearing elegant lances tipped with rounded spheres so as not to injure one another. The opponent on the left, a tough-looking earth pony, managed to strike the opponent coming from the right, an agile unicorn, on the side of her armor and send her tumbling off the course. A cheer went up from about half the crowd while the other half murmured expectantly, hoping the unicorn would claim the victory in the next round.

"It's two out of three," Shining Armor explained.

"Who should we cheer for?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, Artemis is a regular in the royal court, and known for his strength," Cadance said, referring to the earth pony, "but Magnet Bolt is quite popular around town and is kind of a fan favorite for the way she pulls victories out from seemingly nowhere. I'd be happy if either of them won."

"Hey, I'm cheering for Artemis all the way," Shining Armor offered. "He and I are buddies!"

"Well, let's go ARTEMIS!" Eugene cheered as the two reset their positions to square off.

"Someone should cheer for Magnet Bolt, then," Rapunzel resolved. "YOU CAN DO IT, MAGNET!"

Artemis and Magnet Bolt squared off for a second time; on this bout, when Artemis attempted to knock Magnet off balance, she ducked neatly under the lance and used her own to topple him. The third time, Magnet Bolt jumped Artemis' lance and brought hers down on top of his back, which constituted a victory. The crowd went wild.

Rapunzel leapt up and down, cheering in time: "MAG-NET! MAG-NET! MAG-NET!"

Magnet Bolt removed her helmet, taking a bow for the crowd. Artemis did so immediately after. The two then shook hooves as friends, laughing together.

"And nobody gets hurt?" Rapunzel reiterated. "It looks like so much fun! I actually kind of wonder what it would be like…"

"You know," Cadance said with a wink, "now that the tournament proper is over, Shining Armor and I have full control over what happens on the field. We could use our royal influence to get you—"

"Wait," Eugene interrupted. "You're not serious, are you?"

* * *

Dressed up in a bright, glimmering helmet and armor from the locker rooms and wielding a lance in the crook of his front leg, Eugene couldn't help but laugh as he stared across the field to where Rapunzel was dressed in similar armor and wielding a similar lance. "I can't believe they were actually serious…"

"Ready?" Cadance called out.

"YES!" Rapunzel squealed.

"On your mark…get ready…JOUST!" Cadance commanded.

Several stragglers who had come for the tournament still stayed in the stands, watching as Cadance and Shining Armor's new friends charged each other in the jousting field. They couldn't help but take notice, especially since the unicorn mare was so exuberant.

With an energetic scream, Rapunzel was easily able to dodge Eugene's lance and knock him to the ground, causing him to cry out, "WHOA!" The crowd erupted into applause.

"Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked Eugene.

"Not a scratch," Eugene assured her, getting up. "This armor really is hardy. So…looks like you just won your first jousting match."

"I…just won my first jousting match," Rapunzel repeated, realization sinking in. "I just WON a JOUSTING MATCH!"

"Hey, cool!" Shining Armor congratulated, coming down to the field. "You ever wielded a lance before?"

"No," Rapunzel admitted. "Just a frying pan."

"You must be REALLY extreme with a frying pan, then," Shining Armor replied.

"Oh," Eugene laughed, "you have NO idea."

* * *

At a sidewalk café, Cadance and Shining Armor treated Rapunzel and Eugene to pastries made of crystal berries.

"I have to admit," Eugene said, "when you first said 'crystal berries,' I was a liiiiittle worried. These pastries have considerably fewer shards than I was expecting."

"Eh, it's really just a name," Shining Armor clarified.

"Does anypony want to call the last three tarts?" Cadance inquired.

"All yours!" Rapunzel chirped as Cadance scooped all three onto her plate.

"Sorry," Cadance said. "I'm just really hungry for crystal berries. Must be from all the excitement!"

The waiter, a well-muscled pegasus stallion, approached the table. "Is everything to your liking?"

"Everything's delicious!" Rapunzel answered.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you two before," the waiter remarked. "Friends of the royal family?"

"Yeah," Shining Armor answered. "They're from…well, out of town. We're giving them a grand tour of the Crystal Empire."

"I hope you enjoy your stay here," the waiter said, "and don't hesitate to visit again."

"Everyone here is so friendly," Rapunzel remarked as the waiter left.

"It's nice," Eugene said with a nod.

"We're proud to call it home," Cadance replied. "Though I'll admit, I'm quite curious about your world."

"You'd love it," Rapunzel informed her. "If you ever visit, I promise to make you feel as welcome as you made us feel here."

"I wouldn't mind being up for a little adventure," Shining Armor admitted. "See your home, see the Seven Deserts…maybe even find something completely different."

"Could you do that?" Rapunzel asked. "I mean, you have a full-time job here in the Crystal Empire."

"There would be ways to fill the position…" Cadance said, trailing off. "But that's hypothetical. Sure, we think about it sometimes, but…it would be impractical. And more to the point, I didn't even think we ever could. I didn't know there were other ships besides the Starlight that could do that until you landed here."

"Well, maybe you'll get a chance," Rapunzel suggested.

"Maybe," Cadance agreed.

* * *

The tour next continued to a paddock of crystal ewes, miniature sheep that caused Rapunzel to nearly explode from squealing. The shepherd on duty inquired several times if she was all right, to which Eugene had to reassure him that hers was normal behavior.

After that, Eugene found himself following his group to a place that he dreaded entering: a beauty salon.

"You're going to love it," Cadance told Rapunzel. "They can do anything with a mane, and the hooficures are wonderful."

"Remind me why I'm here again," Eugene sighed. "Shining Armor, is there anything that you and the guys…er, stallions…do while your wife gets all pretty?"

"Actually, I have to keep up my appearance as well," Shining Armor admitted. "Just a quick trim and a hooficure. It's actually pretty relaxing."

"You're joking."

"Come on, Eugene. You should try it."

"Please tell me you're joking…"

"You know that if you don't, the three of us are just going to be enjoying ourselves here, and you'll be missing out…"

"All right, fine. Just as long as no one makes me sing about dreams."

"Huh?"

"Long story."

Cadance was already checking herself and Rapunzel in at the front desk. "Just a simple crystal weave for my friend. It'll be on me."

The two mares were led into the depths of the salon, and Shining Armor and Eugene were next up to bat. "I'll just get my usual treatment," Shining Armor said, "and one for my friend here. He's a first-timer here."

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Eugene groaned.

A friendly mare led Eugene to his own chair. "Right this way!"

"I still can't believe I'm doing this…" Eugene lay back in the chair as the mare set to work filing his hooves.

Ten minutes later, Eugene was completely relaxed in the chair, chatting with the beauticians working on his hooves and mane. "And so that's why my money's on Magnet Bolt for the next jousting tournament. I admit I had my doubts about her, but she really knows how to pull off a strong finish."

Shining Armor approached the chair. "Having fun, are we?"

"What happens in this salon stays in this salon," Eugene warned him. "But yeah, this is actually pretty relaxing. And I will say my hooves have never looked better, though to be fair, I've only had hooves for less than a day, so that might not be worth much. I doubt there could have been much improvement in the mane department, though. I didn't leave room for much."

The beauticians finished, and Eugene stepped down from his chair to look in a full-length mirror. "Well," he admitted, tossing his newly trimmed mane, "it had been getting a bit long to begin with…okay, yeah, they did a good job."

"Looking good, Eugene," Rapunzel said from behind him.

Eugene turned around. "Thank y—WHOA."

Rapunzel's mane, short as it was, had been woven into tiny waves and braids that cradled small crystals, giving her head the appearance of glowing with rainbow light when she moved it. Nearby, Cadance had received a similar hairstyle—not as fancy as her ceremonial updos, but still containing a fair amount of crystals.

"You…you look…" Eugene struggled to find words. "Sparkly."

"Thank you," Rapunzel said, blushing. "So, was it as horrible torture as you imagined?"

"Before I answer that, I'm going to make you swear that what happens in this salon stays in this salon."

* * *

Back out on the streets, passerby stopped and stared at the glimmering rainbow crystals in the manes of Princess Cadance and her new unicorn friend, then taking notice of Shining Armor and his new stallion companion. Gossip and questions riddled the crowds. Who were these newcomers? Where were they from? How had they so quickly earned the respect of the royal family?

"It's about time for the last stop on our trip," Cadance announced.

"Are you kicking us out after that?" Eugene asked.

"You can stay with us as long as you want," Cadance replied. "Of course, tomorrow we have royal duties to attend to, so you might be on your own in town."

"I think we can manage," Rapunzel affirmed. "After all, you did a great job of showing us around."

The four returned to the palace, but instead of entering it, they moved to the space underneath; the great crystal spire that was the palace was raised off the ground, leaving a courtyard beneath it. In this courtyard was a single landmark: a pillar consisting of a carved stalagmite below and a carved stalactite above. In the space between the two, a blue, heart-shaped crystal hovered, emitting a bright and calming light. Both Rapunzel and Eugene noticed right away that it matched the crystal heart depicted on Cadance's Cutie Mark.

"This is the Crystal Heart," Cadance explained. "The emotional power source for the Crystal Empire and all of Equestria. When the ponies of the Crystal Empire have hope and love, their happiness powers the Heart and sends out an aura all over Equestria that helps protect it from the forces of hate. Of course, if the Heart is ever stolen, it's possible for anything bad that happens to the Empire to carry negativity to Equestria instead."

"Has that ever happened?" Rapunzel asked.

"That's how Sombra seized power," Shining Armor explained. "He found…some way to get to the Heart without being repelled by its protection. When he took it away, all of the Crystal Empire was at his mercy. He was able to enslave everypony and make them work for him. They don't like being reminded of that to this day. And he hid the Heart in his palace in a secret chamber guarded by dark magic and a lot of staircases. And I mean a LOT of staircases…anyway, when the Empire returned, Cadance and I teamed up with Twily and her friends…oh, you haven't met Spike, have you? Twily's friend Spike was there too. He works with her in the library. He ended up playing a big part in stopping Sombra. We found the Heart—well, Twily and Spike did—and when we replaced it here, Cadance found out that she was the Crystal Princess and that she was connected to the Heart and the Empire. She was able to use the Heart's power to stop Sombra before he could destroy the Heart."

"Right now, I act as a go-between for the Heart and the Empire," Cadance finished. "I help to keep the Empire happy, and that powers the Heart. I was afraid at first that it would stop working if I left the borders, but it turns out I can go pretty much anywhere and as long as the ponies here remember me, the Heart will still function. It's the pride of the entire Empire. It's more than just a crystal…it's our hope."

"Wow," Eugene said, staring at the Heart as it spun in its pedestal. "That's a lot of responsibility for one little rock."

"It's beautiful," Rapunzel added. "I mean, it was before, but now that I know what it really is…" She grinned. "I wonder if it can feel how happy I am right now. After all, I did manage to find a brand new world with the person I love most…and we made two really good friends first thing."

Cadance and Shining Armor couldn't help but feel their hearts warm at Rapunzel's statement.

"Princess Cadance!" a voice called out. "Prince Shining Armor!"

All four turned to see a teal mare with a purple mane and a Cutie Mark shaped like the top of a wheat stalk burst into the courtyard. "Fields of Gold!" Cadance cried, recognizing this pony by name.

"Urgent news," Fields of Gold panted, bowing respectfully. "Princess Celestia has arrived at the train station, and she wants to see you immediately."

"I wonder what she wants," Shining Armor mused.

"This sounds like trouble," Eugene sighed. "I knew it. We can't go anywhere without some kind of big disaster happening. This day? Too perfect. Celestia probably brought bad news about some horrible villain that's going to wreak havoc on everything."

"We don't know that," Cadance answered sternly.

"Celestia…she's the one that rules over all of Equestria, right?" Rapunzel asked for clarification.

"Yes," Cadance affirmed.

"Can we go meet her?" Rapunzel asked.

"I don't see why not," Shining Armor answered. "Come on. We'll go to the station together."

* * *

Rapunzel and Eugene were able to identify Celestia immediately upon first sight. They found it impossible to believe that somepony so tall and graceful and with a mane of so many colors wasn't the ruler and sun-raiser of the entire land.

"Cadance," Celestia greeted. "Shining Armor."

"Celestia," Cadance and Shining Armor replied in unison.

Celestia appeared momentarily confused. "Who are your friends? I don't believe I've met them before."

"This is Rapunzel," Cadance introduced, "and Eugene. You remember them. You know. From the letters…remember?" She winked.

"Oh…!" Celestia winked in return, showing that she understood.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rapunzel said, bending her forelegs in a bow. Eugene copied the gesture, quite unsure what to say.

"Likewise," Celestia responded. "Although I am surprised that you were able to make it here so…efficiently. I wasn't quite aware there would be other vessels of that kind moving about."

"Well," Eugene said, "there are."

"Celestia," Cadance interrupted, "what brings you to the Crystal Empire? Is there important news?"

"I am afraid so," Celestia said somberly, "and I am afraid it is grave news."

"Called it," Eugene muttered.

"What happened?" Shining Armor asked.

"The story is spreading all over Equestria," Celestia replied. "I had hoped to personally deliver the information to make sure you knew the truth. The Alicorn Amulet has gone missing."

Gasps were heard from all in the station who overheard the statement.

"No," Shining Armor gasped. "But…Zecora…!"

"Someone stole it from her," Celestia went on. "We don't know who, how, or why. But because of what happened with it in the past…I'm afraid of the effects, especially on this Empire."

"Why here?" Cadance asked.

"I'll explain everything later," Celestia promised. "We should move elsewhere to discuss the details."

"Let's go back to the palace," Cadance suggested.

"I think that would be best," Celestia agreed.

She turned to leave the station, and Cadance, Shining Armor, then Rapunzel, and finally Eugene followed.

"So, just to clear things up," Eugene asked, "exactly how much trouble does this 'Alicorn Amulet' put Equestria in?"

"A lot," Shining Armor answered.

"Yup," Eugene sighed. "Called it."

* * *

Chapter 34:

· This chapter is kind of a breather. I admit…I just wanted to let readers soak in the "Crystal Empire experience." I pulled in all the landmarks from the episode to tour. I just didn't think I should throw bad thing after bad thing at everyone! Plus, I wanted to build up the friendship between Cadance, Shiny, Zel, and Eugene.

· With the exception of the outright statement that Sombra and Discord ruled at the same time and that Platinum and Hurricane were a couple that parented Celestia and Luna, everything I gave here for backstory was canon. Starting next chapter, a little more fanon is going to get into it.

· "How have the same princesses been ruling for a thousand years?" Yes. That is going to be important for later.

· The MLPFIM Wiki says Cadance is the adopted niece of the princesses. It's just my personal preference that I chose to interpret that as "adoption" just into the niece position because of the thousand-year generation gap and that they're still blood related, perhaps through the descendants of a sister of Platinum. This might be due to a running joke that one of my readers (he knows who he is) and I have had about Cadance and Prince Blueblood being Thor and Loki, which required Blueblood to be the adopted one.

· I realize there is a licensed book that says that Cadance was made into an alicorn by Celestia's powers; I'm either going to retcon this out (because it also has Cadance give Twilight her necklace anyway, which doesn't happen in canon) or say Cadance was still RELATED to Celestia and Luna before her transformation. I find it hard to believe that Cadance was transformed, anyway, because the Mane Six thought there was no such thing as an alicornification spell in the S3 finale and were surprised that it happened to Twilight.

· Rapunzel is slightly better at playing the flugelhorn than Pinkie Pie is.

· Artemis is a fan name I gave to a background pony myself. I saw him in the Crystal Empire episode—he had a bow and arrow Cutie Mark—and I decided "Artemis" sounded gender neutral enough. Magnet Bolt is a name I pulled from the blind bag pony toys and has appeared in a Crystal version there.

· Fields of Gold is another fan name I gave to a background pony. In the Crystal Empire ep, she's probably the one that appears in the most scenes, starting with when Twilight knocks on her door to ask her for information and she refuses to talk because her memory is missing and she doesn't want to try to dredge up memories of Sombra. The wheat was just such an odd choice for a Cutie Mark, and I couldn't help but think of a particular Sting song when I saw it.

· Artemis and Fields probably have fanon names by the bronies that are NOT those. Sorry, but I'm going with the ones I made – I came up with them before I knew just how big the scope was of how many background ponies were named.


	35. Sombra

35: Sombra

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"So…what is this Alicorn Amulet, anyway?" Rapunzel asked as she followed Celestia, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Eugene toward the palace.

"Something powerful…and evil," Shining Armor answered. "It's a magic amulet that gives whoever wears it super magic powers, but also turns them evil. Twily used to have this rival, a pony named Trixie, who wanted to be better at magic than everypony else. She took the Alicorn Amulet and used it to turn Ponyville into a disaster."

"That is the part of the story you know," Celestia sighed.

"What do you mean?" Cadance asked.

"There's more to the story of the Alicorn Amulet than that," Celestia said softly. "When Trixie found it in a curio shop, it was being held there as an artifact from past days. Days I lived. I've seen the full extent of what the Alicorn Amulet can do. Especially to this empire."

"What are you talking about?" Shining Armor punctuated.

"I don't know if I should say in present company," Celestia replied.

"You can trust Rapunzel and Eugene," Cadance assured her.

"And we're all caught up about Sombra and the Crystal Heart and everything," Eugene added.

"We already had to deal with a Changeling invasion and a faerie with near unstoppable dark powers," Rapunzel reminded Celestia. "We can handle hearing about anything."

"I suppose…" Celestia looked around. Ponies she passed in the street were turning their heads to look at her and her group. She attempted to make her tones even more hushed. "Nopony knows where the Alicorn Amulet came from, or where it was made. But we do know who the first wearer of it was. King Sombra."

"WHAT?" Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene all cried at once.

"You had probably noticed that when you placed the Crystal Heart," Celestia went on, "Sombra was easily defeated."

"Yeah…that is weird," Shining Armor admitted. "Why didn't it just keep him out in the first place?"

"Because he was assisted by the powers of the Alicorn Amulet," Celestia continued. "When Luna and I defeated him using the powers of the Elements of Harmony, Sombra himself was sealed under the ice…but the Amulet was left behind."

"So what happened then?" Rapunzel asked. "How'd it get where it is now?"

"It was passed down through shops that stocked arcane magic," Celestia answered. "Trixie attempted to use it to run Twilight Sparkle out of Ponyville, but Twilight outwitted her. Zecora, one of the wisest residents of Ponyville, was put in charge of guarding the Amulet. She only recently discovered that it was missing. Do you now understand why I fear for this empire?"

"Yes," Cadance answered.

"It is unfortunate that it had to coincide with your arrival, Rapunzel, Eugene," Celestia said. "After all…all of Equestria was searched for an origin of the Amulet. It was made with materials not found on this planet, and the magic was like nothing ever seen here before. It came from elsewhere…somepony else, I believe, used it not to control Sombra exactly, but to turn him into the Sombra we know in order to topple the Empire. And now, when there is travel between the worlds again, it goes missing…"

"Hang on," Rapunzel interrupted loudly. "Are you…are you saying that you think WE had something to do with it?"

Celestia paused, then shook her head. "I am sorry. I did not mean to imply that. It is simply…old memories and old coincidences."

"Well, Rapunzel and Eugene aren't like that anyway," Shining Armor vouched. "They're good ponies."

"I am certain of that," Celestia agreed. "It does not seem to me that they have ever been the types to harm others or even to steal."

After a brief silence, Eugene muttered, "Actually…"

"What is it?" Celestia asked him.

"My hooves may not be as clean as you'd hope," Eugene replied. "I…used to be kind of a big time criminal in Corona. Actually, the biggest time criminal in Corona. Just…little thefts. For the money. No murders, no kidnappings…I'm not saying I took your Amulet. I didn't even know what it was until now, and I'm clean anyway. Most importantly, I wouldn't mess with something that would hurt everyone else. I just wanted to clear the air, since you said that you didn't think I'd ever be a thief…"

"So…you have been dishonest in the past," Celestia reiterated. "That is rather disappointing to me, Eugene."

"But he hasn't done anything like that in years!" Rapunzel cried. "Things are different!"

"I found things that were more important than money," Eugene added.

Celestia nodded. "I am sorry for the accusation, Eugene."

Cadance noticed the looks they were getting from passerby. "Maybe we should save talking about this until we're actually at the palace…"

"You're right, Cadance," Celestia said. "We will discuss it later."

* * *

However, damage was done.

Artemis had overheard the conversation from where he and Magnet Bolt shared a table at the café. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

Magnet Bolt nodded. "The Amulet's gone, and…"

"Those were the ponies we saw compete after us in the joust."

"You don't think they really did have anything to do with it, do you? They're friends of Cadance and Shining Armor…"

"But they're also strangers. We don't know anything about them. What if they're from somewhere far away, like the pony who made the Alicorn Amulet?"

"That's a bit of a big leap…but still, you can't be too careful…"

Later, at the library, Magnet Bolt overheard a pair of mares whispering about the Amulet. She approached them. "Are you talking about…"

"We heard in the train station that the Alicorn Amulet is missing. Who do you think did it?"

"I don't know. I mean, Artemis and I had a hunch earlier, but I don't want to make an accusation if it isn't true…"

"Who did you think?"

"Do you remember the two ponies that Cadance and Shining Armor set up to compete after us in the joust?"

Meanwhile, in the open-air market, Artemis had caught up with an old friend and was speaking to him about the matter.

"I didn't know the Alicorn Amulet was so important to the history of the Empire. Now, these ponies you mention…did one of them happen to be the mare with the short, sparkling mane I saw with Cadance earlier?"

"As a matter of fact…"

Back at the café, the waiter who had served Artemis and Magnet Bolt, who'd also happened to have served Cadance, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Shining Armor earlier, kept going over what he'd heard Artemis and Magnet Bolt say. Could it be true? Could those two friendly ponies he'd served crystal berry tarts really have something to do with this great tragedy?

Fields of Gold settled down at the table the waiter managed. "Hard day?" the waiter asked.

Fields of Gold nodded. "I had to deliver the message to Cadance and Shining Armor that Celestia wanted to see them. I know what Celestia had to say. She told me. It's about that…that THING that Sombra always used to wear. I don't…I can't…I don't even want to think about it."

The waiter swallowed hard. "When you told the prince and princess…were they accompanied by two strangers?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"…nothing. What do you want?"

"The usual."

But when left on her own, Fields of Gold couldn't help but think about the Amulet and Sombra—memories she tried so hard to repress. And the waiter's cryptic mutterings about the strangers with Cadance and Shining Armor…who were they, anyway? Where had they even come from? And how could anypony be so sure they could be trusted?

* * *

"Celestia," Cadance said as soon as the group of five had reached and entered the palace, "can you and Shining Armor and I talk in private for a moment?" She turned to Rapunzel and Eugene. "I'm very sorry. Are you all right having some time to yourselves in town?"

"No problem," Eugene answered.

"You talk about what you need to," Rapunzel said. "We'll be fine."

"All right," Shining Armor replied. "Your bedroom from last night will be ready for you whenever you want it."

Celestia, Cadance, and Shining Armor moved to a side room, closing a crystalline door behind them.

Rapunzel and Eugene exchanged glances. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Eugene asked.

"It would be kind of an invasion of privacy," Rapunzel said, "but…I feel like we have to know."

They silently crept up to the door, pressing their ears to the crack.

In the small side room, Cadance stared Celestia down sternly. "Why did you make those implications in public?" she growled. "About Rapunzel and Eugene and the Alicorn Amulet."

"I'm sorry," Celestia replied. "I did not mean to insinuate that—"

"I know you probably didn't mean it," Shining Armor said, "but you did draw a pretty big connection between them and the Amulet in public. What if somepony overheard you and got the wrong idea?"

"I only wanted to protect you," Celestia admitted. "I have to admit…I don't quite trust them."

"But you heard all about them in the letters from our friends on the Starlight," Cadance argued. "What's the problem?"

"It simply strikes me as odd that their arrival came at the same time as the disappearance of the Amulet," Celestia reiterated. "Especially since I'm sure the Amulet originally came from outside forces."

"You traveled a lot," Shining Armor said. "Who do you know out there that would want to attack the Crystal Empire? And why?"

"I don't know," Celestia sighed. "In all likelihood, the one who made the Amulet was as far away from Corona as one can get. At the same time, I want to be very careful. I don't want what happened to the last Crystal Princess to happen to you."

"You know," Cadance realized, "I can't believe I've never asked. I don't know anything about the last Crystal Princess. What did happen to her?"

"She was killed by Sombra," Celestia informed Cadance and Shining Armor. "Along with her brother. It was just after Sombra first appeared wearing the Amulet. On his way to take the Crystal Heart…" Celestia closed her eyes. "Crystal Princess Sirius tried to stop him. Her brother Polaris stood by her. They were cut down before the eyes of all their subjects. Quickly, but violently. After that, nopony dared challenge Sombra. Luna and I were left to use the Elements of Harmony to stop him." She exhaled, long and deliberate. "Sirius and Polaris were good friends to Luna and me. Polaris and I…well, that's a long story, and it's buried with the past. Do you understand, now, why I fear for you?"

"Yes," Cadance admitted. "I'm…I'm very sorry about your friends, Celestia."

"You don't need to be. It was a thousand years ago."

"But Rapunzel and Eugene aren't evil," Shining Armor insisted. "The letters we got should be enough proof of that!"

"Forgive me," Celestia said somberly. "I was caught up in memories of old tragedy. It was my fault."

On the other side of the door, Eugene and Rapunzel signaled to each other with a mutual nod that it was time to back off. They didn't speak until they had left the palace completely, afraid that they would be overheard by somepony within and would betray the fact that they had, themselves, been overhearing things.

When they were a good distance away, Rapunzel said, "I don't feel very good that Celestia thinks we might want to hurt Cadance and Shining Armor…but at the same time, I think I understand, if they remind her of her old friends who died. Is it just me, or did it sound to you like she might have had something more than just friendship going on with Polaris?"

"I don't know," Eugene replied. "I just REALLY don't like being trashed—"

"But did she really trash us? It was just an implication, and I don't think she actually meant to make it."

"Yeah…you're probably right. Okay, I'll drop it. So, what do you want to do while they talk about the amulet of doom?"

"Let's just walk around and see what we find." After a pause, Rapunzel asked, "Do you think that Amulet going missing really will come back to haunt us? And more importantly…do you think the Empire is in danger?"

"As much as I want to be optimistic, I'm pretty sure we're going to have to deal with whatever this means."

"So am I." Rapunzel sighed. "I wish I knew what to do."

Eugene was taken aback. "But YOU'RE usually the optimistic one. Okay, we need to get our minds off this." His attention was caught by a large building from which loud music was emanating. The sun was beginning to set, and as it fell lower in the sky, more ponies entered this building, dressed in glimmering outfits that incorporated crystals in one way or another. "Well, that looks promising."

The pair entered, finding a great ballroom where an orchestra played jazzy swing tunes at one end while ponies danced to the rhythm all across the floor. Intrigued, Rapunzel caught the attention of one mare dancing nearby. "Excuse me…we're from out of town. What is this place?"

"This is the dance hall!" the mare replied happily, raising her voice over the music. "It's where everypony comes at night to dance their troubles away!"

"Oh my gosh!" Rapunzel cried. "Eugene, can we—"

"Let's do it," Eugene replied.

Rapunzel galloped out onto the floor, finding a somewhat clear space, and Eugene followed. It took Rapunzel a minute to find her coordination, having four legs to work with instead of two and no arms, but eventually, she found a way, and she followed the music across the floor—stepping, spinning, leaping. Eugene did his best to keep up with her, playing the counterpart to her every action.

The song ended. Rapunzel and Eugene came to a halt, panting and smiling. Somewhere during the dance, the majority of the hall had stopped to stare at the pair. At first, they thought it was a mirror of what had happened to them during Rapunzel's first trip to Corona, that everypony was enraptured by the energy with which they danced. Then several quiet whispers and some whispers that weren't quite as quiet as they should have been revealed otherwise.

"—you don't think they—"

"—the Amulet and everything—"

"—not from around here—"

"Hey, excuse me?" Eugene said loudly, turning to face the majority of the crowd. "Is there something you want to say to our faces?"

All were silent. Then one spoke up. All recognized Artemis as he made his declaration: "Things haven't been easy for us in the Crystal Empire. It's only been a short time since we've been able to enjoy the rule of the Crystal Princess instead of…that monster. You'll have to forgive us if we are afraid, but several of us heard the things Celestia said on the street today. Sombra's old powers came from strangers, and you are strangers."

"So you're implying we're trying to hurt your empire just because you've never seen us before," Eugene reiterated with a growl.

"Eugene…" Rapunzel whispered. "Let's go…please…"

"Fine," Eugene conceded. "I don't want to be glared at anyway."

Rapunzel and Eugene made their way quickly to the exit.

"Do you think I was mistaken?" Artemis asked those around him. "I was merely afraid…but now I'm afraid I've just accused innocents. Ponies who could have been our friends."

"But the Amulet IS missing," Fields of Gold reminded him.

"I suppose we shall have to wait," Artemis sighed. "If this turns out to be fruitless…I owe them both an apology."

* * *

"How'd your night out go?" Cadance asked; she and Shining Armor met up with Rapunzel and Eugene in the palace atrium.

"Could have been better," Rapunzel sighed. "They…heard. About the Amulet and that it came from outside. Everyone's kind of worried that we had something to do with it."

"Ignore them," Shining Armor advised. "We know the truth. You would never do anything like that. You know, I think Celestia should issue a statement of apology. Anypony who heard it, heard it from her."

"It's all right," Rapunzel answered. "They've been through a lot, and it is kind of a weird coincidence that this happened right when we turned up."

Eugene didn't agree. To him, it wasn't all right. But he didn't want to start that fight. Instead, he said casually, "Well, I'm beat for the day. I think it's time to call an early night."

"Me too," Rapunzel agreed. "See you in the morning?"

"See you then," Shining Armor replied.

"Don't feel too bad," Cadance begged. "We can fix this and set everypony right. I know we can. And we'll find out what really happened to that Amulet. No matter what, we're with you." She winked. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

Outside of the borders of the Crystal Empire, the windigos began to circle.

They couldn't enter, not with the Crystal Heart spinning so perfectly in place. The love of the civilians for their empire, their princess, and themselves was still greater than the hatred any of them harbored.

But still, suspicions were growing…collectively. Enough that the great horses of wind and ice could still notice. They wanted in; they gravitated as closely as they could possibly get toward this collective suspicion and resulting animosity.

They had been promised that soon, their time would come. Not only that, but the conflict they felt would grow into something greater, even more palatable. Of course, were that denied them, they would just have to seek conflict elsewhere…but the Empire was growing ever more promising.

* * *

"What was that?"

A heavily armored member of the Crystal Guard, posted for the night at the edge of the palace, approached his fellow guard. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" the other replied. "I didn't see any—"

Then he did. A lithe figure darted through the shadows.

"THERE!" the second guard cried.

"What's going on?" A third guard rushed over to his companions.

"Intruder!" the first cried, extending a hoof in the direction down which the figure had galloped. "Follow him!"

The three guards rushed under the palace, to the courtyard below it. Other guards turned inward to see what the commotion was.

The shadow of a tall, lean stallion could be discerned against the darkness. He moved closer and closer to the Crystal Heart, stretching out a hoof.

"HALT!" the guards cried at once.

They moved in closer, the unicorns among them lighting up the courtyard so they could get a good look at the face of the intruder.

Guiltily, Eugene Fitzherbert stared back at them, both forehooves set upon the Crystal Heart. "Okay," he said, "I know…this looks pretty bad. But I swear…I have a good explanation."

"And that is?" a guard demanded gruffly.

Instead of answering, Eugene threw a small item—a smoke bomb—onto the ground. The smoke obscured him and the Crystal Heart. All the guards charged at once.

When the smoke cleared, Eugene was nowhere to be found. The Crystal Heart lay beside its pedestal, its shine dimming.

Quickly, the guards set it back in the pedestal; it resumed its shine once more. "Does he not realize he could have doomed the entire empire?" one of them cried out.

"He won't get away with this," another vowed.

* * *

Dawn broke. Eugene and Rapunzel were tucked snugly into bed, Eugene's foreleg wrapped around his wife and his face pressed against her mane. As the motions of wakefulness overcame him, he shifted, then rolled over to the other side of the bed. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Seven soldiers of the Crystal Guard stared angrily down at him.

"Um…can I help you?" he asked.

"Arrest him!" one of the guards ordered.

Rapunzel wasn't sure what was going on at first; all she heard was indistinct clatter. She forced her way into wakefulness, turning to look at the scene going on in her chamber. When she beheld the sight of Eugene in twin sets of cuffs—one binding his forelegs at the ankle, the other binding his hind legs—she scrambled out of bed, putting all four feet on the floor. "EUGENE!" she cried. "What's going on?"

"We are taking Eugene into custody for his attempted theft of the Crystal Heart," one of the guards announced. "And you are going to be taken into questioning as a possible accomplice."

"To think," another guard said, "you had the nerve to hide in the very bed Princess Cadance and Shining Armor gave to you!"

"What?" Eugene looked about, confused. "I don't have any idea what you're even talking about! I didn't touch the Crystal Heart!"

"What is going on here?" Cadance asked sternly, practically storming into the room with Shining Armor and Celestia hot on her heels.

"Your majesty!" a guard reported. "We observed this 'Eugene' attempting to steal the Crystal Heart in the night! He displaced it from its pedestal, then fled from our forces once he knew we had discovered his betrayal!"

"Eugene," Shining Armor said, stunned. "Is that true?"

"No!" Eugene protested. "I don't have any idea what's going on!"

"I wish I could believe that, Eugene," Celestia said sternly. "However…you yourself admitted yesterday that you have partaken in thievery in the past."

"But I don't anymore!" Eugene argued. "And I wouldn't steal the Crystal Heart! You think I WANT to bring the apocalypse on the Crystal Empire? I would only steal things for money! No, wait, that didn't come out right. I mean, that's how I USED to—"

"We've heard enough," the guard insisted.

"Rapunzel?" Cadance asked. "Do you know what's going on?"

"No," Rapunzel replied, practically shaking. "I don't…"

"What made you think you could trust two strangers to enter this palace, especially after the Alicorn Amulet had gone missing?" another guard asked.

"Please," Rapunzel pleaded, "whatever you do, don't hurt him…don't kill him…"

"Don't worry," Cadance reassured her. "We don't harm or kill the convicted here. If Eugene really did try to steal the Crystal Heart…I suppose the proper punishment would be imprisonment…"

"Shall we ready a cell?" the guard asked.

"No," Cadance said. "I get to decide the ultimate sentence."

"We can't keep these dangerous criminals here!" the guard insisted.

"Then…" Cadance inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Then exile them. Make sure they don't come back to the Empire. But don't harm them. Rapunzel, Eugene…you can get back on your boat. I'm sorry about all this."

"Are you certain?" Celestia asked. "I don't want to see you harmed if they turn around and re-enter the Empire with the Alicorn Amulet."

"It's my Empire," Cadance reminded her, "and I'll give the final verdict." She hung her head. "You may go."

The guards nodded, turning to lead Rapunzel and Eugene out of the room. Flanked by guards, the pair had no choice but to follow.

"We must make an announcement to the Empire about what has happened," Celestia insisted. "The ponies here deserve to know—"

"Make it yourself," Cadance snapped. "I'm not going to do it." She turned and stormed from the room.

"Cadance…?" Shining Armor called after her. Then he turned to Celestia. "Sorry…" He then galloped after Cadance.

Left alone, Celestia turned to make her way to the balcony from which to give the announcement that a threat had penetrated the Empire. She walked out, looking over the entire Empire and its waking subjects.

The sky, she noted, was beginning to darken, to turn red. This displeased her. It wasn't supposed to happen yet. She hoped it was merely coincidence as she looked down upon the streets, then magically amplified her voice to tell the entire Empire:

"Attention: a threat has entered the Crystal Empire. The ponies known as Eugene Fitzherbert and Rapunzel have attempted to steal the Crystal Heart from us, and are in the process of being exiled from this land. I know this comes as a great disappointment to you all. But worry not. The threat has been contained, and all will be well."

* * *

The guards unlocked Eugene's chains before they trotted him out of the palace. The troop set down Main Street, Eugene and Rapunzel walking amongst them with heads downturned. Neither wanted to look at the ponies staring at them from the sides of the streets. They could feel the hatred coming from the glares. The glares of those who had "known it"; that these strangers from outside could only be connected to a plot of destruction of the Empire. Celestia's announcement had only confirmed it.

Rapunzel said nothing, but she was awash with curiosity. Why did they believe that Eugene had tampered with the Crystal Heart, much less tried to steal it?

Eugene was even more confused. He'd slept the whole night through. He certainly hadn't wanted to even touch the Crystal Heart. What had the guards really seen?

Soon, a pair of voices were clearly heard getting closer from behind: "Wait!" "Wait!"

Rapunzel, Eugene, and the entire troop of guards turned to see Shining Armor and Cadance galloping down Main Street. "We can take them from here," Shining Armor said.

"You are dismissed," Cadance told the guards.

The guards all exchanged glances, confused; then, obediently, they turned back for the palace, leaving Rapunzel and Eugene alone with Cadance and Shining Armor.

"I'm so sorry," Cadance gushed. "I really thought we could fix this before it got out of hand. I know we barely know each other, and that now of all times isn't the time to trust ponies we've only just met, but…"

"But we don't believe you actually did anything wrong," Shining Armor finished. "You aren't the kind of ponies who would try to hurt the Empire. Whatever the guards saw, it wasn't you."

"Thank you," Rapunzel replied, "but still…I think it's best that we leave. Nopony trusts us, and…we wouldn't want to cause trouble because of that."

"Besides, I don't think we're really that welcome here," Eugene pointed out.

"Then we'll go back to the boat," Cadance resolved. The four began walking in that direction again. "But I want you to know that even if nopony else trusts you…I do."

"And so do I," Shining Armor agreed. "You're our friends!"

"Thank you," Rapunzel gushed, nearly in tears.

"Thanks," Eugene added.

They continued down Main Street in silence until Eugene looked up. "Well, that's a weird sky."

Rapunzel, Cadance, and Shining Armor also looked up. "I'd love to paint that shade of red," Rapunzel remarked offhandedly. Then she noticed that she and Eugene had gone three paces ahead of Cadance and Shining Armor; the latter two had stopped in their tracks. "What's wrong?"

"It's…nothing," Cadance said warily. "It's just that I've only ever seen a sky that red over the Empire one other time. And that was when—"

She was stunned into silence when a great fork of black lightning struck across the redness above.

She wasn't the only one who noticed. All over the Empire, eyes were on the sky.

"No," Fields of Gold muttered. "No, no…nonononono…I'm seeing things, it can't…"

Across town, Artemis repeated, "It's only bad weather…only bad weather…"

"Cadance!" Rapunzel said insistently. "Shining Armor! What is going on?"

* * *

From the balcony, Celestia scowled at the horizon, at the red sky, at the black lightning.

"You were supposed to wait," she growled.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Cadance said, taking her eyes down from the sky. "As I was saying, the last time I saw a sky like this over the Crystal Empire, it was because…"

Once again, she didn't finish the sentence. Horror overtook her visibly; she shook, stepping back two paces. Her wide eyes were fixed on whatever was behind Rapunzel and Eugene. Shining Armor was looking at the same thing, and he, too, was backing away slowly.

Then the screams erupted. Everypony in the direction down which the royal couple stared screeched in absolute terror, running as quickly as possible away from…whatever it was that was coming.

Slowly, Rapunzel and Eugene turned to look down Main Street. They saw right away what the others had seen. A tall, well-muscled black stallion in a red cape, slowly making his way down the road.

"Who is that?" Rapunzel asked, though she had a feeling she knew the answer already.

Shining Armor and Cadance said it in unision: "Sombra."

"Yessss…" Sombra hissed as he made his way toward Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene. "Crystals…" He grinned broadly at all those running from him, showing off his fangs. "Slaves," he labeled them all.

"Hey, you!" Eugene called out. "What do YOU think you're doing HERE?"

Sombra just smiled ever more broadly and maliciously, continuing to advance. "Crystal Heart," he said, loudly enough that all four could hear him clearly. "MINE!"

"NO!" Cadance cried, stepping forward to the front of the group. "Sombra, I order you to leave this Empire NOW before I have to take decisive action!"

Shining Armor stood beside her. "You heard her! Get out! Go and…uh-oh. Cadance?"

"Shining Armor," Cadance replied, never taking her eyes off Sombra, "what is it…"

"Look at his neck."

Cadance did so, and she gasped. The Alicorn Amulet glimmered there, plain as day.

"Maybe now isn't the best time to bring it up," Eugene said softly, "but I do want to reiterate that I had NOTHING to do with that!"

Sombra's horn glowed bright red. Cadance's quick reflexes saved her; she shoved Shining Armor aside right before a great blast of red exploded where they had been standing. Rapunzel and Eugene backed away hurriedly.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sombra's laughter rang out through the street, echoing off every wall.

"He's going to go for the Crystal Heart!" Cadance realized.

"We have to protect it!" Shining Armor cried, standing up straight. Cadance took her place beside him, ready to face down Sombra.

Even though Rapunzel had never seen what Celestia had, the scene still matched what she saw in her imagination. "NO!" she cried. "It's just like Sirius and Polaris! He'll kill you both!"

"Challenge?" Sombra asked.

At Rapunzel's words, Cadance and Shining Armor began to back away slowly. "You have a good point…" Shining Armor muttered.

"I say we get out of here," Eugene recommended, "NOW!"

All four turned tail and galloped for the palace at top speed. Sombra laughed as he watched them go. He still had time. He made his way leisurely down the street, causing the facades of the buildings he passed to melt off. Ponies struggled to escape the collapsing buildings, crying out in fear as the walls liquefied.

"What's the plan?" Rapunzel asked as she ran.

"Celestia will know what to do!" Cadance replied confidently.

They reached the base of the palace, then rushed up into the atrium to find Celestia already waiting for them. "Celestia!" Cadance cried. "Sombra is attacking the Empire!"

"I know," Celestia said sternly. "He was supposed to wait."

"What?" Shining Armor replied. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have to help us!" Cadance urged. "He has the Alicorn Amulet! If he gets any closer to the Crystal Heart, he'll—"

"Take it?" Celestia finished, smirking. "Spell doom for the Empire? Unleash an army of windigos and Changelings upon the populace to ravage them?"

"Exactly!" Shining Armor confirmed.

"I'm not sorry to say that I have no intention of helping." Celestia's smirk broadened.

"WHAT?" Shining Armor and Cadance cried as one.

"Wait…" Rapunzel interjected, gears turning in her head. "Changelings? You…it's YOU! How did I not see it earlier? All this time, it's been YOU!"

"Rapunzel?" Cadance asked nervously. "What are you talking about?"

"It never was Celestia," Rapunzel stated. "Celestia was never here. That isn't her! That's the Changeling queen!"

"Honestly," the one who had appeared as Celestia sighed, "I had hoped you would be a little smarter. After all, this isn't the first time I've dealt with any of you."

The white coat melted away; the white feathers of the wings dropped off. The four-colored mane shifted, becoming limp and teal. Rapunzel, Eugene, Cadance, and Shining Armor fully faced the true visage of the one they had invited into the Crystal Palace.

"However," Chrysalis said, "I do intend for this to be the LAST time."

* * *

Chapter 35:

· So here's where I start to put in my fanon about the backstory of the Alicorn Amulet. Of Sombra using it.

· I know, Artemis, Fields, and Magnet are the only three names I've been using. I didn't want to dump in a slew of OCs and background ponies just to get across the point. Besides, it might do to have you more attached to those three.

· Sirius and Polaris are my OCs, and actually, unlike most of my OCs for this story, I actually plan on really developing their past role and what happened with them because they're part of that cool backstory idea I had at the last second. Though it never really is explained what happened to the Crystal Princess before Cadance. One can assume there was one, and that Sombra did away with her somehow.

· I imagine a lot of electroswing gets played in that dance hall (due to "Clash" and "Catgroove" reaching memetic status among bronies).

· In canon, when Sombra enters the Crystal Empire, the sky turns red and flashes black lightning. I have no idea why. It's awesome, so I went with it.

· Polaris and Sirius were not lies Chrys made up. In this story, they were the royal family of the Empire before Sombra took over. She just knows about them because she was also causing tyranny at that time and observed their relationship with Celestia and Luna. I fully intend on eventually revealing what Polaris and Sirius have to do with everything. Though I don't know when that will be.


	36. All Her Worst Fears

36: All Her Worst Fears

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"It was you the whole time!" Rapunzel repeated angrily, glaring at Chrysalis. "You…you made everyone in this Empire think Eugene and I took the Amulet on purpose! YOU EVEN TOOK ON EUGENE'S SHAPE TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE HE WAS TRYING TO STEAL THE CRYSTAL HEART!"

"Very clever of you to figure it out," Chrysalis laughed. "All it took was a simple hint from the beloved leader of Equestria, and the populace was ready to turn on you. Transforming into Eugene was hardly necessary at that point…but the more hatred I could muster for Sombra's windigos, the better. If only the fool had the sense to repay the gesture!"

"How did you get in past the Crystal Heart, anyway?" Shining Armor asked.

"Sombra's new powers allowed him to put a protective spell on me," Chrysalis laughed. "We struck a bargain. He would allow me that way to gather all the love I needed to become fully powerful…after all, who in this world gathers more love than Princess Celestia? Then I would cultivate hatred toward somepony among the citizens of the Empire, enough to feed the Windigos. It was only a stroke of pure luck that the somepony in question could be my new enemies from Corona! However, that imbecile decided to launch his attack a day early! I didn't gather NEARLY enough power!"

"Why are you telling us all this?" Cadance asked.

"No, no…" Eugene interrupted her. "Don't stop her. If she doesn't talk, the rest of us have NO idea what's going on."

"Where's the real Celestia?" Rapunzel asked worriedly. "What have you done to her?"

"She is still in Canterlot, deciding how best to take action in response to the missing Amulet," Chrysalis laughed. "I suppose it's no secret by now who REALLY stole it."

"Sombra," Cadance replied.

Chrysalis laughed louder, longer. "Oh, so close! I suppose you shall just have to find out the truth another day. Let's just say that Sombra was only able to return from the dead because of an act of pure…CHAOS. But now, I wish to dispense with pointless chatter. It is time for me to finish what I began!"

Her horn charged up with a green beam. Cadance and Shining Armor, seeing what was about to happen, rushed in front of Rapunzel and Eugene, shielding them, charging up their own horns. Three beams emerged; Chrysalis' energy met up against the double beam from Shining Armor and Cadance. The latter two found it difficult to keep up the strength of the beams; despite her claims that Sombra had not let her gather enough power, Chrysalis was powerful indeed.

Rapunzel turned and ran. Confused, Eugene followed her.

Cadance and Shining Armor strained; the beams remained locked. Chrysalis became ever more determined to push her beam over the edge. After so long, Cadance and Shining Armor both felt their powers begin to falter; they sweated as they attempted to keep up the beam, but Chrysalis' power was beginning to overtake theirs. They believed, for a moment, that they would falter and she would win.

Then the frying pan struck Chrysalis across the temple.

Shining Armor and Cadance's twin beams hit Chrysalis square in the chest, and she flew backward, hitting the wall. The royal couple looked around to see their savior.

Rapunzel picked up the skillet. "That was a close one," she remarked.

"You weren't kidding about the frying pan!" Shining Armor laughed.

"Urgh…" Chrysalis peeled herself from the wall. "It doesn't matter. It's too late. Any moment now…the wall will come down."

* * *

Sombra had reached the Crystal Heart. He wasn't at all delicate about interrupting its spin; he knocked it from its pedestal. It hit the ground; after five seconds, its glow ceased.

Sensing the change in atmosphere, the windigos charged directly for the Crystal Empire. They found themselves able to cross the aura that the Crystal Heart had previously generated, and en masse, they swooped down into the streets, flying over ponies whose collective hate for Eugene and Rapunzel stood out like a flag.

After the windigos proved that the barrier was down, the Changelings burst from the snow. Hundreds of them had waited there, buried. They too burst into the Empire, seeking the ponies that were not covered in ice or frost by the windigos. They cornered these ponies, attracted to their capacity for love…the food that would calm their hunger.

* * *

"In fact, it already has," Chrysalis laughed, feeling the change in atmosphere. "Now, I must make sure that fool doesn't mess this up!" She disapparated.

Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene rushed to the balcony to behold the horror below. Windigos swept through the streets; Changelings rushed from above. The civilians were in panic.

"What do we do?" Shining Armor asked.

"The only thing we can do," Cadance resolved. "We have to try and protect our Empire. Let's go."

"Uh, hello?" Eugene attempted as Cadance turned to gallop out of the palace; he followed, along with Rapunzel and Shining Armor. "Don't you remember that whole 'this guy killed the last Crystal Princess' thing?"

"I still have to try!" Cadance insisted.

"I'm with you!" Rapunzel insisted.

"Then count me in," Eugene added.

"And me!" Shining Armor finished.

* * *

Sombra licked his lips as he looked at the Crystal Heart. It was time to get rid of that bane of his existence for good. He opened his jaws, leaned down to take a bite—

"WHAT are you doing?"

Chrysalis marched up toward him angrily, kicking the Crystal Heart away from him. "Did you not hear what I told you? With that Heart, I can farm so much love and increase my own powers!"

"Don't care," Sombra growled.

"IMBECILE!" Chrysalis roared.

Sombra just gave a low, guttural sound in reply.

The next thing Chrysalis knew, she'd been blasted halfway down Main Street by Sombra's power. When she skidded to a halt, she flagged down two of the Changeling warriors, giving them an order.

Sombra resumed his attack on the Crystal Heart, kneeling once more to dine. He was interrupted again when Cadance, Rapunzel, Shining Armor, and Eugene barreled into the courtyard.

"Stand down, Sombra!" Cadance ordered.

Sombra just grinned. Then he laughed.

"Don't touch that Heart!" Shining Armor begged.

Sombra's saliva dripped down onto the Heart. He levitated it, grinning madly. Cadance, Rapunzel, Shining Armor, and Eugene all thought of rushing him to protect it.

Then the pair of Changelings swooped under the palace, snatching the Crystal Heart away and flying off with it, up into the sky.

"NO!" Sombra cried.

"The Heart!" Eugene cried. He looked to Cadance. Each recognized the sentiment in the other's eyes.

"AFTER IT!" they cried at once before turning and taking off after the Changelings, barreling down the chaos of Main Street.

Sombra turned his attention to Shining Armor and Rapunzel, snarling at them. In response, Rapunzel and Shining Armor stood firm, ready to take him on.

* * *

The Crystal Heart was visible as a blue twinkle in the crimson sky, bordered by the black Changelings that carried it. Eugene and Cadance rushed to catch up with the thieves, gaining on them.

"On your left!" Cadance called out, and Eugene leapt over a stream of icy breath from a windigo.

"On your right!" Eugene called out in response, and Cadance ducked the rush of a Changeling warrior in pursuit of another quarry.

"They're too high up," Cadance panted, looking again at the Heart. "I'm going to have to fly. Can you flank me on the ground?"

"I'm on it!" Eugene insisted.

Cadance paused briefly to bend her knees, then she sprang up into the air, spreading her wings. Airborne, she raced after the Heart; it grew closer and closer in her vision.

"Look out!" cried one of the Changelings—Cadance had no way of knowing this one was called "Doomie."

"AAAAH!" screeched the other—Cadance had no way of knowing this one was called "Misery."

Doomie and Misery, in a panic, dropped the Heart just as Cadance reached it. Cadance put out her wings to come to a halt; Doomie and Misery fled.

"You think the queen's gonna be mad at us?" Misery asked.

Doomie looked back and down onto the street. Then she smirked. "Nope."

The Heart hit the street and bounced. "GOTCHA!" Eugene bellowed, jumping so he stood over it with all fours. To his horror, a green aura encircled it, and it slid out from under him and into the air.

Chrysalis stepped forward to meet the Heart she levitated. "With this," she laughed, "I will be able to generate all the power I will ever need…"

"I am NOT letting you get away with that thing," Eugene growled.

"Oh?" Chrysalis raised a brow. "And what are you planning to do—"

Eugene turned and kicked at Chrysalis with his hind legs. She stepped backward just in time. Eugene spun around, got closer to her, and attempted the kick again; she ducked below his hooves.

Cadance dove toward where Chrysalis and Eugene sparred, making a beeline for the Changeling Queen. She thrust out her own hind hooves; Chrysalis felt her approaching presence and managed to sidestep. Eugene and Cadance, luckily, were able to divert their blows at the last minute so they did not land on each other.

Fed up, Chrysalis charged up a blast of green, sending it toward Cadance. Eugene noticed it, and shoved Cadance out of the way: "LOOK OUT—"

"EUGENE!" Cadance howled; Eugene, caught by the blast, was encased in a slimy green cocoon.

"Why will you not simply hold still and accept your fate?" Chrysalis snarled. "I will NOT let you get away this time!"

"Give it back," Cadance said simply.

The aura around the Heart changed to gold; Cadance tried to drag it out of Chrysalis' magical grip and back toward herself.

"NO!" Chrysalis cried, afraid of losing what she was sure would become her next power source. She clutched it tightly with her magic, pulling it back. But as hard as she pulled, Cadance wouldn't let go.

"You're going to lose," Chrysalis reminded her; Cadance backed off, toward the captured Eugene. "I still have all the power I gained from your Empire! You can feel it! The Heart is slipping from your grasp!"

Cadance knew that. That was why she kicked out backward, shattering the green casing around Eugene. "GET IT!" she yelled.

Eugene sensed his chance, diving in between the two mares to grab the Heart with his mouth. He took off running back for the palace.

Chrysalis was torn between chasing the Heart and finishing her business with Cadance. Recalling Maleficent's words, she decided that she would rather risk losing the Heart than Cadance. After all, even if Eugene got it back to the pillar, he couldn't replace it. Sombra would stop that.

Chrysalis blasted Cadance with green, but it wasn't as easy to encase her as it had been to trap Eugene. Cadance fought the cocoon, tearing it down at the edges as it built up.

"You WILL lose," Chrysalis reiterated.

Even though Cadance could feel herself weakening, she was still absolutely confident when she replied, "No. I won't."

* * *

At first, Sombra thought it was a joke. The mare and stallion before him were so small, so seemingly weak, that for them to actually take a stand before him—especially when they had run before!—was a shock. However, he reminded himself not to take such opportunities for granted. They needed to be destroyed…immediately.

Rapunzel glimpsed Shining Armor's horn charging up with power out of her peripheral vision. She remembered thinking that she wished she'd remembered to bring her frying pan outside with her as Sombra's horn also charged, with black energy that crackled like lightning. She wondered if she could do anything against it, but as far as she knew, her only magic power was healing.

The only thing she knew was that it would have been wrong to run.

The blast of black lightning struck her, and everything faded.

* * *

With a start, Rapunzel woke up in her bed. She took a moment to gather her bearings. She appeared to be in her bedroom in the castle of Corona. Everything there was as she'd left it.

She sat up to get a better look. That was when she realized she had a human body. Her head spun with questions. Had it all been a strange dream? How much of it was the dream?

If anyone would know, it would be Eugene. She stood up, leaving the bed, vowing to seek him. Her nightgown was conservative enough that she did not feel bad about wandering the halls of the castle in it.

She opened the door to come face-to-face with one of the guards. "Princess!" he said gruffly. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I'm going to find Eugene," she answered.

"To pay last respects? I did not think that common criminal deserved it."  
Rapunzel was taken aback. "What?"

"Of course we had to execute him for his crimes. If you had forgotten, he was to be hanged at noon today."

"But…you can't do that," Rapunzel forced out. "I told you to rescind the death penalty…unless…unless that was part of the dream…"

"What dream?"

"Nothing. What did Eugene do that you want to hang him, anyway?"

"You know full well what he did. I'm not going to go over the details again."

Rapunzel's heart rate quickened. "No…" she whispered softly to herself. "No, this isn't happening…"

"Are you all right, Princess?"

"No! No, I am not all right! Eugene is about to die! He doesn't deserve it!"

"Are you suggesting you still love him?"

"YES! I still love him! And I always will!"

"That will make it difficult when your parents find a suitable match for you," the guard replied.

"A suitable match…" Rapunzel repeated. "If you'll please stand aside, I have to go find Eugene. Now."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Princess. Not since the new decree."

"WHAT new decree?"

"Your parents have decided that you are too precious to risk losing," the guard informed her. "You have been lucky so far, but at any minute, something horrible could happen. The city is crawling with murderers. Ruffians. Thugs. You could even catch the plague! As the heir to the throne of this kingdom, we cannot risk you being harmed. That is why we are taking extra measures for your protection. As of today, you may no longer leave."

"I can't leave the castle?"

"You cannot leave your room."

"WHAT?" Rapunzel nearly stumbled; her knees went weak.

"We will bring you meals and other things you desire as you need them," the guard went on. "Trips to the restroom will require an escort from the guard. Your parents will visit daily."

"Let me talk to them now! I need to tell them this is ridiculous!"

"The king and queen are currently busy with legal matters regarding Eugene's execution, and will return after he is dead. Not before. Now, I suggest you make yourself at home in your quarters." The guard slammed the door.

Rapunzel immediately grasped the handle, trying her hardest to wrench the door open, but it was locked. Tears began to creep up into her eyes; the water blurred her vision. She crossed the room to sit down on the bed.

It was bad enough that Eugene was to die. But all the beauty of the outside world had been taken from her as well, all in one fell swoop. Never again would she draw in the streets. Never again would she dance with the crowds of civilians. Then again…perhaps the guard was right. Maybe things were more horrible than she'd known. Maybe she'd just been lucky.

To top it all off, she wasn't even sure of her own sanity. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment where the reality of Corona ended and the dream beginning with the six Equestrians began. She had no memory of this mysterious crime Eugene had committed.

Eugene. Gone for eternity. She clasped her hands over her heart. Even if this crime had somehow been a great betrayal against her, she would have given anything she had—a hand, an eye—for his safe return. Or even for him to be let go, exiled, so long as he was alive and well and free. She would trade ever seeing him again for the chance to let him live. Then she would worry about whether or not the world outside was safe enough for her to fight for. After all, the streets were lined with ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals, snakes, the plague—no!—yes…

Then it struck her. The guard had said those things in almost the exact way that Gothel used to say them to her. That was why she was able to recall that list so vividly in her head. It was the list of fears Gothel had always given to her. The things that had been her worst fears. Then she'd found the outside world, and while part of her remained nervous that such things could still overtake her, for the most part, her worst fears diluted to two: losing her newfound freedom…and losing Eugene.

Perhaps that was the point. This was all her fears coming true at once. Such a strange coincidence, especially when things didn't make sense. Her parents would never pass such a restrictive law. She knew them better than that. Eugene was not only clean of a life of crime, but the laws were such that he couldn't be punished unless she said.

Perhaps THIS was the dream…

"This is the dream, isn't it?" she said out loud. "This is my worst fear. You're trying to make me live out my worst fear!" If she was wrong, the worst that could happen was that she was insane; otherwise, she'd hit rock bottom. In captivity, she didn't care about sanity. There was nothing at stake in believing that this would work. "Well, I know this isn't how the world really is! That's not how my parents are! That's not what would happen to Eugene! I'm on to your trick, Sombra, and I'M NOT GOING TO FALL FOR IT!"

* * *

Rapunzel opened her eyes for real. She was once again a unicorn mare standing in the lower courtyard of the Crystal Palace—but then again, she'd never left that state. She'd simply been caught up in an illusion of Sombra's.

Sombra himself was fixated on watching Shining Armor. Shining Armor appeared to be under some sort of spell, and judging from Sombra's grin, he was just enjoying watching Shining Armor suffer. Shining Armor's eyes were glossed over in green, and he spoke in tones of utmost horror: "My parents…my sister…my wife…where are they? WHERE ARE THEY? WHERE IS MY FAMILY?"

Rapunzel realized that he too was living out his worst fear. "Shining Armor!" she called out, rushing to him, bumping into him to jolt him. "It isn't real! It's a trick!"

Sombra was taken aback that Rapunzel had broken his illusion. It took him a few seconds to register what was going on as Shining Armor stumbled, shook his head, blinked, and stared through eyes half covered by green film, seeing a little bit of each scene—the lower courtyard, and wherever he was in his fear—and not sure which to believe.

An aura of red blasted him. This one was meant to torment physically, not mentally. Shining Armor fell to the ground, unconscious, and skidded a few feet. Rapunzel could see that he was bruised and bleeding. Maybe a few bones were even broken—she couldn't judge how potent Sombra's spell was. She rushed to his side, hurriedly singing: "Flowergleamandglow…letyourpowershine…savewhathasbeenlost…bringbackwhatoncewasmine…" Her horn glowed bright gold, and when she reached Shining Armor, she leaned down, touching her horn to him.

His bruises disappeared, his cuts healed over, and he opened his eyes, now free of the green. He stood. "What…happened…

Rapunzel tried to explain: "Sombra trapped us in—"

She was interrupted by a low growl. Sombra was charging up more magic—bright red. This was to be another physical blow. It might have been deadly. There was no time to speak. There was barely time to think.

Rapunzel threw herself between Sombra and Shining Armor, her horn still glowing gold. Even though logically, she knew that such an act was probably self-sacrifice, somewhere deep down, she felt as though it was true protection, that she could somehow ward off Sombra's attack.

And from somewhere deep down, power came rushing.

The blast of red was met by a bright shine of white light that emanated from Rapunzel's horn. The two powers cancelled each other out.

"WHAT!" Sombra cried.

Rapunzel summoned the new power—some sort of light, driven by pure faith in her friends and in herself—and aimed it at Sombra again. The light poured forth, striking Sombra. He recoiled. Though he had no visible wound, it was clear that the light was hurting him in some way.

"NO!" he cried. "NOOOOOOOO!"

It became too much; he had to run. And so he did.

Rapunzel felt safe letting the light abate once Sombra was gone. Shining Armor gaped in awe. "Rapunzel…what…what was that?"  
"I don't know," Rapunzel admitted. "I've never done anything like that before. Has that always been in me?"

"I would think so…"

A galloping noise caught the attention of both. They turned to see a sight that filled them with hope: Eugene carrying back the Crystal Heart at top speed.

* * *

When Rapunzel had cast the light at Sombra, it had formed a beacon, one visible from anywhere in the Empire. It caught the attention of Cadance. "What…" Cadance muttered.

"NO!" Chrysalis cried. "It cannot be! The powers Maleficent spoke of in the princesses!"

Cadance raised a brow. "You know something? Eugene was right."

"About what?"

"It is a good thing to let you talk. You always let us know just what's going on."

Cadance had made the connection immediately. Chrysalis was targeting her and Rapunzel. Both of them were princesses. If one of them had that sort of light…more than likely, so did the other. And she found it easily, deep down inside. A desire to protect. A desire to nurture. A desire to keep evil from reaching her friends. Her horn glowed a bright white.

The next thing Chrysalis knew, she was struck by a great beam of white light that sent her tumbling head over heels down Main Street. By the time she regained her bearings, Cadance was long gone.

"AFTER HER!" Chrysalis commanded the nearby Changelings.

Cadance headed down the street as fast as she could, dodging rogue Changelings and windigos. Hearing a buzzing noise behind her, she chanced a glance to see that the Changelings on her tail were not so rogue and had changed to have a definite focus.

She wasn't the only one who noticed. The Changelings had left their victims, all of whom looked up to see Cadance barreling down the street.

"Cadance!" Fields of Gold yelled. "RUN! YOU CAN MAKE IT!"

"RUN, CADANCE!" Magnet Bolt cried. "RUN!"

"She's going to make it!" Artemis realized. "She's going to save us all!"

For a moment, Cadance thought she would slip and fall behind. So she took to the air again, pausing only momentarily to build up the momentum to jump. Once in the sky, she was able to go ever faster…and she was also visible to more of the Empire. They could all see that she had escaped the Changelings and that she was headed somewhere with purpose.

Cadance touched down before the Crystal Palace and entered the lower courtyard just as Eugene, Rapunzel, and Shining Armor finished setting the Crystal Heart in place. The Heart slowly began to spin. Then, picking up on the faith the Empire's denizens had in their princess, it spun faster and faster.

Chrysalis felt the aura around her rumbling. She'd felt this before…at Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding. She realized what was coming, and she felt her stomach drop.

Then she, every attacking Changeling, and every attacking windigo were launched out of the Empire, thrown into the air to land somewhere among the snow of the Frozen North.

* * *

There was only one thought on Sombra's mind: to get away from the light. It made his essence uneasy, and he hated that. So, even though the Crystal Heart didn't affect him, still he ran.

Then he was broadsided by something he didn't expect. A blow sent him tumbling to the street. He looked up to see Magnet Bolt standing over him with a lance.

"Get OUT," she hissed, "of OUR EMPIRE."

Sombra growled at her, snapping at her with his jaws; she backed off. "Slaves!" Sombra insisted angrily. "MINE!"

Then the all too familiar voice: "That is enough, Sombra."

Sombra turned to see, standing in the middle of Main Street, the form of Princess Celestia. "Chrysalis," Sombra growled.

"No," Celestia insisted, and then Luna strode to her side. In horror, Sombra realized that it was not, as he had thought, Chrysalis in her disguise. He was staring down the two mares who had defeated him in the past.

"Shall we, sister?" Luna asked sternly.

"Yes, Luna," Celestia replied. She blinked. When her eyes opened, they were bright green throughout, and her horn crackled with dark energy. Luna did the same.

Sombra had already been afraid to deal with the strong lights that he'd encountered beneath the Crystal Palace. But now, even though the princesses no longer carried the power of the Elements of Harmony, which could strip him of his Amulet…combined, they created a darkness that matched his own, and they were not afraid to use it.

When they struck him, he ran, howling as fears attacked his mind. He didn't stop until he'd left the border, and even then, he kept going until he was no longer visible in the horizon.

"Princess Celestia!" Magnet Bolt sighed, and other ponies gathered around her. "Please tell me it's really you!"

"And Luna!" Fields of Gold added as she joined the group. "Please, say you're not Changelings!"

"Changelings," Luna repeated. "It looketh as though things were worse than we thought, sister."

"Indeed," Celestia agreed. "Don't be afraid. It's really us."

Having seen the Changeling army blasted away, the civilians believed, and it was true. They knew they were saved, between the bravery of Cadance and the power of Celestia and Luna.

The Crystal Heart spun just a little faster, and the sky returned to blue. A blast of pure joy emitted from the spire of the Crystal Palace, and the entire Empire was engulfed in it. Everypony within witnessed the changing of his or her coat from opaque to gleaming, sparkling crystal.

Even Rapunzel and Eugene experienced this. "Okaaaay," Eugene said, "what just happened to me? Why do I look like a crown jewel?"

"This is the most beautiful thing…!" Rapunzel gasped.

"This would be the other perk the Crystal Heart gives us," Cadance explained. "It means things are all right."

When Celestia and Luna reached the lower courtyard, approaching, Rapunzel and Eugene backed off in fear. "Don't worry," Shining Armor reassured them. "It's really them this time."

"We were on our way to make sure you'd received the news that the Alicorn Amulet had gone missing," Celestia said, "but when we got here, it was apparent you already knew." She smiled. "I see you've made some new friends."

"They're not really new to you," Cadance replied. "Celestia, Luna…this is Rapunzel and Eugene of Corona. From the letters."

Celestia and Luna were both taken aback; then they broke into wide smiles. "Welcome to Equestria!" Luna greeted.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you," Celestia added.

"You too," replied Eugene. "The real you, that is."

That confused Celestia. "I think you'd better tell us what happened here."

* * *

THE FROZEN NORTH, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

One by one, the heads of the Changeling warriors popped up out of the snow; every Changeling looked around to get his or her bearings. They'd landed some distance away from the Empire, which was seen to glow softly on the horizon.

Chrysalis got to her hooves, standing to full height to glare at the Empire. "So that was the power that Maleficent wished to contain. I see now why she wanted it suppressed." She turned to her army. "Listen to me! We have a new goal. Throughout the multiverse, there are princesses with powers like that! We must learn how to combat them so they do not harm us so again. And then…we will secure them so that they do not stand in the way of the glorious chaos to come."

"Your Highness!" Doomie alerted. "Behind you!"

Chrysalis turned back to see Sombra running toward her as quickly as he could. Her temper flared. "YOU!" she screamed. "You ruined EVERYTHING! Why are you running? You are the only one of us who can still enter the Empire! Go back! GO BACK!"

"NO!" Sombra roared, halting in front of Chrysalis.

"What is it that prevents you from doing so?" Chrysalis asked condescendingly.

"Light," Sombra growled. "Darkness."

"THAT IS ALL?" Chrysalis bellowed. "Surely you have faced a little light! And you are FULL of darkness!"

"CELESTIA!" Sombra replied. "LUNA!"

"YOU MAKE NO SENSE!"

The Changelings felt a sharp chill. Looking up, they saw a horrible sight. Without even bothering to alert their queen, they left the ground and flew, en masse, back toward the Changeling Kingdom as quickly as they could.

Sombra and Chrysalis kept arguing. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, THE EMPIRE WOULD BE OURS, AND RAPUNZEL AND CADANCE IN OUR GRASP!" Chrysalis roared.

"NOT MY FAULT!" Sombra retaliated.

"IDIOT!"

"BLATHERSKITE!"

"OAF!"

The windigos circled above. Having lost the Crystal Empire—and the collective hatred there seemed to have abated—they sought new sources of hatred. The very one who had summoned them was exchanging quite hateful words indeed with his partner in crime. It didn't matter that he had summoned them. They weren't creatures of loyalty.

By the time Chrysalis noticed what was happening, it was too late. Sombra never figured it out at all. The windigos circled them, faster and faster, breathing their icy breath. Chrysalis let out one cry of dismay.

Then, when there was no more to do, the windigos flew back up into the heights of the northern sky. Below, standing in the snow, Chrysalis and Sombra were encased in ice, no more than crystalline statues—one looking slightly panicked and the other still far too focused in bellowing insults.

* * *

Chapter 36:

· I intentionally split up the teams so that each had a gender representative and a fandom representative. I didn't want to relegate either the men or the women to a role, nor did I want to just keep it homogenous by fandom and not explore crossover team-ups. So you get Cadance and Eugene vs. Chrysalis and Rapunzel and Shining Armor vs. Sombra.

· I was glad I got the opportunity to plug Doomie and Misery again.

· Sombra's "worst fear" power is something I derived from the door in his lair, where it's determined that if you look through it, you experience your worst fear. I figured he probably knows how to cast that enchantment.

· I figured that because so much of her personal journey involved getting out to see and love the real world, much of Rapunzel's fear would be that she would be cut off from it again. And I couldn't not include the death of Eugene. (Which actually makes Twilight look bad because in the show, her biggest fear was being proven a failure to Celestia and had nothing to do with losing her friends—but given the show's target demographic, I'm sure that the writers didn't want to touch upon creating a vision where the other five were dead.)

· Rapunzel and Cadance's Princess Powers are activating! Hey, if Maleficent wants them contained that badly, they must have some serious light abilities. After all, in the original Kingdom Hearts, the six canon Princesses of Heart mention that they are keeping a portal to pure darkness stable.

· I was ALMOST stalled on this chapter because of not knowing what to do with Sombra. I didn't want to get rid of the Amulet. I wanted to keep that on so when I next found use for Sombra, I could have a super badass version of him. But that would mean the Heart couldn't push him away. So what would run him out of the Empire? I decided that Celestia and Luna are probably more powerful than him. So I godmodded them a little bit. Celestia's "dark powers" are a shout-out to the slight amount of dark power she shows in the Crystal Empire episodes. I'll clear it up: she has enough dark power that she can intimidate other users of darkness like Sombra, but not enough to apparate at the speed of darkness. She really focuses more on light, which is how she got to be a Lumen Herald. And if I ever said that she was a candidate for a PoH, I want to retcon that right now. She isn't "pure" in the least. That doesn't make her any less good. She just has a capacity for dark magic and has also done some things that are less than moral in this story (like keeping secrets from the Mane Six because she's afraid, for example…). Anyway, it turned out that having them step in was far more beneficial to my ultimate plan anyway.

· Luna's Ye Olde English is probably terrible again and I apologize.

· The crystallization thing is canon. It happened at the end of the Crystal Empire episodes when the Heart was first returned. Everypony got bedazzled!

· "Blatherskite" is an old word for a braggart that I looked up specifically to get one good old-timey insult in.

· No, they're not frozen permanently. I have too many plans for one of them, and the other…will just remain in cold storage until I find use for that one.


	37. Silly Dreams

37: Silly Dreams

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"If I may have your attention," Celestia began atop the balcony of the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Ponies below looked up at her expectantly. "I would like to clear up some of the questions I'm sure you have about what has just happened. To be brief, Chrysalis used my guise to enter the Crystal Empire, and the form of Eugene Fitzherbert to frame him for the attempted theft of the Crystal Heart. Somehow, she was tied to Sombra, and the two of them stole the Alicorn Amulet. I think they had meant to divert suspicion and to farm hate for the windigos by accusing Rapunzel and Eugene of having malicious intentions for the Empire."

"In fact, that was falsehood," Luna picked up. "Not only were Rapunzel and Eugene innocent of crimes, but they acted with valor during the invasion and art responsible for the safe return of the Crystal Heart, as well as the protection of Cadance and Shining Armor from Sombra. We knowest not where Sombra and Chrysalis may be, but we do knowest that he hast the Alicorn Amulet and is still a threat."

Luna and Celestia looked back to where Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene stood behind them. The four nodded, giving the two of them the go-ahead to explain the plan the six had agreed on.

"Sombra is not a new threat to us," Celestia went on. "Luna and I have defeated him before with the Elements of Harmony, and even now, the two of us combined have more power than he does. That is why we have decided, until we know further where he is and what he plans to do, that Luna will relocate."

"Celestia shalt stay in Canterlot and continue her duties," Luna added. "However, I shalt relocate to the Crystal Empire, here, and raiseth the moon from this land. This way, I shalt be able to contact my sister if Sombra doth return, and she couldst arrive immediately to help me counteract him. Cadance and Shining Armor hath agreed to this plan."

A great cheering went up from the ponies below.

"Are you certain you're ready to be away from home for so long?" Celestia asked Luna softly.

"All Equestria is my home," Luna replied.

"Welcome to the family, Luna," Shining Armor said with a grin.

* * *

Fields of Gold, Magnet Bolt, and Artemis waited patiently in the atrium until Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene came down to find them. "We wanted to talk to Rapunzel and Eugene," Fields of Gold began, shuffling her front hoof nervously and looking at the ground.

"Sure," Rapunzel replied, and she and Eugene stepped forward to meet the trio.

"We've come to represent everypony in the Crystal Empire," Artemis said, "and offer an apology. We suspected you when we shouldn't have, and we made you feel unwelcome here."

"Don't beat yourself up," Eugene replied. "Chrysalis was the one who spread rumors to begin with."

"But we bought into them, and we spread them," Magnet Bolt admitted. "Chrysalis may have wanted that, but she didn't make us do it."

"I spread a lot of distrust in particular," Fields of Gold said softly. "I…I never really got over Sombra's takeover of the Empire. I was one of those he worked hardest in the crystal mines. When I thought that somepony could have the slightest chance of putting me back in that situation, I panicked. But no matter what happened to me, that's no excuse. You were innocent, and I blamed you for horrible crimes."

"Don't write off what happened to you," Rapunzel begged. "Please. I understand why you would have been afraid. Even just seeing Sombra for that little while, I get it. I don't know what it's like to have to serve under him for a whole year or more, but my imagination tells me it must be absolutely horrible. I might have been afraid of me too."

"We just wanted to say we're sorry," Magnet Bolt concluded, "and offer you a second chance to be welcomed to the Crystal Empire."

"Apology accepted," Rapunzel replied happily. "Don't worry about it so much! We're fine! And we're glad you're fine now that Sombra's gone."

"What if he comes back?" Fields of Gold squeaked.

"Luna will scare him off," Eugene answered.

"Fear not," Luna confirmed. "I shalt not let thy Empire fall into the wrong hooves."

"Thank you," Fields of Gold replied.

* * *

Celestia, Luna, Rapunzel, Eugene, Cadance, and Shining Armor gathered around the royal dining table. Cadance, again, was eating more than her fair share of crystal berry tarts, but the kitchen had a large stock, so no harm was done.

"I'm sure you have many questions about what has happened," Celestia began. "Most likely, about the light power that you exhibited against Sombra."

"I had been wondering," Rapunzel admitted.

"There are many things of wonder in the cosmic order," Celestia explained. "I'm sure you know that all magic is split between light and darkness. While Luna and I each are skilled in both, Luna is primarily a wielder of darkness, and I a wielder of light. A lot of Dark magic is presumed automatically to be evil. You would have noticed that Sombra was able to produce a great amount of Dark magic."

"This is news to me," Eugene said, "but go on anyway."

"There are women in the multiverse who, by design of the goddesses, are pure of heart, aligned with light, and born into royalty or nobility, so as to lead their kingdoms into great ages," Celestia continued. "There are always seven who, when put together, can touch the very hubs of the multiverse. Who they are can change at any time, if one dies in her timeline or becomes impure or corrupted. The honor then transfers to another 'candidate.' But all of these princesses have the ability to access strong powers of light. Cadance, Rapunzel, I believe you two to be two of these princesses. Not of the seven, but of the others."

"Hast thou never wished true ill on a foe?" Luna asked.

"The only time I've ever wanted to hurt anypony was to protect others," Cadance admitted.

"Even when my…when Gothel came back," Rapunzel added, "I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Maybe I should."

"It is obvious that thou both art pure," Luna stated, "and that thou both know very well the powers of light."

"That makes sense," Rapunzel said. "After all, I think I first got my healing powers from a flower that they say grew from a sundrop."

"Aha! Light!" Luna affirmed.

"Does this mean that we can use the powers we found in that last battle whenever we wish?" Cadance asked.

"Yes," Celestia confirmed. "They will not be as effective against other light powers, and do not be mistaken—not all wielders of light are good. That, I know from experience. There are those who will abuse the light and use it to impose restrictions on others in the name of 'betterment.' And if you use your powers to harm others pettily instead of to defend yourself and others, there is a risk that you will corrupt, but that does not necessarily mean a negative outcome either. The corrupted find ways to do good, and they find love."

"I can't see myself using my powers to hurt anyone," Rapunzel stated. "I mean, if I have to hurt someone like Sombra to stop him from killing everypony else, I will."

"You need not defend your intentions to me," Celestia replied. "I trust you. And I will no matter what. Your friends from Equestria who travel on the Starlight gave you quite the endorsement in their letter home—you and Eugene both."

"That reminds me of something," Cadance interrupted. "When Rapunzel talked about Sombra killing other ponies, I mean. There was something that Chrysalis told us when she was disguised as you. I'm not sure if it was a lie she made up, or if it was something she really knew from history. And I think I have to know the truth about it."

"Do ask," Luna encouraged.

"She said that Sombra had killed the last Crystal Princess," Cadance stated. "She mentioned a brother, too. She said that they were good friends of yours. Well, of hers, but she was trying to be you at the time."

There was silence around the table for a long time before Celestia said, "It is true. Before you, the Crystal Princess was a young mare named Sirius. She was infamous throughout Equestria for being brutally honest, so much that she offended others, but they always realized she was right in the end. She had a brother, Polaris. He used to brood a lot because he was insecure, but he eventually learned to laugh at himself and became one of the most pleasant ponies I've ever met. This was a thousand years ago, before the royal families of Canterlot and the Empire were linked by blood. Sirius and Polaris were very good friends to Luna and myself. I recall in particular that Polaris and I enjoyed making each other smile."

"Did you love him?" Shining Armor asked.

Celestia couldn't prevent a single tear from escaping. "Yes," she answered. "But it was a thousand years ago, and he is long gone from this world. Sombra made sure of that. We had suspicions that somepony would come from outside to attack us, but the way it happened…Sombra approaching with the Alicorn Amulet…it was a surprise none of us could see coming. Sirius and Polaris were caught off guard. They thought they could fend him off, so they stood between him and the Crystal Heart. He killed them both gruesomely in front of their subjects before he took the Heart for himself. And while I do believe that the Amulet came from elsewhere…and that perhaps it's even possible that Sombra was only somepony else's pawn…it couldn't have been anypony like Rapunzel or Eugene. That Amulet could only have come from somepony with great power and great evil intent that couldn't be easily hidden. Somepony like that is not found on average. I would never put up a guard against all strangers in a search for that one. That one is the kind that I would know if I saw him or her. It is possible that it's only speculation anyway. Sombra could have made the Amulet himself."

"Wait a minute," Shining Armor interrupted. "Why do you say you thought somepony was going to attack you? Was there a threat back then?"

"Thou shalt not pester my sister with such private questions!" Luna belted, making everypony at the table cringe.

"No, no, Luna," Celestia reassured. "It is all right. The thing is, a lot of that is…buried in the past. I prefer, many times, to just let it stay that way."

Rapunzel, Eugene, Cadance, and Shining Armor knew not to press any further about Sirius, Polaris, or the Alicorn Amulet that day.

* * *

Celestia eventually had to return to Canterlot. Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene saw her to the train station, thanking her warmly for all she'd done.

When the five returned to the Crystal Palace, they split up. Rapunzel and Eugene went back out on the town, received by a much friendlier atmosphere. They re-entered the dance hall, pulling Magnet Bolt, Artemis, and Fields of Gold into a great dance. Meanwhile, Cadance and Shining Armor stayed back at the Crystal Palace to show Luna the ropes, so to speak.

"So, essentially, if you know all that…" Cadance told Luna, "…you could potentially just rule the Empire."

"I thank thee for thy help," Luna replied. "Though it dost not pass me that thou hast some sort of pressing thought."

"It's nothing," Cadance said quickly.

"Art thou jealous that I am taking over thy post?" Luna inquired. "For that is not true! I shalt split diplomatic duties with thee, and not interfere with thy interactions with thy subjects! That is not to mention that thou art still needed for the Crystal Heart!"

"That isn't a problem at all," Shining Armor said quickly. "We love having you here!" The joyous looks on his and Cadance's faces proved this true.

"Hmmm," Luna thought out loud. "Thou speakest true, yet I suspecteth thou hast the SAME thought, both of thee. My curiosity shalt not be satisfied until I heareth thy thought!"

"It's really nothing," Cadance insisted, but it was very clear to Luna she was lying. Luna raised a brow. "We don't want to be selfish, you see," Cadance added, intimidated by Luna's stare.

Suddenly it struck Luna. "There is something thou wantest," she said, "but thou wantest not to ask it of me because thou fearest it wilt be a betrayal towards me. Fear not. I shalt not be offended."

"It's just a silly dream," Shining Armor said. "We couldn't actually ask it of you. Not really. It wouldn't be practical."

"I beg thee, think of thy current guests, the royalty of Corona! Dost Rapunzel in particular not speak oft of dreams? I seem to recall this from a certain song Pinkie Pie hath sung in a tavern. Like everypony else, thou hast a dream! Would they not encourage thee to pursue thy dream regardless of how 'silly' it may be? Tell me thy dream! I insist!"

Cadance and Shining Armor thought it over, exchanging looks. Shining Armor nodded. Then they turned back to face Luna.

"The thing is," Cadance said, "it came as a surprise to us when you and Celestia showed Twilight and her friends the way to travel worlds. We looked out at the sky every night, wondering what it was like outside of this world. But at the same time, we knew we couldn't ever find out, so we fixed our plans to here. We've been working on settling in here permanently. Making this our home, even starting a family. But then some things happened. First, we found out that the Starlight really isn't the only boat crossing worlds. Rapunzel and Eugene found a way. Maybe that means we could also find a way. They could even help us. But that still didn't change that we had a responsibility to live up to. An Empire to rule. Even though the Crystal Heart will be in my power no matter where I am. But now…you're in a position where you could, if you wanted, rule the Empire on your own as a regent. That would mean that we wouldn't have to be here. It would mean…well, it would mean we could be free to see what was out there, for real. But that would not be practical. It wouldn't be fair to our subjects, and it wouldn't be fair to you. It—"

"Silence," Luna commanded.

"Sorry," Cadance nearly whispered.

"Thou truly art pure," Luna replied. "Thou worriest about me and thy subjects when in truth, I can standeth in as thy regent and it wouldst not be a hindrance to me, or even a frustration. Thy subjects wouldst always cherish thy memory, and thou wouldst always be Crystal Prince and Princess. They wouldst be happy if thou found a way to achieve thy dream, and enchanted that their royalty didst explore the possibility of diplomacy amongst stars. Now, thou hast no reason to worry. Thou hast a chance. Go now to the dance hall. Find Rapunzel and Eugene. Asketh them about the vessel that takes them between worlds, and if it can be duplicated. Then, once you have thy transport, make thy farewell, and leave. Thou will regret it if thou dost not. I knowest it is frightening; was I not the truest of nightmares? Yet I knowest dreams equally well. If thou hast a chance to make thy dream come true…thou MUST taketh it. It is, in the end, thy choice. But did it fall to me, I wouldst not hesitate. And, as one who hast traveled the stars…what awaits thee shalt not disappoint."

"Really?" Cadance asked.

"You're sure?" Shining Armor added.

Sensing that she had won them over, Luna barked, happily, "GO!"

* * *

Cadance and Shining Armor had a hard time finding their friends when they first entered the dance hall. Every single pony inside was dancing. They split into pairs, but switched partners often, rocking to the swing beat played by the orchestra, which seemed to be purposely making the music faster and more intense, as though to challenge the dancers.

"You don't think…" Cadance said, almost laughing.

"Oh, I do!" Shining Armor replied.

In order to make their way to the center of the hall, they had to dance. They assimilated into the crowd, two-stepping, bobbing to the beat, breaking out a complex step every now and again. When they finally made it to the center, they found a bit of a clearing had formed around four ponies. Rapunzel and Magnet Bolt danced with each other, matching the music, in fact outdoing it, with their quick steps and twists. Eugene and Fields of Gold mirrored them nearby. No doubt Rapunzel and Eugene had started the dance craze and sucked the entire hall in.

Cadance and Shining Armor stepped onto the floor. "Mind if we cut in?" Cadance called.

"No problem!" Rapunzel yelled back. Magnet Bolt and Fields of Gold happily slid back into the crowd, and Cadance took Magnet Bolt's place while Shining Armor took Fields of Gold's. The four of them danced until the orchestra, having been outdone, had to admit defeat and end the piece. In that silence, a great whooping and cheering went up from the entire hall.

"Do you have this effect whenever you dance?" Shining Armor asked.

"Well, she does, anyway," Eugene admitted.

"Anyway, we wanted to talk to you about something," said Shining Armor. "Can we go somewhere quieter?"

"Sure!" Rapunzel nearly bounded out of the hall, with Eugene, Shining Armor, and Cadance close behind. The orchestra started up a second piece.

Just outside the dance hall, the four friends turned a corner and stopped in an alley with little traffic and noise. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, you might think we're a bit silly," Shining Armor began. "But…ever since you showed up here, we've been seriously thinking about traveling the cosmos in a ship like yours."

"And now that Luna's here to protect the Empire from Sombra," Cadance added, "she knows enough to stand in as our regent. We don't have to stay in the Empire. We wanted to know if you knew of any other ships like yours, or how to make them. We want to travel too!"

"Well," Rapunzel said, sending a wink toward Eugene, "our ship runs on Dark Matter. You only need one crystal of it, and you can build the rest of the ship out of ordinary materials. The thing is, we don't know where to find another crystal. But if you could, you COULD make your own ship…I guess." She was on the verge of laughing.

"There's something you're not telling," Shining Armor figured out.

"Well, you see, there's a certain detail that Rapunzel and I have talked about," Eugene replied. "Like she said, you COULD make your own ship, IF you had a Dark Matter crystal. But it looks like the only one you know of is with us."

"Are you saying…?" Cadance asked with realization.

"Maybe," Rapunzel answered. "Maybe we're saying that our ship can hold four, and that you've been such wonderful friends, Eugene and I have actually talked about how we wanted to spend more time with you. But it really depends on what you want to do. We don't want to insist you come with us if you don't want—"

"WE'D LOVE TO!" Cadance and Shining Armor burst out. All four laughed.

"You seriously wouldn't mind taking us?" Shining Armor asked for confirmation.

"It's kind of a 'the more, the merrier' type situation," Eugene clarified.

"When were you thinking of leaving?" Cadance asked.

"Whenever you're ready," Rapunzel said, "since you're coming with us. I mean, the Crystal Heart will still work even when you're away, right?"

"Right," Cadance said with a nod.

"Then it's settled!" Rapunzel said.

"We'll have to pack our things," Cadance realized.

"Oh…" Eugene realized. "There's something extra you…might want to pack."

"What?"

"Well, you see, when we came here, we weren't exactly…like this. We looked a little different. And we were wearing different clothes. Well, right now we're not wearing any. And that's kind of the thing. When we leave, we'll probably change back into what we were, and because Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and your sister changed shape too, you probably will. And the thing is, it's a little more awkward to have a lot of naked humans standing around a ship than naked ponies."

"So you're saying we should make some kind of garment," Cadance clarified.

"It might be nice," Eugene answered.

"Well, we can do that," Cadance said. "Any guesses as to how big we'll be?"

"We can guess," Rapunzel admitted, "but we won't know for sure. You should probably bring something roomy in case."

"No problem," Cadance said. "I just…I still can't believe this is happening. Will you show us your world?"

"Of course!" Rapunzel replied. "I can't believe you're actually coming with us! This is going to be the best adventure ever!"

* * *

"…and so we're going to use the power of the Dark Matter to explore the other worlds," Cadance finished announcing from the balcony. "But we will return, and as long as the Crystal Heart is here, we will never truly be gone. I hope we can bring back knowledge of new places and new friends that will only help Equestria to grow!"

And the Crystal Ponies cheered. They knew that their prince and princess had to do what they had to do, and the idea of interdimensional travel excited them all. Reporters wrote it up right away, right down to the mention of the "Dark Matter."

After all loose ends were tied, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene walked out of the Empire's borders, toward the ship.

"So," Shining Armor said, "where do we go first?"

* * *

THE FROZEN NORTH, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

A purple unicorn with a long, black mane and tail; piercing green eyes; and a Cutie Mark that resembled a mirror with an ornately carved frame and the emblem of flames within the glass crossed the snow toward the two she was told she would find frozen in ice. With the stallion, she had no business. It was the Changeling she wanted.

She touched her horn to the frozen Changeling. Slowly, the ice melted away from the top down. Chrysalis gasped upon her freedom.

"I was told you had failed to secure two of the princesses," the purple unicorn stated simply.

"It was not my fault!" Chrysalis defended as the last of the ice turned to water around her hooves. "I was…taken by surprise!"

"I do not blame you, nor does my mistress," the purple unicorn replied, just as calmly. "For one such as yourself, it must have come as a shock to face not one but two of the princesses and their consorts."

"What do you mean, for one such as I?" Chrysalis retorted.

"One who is not yet versed in the workings of the cosmos," the unicorn answered. "That is why I was sent. Your potential is quite promising, and your aim to contain the princesses admirable. My mistress thought it fitting that you become my apprentice, and I could not but agree. After all…I do now lack a huntsman. He, unlike you, too easily fell prey to pity, and showed mercy when it was best he did not. You lack mercy. I could see you becoming something great indeed under my tutelage."

"Who are you?" Chrysalis asked, suspicious.

"An Overtaker," the unicorn replied, "but more than that, a traveler of worlds, and an experienced collector of princesses of light."

"I had meant your name!"

The unicorn gave a sly smile. "You, Chrysalis, may address me as Grimhilde." Grimhilde looked toward Sombra. "He was an ally of yours."

"An undesirable one."

"You would prefer he remain in his current state?"

"Yes."

"Then you alone shall follow me," Grimhilde commanded.

"If you can show me how to capture these…princesses," Chrysalis hissed, "I will follow you as far as it takes."

In a whirl of magic, Grimhilde and Chrysalis were gone, leaving only the frozen Sombra to sparkle under the winter sun.

* * *

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

The news of Cadance and Shining Armor's cosmic departure eventually reached Ponyville. When the newspaper reached Zecora's door, the zebra gasped, making a connection.

Most inhabitants of Ponyville were out doing their everyday business when Zecora ran into the center of town, dragging a cart filled with gleaming crystals. "This!" she cried, anxious to share her epiphany. "This is Dark Matter! It is what powers the ability to cross between worlds!"

Some ignored her. Some laughed her off as crazy. But most crowded around Zecora and her cart.

"I had found it on the ground, fallen from the sky," Zecora explained. "I had always known it was magical and that it had come from somewhere beyond. The news from the Crystal Empire is only proof!"

"So what are you going to do with it?" Bon Bon asked, stepping forward.

"Is it not obvious?" Zecora asked. "We must take this opportunity to experiment, to learn, to travel!"

"Why aren't you keeping this a secret like most of your other tricks?" The voice belonged to a sea-foam-green colored pegasus with a short-cropped golden mane and a white lightning bolt of a Cutie Mark.

"This is knowledge that does not concern me alone, Lightning Dust," Zecora replied. "Now that so many of our own are traveling, soon, more from beyond will reach us! Is it not important that we reach outside the knowledge of this small town and think about what awaits us beyond the stars?"

"YEAH!" Lyra practically screamed. Then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Zecora…any chance you're going to sell any of that to a high enough bidder?"

"I do not believe this Dark Matter should be sold," Zecora replied. "I believe it should be shared. I wish to have some for myself, but those who believe that it is important to investigate may take their share. Be warned, though: I do not know how dangerous it truly is."

"Danger?" Lightning Dust scoffed. "Sounds like my kind of scene. I'll take one of those crystals."

"Then you shall have one." Zecora carried one to her. "But use it wisely."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" a light blue pegasus with a soft yellow mane and twin lightning bolts for a Cutie Mark interrupted, stepping between Zecora and Lightning Dust.

"Sassy!" Lightning Dust groaned. "Get out of my way!"

"Dusty's not really the 'use it wisely' type," the pegasus continued.

"That remains to be seen, Sassaflash," Zecora replied. "She must discover for herself what it means. I cannot deny it to her if she wishes for it."

Sassaflash backed down, and Lightning Dust walked away with the coveted crystal.

"I'll take one!" Lyra said excitedly.

"Why not?" Bon Bon added.

Zecora handed them a Dark Matter crystal. "Anypony else?"

The others all shuddered at the thought. They wanted to keep believing that the world was a small and sheltered place. They didn't much feel like finding out what was out there. One by one, they returned to business.

"Are you going to start building a ship to fly out of here?" Lyra asked Zecora excitedly.

"Yes," Zecora answered. "I will not simply accept what I see as all there is. I must expand my knowledge. And you?"

"You know I want to know!" Lyra squealed.

"And wherever Lyra goes," Bon Bon insisted, "I'm along for the ride."

Sassaflash and Lightning Dust walked back to Sassaflash's home. The two were cousins who'd grown up in Cloudsdale together; Sassaflash had moved to Ponyville while Lightning Dust had remained in Cloudsdale, and the two visited each other often, despite the fact that they were as opposite as night and day. "Dusty," Sassaflash whimpered, "what are you planning to do?"

"I'm still not sure if all this world-traveling stuff is real," Lightning Dust admitted, "but if it is, I want in. I'm building a ship, Sassy."

"But why?"

"Because they cheated me out of what was mine at the Wonderbolts Academy," Lightning Dust growled—not entirely a true statement, given that she had been stripped of her honors there due to reckless behavior that had almost hurt and even killed others. "I'm a laughingstock on this world."

"Well, so was Trixie, and now she's—"

"Have you seen Trixie lately?"

Sassaflash had to admit, "No…"

"There are more traveling than just Rainbow Dash, her stupid friends, and the Crystal Prince and Princess," Lightning Dust insisted. "Everypony on this planet thinks I'm some kind of evil freak. But out there, there has to be at least ONE place where they'll give me what I deserve."

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

The small boat sailed through the stars. Inside, it was decorated sparsely. It had originally contained just one mattress, but a second had been added. Spare clothing, rations, and other useful things Rapunzel and Eugene had brought were littered across the floor. One segment of the boat was partitioned off by a curtain. It was indeed big enough to comfortably suit four roommates instead of merely two.

Cadance and Shining Armor had undergone transformations just as Rapunzel and Eugene had. While the latter put on the clothing they'd worn before entering the atmosphere of Equestria, Cadance and Shining Armor had to don the one-size garments they'd fashioned: roomy, nightgown-like pieces that draped and billowed. Shining Armor's was bright maroon while Cadance's was a soft blue. As it turned out, Shining Armor was the tallest onboard, with a toned, muscled human body that reflected his pony build. Cadance was about the height of Eugene, with an hourglassish figure.

"So I was thinking," Rapunzel proposed, "first, we could go back to Corona. There, we could not only show you where we came from, but also, we could get you fitted for more clothes for those bodies."

"I like that plan," Shining Armor replied.

"After that," Rapunzel said, "who knows? We can go anywhere!"

"Excuse me," Cadance said, looking rather uncomfortable, "where can I…use bathroom facilities? I'm feeling a little seasick."

"Oh!" Rapunzel answered. "We keep a washbasin, a chamber pot, and a water pitcher behind the curtain. Then we…well…I told Eugene it probably wasn't a good idea, but—"

"We throw the waste overboard," Eugene simplified. "It's not like there's anybody else OUT there, right?"

"There's at least the Starlight," Shining Armor reminded him. "But the odds are low that it would hit."

Cadance rushed behind the curtain, drawing it behind her, kneeling over the chamber pot to vomit. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to quell her nausea.

Then she felt the kick.

Surprised, she stood straight up. Slowly, she drew back the curtain. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Shining Armor all saw the shock in her eyes.

"Cadance?" Shining Armor asked. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Cadance couldn't figure out how to put it. "I'm not seasick."

"Well, that figures," Eugene said, "because we're technically not even on a sea."

Cadance swallowed hard, looking up to meet her husband and her new friends in the eyes. She finally found enough courage to say it outright. "I…I think I'm pregnant."

At first, she was met with silence. Then, Eugene, stunned, said, "What?"

"I…felt something move," Cadance admitted, placing her hand on her stomach. "Here. You see, Shining Armor and I were trying for a foal before you came along and we changed our plans. I didn't think…"

"What a time to find THAT out," Eugene remarked.

"Cadance," Shining Armor asked, concerned, "do you want to go back? Things could get dangerous—"

Cadance shook her head. "No. If I'm right, and I'm sure I am, I want to take him or her with us. Shining Armor, I want our child to be born knowing there's more out there than just our kingdom. I think…I think we can go on this adventure together. If things really do get dangerous, I may want to turn back. Will that be an inconvenience?"

"Not at all," Rapunzel assured Cadance. "We'll bring you home anytime. You and…" Rapunzel cracked a wide smile. "Your little one!"

"Cadance…" Shining Armor stepped forward to take Cadance's new, human hands in his own. "I can't believe it!"

"Are you happy?" Cadance asked.

"Am I ever!" Shining Armor replied, beaming. "We actually have a foal! You're happy, right?"

"More than I even expected to be," Cadance replied.

"Soooo," Rapunzel teased, "have you thought of names yet?"

Eugene sighed. "Just so you know, as soon as we have more than four people officially on this trip, we're going to have to get a bigger boat."

* * *

Chapter 37:

· Luna staying on as regent worked out REALLY well for me. Again, having her and Celestia show up to run out Sombra was something I completely bullshitted, but I had always intended to get Cadance and Shiny out on the boat, and transplanting Luna actually tied up enough loose ends for me to do that.

· I'm having Fields be the most traumatized because that's how she acts in the episode.

· Celestia and Luna repeat a lot of stuff you already know. But Cadance, Shiny, Zel, and Eugene don't know it. So we have to go over it again.

· "I've got a dream, I've got a dream…" So you know, Luna canonically has the power to enter sleep-dreams, which is where part of her monologue stems from.

· And so I'm building the SECOND major heroic faction (if you don't count Celestia and Luna in the past) to start world-hopping!

· Enter Grimhilde (the evil queen from Disney's Snow White). Yup, you have to go with it that she's automatically an Overtaker, even though she hasn't shown up for any of the meetings. I wanted that to be kind of a surprise. Her "mistress" is Maleficent (and I couldn't find any way to word it that didn't sound like an innuendo, so sue me). Her past with traveling worlds and experience with princesses of light is stuff I've given her…stuff that's gonna come to light eventually. Oh, and I think everyone assumed she killed Humbert after he didn't kill Snow White. That's universal fanon, right?

· Grimhilde's Cutie Mark was also a struggle to pick between the mirror and the golden heart with the dagger through it she used as a lock on the box for Snow White's heart. The mirror is not only more iconic, but also an indication of something I want to build up involving Grimhilde's very essence.

· Goodbye, Sombra, until whenever I decide I need you later! Seriously, I have no idea, but I don't want him dead because he could make for fun crossovers.

· So…I'm not sure if it's in character for Zecora to just dump interdimensional magic on the ground and be all HERE TAKE IT, but there are some residents of Ponyville I need to be traveling, and soon. That includes Lightning Dust because I have a cool idea for her.

· I made Lightning Dust the cousin of background pony Sassaflash because they look somewhat similar (lightning Cutie Marks, tealish coloring, yellowish manes) and also because I recently obtained several blind bag pony toys, including Sassaflash, and her toy incarnation looks SO much like Lightning Dust that there HAD to be a connection in my mind. (This blind bag pony toy buyout may or may not have been a quest to obtain Electric Sky because she looks like Megavolt in glitter drag. If it was, it failed.)

· In the ep "Wonderbolts Academy," Dusty was given top rank at said flight Academy, but stripped of it in the end after her techniques ended up getting Rainbow Dash hurt. And yes, she DID almost kill Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, but she didn't have intent to murder—she wanted to take the quick way out of cloud-clearing by making a giant dangerous tornado, and the five of them happened to be in a hot air balloon that was passing at the time and that Dusty should have checked for before making something like a tornado. That was essentially the moment Dusty was disgraced, because basically, after watching Dusty's tornado creation almost murder five innocents, Spitfire was sick of her shit.

· PREGNANT CADANCE! This is something I had planned for a while, but didn't know I was going to introduce this early. I decided to make it this early because of…reasons. Basically, I found a popular fan theory (Skyla), and it made me want to have the kid be of an older generation than I had originally envisioned (I wanted the kid to be, like, ten or so years down the line). Now you can all go back and check over the other chapters in this interlude to see how many times I subtly referenced Cadance having an upset stomach or crystal berry cravings. MWAHAHA.

· Why end on that line? Because this group might pick up a fifth WAY before the kid is born.


	38. Alumni

38: Alumni

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The rest of the winter vacation passed quite strangely. Pinkie Pie had gotten sick.

She awoke and then immediately vomited onto her bedding. For the rest of the break, she didn't move from the bed. She couldn't take in any food thicker than a milkshake without throwing it right back up. Fluttershy volunteered to stay with her and minister to her ailment, seeing as they shared a room anyway and Fluttershy was the most comfortable with playing nurse, not even flinching as she bundled up vomit-soaked bedsheets and replacing them.

"Don't worry about me," Pinkie told Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash weakly from her bed. "Just go have fun! Have another snow fight or study in the library or…" She put a hand over her mouth, feeling another wave of sickness.

"Really," Fluttershy insisted, "just go. I'm more than happy to stay here with her. You should enjoy the rest of your break."

And so those four ended up gathered around the usual table in the library. Desperate for company, Draco had joined them, and they updated him on what had happened.

"There's just one thing that keeps bothering me," Twilight admitted. "It's a stomach bug. And I'm not even sure it's really a bug. She just throws up. She doesn't seem sick otherwise. I don't see where she would have caught anything caused by a pathogen. This really looks to me like food poisoning. As far back as I know, Hogwarts food has never poisoned anyone. She's only eaten one thing that wasn't made by campus staff. And that was the cake that she wished for from Kyubey."

"I knew he wasn't to be trusted," Draco seethed.

"Okay, that's just silly," Rainbow Dash dismissed. "You're saying that a magical creature from another planet formed a big evil plan…to give somepony a poisoned cake that just makes them throw up a lot? That seems more like a really mean prank."

"I'm not sure it's as straightforward as that," Twilight said.

"Can you explain a little more?" Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. "It's…hard to put into words."

"It seems to me you're making a bit of a leap," Rarity said gently.

"Not to me," Draco insisted. "This is that thing's fault."

"I don't know which it is, that Kyubey made her sick or that it's just a big coincidence," Applejack sighed. "Maybe what we do is just keep an eye on her. Make sure it's just a passin' sickness. No matter how it started, we gotta make sure she's okay."

By the time break ended, however, Pinkie Pie was as hale as ever, and with as big an appetite. Whatever had happened, it had passed.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

"It is time," Voldemort told the Death Eaters that had gathered around the living room. "We must lay preparations for the invasion. The Vanishing Cabinet is no longer an option to us, and so we must find another way to enter the campus—"

"I can find a way!" Pettigrew insisted. "All I have to do is turn into the rat…they'll never know the difference between me and the ordinary rats…"

"You have already failed me," Voldemort informed Pettigrew. "If I were you…" He drew his wand. "I would not speak."

"I'll get us in that castle," Bellatrix volunteered. "If I have to force my way in, I'll find—"

"There is no need, Bellatrix," Voldemort replied.

"Oh," Bellatrix snapped, "and I suppose your little pet SQUIRREL has a brilliant plan all written up?"

Ignoring the blatant insult toward Quirrell, Voldemort simply said, "No. In fact, we owe our strategy to Bartemius."

"Crouch Junior?" Bellatrix cried in disbelief.

All eyes turned toward the young, slender, and brunette man with the deep brown eyes and the hungry smile. "I suppose you're all wondering," Crouch said smugly. "I've got it. Down to the last detail."

"And what is it you propose?" Horvath inquired.

"You know why we used the Vanishing Cabinet," Crouch began. "No Portkeys. Why not just use a Portkey, the way I did to get Harry Potter from the grounds all the way down to Little Hangleton? Simple, you think. Because of the inconvenience. Because the most you could have would be…perhaps…five, touching a Portkey, unless it was something large, some sort of furniture. But even then, that's not the difficult part. Because any of you who've ever made a Portkey know. It isn't as simple as pointing your wand at it, saying 'Portus,' and giving it a destination. The destination has to be cleared. Linked up. Someone would have to be there first. Attach the Portkey to the place, and send it to the wizards who needed to be there. Something we didn't trust young Draco with, and, as we now know, for good reason." He scowled. "He's going to be the first one I kill. You should know by now…there's nothing I hate more than a Death Eater who walked free. When the rest of us, when I suffered—"

"DON'T change the subject!" Bellatrix snapped.

"Portkeys," Crouch growled in response. "If there were many, each linked up to a different part of the castle, we could send groups. Corner them from all sides. Appear from nowhere. But who's going to link them up, and how?"

"I'm guessing you," Horvath replied.

Crouch's mouth broke into a wide smile. "It was there, staring me in the face. I had done it once before. I simply need to do it again. As someone less seen in the public eye, this time…there is a student in the basement of this house. Left on her own to go to King's Cross and get back to Hogwarts after vacation. That's where her family thinks she is…and that's where McGonagall is going to think she is. I've already brewed the Polyjuice Potion. All I needed was a hair, a fingernail…and now I've got enough of that to last me a whole semester. And don't even THINK of touching her while I'm away. I need her alive and well in order to keep my supply of potion…and if you sabotage my plan, Pettigrew, you sabotage the entire invasion, and you're only hurting yourself."

Pettigrew shifted uncomfortably, trying his hardest to pretend he hadn't been thinking exactly that.

"I can get on the grounds as her," Crouch concluded. "And I can make Portkeys…Portkeys for every corner of the castle. I've written a plan. You'll follow it. Who's going to use which Portkey and enter which room when the invasion begins."

Medusa's grin was almost as big as Crouch's. "You've thought out quite a complex plan. I must say I'm impressed."

"He hasn't thought out everything," Bellatrix grumbled. "Like that voice of his."

"I'm sorry my essay was late, Professor Flitwick," Crouch said suddenly, mimicking the voice of a preadolescent female so well that Bellatrix flinched, then underwent a chill.

"I trust you not to fail, Bartemius," Voldemort told Crouch.

Crouch nodded in understanding. "In the very unlikely event that I do…you can punish me however you see fit."

* * *

The cellars of Riddle House were expansive and dank. Crouch was the only one to have fully explored them and used them to their fullest. It was in a back room that he kept his prizes. In the center of the room, a cauldron bubbled, filled to the brim with the infamous Polyjuice Potion. In the corner, the girl, Veronica Aardman—the first-year who had been sorted into Hufflepuff at the very beginning of the line—was tied up and gagged. She struggled weakly. She hadn't been able to break her bonds earlier, and she wouldn't from then on.

Crouch plucked from her one long, dark brown hair. He lowered it almost reverently into the cauldron. "You see this?" he told Veronica. "This is your insurance policy. So long as you can keep giving me this, you stay safe. Compared to the rest of your friends, you're going to get off easy."

The liquid in the cauldron turned a bright, almost neon shade of green. "Just one hair at a time," Crouch emphasized. "Nothing more."

Veronica tried once more to scream through her gag.

"Even if that worked," Crouch reminded her, "no one here particularly cares."

He drew from his pocket a large bag of chocolates he'd taken from her uniform pocket. Apparently, it seemed, the girl had a sweet tooth. This was going to work out for Crouch excellently. He dangled the bag in front of her eyes. "Too many sweets are bad for you," he teased. "Bad habit."

He dipped each chocolate, one by one, into the cauldron, letting them soak up the potion. Then he replaced them in the bag…the bag that was identical to the hundred other bags in the corner of the room opposite Veronica, each one filled with similar chocolates.

Then he bit into one of the chocolates. After he'd eaten three, the transformation began. Veronica watched as he contorted in pain at first, then shrank and shifted, losing the familiar shape of the tall, lanky man and settling into the form of the small, slight, pale girl with the long brown hair that passed her shoulders. This Veronica, the false Veronica, grinned madly at the true one. "Convincing?" he asked her in his best imitation of her voice.

Veronica was terrified. She had been afraid before, afraid for her life, when Crouch had apprehended her, when he'd brought her to Riddle House, when he'd spoken of the rise of villains she'd thought long dead. However, looking into her own eyes when they didn't belong to her, beholding her own body when it wasn't on her, hearing her own voice come from lips that looked like hers but weren't hers…that inspired in her a whole new sort of fear, a fear of the unnatural.

"Hey," Alex said to announce her arrival in the room, followed closely by Trixie. "You wanted us to—whoa, NICE." She began laughing at the sight of Crouch, who was at that moment shorter and frailer-looking than her. "That looks legit."

"Thank you," Crouch said, still in Veronica's voice, trying to keep it up, make it a habit. He gave a slight, teasing curtsy. "Now, if you could do me a favor while I'm gone. I get the feeling I can trust you two with this at least." He pointed to the real Veronica, who was stunned into stillness. "Feed her, keep her vitals up, keep her alive. When the potion runs out of time, put more of her hair in. One at a time. Get it in the chocolates in the bags. I'll show you how. Then keep sending them to me through the owl post. Little gifts from aunt Alex and aunt Trixie."

"This plan's so crazy, it might actually work," Alex complimented.

"Trixie will not fail you!" Trixie vowed.

"Good," Crouch answered. "Because if you fail me, you fail the Dark Lord, and I think we all know what that means."

"If Trixie fails you," Trixie emphasized, "Trixie fails Trixie. It shall not happen!"

"Then let's get ready," Crouch said. "There's a lot to do before Veronica can go back to school."

* * *

THE RAILWAYS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, FOURTH EARTH

"I guess I can't quite believe it, still."

As Harry made that announcement, his eyes were fixed on the window, watching the countryside roll past, rather than on his five car-mates—Ron, Neville, Hermione, Luna, and, most importantly to him, Ginny.

"What can't you believe?" Neville asked.

"The fact that just when we think we're done with school, we get roped right back in," Ron joked.

"In a way," Harry clarified. "For seven years, Hogwarts was home. After all that happened…I finally had to realize that I'd grown up. That I couldn't live in a school of magic forever. I had to leave that to the new students, so they could have what I had. But now I'm going back. Not as a student, as an adult." He paused. "I wonder what they want us to do, exactly."

"Wasn't it obvious from the letter?" Hermione asked. "Form Dumbledore's Army again."

"But how?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure they'll explain everything once we get there," Hermione reassured. "They'll have to introduce us at the dinner. And won't that be a surprise. First they get Malfoy back, then all of us."

"I still can't believe that sniveling git found his way back into this," Ron grumbled. "Are we going to have to put up with him?"

"We could probably tell him to bugger off if we wanted," Ginny pointed out. "But apparently, the war changed him. Somehow. I think the point when he became actually tolerable was when Rarity knocked some sense into him."

"You keep mentioning those names as well," Harry pointed out. "Rarity. Twilight. Rainbow Dash." He'd been told that there were six very unconventional first-years; he'd been told of their physical build and of their true origin. "From what you've said…we're probably lucky. If they join the Army, they'd probably have a lot of knowledge to share."

"I'm not sure they're all they're made out to be," Ron muttered, "if they're the kind to hang around a Malfoy…"

"Well, it's not a question that you'll meet them," Luna reminded everyone onboard.

"I'm still worried about…well, the obvious," Neville chimed in. "It hasn't left my mind since we first got the letter. Death Eaters. Voldemort!"

"It has to be just a group of fanatic followers," Harry insisted. "Even so, they're still a threat."

"Despite the fact that Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack have testified to having seen the terrors of other worlds return from the dead," Hermione pointed out.

"Which is still a crazy story," Ron interrupted, "and one I wouldn't believe if it had come from anyone but you. So you know, Hermione, I'd believe you if you said that Merlin had dug his way out of the grave just to he could tap-dance naked on the Astronomy tower."

"Even with that in mind," Harry continued, "it's a bit of a leap to assume that this is the same case. It could be Voldemort. But it could be someone else."

"I vote we assume the best," Ginny said, "and prepare for the worst. Anyway, I'll admit I'm a little glad McGonagall asked you to come back. I know, we all wish the circumstances were different, but this way, I've got you back with me where you belong."

That took Harry's eyes off the scenery. He turned to face Ginny directly, returning the bright smile she gave him. "Guess I can't argue with that," he said, "now, can I?"

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The train arrived. Students disembarked, returning to the grounds, readying themselves for a new semester. They brought with them their familiars, their trunks, their bags, their attitudes.

It wasn't clear whether or not this pleased Argus Filch. On one hand, he appeared frustrated with all the policing he'd have to do, now that the grounds were busy again. On the other, he seemed to take a sadistic pleasure out of finding complaints right away. He found one immediately in two Slytherins trying to return to their common room.

"You two know the rules, and you've been breaking them for an entire semester," he chided the two girls. "You came back with those same disgusting colors in your hair. I should have known you two would be thorns in my sides…I can tell your kind. Troublemakers. All the same."

"Whoa," Stevie interrupted. "You did not just compare me to HER."

"Fuck off!" Ebony added. "I'm not like that prep bitch!"

"You can label yourselves whatever you like," Filch growled, "but if YOU don't take that yellow out of your hair—" he referred to Stevie "—and if YOU don't get rid of that horrendous red—" Ebony this time "—within a week, it's ten points each from Slytherin. Forty points if two weeks pass…and after three weeks, I deduct a hundred points each and scrub those colors out of your hair myself until you learn the proper dress code. You would also do well, Miss Way, to remove those boots you're trying to hide under your uniform."

"Not fair!" Ebony whined. "Why does that prep Rarity get to have purple hair?"

"Because while I don't know what that girl's story is," Filch growled, "I know one thing for sure just by looking. That color's natural. It shouldn't be, but it is. Now do as you're told, and don't let me see you breaking code again!"

As Filch stormed off, Stevie pondered what had been said. "How do you think you get born with purple hair?" she asked.

"Who the fuck cares?" Ebony whined. "Mr. Norris just wants me to have ugly prep hair!"

"His name's Filch, and you have got to let this preps versus goths thing go. Are you seriously that shallow that you're just going to keep your red because if you don't, it makes you less gothic? I'm keeping my yellow because I want the rest of the school to know that I don't care what Filch thinks."

"Don't even talk to me, bitch."

"Fine by me, Enoby."

"Ebony! STEVIE!"

Flora Carrow ran up to the first-years, nearly out of breath. "Have you heard?" she panted. "Have you heard who's back?"

"What do you mean, who's back?" Stevie asked.

"It's them!" Flora gushed. "The whole school knows! Harry Potter's back at Hogwarts! And he's brought Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom!"

* * *

The six Equestrians didn't know at first when they gathered for the return to term feast. At first, all Twilight noticed was that Luna was missing, and she worried for her. Rainbow Dash and Applejack noted the absence of Ginny and Hermione, and they just assumed the two were doing important things elsewhere.

At the Slytherin table, however, gossip buzzed. Hestia and Flora explained to Stevie and Rarity the situation they'd heard.

"Apparently, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom are back on the grounds. This is obviously in response to whatever had the Malfoys scared."

"There isn't any 'apparently' about it, Hestia. I saw them."

"They were three of the biggest heroes during the war against Voldemort. Now, Flora and I were never close to any of them because of…family issues. However—"

"However, this means we're hosting three of the biggest celebrities in the wizarding world. And not just ordinary celebrities like Celestina Warbeck or the Weird Sisters. These are people we owe our lives and freedoms too."

"Sounds wicked," Stevie said with a grin.

"I'm quite intrigued by all this!" Rarity admitted.

"Intrigued by what?" Draco asked. The three Malfoys had been seated at the far end of the Slytherin table, not making contact with anyone else, but Draco was unable to resist his curiosity toward whatever had Flora, Hestia, Stevie, and Rarity so interested.

"Harry Potter has returned," Flora informed him. "And he's brought Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom."

"POTTER?" Draco spat.

"I'm guessing another old enemy," Rarity sighed.

"They didn't need to drag him into this," Draco growled. "He'll be getting a big head before long."

"From what I hear, you would know," Stevie remarked.

"Stevie!" Rarity and Flora barked.

"I wouldn't be so critical," Hestia scolded Draco. "From what I know, he's here because you're here. Because someone threatened you. They're all here for your sake."

"I don't want their pity," Draco asserted.

"And I'm sure you're not going to get it," Hestia replied coldly.

"I know no one asked me," Rarity pointed out, "but if anypony WERE to ask me, I might remind everypony present that with the Death Eaters on the loose, there probably isn't much time to spare fighting. We have to put our hooves together and—"

"Then I'll play nice," Draco growled, "but don't expect me to become friends with them."

"Must you really be such a drama queen?" Rarity sighed.

"Was her saying that as ironic as I think it was?" Stevie whispered to Flora.

The news had reached the Hufflepuff table. Despite never meeting Harry, Ron, or Neville before, Pinkie Pie was excited beyond measure. "THIS IS SO AWESOME!" she cried, squeezing Fluttershy tightly. She turned to her right, shaking the student who sat there by the shoulders. "ARE YOU EXCITED, VERONICA?"

"Yes!" Crouch squeaked, nearly choking on the Polyjuice-soaked chocolate he had been about to swallow.

Sensing the building tension in the Great Hall, McGonagall decided to begin her announcement. "Attention!" she called out. "I'm sure you have all heard the rumors by now that Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Neville Longbottom have returned to campus. I can assure you that these rumors are, indeed, true."

This put the Hall in even more of a frenzy than before. They whispered to each other: "They're really here!" "I thought it was some kind of joke!"

"Rather than attempt to describe their return myself," McGonagall said, "I believe it best to have them make the announcement personally." She turned to Professor Sprout. "Professor Sprout—"

"Yes," Sprout said before McGonagall could finish, rising to walk down the Great Hall and open the doors, letting in a group of six. At the front, Harry, Ron, and Neville entered, and the entire Great Hall erupted into massive cheering—with the exception of the Malfoys, all three of whom stared at the returning Gryffindors with contempt and folded arms. Flattered, the three youths proceeded down the aisle, with Hermione, Luna, and Ginny behind them.

"I can't believe it!" Flora gasped. "It's really them!"

Twilight Sparkle was slightly surprised. She'd heard so much talk of the heroics of Harry Potter and his greatness. She didn't know what she'd expected, but he looked very much like a normal person. Perhaps, she thought, that was how it should be.

The group of six made it up to the staff table, where McGonagall looked at Harry meaningfully. Gathering his courage, Harry looked out over the Great Hall and spoke.

"Erm…hello," he began. "It's…it's been a while, really. Didn't actually know I'd be returning. It's quite nice, actually. This place was like a home to me, and…" He caught himself rambling. "Well, that isn't the point. The truth is—"

"The truth is that some of Voldemort's followers escaped Azkaban," Ron picked up, "and we're here to kick their arses."

"Ron," Hermione hissed.

"What?" Ron replied.

"We're not about to go down without a fight," Harry continued. "We don't know where they're going to strike, if they're going to strike at all, but there's a very good chance it will be here. If that happens…we can't let things become like they were in the past."

"We want to protect you," Neville asserted.

"But more importantly," Hermione said, "we want to help you learn to protect yourselves. You see, we have a plan."

"Maybe you heard the stories," Ginny said, "or maybe you were even here when it happened. Three years ago, we made a group that we called Dumbledore's Army after the late Headmaster."

"We used this group to teach practical Defense Against the Dark Arts and make plans for what we could do if we were threatened by Dark magic," Harry explained. "We were shut down, but in the end, we were the ones who were able to fend off the Death Eaters several times over."

"And we want to start it again," Neville announced. "With you. With whoever's interested. In the meantime, we're going to do our best to find out what's really going on and how to stop it."

"We won't let Hogwarts fall," Harry insisted. "Whoever these latent Death Eaters are, they don't know what they're really dealing with. We're going to put them down once and for all!"

A great roar of cheering erupted from the Hall. During this, Luna tugged at Harry's sleeve: "But, Harry…what if they aren't just upstart followers…"

"I still don't really believe they came back from the dead just like that," Harry whispered to her. "Besides, there were only a few reported."

"I will expect to see all six of you in my office," McGonagall told Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. "Oh, and Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, and Miss Lovegood…please tell Miss Sparkle, Miss Apple, Miss Dash, Miss Majesty, Miss Posey, and Miss Pie to join us. It is imperative."

* * *

The twelve assembled in the Headmaster's Office: Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Hermione, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.

"I thought it important that you meet," McGonagall began. "After all, you share many of the same goals."

"We've heard a lot about you," Twilight told Harry. "About how you saved this school and killed Voldemort."

"And you must be the heroes I've been hearing about," Harry replied with interest. "I've heard that you've done great things too."

"I don't know about great…" Twilight blushed.

"Of course they were great!" Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"Um, maybe we should introduce ourselves first," Fluttershy whispered.

"Good idea," Harry agreed.

After names were traded, Ron observed, "You really got in on some kind of weird technicality, didn't you?"

"It's a long story," Applejack replied.

"Actually, I told them most of it," Hermione informed.

"You've really got a magic boat that flies between worlds?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Out on the lake," Rainbow Dash confirmed. "We can show it to you later."

"So that's what we saw in the lake!" Neville realized, having seen the Starlight earlier.

"Told you it wasn't Durmstrang students," Ron muttered.

"So you want to rebuild this 'Dumbledore's Army'?" Rarity asked, changing the subject.

"It's the best idea we have until we can know more about what's happening," Harry replied. "We don't know how powerful these fringe followers are, or where they came from—"

"But we do," Twilight insisted. "These aren't 'fringe followers.' These are actually the same Death Eaters. The ones you fought. Voldemort might even be back with them!"

"That's bloody rubbish," Ron dismissed.

"No, it isn't!" Twilight growled, taking something from her pocket. "You see this? This is a confiscated, top-secret Chocolate Frog card from before the rise of Voldemort. You see the witch on it? She's actually a faerie. Her name is Maleficent, and she has more Dark power than anyone I know. I think she's bringing people back from the dead. She's already been responsible for two people coming back who shouldn't have!"

Harry took the card with interest. "I do have to admit I've never seen this before…" He turned it over. "Where did you get this?"

"From me," McGonagall answered. "And I received it from Minister Shacklebolt, who found it hidden in the Ministry."

"This whole thing about other worlds…it's real, isn't it?" Neville confirmed.

McGonagall nodded. "And Hogwarts has long been involved in their dealings."

"We can give you plenty of examples," Twilight added. "We found one hall where traveling Sages worshipped light gods, and another that was funded by Fireben—by wizards who only cast fire spells, from another dimension."

"As if we didn't have enough to bloody worry about on this planet," Ron huffed.

"And that would be why this was all covered up after the rise of Voldemort," Rarity replied. "Apparently one Dark wizard was too much to handle."

"No matter which," Harry said, "it will still be good to try and establish ways of self-defense."

"Hermione says you're an expert at Defense Against the Dark Arts," Applejack complimented.

"I don't know that I'm an expert. But I do know that I've learned what I had to learn in order to survive. I haven't exactly had a typical life, even for a wizard. That's why I learned what I learned," Harry explained.

"Well, you can sign us up for your Army!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We're behind you one hundred and twenty-seven percent!"

"There is a slight complication," McGonagall interrupted. "You will not be able to hold lessons in the Room of Requirement as you had in the past. That room is currently being occupied by Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

"Damn Malfoys!" Ron hissed. "They had to ruin this for us too, didn't they?"

"Oh, what IS all this between you and the Malfoys!" Rarity groaned. "Can't bygones just be bygones? Draco does owe you his life!"

"Are you kidding?" Ron moaned. "He owes us far more than that! Six years of being put down because my family's poor and my father actually wants to make peace with Muggles! Six years of him insulting my brothers! My sister! My mother! My father! My girlfriend! My HAIR! And that's not even getting started on that awful father of his. Lucius' work with Voldemort nearly got Ginny killed her first year!"

"But I've been talking to him," Rarity sputtered. "He's been seeing things differently—"

"And I'm a quintaped."

Rarity sighed. "Never mind it, then."

"But on the subject of you not having anywhere to practice," Rainbow Dash interrupted, "what kind of room would you be looking for, ideally?"

"Well," Harry said, "when we practiced in the Room of Requirement, we had it become a practice space. It was large enough to fit a lot of people casting a lot of spells. Vaulted ceilings included. I guess we're just looking for somewhere big enough."

"Could we borrow the Great Hall?" Neville asked McGonagall. "After all, that's where our second year Duelling Club—"

"Actually," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, "I think we've got someplace even better. You didn't happen to know about the ballroom, did you?"

"When we hosted the Yule Ball," Harry answered, "the Great Hall was turned into—"

"So you don't know," Rainbow Dash said with a grin. "Tomorrow, meet us all down by the dead-end hallway out of the front room. And prepare to be amazed!"

"In the meantime," McGonagall broke in, "I am assuming, given the circumstances, that you have no desire to stay in the Room of Requirement."

"NOT," Ron insisted, "with THEM."

"Then I will offer you the same opportunity I gave young Mister Malfoy," McGonagall continued. "There is enough room for you to stay in the dormitories of your former Houses."

"Once a Gryffindor," Hermione insisted, "always a Gryffindor."

"That would be…wonderful," Harry admitted with something like relief.

"It shall be arranged," McGonagall promised. "Miss Dash and Miss Apple can show you the way. That is, after all, their house of origin."

"So you're not all Gryffindors?" Neville asked.

"You didn't tell them?" Pinkie asked Hermione.

"It never really came up," Hermione admitted.

"Fluttershy and I are in Hufflepuff!" Pinkie said excitedly. "Twilight's really smart, so she got to be in Ravenclaw with Luna! And Rarity's a Slytherin!"

Harry, Ron, and Neville did a double take, looking at Rarity.

"Oh, what?" Rarity barked. "Is it because I'm in the so-called evil house? I'll have you know that things aren't all they seem in Slytherin!"

"It's…all right," Harry said cautiously. "I'm sure you're not…evil."

"I know a couple Slytherins who would be interested in joining your Army, in fact," Rarity pointed out.

"That'll be the day," Ron muttered.

"If you have finished conducting business," McGonagall advised, "perhaps you should move your conversation elsewhere. I have much to do, given the circumstances."

"We'll show you the password to the Common Room," Applejack suggested. "Let's go."

"I do wish you all the best of luck," McGonagall said as the twelve departed.

Outside the office, Twilight excused herself. "I have a lot of work to get ahead on for the semester," she said, "and the Gryffindor Common Room is kind of a Gryffindor thing, so I'm going to go back to Ravenclaw. It was really great meeting you, and I hope we can keep working together."

"She's got a point about Gryffindor," Rarity added. "You should probably get back to your Common Room together."

"We'll see you tomorrow!" Pinkie Pie chirped. She, Fluttershy, Twilight, Luna, and Rarity left.

On their way down the hall to the Ravenclaw dormitory, Luna asked Twilight, "Do you keep all the otherworldly Chocolate Frog cards in your pocket?"

"I switch them out depending on which ones interest me," Twilight answered. She didn't want to admit that there was one that stayed in her pocket perpetually, out of the sake of "interest," and it didn't happen to be Maleficent.

* * *

Back in the Headmaster's Office, McGonagall began yet another letter to Kingsley Shacklebolt, asking for news on the rising threat. So far, there had been nothing, no leads. She dreaded to think of what would happen if nothing surfaced, if they merely had to grasp at straws until the enemy made the first move.

* * *

"So I'll warn you," Harry said, "they'll probably make a big fuss now that we're back."

"We were kind of expecting that," Rainbow Dash replied. "You seem like a pretty big deal."

"Well, we did kill the Dark Lord," Ron bragged.

"We got lucky," Neville amended.

"Says the bloke who decapitated that snake of his!" Ron replied.

"Say, you all right?" Applejack asked Harry. "Ya seem a little…distracted."

"Well…don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to help Hogwarts out again…" Harry sighed. "But I want Twilight to be wrong. I've had more than my fair share of Voldemort. It hasn't been easy."

"I'm sorry this is happenin'," Applejack sighed. "But I promise you don't have to go through it alone. I mean, you got Ron and Hermione and Ginny and Luna, but you've got us, too. Even Rarity. I wouldn't go writin' her off for bein' in Slytherin."

"I won't," Harry promised.

"Well, that's a familiar face!" the Fat Lady of the portrait exclaimed. "Three of them, in fact! I didn't think I'd ever see you here again!"

"Nice to see you too," Harry said sincerely.

"Godric," Hermione said—the password—and the Fat Lady let the group enter.

The "big fuss" took place immediately. In the main Common Room, Gryffindors cheered to see their heroes returned back to their alma mater.

"It's them! It's really them!"

"You're going to save us, aren't you?"

"Who do you think the 'Death Eaters' are this time?"

"Can…can I have your autograph?"

"And it begins," Neville sighed.

"It begins!" Ron said happily. "Now, what did you want me to sign-?"

* * *

The sun set. The moon rose. Books closed, lights were snuffed, and students went to bed.

"I'm so excited," Pinkie Pie babbled to Fluttershy from her bed. "Are you excited? We get to show them the ballroom tomorrow and start up Dumbledore's Army again and I just know this is going to be great!"

"Me too," Fluttershy answered. "We should probably go to bed so we're not tired tomorrow."

"Oh my gosh, you're so right! Night, Fluttershy! NIGHT, EVERYONE!"

All the other first-years muttered goodnights to Pinkie Pie. Then everyone in the first-year Hufflepuff girls' dormitory closed eyes and attempted to go to sleep.

All but one.

"Muffliato," Crouch muttered, knowing the incantation would cause everyone present to experience a sort of buzzing in the ears that would drown out all noise. He set beside his bed an old-fashioned alarm clock, which he set to ring every hour, during which he would wake, take a dose of Polyjuice-infused chocolate, and recast Muffliato to make sure no one would be woken by the clock. That way, if anyone else did wake and look over at that bed, she would not suspect, as none of the Hufflepuff girls suspected at that moment, that there was anyone in that bed other than Veronica Aardman, the first year with a sweet tooth for chocolate.

* * *

Harry had spent some time reading in the Common Room after mostly everyone else had gone to bed, hoping to have some time without his excitable fanbase. He looked up when Ginny slid onto the couch next to him.

"Welcome home," she said, and the next thing they knew, they had embraced, kissing passionately, and they truly were home.

They weren't aware that nearby, in the reading alcove, Hermione and Ron were doing the same.

* * *

The next day, a Thursday, classes resumed. During most of the day, Harry, Ron, and Neville toured the school, familiarizing themselves with old landmarks until their friends were freed of classes.

"Harry Potter!" a voice called out; Harry beheld a man he'd never seen before. "Oh, you won't know me," he said. "I'm Ermond Ricksmith, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. As you can see, I'm on my free period right now."

"It's nice to meet you." Harry shook hands with Ricksmith. "You've got a pretty coveted position, that's for sure."

"Oh, don't I know it! I've heard all the stories! Don't worry—I intend to stay in this position for a long time indeed! Now, they say you're sort of an expert in the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Of course you are! You defeated the Dark Lord himself! I was wondering, well, if you wouldn't mind…would you be able to give a guest lecture or two in my class?"

"I would love to," Harry promised.

"Wonderful!" Ricksmith chirped. "Well, I shouldn't take up any more of your time. Lessons to plan and whatnot! I'll see you sometime soon!" With that, Ricksmith was off.

"The nerve of him!" Ron complained. "Neville, you and I were there just the same as Harry, and he didn't offer us one single thing!"

"Well…Harry was sort of the Chosen One," Neville reminded him.

"Like I haven't heard that a million times…"

"I don't mind being a little invisible," Neville admitted.

"I could try to swing you a lecture if you wanted," Harry told Ron.

"I don't actually want to give a guest lecture," Ron sighed. "I'm relieved to be here and not have to study anything, actually. I just want to be offered."

"You and I both know we couldn't have done any of it without you," Harry asserted. "You can forget what anyone else—"

"Well. If it isn't Mister Potter…Mister Weasley…and Mister Longbottom."

The three, upon hearing their names, turned to face the one who had addressed them; Lucius Malfoy stared them down from further down the hallway. "Aren't we the charmed ones," he practically spat.

"Get out, Malfoy," Ron threatened.

"I'm surprised the Headmistress called you in," Lucius continued. "I wouldn't have. Your time is long over. What's done is done."

"What's the matter with you?" Harry replied angrily. "We're here because you were attacked!"

"If anything," Ron added, "you should be grateful we're here. It's up to us to find out what chased you out of your overblown mansion so we can put you back in it."

"We're just trying to help," Neville said quietly.

"How noble," Lucius scoffed. "Just don't go getting the idea that because you were lucky in the past, you're suddenly the gods of this world. We're all starting to tire of you and your boasting."

"It's not boasting if we really did it," Ron argued.

"And it's not as though it was a game!" Harry insisted. "Maybe it was luck! But it didn't come easily!"

"He's probably just angry," Ron said to Harry and Neville, "that we killed his superior. Missing Voldemort already, now that you don't have him to cower behind?"

"That is ENOUGH," Lucius snapped. "Those ties are BROKEN."

"Tell that to Ginny," Ron hissed. "You know. The girl you gave Voldemort's Horcrux."

"Why did you come here?" Neville asked. "What did you want to say?"

"I came," Lucius hissed, "to tell you three to go home. Whatever is happening, we can solve it without you. You aren't wanted here."

"Make us leave," Ron challenged.

"I'm not going to stoop to that level," Lucius replied. "Just know that you are not welcome here." He turned and stalked gracefully from the hall.

"So he came all that way down just to insult us?" Ron reiterated in disbelief.

"Sort of," Harry clarified. "I think…I think he feels threatened because of what happened during the last battle. He owes a lot to us, and he only just figured out he was on the wrong side. Us being here makes him look bad by comparison."

"Don't go sympathizing with him!" Ron begged.

"Even if it's true?" Neville posed.

"Let's forget him," Harry suggested. "If we just stay on the opposite end of the school from all Malfoys…we'll be fine."

* * *

When classes let out, all twelve who had discussed the meeting down the dead-end hallway set out in that direction. Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Hermione happened to cross paths first, walking down the hall together. They came across a rather thick traffic jam of human bodies, all watching someone proceed down the hall. Assuming the crowd watched Harry, Ron, or Neville, the four walked on. However, it soon became clear that the one being watched was, in fact, Kreacher.

"Filthy little things won't stop staring at Kreacher," he muttered.

"Kreacher!" Twilight called out. "What's going on?"

"It's a house-elf," a student stated.

"We know he's a house-elf," Hermione replied.

"Kreacher is looking over this castle," Kreacher answered Twilight. "Full of many dark secrets, this castle is. Also full of filthy little humans who won't stop gossiping."

"But house-elves never come up out of the kitchens!" someone else cried.

"Enough!" Fluttershy asserted. "Can't a person like Kreacher go wherever he wants? He's part of the staff! He's free to do that! Or do you have a PROBLEM with it?"

Made nervous by Fluttershy's outburst, the crowd slowly dissipated.

"I'm really glad," Hermione gushed. "House-elves should have the right to go wherever they please. By exercising that right, you're—"

"She is irritating," Kreacher said to himself. "Yes, demeaning, really—"

"Come on, Hermione," Twilight said sternly. "Let's go to the ballroom."

"Sorry," Hermione said to Kreacher; the four moved on.

"I'm so excited!" Pinkie gushed. "I can't wait to show you the ballroom! It's so beautiful and it's going to be perfect!"

They found Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity waiting at the meeting point. "Ready to be amazed?" Pinkie asked.

"It's still a little hard to believe," Harry admitted, "that there's this secret room in Hogwarts that none of us knew about all this time."

"Well, you'd better believe it," Twilight affirmed. "Pinkie? Rarity?"

"Let's do this!" Pinkie chirped.

Everyone else moved aside to let Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity move before the blank wall. Together, the trio raised their wands, then cast the spell in synchrony: "INCENDIO!"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny stared in awe as the door formed, then opened. "Bloody hell," Ron whispered.

"Come on in!" Applejack invited as the six Equestrians moved into the ballroom.

"Well?" Twilight asked once everyone was inside. "What do you think?"

"HOW long has this been here?" Ron asked in bewilderment.

"It's…perfect," Harry admitted. "And this was kept a secret?"

"Only the centaurs remembered," Twilight confirmed. "You can see the plaque over there about Moshu and Mofa, the people who paid for it. They weren't from this world."

"So can we start making posters for Dumbledore's Army?" Pinkie asked. "Please please please please?"

"I'm all for it," Ginny answered. "This'll be perfect. We just have to let everyone know that they have to cast Incendio to get in."

"Are you sure it's going to be all right," Neville said, "to make a secret like this public knowledge?"

"With everything else that's been comin' to light recently," Applejack replied, "I don't think it's gonna be that big a deal."

* * *

That was the night that the six Equestrians went back out to the forest to meet up with Firenze, Bane, Ronan, and the others.

"They came back today," Fluttershy informed them. "Harry and Ron and Neville."

"Heroes of the wizarding world," Firenze muttered. "Yes…I'm aware. I didn't see them on campus today, but I couldn't help but hear the news."

"What did you think of them?" Twilight asked.

"They respected our boundaries," Firenze replied.

"For the most part," Bane muttered gruffly.

"That is perhaps all we can say. We did not know each other as well as one would think, even after seven years," Firenze admitted.

"We showed them the Moshu and Mofa ballroom," Applejack told Firenze. "I hope that's all right."

"It will probably be the least of the secrets that will eventually be revealed in time," Firenze replied, "according to the stars."

"That's kinda what I figured," Applejack replied.

"So are there any more secret rooms we should be finding?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"There is the Demigod Hall," Firenze said. "You will be learning the Spongify charm this year. It will open up a door in the dungeons, down the third hall past the Potions room."

"Demigod Hall," Twilight repeated. "That sounds…well, like a big deal."

"So what do the stars say tonight?" Pinkie asked.

"The same as before," Firenze replied. "What is to come from here out cannot be determined by stars. It must be determined by those involved."

"Then we'll do our best," Twilight vowed.

* * *

Chapter 38:

· The use of Barty Crouch Jr. was inspired by GAvillain. And honestly, I couldn't have done this semester if I hadn't thought over what I could do with Crouch. I know that the "I'm taking the body of someone you know and trust" is getting overused in this story, especially since Chrysalis did that with Celestia in the last chapter, but it's Barty's schtick after all.

· I described Crouch by movie descriptors instead of book descriptors because I really, really, REALLY want you to be picturing David Tennant. Because I find him attractive. And, probably, so do many of my readers. Also, if this in any way resulted in you picturing David Tennant in a schoolgirl uniform, this is a normal side effect.

· I found out that "Why didn't they use Portkeys?" is actually a fairly common question in the HP fanbase concerning Death Eaters. And Portkeys have always mystified me as a concept. I can't seriously believe that you can just do the incantation from one end of the journey. So I'm assuming you need to do something at each point, destination and beginning, to create the route. Which gives me an excuse to put Crouch in Hogwarts. Plus, it's canon that establishing an international Portkey requires the consent of the magical governments of both nations, so it's a logical leap that each nation has to do an enchantment.

· When I had Veronica Aardman be first to be Sorted at the beginning of this storylet, I had no idea she would become my Chekhov's Gunwoman.

· The hair scene was actually put in because I learned from one of my readers that British schools crack down really hard on hair color, and I wanted to be accurate. Plus it gave me a chance to reiterate how in "My Immortal," Ebony can't keep from mixing up Filch and Mrs. Norris (she calls them "Mr. Norris" and "Filth").

· Just GUESS whose card is in Twilight's pocket.

· Muffliato is such a useful spell. And also canon. The alarm clock, I just have to assume exists in some way, shape or form. They never do mention how students wake up on time.

· I'm not as good at writing canon romances as I am crackships.

· It's canon that the DADA prof after Deathly Hallows had Harry give guest lectures in his class.


	39. Dumbledore's Army

39: Dumbledore's Army

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The posters were everywhere. Almost every hall was lined with parchment declaring, JOIN DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY! MEET TONIGHT AT SEVEN IN THE DEAD-END HALL OFF THE ATRIUM! There was barely a two foot interval between each of the posters, a side effect of putting Pinkie in charge of making and posting them. Excited to take charge with the new club, she'd gone quite overboard.

The clock chimed seven, and a large throng of students had gathered before the dead end, including the six Equestrians, Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Neville. Harry was the last to appear, surveying the crowd.

"Er…hello," he greeted. "This is the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army this year. I guess we should start with showing you the practice area…"

He pushed through the crowd to the blank wall. "Incendio!"

Most of the students gasped when the fiery door revealed itself. "Well," Harry encouraged, "come on in."

He led them all inside the ballroom. Then, when all were settled, he took his place at the front of the crowd. "Most of you have probably been in this group before," he said, "from when we formed during the year that Dolores Umbridge took over the school. If you haven't, we formed so we could make sure we knew enough about Defense Against the Dark Arts to be able to protect ourselves from the forces of Voldemort. Our name comes from the last Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. If you didn't know him…well, let's just say he was one of the bravest and kindest men I ever met.

"Anyway, you've probably heard that there's some kind of threat that's connected to Voldemort somehow. Someone who attempted to kill the Malfoys. We can't be unprepared. I want to teach you everything you can know to protect yourselves. This means spells you normally wouldn't learn until later years. Spells that aren't even taught in mainstream curriculum, like how to summon a Patronus. It isn't going to be easy. But we're going to be in this together, and it's all right to have a little fun learning it, so long as you all remember that the danger is very real," Harry finished.

"He's really good at this," Applejack whispered to Pinkie Pie.

"Well, duh!" Pinkie replied. "Think about what he's done before!"

"Let's start with a roll call so we all know each other," Harry said. "Well…you probably all know who I am. And Hermione, Ron, and Neville too. Luna, why don't you start?"

"I'm Luna Lovegood," Luna said. "Resident expert on nargles and other uncommon beasts. I know how best to stay safe from them."

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny said after that. With no further explanation, she nodded towards Twilight, who picked up her cue.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight introduced. "I know, I'm not the most…traditional first-year. But I'm ready to learn all there is to know about staying safe from the Dark Arts."

"Applejack," Applejack followed up. "I might not have a full range of powers, exactly, but I've got enough."

"Rarity," Rarity said next. "I'm fairly talented at most spells, if I do say so myself…"

"Rainbow Dash. All-star Quidditch Chaser for Gryffindor!"

"Um…I'm…my name is…Flutter…shy…"

"HI! I'm Pinkie Pie! And I just can't WAIT to start learning all kinds of magic and making new friends and—"

She was interrupted by a girl who tossed her long, black, wavy hair. "I'm Romilda Vane," she said, batting her eyelashes at everyone in the room, including Harry and Ron, who shuddered involuntarily. "And I just want to say that it's an honor to be able to work with the Boy Who Lived, because there's truly no one better when it comes to combatting the Dark Arts."

"Nigel Wolpert," Nigel said sternly, standing up straight as though called to attention. "Gryffindor Prefect! And I too am honored to be able to work with Dumbledore's Army again!"

A young boy with dark tan skin, shining dark hair, a slight frame, and effeminate facial features stepped forward. "Luca Caruso," he said sternly.

After him was a girl with very dark skin and curly black hair. "I'm Alice Tolipan," she introduced.

That was the end of the faces Harry recognized from the prior Army. Next came the new recruits. "I'm Veronica Aardman," Crouch said with a bright smile, "and I just can't wait to get started!" He had been amazed to find this secret room. It was definitely worth linking up to a Portkey for the invasion.

Then came a loud clearing of the throat. "I'm Hestia Carrow. Slytherin Prefect."

Many students flinched at the name "Carrow."

"Erm…" Harry wasn't sure what to say. "Well, we've…we've never quite had Slytherins—"

"I'm aware," Hestia insisted. "I know you know what my name means, and it's the reason I wasn't beside you before. But I want to stand against the Dark forces just as much as you. Especially if they're about to threaten anyone in my house."

"You think we can trust her?" Ron hissed to Hermione. "Her mum was a Death Eater! So was her dad!"

"Ron," Hermione whispered back, "she's trying to escape from that fact. She hates Voldemort and everything he stood for."

"Wait, you've been getting all close with the Slytherins?"

"Only a few. And they aren't all like what we usually think of a Slytherin to be. Hestia is on our side, and so is her sister."

"Her…sister?"

As if Ron had spoken of the devil, the next to introduce herself was "Flora Carrow, Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. And ready to blast the Death Eaters to kingdom come."

"Well, it certainly is unusual," Harry admitted, "but the more of us stand against the new threat, the better. Flora, Hestia…" He couldn't quite believe he was saying it, but he knew he couldn't in good conscience turn anyone down for their Houses or their names, especially when they seemed to have arrived with such good intent. "Welcome."

"Oi, speaking of Slytherin," the next girl piped up, "I'm Steveny Nichols. But call me Stevie."

Harry noticed that there was one person in the room who hadn't introduced herself. "And you?" Harry asked, projecting his voice—she was hanging back against the far wall. Everyone turned to look at her, this girl who had separated herself out from the crowd.

"She's from Slytherin House," Hestia recognized. "…I think." She realized she had only a vague recollection of this girl's features, though she was sure she'd seen her in the Common Room before.

The girl, pale with short-cropped dark hair, muttered something so quietly that no one could understand her.

"Could you speak up, please?" Harry asked her.

"I said my name is Astoria Greengrass," the girl said, so softly that she was barely audible.

"Yes," Hestia muttered, "that name's one of ours…"

"And you're here to join Dumbledore's Army?" Harry inquired.

Astoria nodded without a word. The expression on her face made it quite clear that though she was quiet, she wasn't meek. She stared ahead with purpose and determination.

"Well," Harry said. "Now that we're all introduced, we should begin. Everyone should pair up and we'll practice the Disarming Charm."

The crowd awkwardly moved into groups. Former members of the group chose those who were new to face off. Harry faced Twilight. Ron faced Applejack. Romilda faced Astoria.

"This will be review for most of you," Harry said, "but it's good to start small and work our way up. The Disarming Charm is basically like this. You flick your wrist this way, and then you say, 'Expelliarmus!'—"

In a blast, Twilight's wand flew from her hand. "Nice," she complimented.

"Now, I want you all to try it," Harry said. "You won't be hurting your partner, so don't worry about that."

Twilight had retrieved her wand. "So the thing is," she explained softly, "my friends are all sort of magical, but they can each only do certain spells. Rarity can do them all. But the others…they'll be able to do some of the spells, but not all of them. It's kind of a guess as to who can do what."

"Then we'll see who can cast this one," Harry replied.

Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all lost their wands immediately, unable to make anything work. However, Applejack was easily able to outdraw and disarm Ron. "Whaddaya know!" she remarked.

After a while, everyone who could cast the spell had at least a fair grasp on it. "Are you feeling ready to move on?" Harry asked.

A resounding "Yes" answered him.

"Good," Harry said. "Now, let's try the Impediment Jinx…"

* * *

"Attention, students," Ermond Ricksmith told the class in which Twilight sat. "We have a very special guest speaker today." Twilight could see him working to contain his excitement. "Harry Potter himself is here to talk about curing werewolf bites! Mr. Potter! The floor is yours!"

Harry had been standing next to Ricksmith the whole time. Twilight knew that he probably needed no introduction but for the fact that Ricksmith wanted to do one. "Thank you, Professor," Harry replied. "The thing about werewolf bites is, there isn't really a cure for them yet. There's supposedly some big research project at St. Mungo's attempting to find one. But that's not really what I wanted to talk about today.

"The closest thing we have to a cure is the Wolfsbane Potion, which is difficult to make and has to be taken often. But it causes a werewolf to keep his human thoughts during his transformation instead of forgetting himself and hurting anyone. A lot of werewolves either take the Wolfsbane Potion often or just arrange to be away from other people during the full moon. That's the part you'll need to know for the test. More importantly…well…the reason werewolves even care is because they don't want to hurt anyone. They're people just like us who have run into REALLY bad luck. That's something you have to keep in mind with most everyone who seems dangerous. Giants, werewolves, centaurs. They're worth getting to know instead of staying afraid of.

"I know, I know…you're thinking I'm only saying all of this because of Remus Lupin. And…well, I am. Everyone hated him because he couldn't be cured. Everyone but his closest friends. But he was more than just a valuable ally against Voldemort. He was a truly great mentor, and a professor this school was lucky to have when it did. No offense, Professor Ricksmith. If you could both be here today, I'd have that. So, no, there is no cure for werewolf bites. But that doesn't matter, not really."

That was the moment when Twilight Sparkle knew for sure that she had found a solid ally in Harry Potter.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Neville added themselves to the study table in the library. At first, Ron was opposed to this.

"I'm done studying," he babbled, almost disgusted. "I don't have to do this anymore!"

"No, you don't," Hermione reassured him. "No one's going to make you read. But I still have work to do, and so do most of us. We're going to be here most of the afternoon."

"Fine," Ron sighed, driven by a desire to not be alone. "I'll stay."

"Can you believe this?" Rainbow Dash cried, looking at her textbook's passage referring to the Wiggenweld Healing Potion. "These ingredients are ridiculous! I mean, there's the normal wizard stuff, right? Horklump juice, Flobberworm mucus, Chizpurfle fangs, Billywig slime, Boom Berry juice, a stewed Mandrake, Honeywater, sloth brain mucus, Moondew drops, sloth blood, lionfish spines, powdered unicorn horn—"

Twilight and Rarity flinched.

"—wolfsbane…and MINT and ONION?" Rainbow Dash finished. "Mint. And onion."

"Mint is a highly magical herb," Hermione explained, "especially in conjunction with more effectively magical plants."

"And onions have great healing properties all on their own," Luna added. "Eating an onion a day will make you healthier."

"You're making that up," Ginny accused.

"I make sure to eat at least one daily," Luna went on. "It promotes the immune system and hair growth. And Crumple-Horned Snorckacks hate the taste of onion blood."

"Question," Rarity interrupted. "Whom among us first-years was able to master Spongify, aside from Twilight and myself?"

Fluttershy slowly raised her hand.

"Then we're ready for the next adventure," Twilight announced.

"Did you find out about another hidden room?" Ginny asked.

Twilight nodded. "Something called the Demigod Hall. I'll tell you all about it when we've looked through it." She paused. "Do you think you should come with us, this time?"

"Yes!" Ron began.

"No," Hermione replied sternly. "The centaurs trusted them with this knowledge. Until relations improve, it's best that we let those secrets remain between them, with the obvious exception of the Moshu and Mofa ballroom."

"We probably don't want to get Bane ruffled," Harry pointed out.

"But we did show you the ballroom," Pinkie Pie rebutted. "Maybe we could show you the new hall later! And maybe you could even see the Luminary Hall sometime!"

"Gaspard Shingleton!" Neville cried, looking over Fluttershy's shoulder at the History of Magic textbook she read. "The inventor of the self-stirring cauldron! He was my first Chocolate Frog card!"

"Speaking of," Hermione said, "I keep going back to thinking about that card we all saw, the one with Maleficent. For some odd reason, it reminds me of the stories about the hag Leticia Somnolens. But they only look sort of similar. Not truly similar."

Rarity had stopped listening somewhere along the way. Of course, once Harry, Ron, and Neville had joined the study table, Draco had stopped showing up. She had a clear view of him several tables away, sitting and reading and stewing. He was obviously very angry.

"Excuse me," Rarity said, getting up to leave the table. The others stared after her out of curiosity.

"Is she…" Ron began.

"Probably," Applejack confirmed. "We probably shouldn't stare."

Rarity approached Draco's table. "I see you're alone," she stated.

"Yes," Draco answered. "I am."

"You really couldn't work anything out with them?"

"No. Don't worry about me. You can just go and be with…them."

"I'm not saying I favor them," Rarity said hastily. "Well, of course, their history does seem to be a little…cleaner than yours, but I'm not going to start hating you just because of them. Believe me when I say it's entirely possible to have friends on both sides of an enormous conflict. I've seen it happen."

"You have every reason to pick them," Draco huffed.

"Can't you just trust me?"

"I suppose." He sighed. "You were the first one to speak to me."

"You know…we're all working quite hard in Dumbledore's Army to prepare to fight whoever it was that attacked your family. I was thinking that you might be a great help to us."

"And how could I possibly help?"

"The fact remains that of those currently on campus," Rarity stated, "you know more about the Dark Arts than anypony. Even Hestia and Flora weren't actually in Voldemort's circle. And if you know about the Dark Arts, it stands to reason that you know how to fight them."

There was a long pause before he said, "I'll think about it."

"I just want to make sure you're all right."

"Do NOT worry about me."

"I'll leave you alone, then," Rarity said. She turned. She noticed.

Ever since Astoria had made her presence known in Dumbledore's Army, a strange phenomenon had begun between her, Rarity, Hestia, Flora, and Stevie. The latter four had begun to notice her. She would always be as far away from humanity as possible: sitting on the floor in the corner of the Common Room, eating at the farthest end of the table (at the opposite extreme from Lucius and Narcissa), beneath the shade of a large tree on the grounds. She was nearly always either reading or writing. "It's like playing a game of Where's Wally," Flora had compared, referring to a series of puzzle-books Rarity had never known, where a distinctive character was hidden in a sea of faces. "She always goes out of the way to hide herself. But once you see her, you can't stop noticing that she's there." At that moment, Astoria was tucked away in a table in a far alcove of the library, a wall of books stacked up before her.

"Have you ever spoken to Astoria Greengrass?" Rarity blurted.

"There was a Daphne Greengrass in my year," Draco answered, looking up from his book for the first time to meet Rarity's eyes. "We weren't close. I think I'd heard she had a sister."

"That's her," Rarity said, pointing out the far table. "She's alone much of the time. Perhaps you could try speaking to her. I don't know what she thinks of you."

"If it's all the same," Draco answered, "I know that I want to be alone, and from the looks of it, she does too."

"All right," Rarity sighed. "It was only a suggestion. I'll see you in the Common Room."

She returned to the study table, where a heated discussion was taking place as to whether or not self-stirring cauldrons sacrificed quality in the name of efficiency. In the words of Ron Weasley, "It's like living with Percy all over again, talking about cauldron bottom thickness…"

* * *

Stevie slipped into the Slytherin Common Room, looking guiltily back over her shoulder. After a while, she approached the table where Hestia was writing an essay on a parchment roll. "Oi."

"Hello, Stevie," Hestia replied, looking up. "Did you need something?"

"Well, I—what are you looking at?"

Hestia stopped surveying the room. "Sorry. I just have to actually check now to make sure she's not actually around. I never noticed before."

"Who, Stori?"

"Did you even really think about her before the first Dumbledore's Army meeting?"

"I didn't know she existed until then."

"In any case, I apologize. What did you want to say?"

"Well..." Stevie shrugged uncomfortably. "So, I'm kind of a forget-the-rules kinda girl. Filch can go fly a kite. Most days. He wants me to get rid of the color in my hair."

"You've been breaking the rules since day one, Stevie. Frankly, I haven't said anything because Ebony makes you look good," Hestia sighed.

"Well, I was going to keep it in just to get him angry, you know?" Stevie rushed. "But he's been taking points off the House. And I'm also the kind of girl that likes to win things." She sighed heavily. "So I noticed we were in the lead. And if I don't get this washed out by tomorrow, we're going to lose the lead. What's the spell for getting rid of it?"

Hestia grinned. "Tell you what. I'll show you how to transfigure your hair so it looks natural when you want it and not when you don't. Be very careful around Filch, and you can have it both ways."

"Why do you care?"

"Because you just admitted to me that you're part of the Slytherin team. So am I. I look out for my own."

* * *

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy stood before the dungeon wall as Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack hung back.

"I don't like this," Applejack admitted. "This is pretty far down under the castle, and creepy to boot."

"It'll be fine," Rainbow assured. "What are you even so scared of? Monsters? We can take monsters."

"It ain't that I'm scared of anything in particular," Applejack replied. "It just don't feel right."

"Well, it is a dungeon," Pinkie pointed out.

"Ready to see what's down here?" Twilight asked.

"Y-y-yes," Fluttershy squeaked.

"Are you afraid?" Rarity inquired.

"N-no," Fluttershy attempted. "Well, maybe a little, but it's like Pinkie Pie said. It is a dungeon."

"There's nothing on the other side of this wall we can't handle," Twilight resolved. "Cast on three?"

"Okay," Fluttershy agreed.

"One," Twilight said, "two…three."

She, Fluttershy, and Rarity pointed their wands at the wall, calling out, "SPONGIFY!"

The wall rippled. Rarity touched it to find that the bricks felt like very stretchy rubber, the mortar lines providing a seam down the wall; Rarity stretched the bricks aside like a curtain and stepped through to the other side of the wall. One by one, her friends followed.

They found themselves at the top of a spiral staircase that plunged downward into darkness, stone alcoves appearing at intervals.

"Okay, now I'll admit this is getting creepy," Rainbow Dash stated.

"Reminds me too much of King Sombra's old palace," Twilight added with distaste. "Too many stairs."

"I still don't believe he could have possibly liked stairs enough to build that many staircases," Rarity replied.

"Oh. He did."

"Well, let's see what's in here," Applejack suggested. They set out for the first stone alcove.

Inside it, there was a shelf somewhat like a small altar. Upon that altar rested an iron bow. A bronze plaque on the front proclaimed it to be THE BOW OF BASHA, RETRIEVED IN THE NAME OF CHIRON BY MIRANDA SILVER.

"So this is like a museum?" Rainbow Dash wondered out loud.

A male voice was heard echoing somewhere nearby: "This is quite a surprise. I don't normally see the living down here."

"Who said that?" Twilight called out.

In answer to her call, a pearly white ghost, resembling a man of average build and wearing medieval dress, phased through the wall of the alcove and into view. The six were taken by surprise. They'd seen ghosts here and there in the castle, so they knew of their presence, but none had ever interacted with them. In truth, it was his sudden appearance more than his ghostly status that startled them.

"I come here often to gather my thoughts," the ghost said. "I did not think any of the living knew the way to enter. Then again, I did not think that centaurs would be accepted as students…and it is more appropriate that centaurs should be the ones to find this place."

"Why's that?" Applejack asked.

"Because," the ghost said, "this is the Demigod Hall. When Hogwarts accepted demigod students from the Olympic territory, they would have meetings here, assign quests, display spoils of war. More centaurs were part of the staff, then. Chiron himself, even. After Voldemort, though, they all returned to the Olympic territory, and one can only presume they built their own training ground. This very bow belonged to one of the most ancient centaur warriors. A complete tyrant, of course. That was why it was important for it to be reclaimed in the name of Chiron."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, "but I don't know who Chiron is. I feel like I should."

"A great trainer of demigod heroes," the ghost said wistfully. "An immortal. One of the most noble beings I've ever met, though I suppose you get that way after living long enough to learn how to be mature…they say he was more pompous in his younger years." He paused. "I can't help but think that I've seen you somewhere before."

"Maybe you saw us in an earlier timeline," Twilight suggested. "We did travel to the past of this world. Or we're going to. Apparently."

"No," the ghost mused, "I don't think we ever spoke. I've just SEEN you somewhere."

"Well, we wouldn't have talked then if you'd told us now we never spoke," Twilight insisted. "I don't want a temporal paradox on my hooves!"

"We don't actually even know who you are!" Pinkie Pie pointed out. "What's your name anyway?"

"Oh, my apologies," the ghost said. "I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, though most know me better as Nearly Headless Nick."

"NEARLY Headless?" Rainbow Dash replied.

Nick sighed. "Everyone always asks." He tapped one side of his head; it very nearly fell off his neck, remaining attached by one sinew.

Fluttershy screamed and hustled to hide behind her friends. Rarity let out a cry of "Eeeewww!" Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie all did double-takes. Rainbow Dash stepped forward to get a better look; "Cooooool!"

"How does that even happen?" Twilight asked.

"Forty-five strokes with an improperly sharpened axe," Nick explained.

"I'm sorry," Twilight replied.

"One gets used to it," Nick said, putting his head back in place so he could properly shrug. "Who, then, are you?"

The six gave introductions as per usual. Nick listened intently.

"Ring any bells?" Applejack asked him.

"Not yet," Nick admitted. "I'm still not sure where I've seen you before. It may just remain a mystery."

"So how long have you used this place?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Ever since I began haunting the castle," Nick explained. "It was already here then. The artifacts get older the further down the stairs you go. That's what they are now: artifacts. No demigods have attended the school or encountered a quest related to it for years."

"Can we take a look around?" Twilight inquired.

"By all means," Nick said, beginning to float down the stairs. The others followed him. "It really is a lovely place to be alone and think. About how things would have been different if only the axe had been sharper. I do hope for all of your sakes that should you ever be beheaded, that it be a proper job."

"Uh…thanks?" Applejack replied.

They walked past alcoves showcasing weapons, trophies, even what looked like animal body parts such as claws. "All of them collected in quests," Nick reminisced. "Though nowadays, there's more than enough excitement to make up for the questing of old days. Wizarding wars and all."

"We're actually hoping another war doesn't happen!" Pinkie clarified. "And it might turn into kind of a quest!"

"It looks like something big is coming, all right," Rarity added. "No matter what."

They passed another alcove, this time with a large decorated clay vase. "That looks interesting," Twilight pointed out.

"Rather blandly colored," Rarity added.

"The pottery is how stories were depicted when there was no spoil to bring back," Nick mentioned. "In fact…now I remember! Yes! Come with me." He sped up his floating down the stairs. The others followed.

"So there was a time when there were more centaurs and humans getting along?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Before He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Nick answered. "With him came a resurgence of everything Salazar Slytherin had ever said about pure-bloods. Gods aren't wizards. Some of the demigods we taught here were half wizard, half god, and even that isn't good enough for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The others were half god, half Muggle."

"Why were they accepted?" Pinkie asked.

"Because they too needed to learn about magic and the mystical," Nick pointed out. "After all, they were children of the gods. Yes, things were different…and then He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named spread ideas to drive out those who weren't of wizarding kind. The Ministry didn't help, sending back interdimensional travelers. Needless to say, centaurs were expelled en masse. Chiron was forced to flee. A tragic day. But I have seen many tragic days. It's all part of being a Hogwarts ghost! There are good days, too, of course. Yule Balls are nearly always entertaining."

Down and down and down they went. "These would be from the ancient days, when the Olympic territory was in the Greece of that world," Nick explained. "You were obviously not joking about being able to travel to the past."

"Why do I not like where this is going?" Applejack asked.

"Here we are!" Nick stopped before a certain alcove. "This is the one."

Twilight entered first. The alcove held a vase on a pillar. The plaque below it read THOSE WHO COMBATTED CHAOS—NAMES UNKNOWN. Twilight looked at the vase itself. "OH MY GOSH!"

"What, what?" Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity struggled to see over her shoulders. They could not, at first, believe what they saw.

The vase was decorated with an etching of six Kentaurides that were obviously them. The hair was a dead giveaway—Pinkie's curls, Rarity's coif, and Applejack's ponytail remained constant. Their flanks were bare, not covered by robes—instead, they all seemed to be clothed in garments that only covered their torsos and then draped down their fronts—and on each, a familiar Cutie Mark was delicately etched: triple apples, a six-pointed star surrounded by spangles, triple butterflies.

"That's definitely us," Twilight confirmed.

"We're heroes of the ancient times of this Olympic world!" Rainbow Dash cried with glee.

"I'm hopin'," Applejack replied. "They say we fought chaos. They don't say we saved anything."

"Who are 'they' anyway?" Pinkie mused.

"Obviously the historians of the Olympic territory," Twilight replied. "Hang on…I've heard about this before! Olympic Greece! It's linked up right next to the Seven Deserts through a portal!" She turned to Nick. "But…something happened so it wasn't 'Olympic Greece' anymore?"

"You were the one who mentioned temporal paradoxes," Nick pointed out. "It's perhaps better if you don't know—"

"It's not like we had anything to do with the change," Twilight argued.

"It shifted nations," Nick explained. "First it was Greece, then Rome…it went all over the world. The last I'd heard, the gods were settling down in America, making an Olympic America. But that was before He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"No one calls him that anymore," Rainbow Dash berated. "Just say Voldemort!"

"Old habits die hard," Nick answered. "Much like me."

"I wish we could know more," Twilight sighed, looking at the vase longingly, "but I guess we can't until we actually get there. I think we've seen enough."

"I wouldn't mind getting out of the dungeon," Fluttershy whispered.

"Let's go back up," Applejack suggested.

They moved up the stairs again. "Thanks for the tour, Nick," Applejack said at the top before the wall that would give way to let them back into the main dungeon hall.

"It was no trouble," Nick replied. "I do hope to see you around again, and not as a mere etching on a vase. And do keep earning points for Gryffindor. It would be nice to pick up our winning streak."

"I hate to inform you," Rarity said, "but Slytherin is in the lead."

"Hmph!" Nick folded his arms. "So it's back to THOSE dark days, is it?"

"Hey," Rainbow Dash complained. "If Slytherin wins, I'm just gonna be happy for Rarity here. And for Hestia and Flora and Stevie. I mean, yeah, I wanna win the Cup for Gryffindor, but does it really matter all that much?"

"It just routinely pleases me to see it proven that Salazar wasn't always right," Nick admitted.

"Believe me," Rarity replied, "Slytherins nowadays aren't all keen on Salazar."

"I think we've had enough fun for today," Twilight said nervously, not wanting a fight to break out. "Come on. Let's go. We'll see you around, Nick."

Then it was back through the wall and out into the hallway.

"Centaurs," Nick repeated to himself, shaking his head—gently, so it wouldn't topple. "Days are changing."

* * *

Harry led the majority of Dumbledore's Army into the ballroom for the next practice session, only to find that one member was already there. "Oh…hello, Veronica."

Crouch's tongue flicked at his lips nervously. He clutched closely the book he'd been linking to the room as a Portkey. "Hello, Harry," he said cheerfully in his girlish squeal. "I'm really excited for today!" He slipped the book discreetly into his bag next to the chocolates.

The regular members of the Army filed in, lining up. "Today, I want to teach you one of the most important spells when it comes to the Dark Arts," Harry began. "We've been focusing on combat spells and what to do when you're facing off against other wizards, but there are also creatures that can harm you. Like Dementors. Dementors can suck out your soul if you don't know how to defend yourself against them. They eat emotions, and try to make you forget your happiness. There's only one real way to defend yourself against them, and that's with a Patronus Charm. That's a spell that makes you…a protector, sort of. Made out of your happiest memories."

"Would you say it's kind of like a spell made of what's in your heart?" Twilight asked, thinking back to the statement that Echthroi were only defeatable by weapons of the heart.

"That's exactly what I'd say," Harry clarified. "A Patronus is one of the more difficult spells to master. A lot of you, I've already seen do it, so you're just going to get to review it. But if you've never done it before, what you have to do is think of something that makes you happy, one of your best memories of your entire life, and focus on it. Then you flick your wand—like this—and say, 'Expecto Patronum.' You can all go ahead and try it."

With that, the room was filled with cries of, "Expecto Patronum! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" For many, silver mist burst from the end of each wand and formed into the figure of an animal. Hermione was able to produce an otter, and Ron a Jack Russell terrier. For those who had never done the spell, it was more complicated. Hestia, Flora, Astoria, and Stevie were each able to produce only a burst of silver mist; Stevie and Flora knocked on their wands to see if that would help. Crouch, in keeping with the charade, purposely cast a half-baked puff of silver mist instead of a true Patronus.

Interestingly, each of the six Equestrians was able to produce silver mist. Twilight considered this. The Patronus seemed to be something associated with one's inner self. While her friends each had a different magical leaning, lending to their different spell sets, they each had the protective desire and happy memories that made up a Patronus.

Twilight focused on her own casting. She tried to think of happy things. She thought of the first time she stood before Nightmare Moon, when she realized that each of her friends was a true friend…thinking back on how Applejack had earned her trust by not letting her fall to her death, how Fluttershy had proven her kindness to the manticore, how Rarity had sacrificed her own tail so that they could cross the river, how Pinkie Pie had taught Twilight how to laugh at frightening things, how Rainbow Dash was given the chance to leave Twilight and the others for fame and glory but chose not to. When Twilight recalled all this before Nightmare Moon, the spark had awakened in her, the spark that singled her out as the Element of Magic and denoted the Elements of her friends. That was when Twilight knew not only that she would prevail over Nightmare Moon, but far more importantly, that she had entered into six bonds that would be difficult to break.

"Expecto…PATRONUM!"

The silver mist from Twilight's wand burst into a winged form, settling down as a Great Horned Owl, much bigger than Owlowiscious, that perched upon Twilight's shoulder. Twilight held her head high proudly.

"Whoa," Ron remarked.

"That's it!" Harry cried.

"It's gorgeous!" Rarity gushed.

"Really beautiful," Fluttershy added.

After a while more of practice, more Patronuses were produced. Fluttershy was able to summon a giant silvery Luna moth, bigger than her face. She stroked it as she would any other animal. Rarity's Patronus was a peacock with a great fan tail. Pinkie Pie, ever the master of happy thoughts, formed an octopus that scrambled across the floor with its many tentacles.

In the very back of the room, Astoria calmly cast burst after burst of silver mist. All at once, one of her attempts blossomed into a giant spider, tall as her waist. She didn't seem surprised by this at all—in fact, her expression didn't change one bit. However, once the acromantula began to crawl around the room, Ron yelped and jumped about three feet in the air before grabbing onto Hermione and hugging her tightly, Ginny brandished her wand at it, Rarity shrieked, Pinkie employed her "laugh at what scares you" technique, Stevie bit back a swear word, and even Crouch did a double take. Astoria's expression remained unchanged; she watched her creation blankly.

"All right," Harry said quickly, "I think that's enough of the Patronus spell for one day. You can dismiss them."

A great sigh of relief was audible when the Patronuses, including Astoria's acromantula, disappeared.

"Now," Harry said, "let's move on to…to…"

He halted. Something behind the crowd had caught his attention. Everyone turned. To their surprise, none other than Draco Malfoy stood at the other end of the room, having just come through the door of fire.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry snapped.

"You're teaching them everything about protection," Draco answered. "But are you teaching them exactly what they'll be up against?"

"What do you mean?"

"I was taught the exact opposite," Draco pointed out. "The Dark Arts themselves. I know them far better than you. They'll need to know, all of them, what they're facing."

"And…you want to teach us…?" Harry couldn't quite comprehend.

"Yes," Draco replied simply.

"Why do you care?"

"They attacked my parents. They attacked me. I'm not letting that go."

"So why not just focus on that? Why care about the rest of us?"

"Do you want my help," Draco asked, "or not?"

Rarity gave Harry a meaningful pout.

"All right," Harry sighed. "What do you have to say?"

Rarity shot a bright smile toward Draco. Draco noticed, giving her a slight nod and the faintest grin.

"Do they know about the Unforgivable Curses?" Draco asked. "True followers of Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to use them. Even on students. Especially on students."

"You're right," Harry realized. He hadn't thought to talk about the Unforgivable Curses, and the first-years wouldn't have studied them. "Well…er…the floor is yours."

"There are three Unforgivable Curses," Draco said, moving up to stand by Harry. "There's the Killing Curse. Avada kedavra. They'll use it on you if they get the chance. You can't block it with Protego. So don't let them have the chance. There's the Cruciatus Curse. The torture curse. You'll survive it, but it could drive you mad. But there's also the Imperius Curse. The mind control curse. It's difficult to do, but if you really, really want to…you can resist it." Draco looked to Harry. "You can resist it, can't you, Potter?"

"It's difficult, all right," Harry emphasized. "It's like having a voice in your head that tells you everything you have to do. The trick is to ask it why and then tell it no." An idea struck him. "Malfoy. You can cast it, can't you?"

"You trust me?" Malfoy asked, taken off guard.

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "And also, if you try any funny business, Ron will probably jinx you into oblivion."

"Damn right," Ron muttered.

"You're not going to snitch on me, are you?" Draco asked. "This is illegal."

"It's in the name of learning defense," Harry reminded him. "You all swear this doesn't leave this room?"

Everyone nodded. Even Crouch knew it wouldn't be worth it. Having Malfoy thrown into Azkaban for casting an Unforgivable might lead to his death, but it would deprive Crouch himself the chance of killing yet another traitor to Voldemort.

Harry and Draco turned to face each other. Draco drew his wand; Harry made no move to do anything similar. Confused by the behavior of his rival, Draco cast his curse: "Imperio."

"I'm an arrogant git," Harry said suddenly, "who can't even tie his shoelaces. I only passed school by kissing up to the professors, and I…I…n…no…no." Harry clenched his teeth. "No. Nice try, Malfoy. Very mature."

"They weren't joking about you," Draco replied. "You really can break it."

"It's easy now," Harry admitted. "The first times…it wasn't." He turned back to the Army at large. "Would it be asking too much to…try a practical lesson?"

"You mean breaking the mind control curse?" Rainbow Dash replied. "Bring it on!"

"I wouldn't be opposed," Hestia agreed.

"I'm in favor," Hermione added.

"I'm not," Ron muttered.

"Overruled," Ginny told him. "This is important."

Crouch just slipped another chocolate into his mouth.

And so Draco Malfoy cast Imperius on the majority of the Army, testing their mental mettle. Some gave in completely—Hestia spun round and round in circles while Romilda lay still on the floor and did nothing, all at Draco's bidding. Some were able to resist slightly. Ron tripped over his own feet in the process, Rarity alternated between piling her books in a neat stack as she was told and knocking them over out of defiance, and Stevie, naturally defiant, placed her left hand on her right wrist to stop her hand from casting a spell that shot red sparks into the air.

Twilight was the only one to break it, and this was after a long struggle. "Why SHOULD I balance my Potions textbook on my head?" she cried, throwing it to the floor.

"I have to admit," Harry told Draco, "you've actually…helped."

"There's more I'd like to do," Draco answered, "but you probably wouldn't approve of it."

"Try me."

"They should learn to cast it," Draco stated simply.

"Cast an Unforgivable Curse?" Harry answered, somewhat aghast.

"Voldemort's followers don't hold back!" Draco growled. "You've been teaching them nice and polite spells like Expelliarmus, spells that won't hold up if they don't have wands that share the cores of their opponents like you did. If you want to survive against Death Eaters, you have to be able to play their game."

Harry took a moment to think about it, not realizing that the others in the room could hear everything.

"It is a good point," Luna said. "Harry, your Disarming Charm repelled Voldemort's Killing Curse because of Fawkes' feathers."

"But it just isn't right," Harry insisted.

"To use the Cruciatus or Killing Curse, maybe," Nigel Wolpert brought up. "Imperius was just banned because it made it impossible to tell who was brainwashed and who wasn't."

"But you can't just take over people's minds!" Romilda moaned. "You'd be using them like puppets!"

"Which would help us against people who want to kill us," Ginny countered. "There's no way to counter it! That's the perfect way to not let them have the chance!"

"What if we had the choice?" Rarity asked. "To learn it or not?"

"That's a good idea," Harry realized. "At the next meeting. You can learn to cast it if you think it will be a good defense. Or you can sit it out. But right now, we've come to the end of our time. You should probably keep practicing the Patronus, and we'll meet again next time."

Many filed out. Harry turned to Draco. "You know, I can't believe you."

"I'm glad you decided to come," Rarity said, approaching the two.

"I just didn't see you as the loyal type," Harry prodded.

"The fact remains that I do know more about what Death Eaters will do than anyone here," Draco reiterated.

"I…I'd appreciate it if you would come back," Harry admitted. "We need that kind of thinking here. Do you have any interest in joining Dumbledore's Army?"

"Oh, please do!" Rarity begged.

"I'll see you again in the same place next time," Draco answered. He turned to leave, but found another member of the group standing next to him, Rarity, and Harry. Astoria Greengrass, looking calm as ever, had silently made her way there.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she told Draco. "For what you're doing. I appreciate it. Learning about the Dark Arts themselves is going to be very beneficial."

Then she turned and walked away before anyone else could say anything.

Watching from some ways away, Pinkie asked, "Did you see that? D'you think she likes him?"

"Well, he is the person she's said the most actual words to," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"That's a lot to assume from one conversation," Twilight told Pinkie. "If that was even a conversation."

"Do you really think it's right?" Fluttershy asked. "Learning Dark curses?"

"I don't like it," Applejack sighed, "but Expelliarmus ain't gonna stop the killin' curse. Harry and Draco had the right idea. Everypony here should have the choice to learn it. We don't have to. We'll find other ways. After all, we got the powers Kyubey gave us."

"I agree," Twilight said. "Though it would at least be good to be there for the lesson. You know, to help the others' progress…"

"You're interested by that Imperius thing," Applejack asked, "ain't ya?"

"It's not that I ever want to use it!" Twilight said hastily. "But…as a student of magic, I don't want to just ignore it."

"We trust you," Fluttershy said. "It is your decision."

"I…don't know," Twilight admitted. "But we are at least going to watch, right?"

"We're all part of the same team now!" Rainbow Dash asserted. "Team Dumbledore's Army!"

Rarity rejoined the group, and they left the ballroom.

* * *

Chapter 39:

· I pulled as many of the original members of the DA as I could—those who hadn't graduated and I hadn't summoned back, anyway. Romilda and Nigel were in. Alice and Luca, there's some confusion over. Apparently they've been portrayed both as Muggles and wizards, but in the films, their names are clearly visible on the DA sign-up sheet, and I needed more members, so that's what I went with.

· While Astoria Greengrass is the canon Draco ship, we don't have any clue on her personality. So I had to make it up, which adds up to me basically doing a Draco xOC. And in the Potter fandom, making a Draco xOC is one of the trickiest things. I'm hoping that 'Stori turns out to be likeable or at least tolerable, because I've grown attached to how I want to portray her.

· The ingredient list for Wiggenweld is filled with everything the Potter Wiki said had ever gone into it in all its incarnations. But the onions were my own addition. Reference to "Holes," of course.

· I'm currently just making up shit so that the Mane Six are the only ones who get to tour the secret rooms this year.

· Leticia Somnolens is literally the Potterverse Maleficent (cast a sleeping spell on a princess out of spite as a deliberate Sleeping Beauty reference). I have no way to reconcile the two into one character, so I'm going to pull "parallel universe" on this one. And probably not bring up Leticia again unless plans change.

· Daphne Greengrass was canon.

· As you can guess, the Demigod Hall is sort of based on the Spongify Challenge in the Sorcerer's Stone video game, though I adjusted the architecture from there (STAAAIIIIIRRRRSSS).

· Honestly…it took me a while to figure out I'd gone this long without bringing up any of the ghosts. So you get Nick. The thing is, I remembered him being really mopey (I remembered his griping about the Headless Hunt most clearly), so I wrote him as a total emo before going over some of his scenes and realizing he's not. Jacey's bad.

· If you've read the Percy Jackson books, or even just the first one, you know what I'm implying happened in history after the demigods left Hogwarts. If you haven't, I'm leaving that in the "suspense" category.

· "Bow of Basha" might be THE most obscure reference I've pulled in this fanfic to date. Basha was an evil centaur (and not even the head evil centaur—he was the second in command, but the only one with a weapon) from "Voyage of the Basset: Islands in the Sky," one of my favorite books as a young'un. Though it's practically unheard of and has no fandom, and I only read the first three books of the series anyway because I didn't like the third one.

· Book Crouch doesn't flick his tongue. Movie Crouch was. Please please please make him David Tennant.

· I should start naming and crediting my consultants. Thanks to Ophira for helping me with the Patronuses. I knew what Twilight's and Rarity's had to be, and was going to make 'Stori's a shark and Pinkie's a seal. Ophira helped me figure out Fluttershy's as well as change Pinkie to octopus and Astoria to spider. RD and AJ will get theirs later—I thought the other four would be more adept at it for the reasons I stated (ties to magic, to animals, and to happy memories).

· I had the idea for how to get Draco to become part of the Dumbledore's Army team proper for a long time. Yes, it's a little "dark" to be bringing the Unforgivable Curses into this, but I think that would be something Draco could realistically bring to the table.

· I'm bullshitting why Crouch didn't rat him out. I know that Crouch would probably just be happy if he went to Azkaban, but a personal vendetta allows me to continue this plot development and keep Crouch on the down-low longer.

· And the Death Eaters don't do much here 'cause they're mostly waiting for Crouch to do the Portkeys.


	40. Phylacteries

40. Phylacteries

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

When Dumbledore's Army next gathered, it was to learn the group's first Unforgivable Curse.

"All right, everypony!" Pinkie Pie announced from the front of the room. "Today, you're going to get to learn how to mind-control me!"

"She seems far too excited about this," Ron muttered to Fluttershy.

"Well, she is adventurous," Fluttershy answered.

"Now, remember," Harry reminded the group. "If any of you intentionally hurt anyone else seriously with the Imperius Curse, we will have to take disciplinary measures." He wasn't sure what he could even do to punish anyone—once they knew the curse, that was a powerful thing that couldn't be untaught—but he hoped he sounded imposing enough to instill order.

"Right." Draco took his place next to Romilda Vane. "Like this. IMPERIO!"

Pinkie Pie began to walk around and around in slow circles.

Romilda carefully aimed her wand, flicking it in the proper motion. "Imperio!" She found she couldn't change Pinkie's direction. "IMPERIO!"

"It takes practice and skill," Draco informed her.

Romilda eventually gave up, letting Hestia take the next spot in line. She wasn't able to do anything either. In fact, no one was until it came around to Hermione.

"Imperio," she said. In her mind, she asked, Read out loud from page 170 of the first book in your bag.

Pinkie stopped circling, diving for her bookbag and taking out a textbook, flicking excitedly to page 170. "His intent was to revolutionize the cauldron industry at large, but reception was at first lukewarm at best!"

"I should've known," Draco said with a respectful nod. "Not bad…Granger."

The line continued to circle. The next person to be able to cast the curse properly, stopping Pinkie from reading, was Astoria Greengrass.

Pinkie dropped the book, walking slowly toward Draco and Astoria and bowing on one knee before them, where she remained, still.

"Excellent," Draco remarked.

"Thank you," Astoria said with a nod.

Harry and Luna chose not to enter the line. At first, it seemed that the other Equestrians would hold to the same choice. But when the line finished cycling, Twilight suddenly blurted, "Can I try?"

"Twilight!" Rarity cried.

"I…I honestly don't want to use it to hurt anypony," Twilight defended. "I just…I have to know."

"Then cast it," Draco told her, motioning for her to move to the front of the line.

Twilight did. She flicked her wand at Pinkie. "Imperio."

It took three casts, but eventually, Twilight was able to get Pinkie to sing what she remembered as an old favorite from Ponyville: "All you gotta do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix-!"

Twilight stepped down, unsure what to really think—if she'd done the right thing or not. However, it was done, and she knew the spell.

Draco removed the curse from Pinkie, who shook her head to clear it before saying, "Woo! Things got cuh-razy!"

"That's all I have for today," Draco announced.

"I don't have anything either," Harry added. "I guess you're dismissed."

As Pinkie rejoined her friends, Twilight asked, "Should I just have not learned it?"

"You're a unicorn!" Pinkie reminded her. "And your talent is magic! It only makes sense that you'd wanna learn all the magic you could!"

"Besides," Rarity added, "it isn't as though this is less ethical than the Want It, Need It glamour."

"You're right," Twilight admitted.

"Shhh!" Pinkie suddenly hissed. "Looklooklook!"

Astoria had approached Draco again. "I appreciate what you're doing," she said. "Teaching the Imperius Curse. It does have quite practical applications, especially in terms of defense. I know that you almost didn't come to the Army at all. But I'm glad you did. You have a lot to teach."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away, leaving Draco very confused.

"See?" Pinkie whispered. "She's obviously in love with him!"

"Where did you get that idea?" Applejack asked. "She just talked to him—"

"Oh, Applejack," Pinkie interrupted, somewhat condescendingly. "It takes a keen eye and a sharp mind to notice these things. You know how she usually just hangs back and doesn't say anything! And she doesn't seem shy. She's going out of her way to speak to him!"

"She could just wanna be his friend," Applejack pointed out.

"Maybe," Pinkie admitted. "It's going to take some investigation to figure out!"

"You're not going to meddle, are you?" Rarity asked. "Oh, why do I ask…of course we all know you're going to meddle."

"I'm just going to do some research!" Pinkie defended. "I mean, even if she just wants to be his friend, they'd be so good together and they'd finally each have somepony to talk to!"

"But what if Astoria doesn't want somepony to talk to?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I'll just have to find that out too!" Pinkie resolved.

* * *

To Pinkie Pie, nothing was more obvious in the world than the fact that Astoria Greengrass had some sort of feelings for Draco Malfoy. She took to watching Astoria, noting that mostly, the girl slipped through the hallways unseen, being as quick and quiet about it as possible, but she would always stop to give Draco a quick "Hello" if they crossed paths. Pinkie had no idea, however, if Draco returned the affections she was so sure Astoria had.

"What do you think about that Astoria Greengrass?" Pinkie asked him in the hallways, perhaps in the most suspicious tone of voice she could possibly have mustered.

"I have no clue," Draco admitted. "She's…very friendly…"

"But only to you!"

"I couldn't tell you why."

"But what do you THINK of her?" Pinkie reiterated. "Do you think she's a friend?"

"I barely know her!" Draco spat. "All I can say is that she's been very good at the spells being taught in…Dumbledore's Army." It still took him a while to get used to saying that combination of words, especially in regards to him being part of a group with that name. "At the very least, she proves that I'm not wasting my time there."

"Would you WANT to be friends with her?"

"How should I know?"

"Hmmm…" Pinkie concluded. "I think I've got everything I need to know from you. See ya later!" She dashed away, leaving Draco to wonder what the bloody hell she'd been going on about Astoria for.

Pinkie later found Astoria reading under the shade of a tree on the edge of the grounds, out back of the Herbology greenhouses. "Hiya!" she greeted, kneeling down next to Astoria.

Astoria did a slight double take as she looked up from her book, wondering how anyone had thought to go behind the greenhouses for any reason, let alone to look for her in such an out-of-the-way place. "Hello," Astoria replied, confused.

"Oh, I'm not here for anything much," Pinkie said. "Just catchin' up with my Dumbledore's Army buddy!"

"I hadn't accused you of anything else," Astoria replied.

"Whatcha readin'?" Pinkie asked, looking at Astoria's book. She wasn't put off in the slightest by the fact that it was "Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed," or that the other two books in the stack next to Astoria were "The Dark Arts: A Legal Companion," "How to Tame Tigers," and Astoria's very own copy of "Magick Moste Evile."

"It's quite useful," Astoria explained of the hex book. "And fascinating."

"You seem like you're really good at hexes and stuff!"

"I've studied for a long time."

"So speaking of people who cast hexes," Pinkie transitioned—not very well—"what do you think about Draco Malfoy?"

"I'm glad he's sharing what he has to offer with Dumbledore's Army," Astoria replied, and at first, that was all she said.

"Yeah," Pinkie prodded, "but what do you THINK of him?"

"It's a complex issue."

"Awww, c'mon, Dumbledore's Army buddy!"

After some deliberation, Astoria said, "He's certainly one of the most interesting people in wizarding history. His motivations fascinate me. I believe he's sincere when he says he's done with the Dark Lord, and yet he still carries with him a history of Dark Arts that most others do not have."

"Do you think you'd ever be friends with him?"

"I don't know."

"He's been really lonely since he got here! Everypony hates him because of the whole Voldemort thing!" Pinkie pointed out. "He probably wouldn't be very happy I told you that he was lonely."

"I believe he has human emotions," Astoria pointed out. "He doesn't give into them often, but he has them."

"So would you ever want to be…" Pinkie paused for dramatic effect. "MORE than friends with him?"

Astoria went silent, turning back to her book.

"So is that a yes?" Pinkie asked.

Astoria gave a very slight sigh. "It's not a matter I particularly want to talk about."

"So you DO like him?"

"It's only a crush. I would like to deny it, but I'm not much of a liar."

"Why don't you hang out with him, then?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm perfectly happy on my own."

"But you always compliment him on lessons and say hi to him and you NEVER do that to ANYPONY else!"

"As I said, I perhaps have somewhat of a crush on him. He isn't unattractive, and his history fascinates me," Astoria repeated. "But it will amount to nothing."

"How do you know that if you never try to talk to him?"

"Because Malfoys don't go for Greengrasses, and that is a simple fact," Astoria stated plainly, as though she were telling Pinkie that moondew only grows at night and that is a simple fact.

"Why not?" Pinkie asked.

"The Malfoy family, Draco included, has a very pro-pure-blood view," Astoria explained calmly. "Mum was a Muggle. Some would term me a 'mudblood.' If I were ever to have a boyfriend, it would be someone more tolerant of wizarding-Muggle marriages."

"Oh…" Pinkie realized she didn't have anything to say in response to that. She wanted to give a ringing endorsement that Draco didn't think that way, not anymore, but she still wasn't quite sure. Even though he was tolerating friendships from those he would have previously shunned, it was entirely possible that he couldn't view himself dating someone who wasn't of the same heritage as himself. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry. It's only fact."

"Okay! Well, I've got stuff to do, but if you ever wanna hang out, I'm always free! See ya round, Dumbledore's Army buddy!" Pinkie got up and sprang away. Astoria shook her head and then continued reading as though nothing had happened.

* * *

As time progressed for the members of Dumbledore's Army, said members grew far more proficient. Twilight didn't cast Imperio again, but she volunteered to be a test target often. Those who chose to learn it grew proficient at it, and the group as a whole became stronger at resisting it to a degree, though no one actually graduated to being able to shrug it off entirely.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack became able to cast full-blown Patronuses, and just so happened to perfect the art on the same day. Rainbow Dash whooped in delight when her silver mist formed into a giant eagle, and Applejack couldn't hold back a smile when her own Patronus turned out to be a Golden Retriever that didn't mind when she patted it on the head.

Harry couldn't help but feel proud of the group he'd put together. They were learning. And they were becoming strong enough to fend off Dark forces.

* * *

After Kreacher had taken his time off from the kitchens to explore the castle, Winky eventually gave in to curiosity. She wandered out of the kitchen area, awed by all there was to see that she'd never seen before. Wishing to avoid stares, however, she made her way to the dungeon, where she knew there would be fewer students pointing and gaping at her because she was a house-elf.

It was there that she was nearly tripped over.

"Winky is sorry!" she squeaked.

"It's all right," the student who'd nearly run into her said.

Winky looked up. "You is…Veronica, isn't you?"

"That's my name," Crouch answered.

"What is you doing down here in the dungeons? There is no Potions class now!"

"I wanted to ask Professor Slughorn a few questions," Crouch lied, his tongue flicking.

"But you is coming from the classroom," Winky stated obliviously. "Slughorn's office is that way." She pointed.

"I guess I'm lost!" Crouch said with a shrug before turning down the way that Winky had pointed. He placed a hand in his bag, where another textbook had been linked to the Potions classroom, ready to be mailed back to Trixie and Alex for safekeeping until Voldemort activated it as a Portkey.

* * *

"Is strange, the Veronica girl is," Kreacher later told Winky. "Kreacher sees her coming out of the Transfiguration classroom after McGonagall leaves for a long time. Says she wants to ask McGonagall questions, but McGonagall is not there."

"What does it mean?" Winky asked.

"Kreacher doesn't know," Kreacher muttered, "but Kreacher doesn't like it."

* * *

"TODAY'S THE BIG DAY!"

Rainbow Dash rushed down from the Gryffindor bedchambers in full Quidditch gear. "Last game of the season!" she cried, deftly sidestepping where Crookshanks was for the hundredth time trying to scratch through Tank's shell. "If Gryffindor wins this, we get the Cup!"

"You have a fair shot," Ginny replied.

"I'm curious to see you play," Harry admitted. "Everyone says you're quite good."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "Not to brag, but I'm kinda the star of the team. Hey, you were Seeker before Ty was, right?"

"Yes. I'm curious to see him play as well."

"So come to the game!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "Gryffindor's gonna clean up! Nopony's gonna wanna miss this!"

* * *

The audience around the Quidditch pitch bustled with excitement as the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams walked out onto the field. Rainbow Dash turned to wave at all those who cheered for her.

Both teams mounted their brooms, the Quaffle was tossed, and off they went.

After Rainbow Dash scored the third goal, the Ravenclaws knew they had to keep the Quaffle away from her. So the Chasers began tossing the Quaffle up and up higher, zooming to take it as sort of a relay to get it closer to the sky and further away from Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash, of course, saw this as a challenge. She sped upwards, trying to keep up with the Quaffle as each Ravenclaw Chaser tossed it higher, then zooming upward to take a place to catch it and toss it again.

As the Chasers went higher, the Beaters realized that it wouldn't do any good to bat Bludgers around at each other on low ground, so they followed, swatting the Bludgers upward. That left only the Keepers, Ty and the Ravenclaw Seeker in the lower area of the field, near the actual goal posts. The two Seekers looked up; they had a clear view of everything, now that there was no one down low.

Ty saw it first. The Snitch had been released in such a manner that it zoomed up toward the crowd that was now about 400 feet, or over 100 meters, in the sky. He shot straight up to find it, and the Ravenclaw Seeker followed him.

"I can't believe it!" came the play-by-play announcement. "I've never seen a game get this high in the air!"

Everyone in the audience had to crane his or her head back, straining necks to watch the play.

The Ravenclaw Beaters had seen both Seekers fly up to the top level, realizing this must have meant the Snitch was there too, unless this was some extremely complex version of the Wronski Feint. It became clear to them that they had the victory if their Seeker could catch the Snitch without the Quaffle ever having to touch another goal post; they put all their energy into batting the Bludgers at Ty. Ty noticed this, swerving past each one.

In the meantime, Rainbow Dash focused on getting the Quaffle back so she could bring it down to the goal posts. The Ravenclaw Chasers had finally stopped going upward, feeling the ill effects of being up so high to begin with, and were passing the Quaffle back and forth to one another. Rainbow Dash knew that all she had to do was intercept it from one of their passes and she would have it once more in her possession.

Ty kept his focus on the Snitch, still keeping the Bludgers in mind; he outdistanced the Ravenclaw Seeker, having the little golden ball clearly within his sight. He swerved upward to avoid the first Bludger and downward to avoid the second before falling back in line behind the Snitch, stretching out his hand.

One of the Chasers made a slow pass, and Rainbow Dash caught on, sliding in so that the Quaffle landed in her hands. "GOT IT!" she cried.

"Got it," Ty muttered as he reached out for the Snitch.

The Snitch passed behind Rainbow Dash, and Ty followed it. When he passed out of the way, the Bludger smacked Rainbow Dash in the back of the neck. The Quaffle flew out of her hands, picked up by a Ravenclaw Chaser. Rainbow Dash did a full front flip, holding onto her broom tightly.

Where the Bludger had struck, the clasp to her amulet had come undone; her flip sent it flying, downward at an angle, to land somewhere on the Hogwarts grounds.

Ty's hand closed around the Snitch. Cheers erupted from the audience.

Rainbow Dash straightened up to see what had happened. "Hey!" she cried happily. "We w—"

She froze, an expression of horror upon her face. She slumped forward. Her limbs relaxed their grip on the broomstick, and she slipped off, falling toward the pitch below.

The crowd gasped as one. The other members of the Gryffindor team immediately took off after her falling body, hoping to catch her. Down in the audience, Twilight, panicking, drew her wand. Instead of using a traditional incantation, she funneled through the wand the energy she usually used to manipulate objects, pointing the wand sharply at Rainbow Dash. A bolt of pink shot from it, enveloping Rainbow Dash, slowing her down enough for the other Gryffindor players to catch hold of her and bring her gently to the ground, where they lay her down. She didn't move.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, and Neville rushed onto the field, flustered and horrified. Ginny turned to face them, pale with shock. "She's dead," she cried. "She's dead!"

"NO!" Fluttershy cried, kneeling down at the side of the prone Rainbow Dash. She felt her wrists and hooves and neck for a pulse, but in vain. She placed her hands over Rainbow Dash's face, her chest, her stomach, searching for breath, but her friend wasn't breathing. There was no sign of a heartbeat.

"How did this happen?" Hermione wailed.

"Someone must have cursed her in the sky!" Ron theorized.

"No one saw a curse, Ron!" Hermione snapped. "The Killing Curse leaves a green flash!"

"Well, she didn't die of nothing!" Ron yelled.

"Please," Fluttershy begged, "oh, please, don't be dead, please breathe—"

Twilight couldn't help but notice that Rainbow Dash's lightning-shaped amulet was missing. She remembered seeing a glitter of gold flying out of the sky up in the air, but had dismissed it, as there couldn't possibly have been two Snitches in play. That glimmer must have been the amulet detaching, which had happened almost immediately before Rainbow Dash fell.

Just like a riddle, Twilight put the pieces together. The amulet. The gem that had gone cloudy when Rainbow Dash summoned her Mahou Shoujo powers. Kyubey had altered it by taking something out of Rainbow Dash and putting it inside.

"The amulet," Twilight burst out. "We need to get it back!"

"How will THAT help?" Ron growled.

"JUST GET IT BACK!" Twilight insisted.

Harry took the initiative. "Accio lightning bolt amulet!"

Before it even arrived, Rainbow Dash took a great gasp. Fluttershy gave a cry of relief. Everyone else around was awash with the same relief. "What just happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Did we win?"

"I…guess," Ty answered, looking at the Snitch in his hand.

The amulet flew into the Quidditch pitch and into Harry's hand. "Here," he said, presenting the amulet to Twilight.

"What's going on?" Rainbow Dash asked, getting to her feet. "Okay, I can't remember anything that happened since that Bludger hit me, and—"

"Put this back on," Twilight ordered, handing over the amulet. "Now."

"Why?" Rainbow Dash asked, refastening it around her neck.

"We have to talk about this later," Twilight insisted. "Not now. But I know what happened. And it isn't good news. For any of us."

"For now," Harry suggested, "concentrate on the fact that you won."

"Yeah…" Rainbow Dash slowly realized. "YEAH! GRYFFINDOR HAS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!"

Upon hearing this and seeing that the Chaser was all right, every Gryffindor in the stands stood and cheered.

"So what happened?" Luna asked Twilight.

"We need to meet somewhere," Twilight told her. "You, me, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Oh…and Draco will probably want to know about this too. Is there anywhere we can meet and be alone? Not the ballroom and NOT the Room of Requirement."

"Most of the classrooms will be empty," Luna suggested.

"Good."

* * *

They chose a classroom on the tenth floor, where the hallway was deserted of any traffic. All were present but two.

"I still don't see why you had to bring him into this," Ron hissed.

"Because he was there when we made the contract," Twilight answered, "and he thought it would end badly for us. We can't keep it from him now that this has happened."

"Why is it such a big secret?" Rainbow Dash asked for about the thirtieth time.

"Because it's…bad," Twilight answered. "It has to do with Kyubey and the contracts we made. I don't even know if I'm right yet, but here, we can experiment. And we can tell."

Finally, Rarity and Draco arrived. "I heard," Draco informed the others, a slight note of panic invading his voice. He looked toward Rainbow Dash. "So you're…"

"Perfectly fine, I think," Rainbow Dash answered. "Though Twilight seems convinced that none of us are."

"I found the catch in Kyubey's contract," Twilight stated. "Close the door."

Rarity did so, and the thirteen were alone in the room.

"We had best not sit down," Luna brought up. "Sybil Trelawney always used to say that when thirteen sit to a table, the first to rise will be the first to die."

"Kind of ironic," Neville pointed out, "since Rainbow Dash already died."

"She didn't die," Twilight stated. "In fact…it just got a lot harder for her to really die."

"Now that the door's closed," Applejack said, "can ya just tell us what's goin' on already?"

Twilight took a deep breath. It wasn't an easy announcement to make. "When Kyubey turned us into Mahou Shoujo," she reminded her friends, "he took something out of us. Some kind of glowing aura. And he put it in our amulets. He even said he usually just makes a new gem out of whatever it was. I can't believe I didn't think harder about what that meant. It was obvious that whatever he took from us, it was something that would belong to the amulets and not our bodies. After today…I think I figured out what it was."

"And?" Rarity asked.

"It was us," Twilight stated. "Our entire soul. He took our souls out of our bodies and put them in these amulets!" She touched her own.

"Like a Horcrux," Harry breathed.

"A what now?" Applejack asked.

"When Voldemort was alive," Harry said, "he made sure he'd stay that way by taking pieces of his soul and putting them in things. Things that were special to him. He couldn't die unless those things were destroyed."

"And that's the thing," Twilight picked up. "If I'm right, the amulets became something called a phylactery. An object that holds part or all of a soul. Horcruxes are phylacteries too, if I understand that right. Our bodies can only work if we have the phylacteries near us, because they have all of our souls instead of just part. Otherwise, Rainbow Dash wouldn't have lost control when she was separated from hers. And it also means that we can't die from anything hurting our bodies…but we can if someone finds a way to destroy the amulets."

"NO!" Rarity moaned. "This…this can't be! I'm not a NECKLACE! I'm a living being!"

"I don't see what the big deal is," Applejack stated.

"How can you take this so calmly?" Harry asked her.

"You were the one who distrusted this all from the beginning!" Draco pointed out.

"Well, if Twilight's right," Applejack said, "it only makes sense. If we were gonna become super magical girls, this makes it so we can't be destroyed as easily, doesn't it? We're still who we are, no matter where our souls are. We just gotta be real careful…" She touched her own amulet. "Not to lose these."

"I think it's kinda cool!" Pinkie added. "My necklace is a pocket-sized Pinkie Pie!"

"I'm ruined," Rarity wailed, "positively ruined!"

"You're sure that's the only explanation for this?" Ginny asked Twilight.

"Well…no," Twilight admitted. "It could just be a fluke. Which is why I wanted to experiment. Everypony…take off your amulets and lay them on the desk."

Her friends did as they were told; Twilight lay hers on top. "We're going to test this," she said. "We'll go in pairs. One Equestrian with one from Fourth Earth. We walk until something happens. That way, we can test if I'm right, and if I am, we can see how far the distance is that we can get away from the amulets and still work with them. Rainbow Dash was up over one hundred meters when she lost hers, and it probably flew a good distance away from the pitch. She was fine before the amulet came all the way back, so there is a distance." She looked up at Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Hermione, and Draco. "You don't mind walking with us, right? You'd have to bring us back within radius if we, well, died, and one of you should stay here and guard the amulets to make sure no one messes with them."

"I'll do that," Harry volunteered.

"Thanks," Twilight said. "I know they're safe with you. Now, let's split up. Luna, you're with me."

"Partners?" Rarity asked Draco, who nodded.

"Let's go," Rainbow Dash told Ginny.

"Wanna come with me?" Applejack asked Hermione, who agreed.

"Come with me, Ron!" Pinkie Pie insisted, grabbing Ron by the elbow.

"I guess we're together," Neville told Fluttershy with a kind smile.

One by one, the pairs left the room. Harry stayed back, watching over the six amulets. He could hear Rarity's moaning about how this "positively ruined" her existence for quite a while.

He waited until all twelve of those who'd gone out came back. The six Kentaurides each looked somewhat dazed.

"Okay," Twilight said, "who collapsed?"

She raised her hand, as did Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash. Rarity, at that moment, burst into tears; Pinkie Pie just reiterated, "AWESOME!"

"So you really are connected to them, then," Harry confirmed. "How far did you each get?"

They all told him their locations, and Harry calculated. "It sounds to me like each of you were fine for roughly one hundred meters."

"Then let's not get one hundred meters away," Applejack stated, picking up her amulet and reattaching it.

"This had better be the only catch Kyubey wrote into that contract," Rainbow Dash huffed. "Still…the awesome sword might make up for this. MIGHT."

"I just have one question," Fluttershy said softly. "Um, if our souls are in these gems…and they get a little dimmer every time we use them for power…what happens when they get completely used up?"

For a while, no one dared answer. At last, Twilight said, "It might be better if we not think about that until we know."

* * *

Chapter 40:

· Just a reiteration of the background on "phylactery": the term comes from D&D, WoW, and Magic: The Gathering. No, I haven't played any of those; I just found the term when looking up info about liches (which is what you technically are if you keep your soul in something) on Wikipedia. I have no idea if it's a generally accepted mythological term for a soul container or if it's just used by certain works of modern media. Either way, this is a crossover fic, so it's not like it matters. It is interesting to note that Wikipedia will suggest looking at "Voldemort" or "Horcruxes" if you look up liches/phylacteries.

· Magick Moste Evile IS in the Restricted section. Which is why I went out of my way to point out that Astoria owns it. It's her copy. I may flesh this out later. I wanted it there for now so you can start getting an idea of the sort of person Astoria is…

· Harry Potter Wiki will list the Greengrasses as pure-blood simply because "it would be out of character for a Malfoy to marry below his social station." First of all, that's a huge assumption for a Wiki to make. Second, I gave Astoria a Muggle mother for a purpose. Dramione is still one of my favorite HP pairings, and one of the things I like about it is that in the right hands, it's the pairing that will get Draco to wake up and rethink his old ideals. I wanted to do a little of that with Astoria. And there ARE canon instances of Slytherins with Muggle heritage. Two of the biggest ones being, of course, Voldemort and Snape. The Hat will override Salazar's "blood purity" bit for those with enough ambition, and ambition is something I want to make Astoria all about.

· So now we come to one of the BIG REVEALS of this storylet: getting down to what the catch is behind being a Mahou Shoujo, PMMM-style. First, some explanation. In PMMM, whenever a girl signs the contract, a Soul Gem is made (and we visually see Kyubey pulling a ball of light out of her body to form the gem). This gem is what enables the transformation to Magical Girls and back. We're led to believe for the first half of the show that they're just facilitators of this, until there's a Big Reveal that they actually contain the souls of the girls in entirety. The girls all freak out over this. Kyubey passes it off as an advantage because they actually can't die unless someone breaks the gem, though breaking the gem results in instant death. And, in canon, if a Magical Girl is separated from her Soul Gem by over 100 meters, her body becomes lifeless because the soul is too far away to control it.

· There's actually a fan debate about whether that's an advantage or disadvantage. In the show, it's portrayed as an ultimate tragedy. Some fans see it that way. Some say, "So what?" And some think it actually is an advantage because of the invincibility it grants the body. I was in the "So what?" camp, and one of the big reasons I hated PMMM for a long time was because I never understood why they were making such a big deal out of something that I thought was, yes, horrible to do to someone without permission, but not something to get utterly depressed over. My reaction would have been, "Well, I'd better not fucking lose this gem." Sayaka's in canon is, "I can't confess my love to the boy I want because I'm a horrible inhuman creature because of this." Which I have NEVER understood, but okay. So I wanted to portray all the sides. Again, a benefit of having six protagonists. Rarity can go all Sayaka on it while Pinkie Pie can think it's cool.

· The thing about thirteen to a table actually does become canon in HP—of the thirteen of the Order who sit down to discuss looking for Moody's body in Deathly Hallows, Lupin is the first to stand up. Oops.


	41. Saving Your Lives, And Countless Others

41: Saving Your Lives, and Countless Others

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

After the attack on the Shrieking Shack, after he'd saved the lives of the Malfoys three, he hadn't felt safe, knowing he had to move. No place had seemed perfect enough to hide; wherever he fled, there would suddenly appear a wandering traveler, a sudden interest in the new place, that would make it unfit to hide.

It occurred to him that if anywhere was deserted, it would certainly be the childhood home of Voldemort himself. So he went there, making sure to Apparate outside the house first in case someone was inside, making some sort of report—Rita Skeeter was infamous for digging up old Voldemort memorabilia, anything that would fascinate the reading public.

It was a good thing, he realized, that he had Apparated outside and not inside. Lights were on. Dim, but lights all the same. Curious, he drew closer to the window from which such lights emitted. He crouched, staying low to the ground, under the window so that whoever was inside could not look in and see him.

"Aren't we going to launch the invasion soon?" he heard a voice say. Rowle. He recognized it immediately, though he wasn't sure how he was hearing it. He'd thought they would execute Rowle. Perhaps he'd been wrong.

"As soon as Crouch is done and comes back," the voice of Macnair replied. Not only had he thought Macnair was dead as well, but they had definitely mentioned "Crouch." All members of that family were definitely dead. But then again, had he not himself gone to pains to ensure that others thought he was dead? It seemed that several other Death Eaters had gotten the same idea. So the appearances of Pettigrew and Scabior weren't mere flukes or lookalikes.

"So what do we do with the girl when Crouch gets back?" That voice most certainly belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange.

"She'll be a threat to us if she escapes alive," Rowle replied. "That much is obvious."

"But how do we get rid of her?" Bellatrix couldn't hide the glee in her voice as she thought of ways to torment the prisoner.

"We'll get to that when the time comes," Rowle said sternly. "Right now, we need to keep her alive in that basement. So don't get any funny ideas."

"But he should be done any day now," Bellatrix whined. "We've almost got all the Portkeys back! I was hoping we'd be in the castle by tomorrow night!"

He went over what he'd heard in his head. They had some sort of hostage kept in the basement. They were going to use Portkeys to make an assault on a castle, and as far as he knew, there was only one castle for a Death Eater to find worth assaulting.

He Disapparated, and Rowle, Macnair, and Bellatrix all heard the faint "pop." "You hear that?" Bellatrix said, moving toward the window and opening it. "No one there…now, anyway."

In the basement, he reappeared. He took in his surroundings. A musty but well-lit room. A cauldron of what was definitely Polyjuice Potion in the center. In one corner, a dwindling pile of bags of sweets, and a parchment sheet at the base of the pile. In the opposite corner, the only other living being in the room, the alleged hostage.

Veronica Aardman was far too young to know who or what she was looking at. Otherwise she might have made more of a fuss. As it was, she squirmed against the ropes that held her, unsure whether the man who'd just arrived was a friend or foe.

He severed her bonds with a quick charm, and she immediately began to moan: "Please help me…get me out of here, please…"

"You will be silent," he told the girl sternly, "if you do not wish to be heard."

Veronica shut her mouth and nodded.

"Come with me," he ordered, and Veronica got up, but instead of moving directly to her savior, she crossed the room to pick up the discarded sheet of parchment.

"What is that?" he asked. "And why is it so important?"

"It's their plan," Veronica whispered, then said no more out of fear. She rushed to the side of her rescuer, clutching his arm.

He Disapparated, taking her with him.

Trixie and Alex entered the cellar at about this time. "So I'm thinking we're about done with this chick," Alex told Trixie. "I mean, we got all the books back except one, and—oh my gosh!"

"NO!" Trixie cried when she saw Veronica gone, her ropes broken and left behind. "THIS CAN'T BE!"

Both young women flinched at the sound of a stern voice behind them: "What…cannot…be?"

They both turned, shrieking, "Horvath!"

Horvath glared at them disapprovingly. "What has happened?"

"It was not the fault of Trixie!" Trixie moaned. "We were only gone a short while, and the Hogwarts girl disappeared all on her own!"

"What she said," Alex added.

"Hostages do not disappear all on their own," Horvath said accusingly. "Not with the way she was bound. Did either of you think to take pity on her? To loosen her ropes?"

"No!" Trixie insisted. "Trixie did not give in!"

"Don't look at me," Alex protested.

Horvath looked at the two young women, thinking it over. "I think you are being honest with me," he said at last. "This was obviously done by someone from outside."

"But who?" Trixie asked. "No one knew of our presence here!"

"Oh, hey," Alex broke in, surveying the room, "heads up. We got another problem."

"What is it NOW?" Trixie asked through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I had my copy of the schematic of how the invasion was going to go down in here," Alex explained, "and that's gone too."

"So someone from outside not only has our hostage," Horvath stated angrily, "but also the exact specifications as to how we were planning to attack the castle?"

"Maybe?" Alex said with a guilty shrug.

"Trixie was not so careless as to leave her copy of the plan out of her sight," Trixie muttered.

"This will be reported immediately," Horvath stated. "More likely than not, this will require action."

"Are we to be punished?" Trixie asked.

"That," Horvath told her, "is for Voldemort himself to decide."

* * *

THE COUNTRYSIDES OF ENGLAND, FOURTH EARTH

He took Veronica to an open field over which the dusk was settling. "Tell me," he said, "what was going on in that house. And who you are."

"My name is Veronica Aardman," Veronica gushed. "I'm a first-year at Hogwarts. I was supposed to be! But one of them is pretending to be me! He's got some kind of potion that turned him into me!"

"What of the people who captured you?"

"I don't know! They kept calling each other by names that belonged to dead Death Eaters! And…and…it couldn't really have been true! I saw something, but I couldn't have seen it!"

"Tell me…exactly…what you saw."

"He looked just like the pictures of Voldemort I've seen," Veronica squeaked, "and they called him Voldemort too. But he's gone! He can't be back! I don't know what happened!"

"Who was the one that took on your appearance?"

"They kept calling him Barty Crouch!"

"And why did he do such a thing?"

"He's making Portkeys at Hogwarts." Veronica was nearly sobbing by this time. "They're planning to attack the castle and take something. They're probably going to kill everyone!" She held up the parchment. "This was the plan the one who was me wrote. This is where all the Portkeys were going to be put in the school!"

He took the parchment, looking it over. The parchment assigned several names to each location. He recognized most of the locales listed as places within the school, though "Incendiary Ballroom" didn't seem to belong. The names assigned were most of those of infamous Death Eaters, though they contained some strangers.

It was time, he knew, to consider the impossible. And believe it. He rolled up the parchment. "You are to take this to Hogwarts immediately," he said, "and turn it in to the Headmistress. Tell her exactly what you told me."

"I can't go alone!" Veronica wailed. "I'm only a first year! I can't even Apparate!"

"I will take you as far as the grounds."

"No! You have to come with me! I can't do this on my own!"

He considered the benefits and pitfalls of accompanying her. On one hand, it would ruin the wall of secrecy he'd built around himself. On the other…who was to say that McGonagall would merely believe the girl and her parchment? He'd heard the voices. He'd seen the attackers at the Shrieking Shack. He knew the truth. And his very presence was a strong argument toward the truth. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to go with her.

"If you insist," he told her—it almost sounded to her as though she were being scolded—"I will accompany you."

"Thank you…" She clutched his arm again, desperate for some sort of protection.

He Apparated again, taking her with him.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

A lone owl swooped in through the window of the hallway down which Crouch walked. It dropped before him a single envelope.

He bent to pick it up. It was labeled "Veronica Aardman." He opened it carefully. Inside was a sheet of parchment bearing four words, written in Voldemort's own hand:

"They're on to you."

He folded the note, tucking it into his bookbag next to the book that was prepared to be the last Portkey and one other spare book. Then he bolted, heading down and out of the castle.

* * *

"You know," Applejack remarked at the dinner table that evening, "if Linney don't mind, I'd be real interested in pickin' up some of her vegetarian recipes. I mean, I could always use more."

"You think she'll actually be able to get a shop in Diagon Alley?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I believe she will," Hermione said. "And she has our full support behind her for when she does."

"Well, look at that," Ron pointed out. "Filch is in a hurry. Wonder who screwed up this time. I keep forgetting that George isn't around to be the one being punished."

Filch hastened to the staff table. "Headmistress," he said gruffly when McGonagall was within hearing range. "Visitor at the door. And you won't believe who it is. Thought it had to be some kind of trick, myself, but he insists he's really him, and the girl with him says she's been with him long enough that he isn't using Polyjuice."

"Well, who is it?" McGonagall asked. "I'm certain it won't surprise me as much as you think."

Filch told her.

She dropped her fork with a clatter. "Argus Filch," McGonagall said sternly, glaring at him over top of her glasses, "I do not know WHY you choose to lie to me, but I will not stand for—"

"No lie, Headmistress!" Filch said desperately. "He's waiting just outside. I could show him in! The girl, too! You could see!"

"Please do so," McGonagall said sharply. "I will not have truck with lies, Mr. Filch."

Flitwick had heard everything. "Headmistress," he said, "if it is…him…won't that cause a fuss with the students?"

"If it is him, that will be the least of the thoughts on my mind," McGonagall admitted as Filch rushed back to the doors of the Great Hall to let in the visitors.

"Ten Galleons says Filch is complaining about how to punish Enoby," Stevie giggled as she watched Filch hustle back from the staff table to the door.

"I'm sure he wouldn't interrupt McGongall just to lodge a complaint against—" Hestia began. She then saw the door open and the two visitors enter the room. "My GOD!"

"What?" Rarity asked. "WHAT?"

"Veronica?" Pinkie asked from the Hufflepuff table. "What happened to her?"

Fluttershy took a look at the nervous, quivering girl staying close to the side of the taller man. "I don't know. Who's that with her?"

"That—I—no!" Ron sputtered. "That isn't—it just ISN'T!"

"It can't be," Harry breathed.

"I…think I can believe what you said about people coming back from the dead now," Neville told Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"I don't get it," Twilight said. "Who's that? And why is everyone staring at him?"

Luna answered simply. "It appears to be Professor Snape, the old Potions master."

"I thought he was dead."

Luna shrugged. "He was."

The tall man, with his unkempt black hair and directly contrasting pale skin, strode toward the staff table with deliberation, Veronica still too nervous to leave his side. The pair stopped before McGonagall.

"If this is some sort of trick—" McGonagall began.

"I can assure you it is not," Severus Snape replied.

"So he decided to show himself," Draco muttered.

"You KNEW?" Rarity cried. "You knew he was ALIVE?"

"He was the one who stopped Pettigrew and Scabior from killing us," Draco informed her. "We lived with him in hiding."

"This…this is impossible!" McGonagall cried. "You had perished!"

"I am well aware of what you all believed happened to me," Snape said calmly. "And were it up to me, I would have preferred you kept on believing that. However, I have come across information that is in your interest. It seems that I am not the only one thought dead who is still living. In short, Hogwarts is most likely no more than a day away from being overrun by Death Eaters, including Voldemort himself."

This set the students into worried whispers. McGonagall rose sharply. "I shall speak to you of this further in my office," she said sternly. "Now. And Miss Aardman shall return to the Hufflepuff table where she belongs."

"Miss Aardman," Snape said, "shall be returning to her table for the first time since Christmas. But that is another matter we can discuss in private."

McGonagall stepped down from the staff table, striding quickly toward the door. Snape followed. Veronica timidly stepped toward the Hufflepuff table.

"What…" Ron stammered. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL JUST HAPPENED?"  
"No way," Flora repeated. "No way…no way…no way."

"What was that all about?" Fluttershy asked Veronica.

"You don't know!" Veronica wailed. "They had me locked up! They kept me in the cellar!"

"Who did?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"The Death Eaters!" Veronica nearly burst into tears. "It's really happening! It's awful!"

"You silly!" Pinkie retorted jokingly. "How could you have been locked up by Death Eaters? You've been here the whole time!"

"NO, I HAVEN'T!" Veronica shrieked. "ONE OF THEM USED MY HAIR TO MAKE POLYJUICE POTION AND TAKE MY PLACE!"

Pinkie and Fluttershy exchanged worried glances. They didn't have long to mull this over, though, before they were swarmed by Twilight, Luna, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Draco.

"There is no way," Applejack said simply, "we are letting them get away without hearing what's going on."

"We're going to McGonagall's office," Harry clarified.

Pinkie and Fluttershy stood up. "Right on!" Pinkie exclaimed before the group of thirteen left the Great Hall en masse.

* * *

"I don't understand," McGonagall said simply. "Reports reached me that you had most definitely died. You were not seen in public since then. It was said that Nagini—"

"I became dead," Snape said, "because I wished the world to think of me as dead. There was no use for me in this world. Were I more of a coward, I might have taken steps to make it even more so."

"But why? You were recognized as a hero—"

"As Albus Dumbledore's murderer, as James Potter's eternal enemy, as Voldemort's spy, and as Lily Evans' jilted lover," Snape corrected. "When Potter discovered me after Nagini's attack, I gave to him the last confession I wanted to give to the world. Knowing that, the world would cease to have a place for me in it, and I acted accordingly up until now, when it seems that there was an advantage to my being alive."

"How did you survive?"

"A mere snakebite is simple to cure. I carried on my person an antidote to the venom at all times. One takes such precautions when acting as a spy within the ranks of Voldemort. The wound was easy to heal. I hope that satisfies you, because I would much rather talk about what is to come than what has already taken place."

"Well…I suppose," McGonagall sighed. "I still don't see what made you think you had to keep your presence from us for so long."

"I do not expect you to understand my reasons. To the point, this very castle is in danger. As I have said, there are many Death Eaters who I had thought dead, but apparently still live. Miss Aardman has confirmed that among their ranks is Voldemort himself. Unbelievable, I am sure, but for one who had for all purposes been dead, I could not truly be surprised."

"And what of Miss Aardman? What is her role in this?"

"She was taken a hostage by Voldemort, and one of them, which is to say Bartemius Crouch Jr., used her as a source for the Polyjuice Potion. The Veronica Aardman you have held in your school since Christmas has been an imposter. Crouch himself. You will likely not find him. I am sure that as soon as the real Miss Aardman was discovered missing, Voldemort would have sent word."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I approached Riddle House in search of a place to hide after leaving the Shrieking Shack," Snape answered. "It was there that I overheard the voices of Rowle, Macnair, and the Lestrange woman. I more or less kidnapped Miss Aardman from them. She gave me the rest of the information."

"The Shrieking Shack…"

"Where I had first seen Pettigrew and Scabior. The Malfoys no doubt kept quiet about my involvement in their rescue."

"Severus, I—I don't know what to say to all of this!" McGonagall shook her head.

"I understand that you may find it difficult to believe that Voldemort has risen once more—"

"No, no," McGonagall sighed. "THAT, I find more believable. Certain sources have informed me that Dark forces are returning from the dead en masse."

Just then came a scuffle from the other side of the office door:

"OW, Twilight, my foot!"

"Sorry!"

"Ron! You're going to get us found out if you yell like that!"

"It seems," Snape sighed, "we have company."

"As I should have expected," McGonagall replied. "There's no sense in hiding our discussion now. You may enter. All of you."

The door slowly creaked open. "Sorry," Twilight said softly as she crept into the room, followed by Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Draco.

"All this time!" Harry cried. "All this time, you let us think you died in the name of Hogwarts, and instead, you were just hiding! And you claim you aren't a coward!"

"I do not expect you to understand my reasons either," Snape told Harry.

"Is it anything to do with Mum?" Harry asked. "Was there really nothing left for you here without her?"

"Wait a minute," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "WHAT about him and your mom?"

"He was Mum's best friend in school," Harry told her. "He always loved her. But he hated my father. She chose my father because Snape had fallen in with the wrong crowd. The crowd that fought for wizarding blood purity and studied Dark magic. Everything he did to me was either out of his love for Mum or his hate for Dad!"

"POTTER!" Draco snapped. "I wouldn't talk about things I didn't understand if I were you!"

"I understand perfectly!" Harry retorted. "I understand that Snape was too much of a coward—"

"I will NOT," Snape chimed in, "be made a mockery of. Nor will I stand for accusations—"

"Will everypony just be QUIIIIIEEEEET!" Twilight screamed.

That got everyone to shut up.

"Okay, so I don't know the whole story here," Twilight stated, "but from what I can tell, Snape's been through hard times because of all of this, and none of you get that. Harry, I know you're mad, but you can't just go yelling at him when he came here to HELP us!" She turned to Snape. "That said, HOW COULD YOU LET EVERYPONY THAT CARED ABOUT YOU THINK YOU WERE DEAD?"

"Because there is no one who truly cares," Snape answered.

"More like no one you've ever cared about since Lily!" Ron snapped.

"RON," Hermione scolded.

"Well, maybe if you took a good look around," Twilight told Snape, "you might see that you're wrong about that."

"You know nothing of what I have been through," Snape replied. "I do not even know you. What are you doing here?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm a student. A very nontraditional student. But I'm still a student."

"They all are," McGonagall said. "They have come from another world, Severus. They have seen Dark forces rise from the dead. They have suspected for a while that it was the true Death Eaters who had risen."

"So it's really true," Neville said nervously.

"I thought it could never happen," Harry stated. "Even after all I heard…I just…we went through so much! I died so that he could! I—"

"Wait," Applejack interrupted. "So YOU came back from the dead?"

"…yes." Harry realized the implications. "You mean…if I came back…then why not…" He closed his eyes. "I simply chose not to go. Why couldn't he have done the same? I've been stupid."

"Not stupid," Rarity reassured him. "Everything is changing, after all. You wouldn't have known that Maleficent could get involved."

"The Dark faerie who's bringing back the dead," Twilight explained to Snape.

"Well, he came here in the first place to tell us we were in trouble!" Rainbow Dash reminded everyone in the room. "What's going on? Are they going to attack us tomorrow?"

"They very well could," Snape said. "Crouch used the guise of Miss Aardman to place Portkeys throughout the castle so that the Death Eaters could use them to enter through various points. Most areas of the castle are rigged." He withdrew from his cloak a sheet of parchment. "This is the schematic Crouch gave them." He handed it to McGonagall. "The Lestrange woman said that the attack would be as soon as possible. When Crouch returns to Riddle House, they will likely strike."

"You're saying," McGonagall clarified, "that we could be under attack by a full-force invasion of Voldemort's forces…within a matter of hours."

"That is indeed what I am saying."

"Why does this always happen to us?" Ron moaned. "We just can't go a single year without some big disaster happening, can we?"

"We have to think our way through this!" Hermione insisted.

"Quite right," McGonagall said. "Unfortunately, there isn't time to contact the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. And if there were, there is no guarantee that any of them would believe us. The way I see it, the students must be evacuated immediately, and those of us on staff will have to hold down the castle. We won't be many, but we can still—"

"Hold on," Harry said. "You called us back to help defend Hogwarts. At the very least, Hermione, Neville, Ron, and I should stand with you."

"Then you shall," McGonagall agreed.

"And us!" Twilight argued. "Facing disasters like this is kind of why we're here, you know!"

"And you aren't going to let them fight without Luna and me," Ginny added.

"After what they did to my mother and father," Draco chimed in, "I won't back down either."

"Severus," McGonagall said, "I do hope you will not run out on us during THIS battle."

Feeling the glares of the others, Snape gave in. "I suppose I cannot stand by and do nothing," he admitted.

"That brings our defense force," McGonagall said, "to those of us in this room, Professor Slughorn, Professor Grintcliffe, Professor Flitwick, Professor Ricksmith, Professor Firenze, and Sybil Trelawney. I shall have Hagrid take the rest of the students off the grounds for their own safety."

Applejack and Harry exchanged glances. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" she asked.

"Possibly," Harry replied. "Are you thinking that the defense forces aren't going to be enough—"

"Yep, and I know exactly who we need."

"Headmistress McGonagall," Harry said, "I have a suggestion."

"And what is it, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"Don't take every student off the grounds," Harry replied. "We've got a better plan."

* * *

Crouch kept running, all the way past the greenhouses, to the tree that he didn't know was Astoria Greengrass' reading spot. He took from his bag the spare book.

If they were on to him at all, any element of surprise would be an advantage. He linked the last book to this place behind the greenhouses. It wasn't marked on the schematic—if that fell into enemy hands, this new place would be left unguarded. They could figure out a new faction to send there by dividing up the original invasion teams.

Then he took off running again with the final two Portkeys, his body shifting from Veronica's into his own all the while.

* * *

McGonagall's office had become quite crowded. First of all, she'd summoned Hagrid, Ricksmith, Flitwick, Trelawney, Slughorn, Firenze, and Grintcliffe to the office. Then, according to the wishes of Harry, she'd called as well the members of the group known as Dumbledore's Army: Romilda, Flora, Hestia, Astoria, Wolpert, Caruso, Tolipan, and Stevie. Finally, on one of her explorations through the castle, Winky had noticed the groups moving toward the office, and out of curiosity, she'd brought Kreacher and Linney up as well.

"You have all been called here," McGonagall said, "because the castle is in danger. What you are about to hear will seem rather incredible, I assure you, but it seems to be true."

She explained in one fell swoop: the traveling of the six Equestrians. The resurrection of Dark forces. Voldemort. Snape. The Death Eaters. The coming invasion.

"Is this true?" Trelawney asked Twilight. "Are you from…the beyond?"

"More or less," Twilight answered.

"They are heroes on several worlds," Firenze added. "Do you perhaps feel less embarrassed to be working alongside a 'horse'?"

Trelawney could offer no comment.

"We're planning something really dangerous," Fluttershy told Kreacher, Winky, and Linney. "You'll probably want to leave with the others. We're going to have all the house-elves go off campus with the students."

"Winky stays!" Winky insisted. "Winky won't let Barty ruin her home again!"

"House-elves has strong magic," Linney added. "We can fight!"

"If you're sure," Fluttershy said.

"Hagrid," McGonagall directed, "I want you to take the rest of the students off the grounds, as well as the house-elves. You will be in charge of leading the rest of the staff in chaperoning them until we deem that danger has passed. Take them out of the grounds and as far away as you can go. To Hogsmeade, if you must."

"I will," Hagrid promised. "You can count on me!"

"You want me to STAY?" Trelawney balked. "I've had one battle, and that was enough! I will be taking the students off the grounds as well!"

"Sybil," McGongall pleaded, "in these times, we cannot have you abandon—"

"I will do what I please!" Trelawney barked. "I will not stand for any more of this nonsense!"

McGonagall sighed. "As you wish." She held up the parchment. "This parchment contains the locations of every attack point planned for the invasion. In order to counteract it, we need to put together a strategy."

"HOLD ON!" a voice called from the door. "There's only one person who can possibly stop the Death Eaters…AND SHE'S STANDING RIGHT HERE!"

"Oh, no," Hestia moaned, recognizing the voice.

"Get out of here, Enoby," Stevie retorted. "No one invited you."

"Well, I saw that important things were happening, and I know all about how to stop the Death Dealers!" Ebony insisted. "I'm going to save every poser in this school who doesn't deserve it! No need to give fangs. Geddit? 'Cause I'm Gothic—"

"What," Hestia asked, "is your plan?"

"Listen!" Ebony said, and all were silent. "First, I have to go in time! Then I have to seduce Tom Riddle so he won't be evil anymore! Then—"

"Miss Way," McGonagall ordered, "kindly get OUT of this office. Before I decide to give you a day's worth of detention for every minute you remain here."

"Fine," Ebony muttered, turning to storm out. "Fuckin' posers don't need my help anyway. O.M.G."

"Well," McGonagall said, "we shall attempt to forget THAT happened…"

"I think we should divide up into teams and stake out all the attack points," Twilight said matter-of-factly. "The more of us to a team, the better."

"Luca," Harry whispered, "Alice…I want you two to take Stevie out with the other students and the rest of the house-elves."

"Oi," Stevie said, overhearing. "Why am I being thrown out?"

"You're a first-year," Harry explained.

"Yeah, and so are the centaur girls!"

"They're different. They've already studied other magic and ways of defense. I don't want you to get hurt, Stevie."

"So I'm not part of Dumbledore's Army anymore?" Stevie snapped.

"You're definitely part," Harry insisted. "You just…don't have enough experience."

"Fine," Stevie sighed. "I'll be a good girl." Of course, she had no intention of paying any attention to Harry's request. As soon as she could slip Tolipan and Caruso…she would run right back into battle.

"Now," Twilight said, "we need to divide into our teams and stake out the spots as soon as possible." She took the schematic, bringing it to the center of the room. "Firenze, I want you to take Pinkie, Neville, and Romilda and go up to the Astronomy tower. That will make it four on four there. Ron, Hermione, I want you two with Applejack. The three of you are pretty strong. You take the Great Hall."

As soon as Twilight began to dole out assignments, no one questioned it. They listened intently. Only a few times did listeners interrupt to ask for a particular assignment—Rainbow Dash wanted to stake out the third floor corridor, as her wish was after all to defeat the attacker of Hogwarts, and Voldemort himself would appear there. Linney, Kreacher, and Winky wanted to be made into their own team, and so were put with Fluttershy in the kitchens.

When all assignments were made, Twilight asked one last time, "Everypony know what to do?"

She was answered with nods and murmurs of "yes."

"Then let's GO!" she commanded. "They're going to be here any minute, so we can't waste any more time!"

The group filed out of the office, hastening either to evacuate the grounds or stake out an entry point.

Twilight had stationed herself in the Incendiary Ballroom, which she realized was on the schematic because Crouch had used his guise of Veronica to discover it by joining Dumbledore's Army. She hoped that wouldn't give him too much of an advantage.

She had, in fact, noticed that someone named "Trixie" would be attacking at that entry point, but it never occurred to her to think of her rival from Equestria. After all, it was a common name.

* * *

Chapter 41:

· This…this is the chapter that will make readers flip a table because I shit on canon so much. If you can read this and not be mad, nothing else in this story will bother you. NOTHING. Because I committed a huge canon atrocity here.

· The very title is a reference to why I made this decision at all. It's from the How It Should Have Ended (HISHE) webtoon, specifically the Harry Potter episode. It's one of the lines Snape says.

· So let's take care of the elephant in the room. Snape is not only alive, but he was NEVER DEAD. This is mostly HISHE's fault. Well, yes, I was always really mad about Snape's death, perhaps over all others because of the Lily thing, and it's great that I had an excuse to bring him back. But HISHE gave me the tools. I'm going to credit HISHE so much because it was their idea I used. The idea that Snape would survive the bite of Nagini by carrying antivenom, which is sensible to do when one is spying on Voldemort, and then sealing over the wound, which we know he can do because he fixed Draco after the Sectumsempra incident. And you know what? That…makes a lot of freaking sense. Snape shouldn't have had to die from a snakebite of all things. He'd know way better. Have I mentioned that this idea was HISHE's and not mine? I don't want to plagiarize here. HISHE HISHE HISHE. Anyway, I HAD to use it. I have so many things I want to do with him, and now, I can finally undo that awful death. Don't expect me to do this for other HP heroes. Fred stays dead. Moody. Lupin. Tonks. Dobby. But this one, I HAD to do.

· I hope you bought the "there isn't time to contact other members of the Order" line. I feel like there would at least be time to send a talking Patronus out, but I already have a ton of characters to balance for the upcoming battle. I actually have the schematic of who fights who where.

· Everything I have Ebony do is another My Immortal joke. Her plan to go back in time and seduce Tom Riddle? That's what actually happens in My Immortal. Yeah. "Death Dealers" is how "Death Eaters" was always misspelled in that fic, and the author always uses "fangs" instead of "thanks" and follows any "pun" about death or vampires with "Geddit? 'Cause I'm goffic."

· And "OMG" actually did originate in…well, actually, it's been used back as far as 1917.

· Go flip all the tables you need to now.


	42. Portkeys

42: Portkeys

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

Crouch lay the two books on the table next to their seven brothers. "Here's the one they don't know about," he said, tapping the second. "If we all have a plan in place…"

"We shall go," Voldemort confirmed. "Portus."

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Twilight, Harry, Luna, and Ginny had spent most of the night camping out in the Incendiary Ballroom.

"Maybe they aren't going to even show up," Ginny said after the first hour.

"We can't chance that," Harry pointed out.

Time soon saw the four of them sitting on the ground. As the three humans were sitting with their backs to the wall, their heads slumped, and they nearly slept.

Twilight remained vigilant, her worry growing as the hours passed. Then, suddenly, it came to fruition.

Three figures materialized. The one in the center held a book. The other two each had a hand on his shoulder.

"IT'S THEM!" Twilight cried. She, Harry, Luna, and Ginny sprang to attention, drawing their wands. Then Twilight yelped, doing a double take as she realized who she was facing, the woman to the left. "Tr…Trixie?"

"TWILIGHT?" Trixie replied. "What are YOU doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are YOU doing with…THEM?"

"Miss Lulamoon," the central figure—Maxim Horvath himself—said, dropping the book to the floor, "has joined our cause."

"Careful!" Harry warned Twilight. "That's Fenrir Greyback, and…" He stared down Horvath.

"Don't waste your time trying to place me," Horvath spat. "We've never met. But I still know who you are…Harry Potter." He raised a sapphire-topped cane around which were wrapped multiple dragon-shaped rings. "And I fully intend to finish what Voldemort began."

Harry and Ginny both pointed their wands at him. "EXPELLIARMUS!"

Horvath shook his head, keeping his grip on his cane. "Perhaps that would work on a lesser conduit." He struck the ground with the cane, and a burst of fire rocketed toward Harry and Ginny.

Fenrir, grinning madly, leapt for Luna. She took off running to the other side of the ballroom.

"This can't be!" Twilight sputtered. "Trixie…how could you?"

"The Death Eaters have power, which is something Trixie has always needed more than she had!" Trixie argued. "Trixie is sorry she has to do this to you, Twilight Sparkle, but you stand in Trixie's way!"

She cast a hex; Twilight easily blocked it with the Shield charm: "Protego!" Again and again, Trixie cast her spells; Twilight blocked them.

Harry quickly cast a cooling wind at the ball of flame, trying to shield Ginny with his body at the same time. His spell cleared a radius around the two; fire encircled them.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Horvath barked at Trixie. "KILL HER!"

"Trixie does not want to…to…to defeat her without a true challenge!" Trixie answered.

"And I don't want to hurt you either," Twilight replied.

"Then kill the others," Horvath told Trixie.

"Trixie…Trixie shall!" She was obviously nervous. She raised her wand shakily, pointing it at the ring of fire. "A…ava…avada—"

"STUPEFY!"

Twilight's Stunning spell paralyzed Trixie, and the Equestrian fell to the floor. Twilight's eyes watered. "Trixie," she muttered.

She didn't have long to mourn, as Luna was calling out, "Flipendo…FLIPENDO!" Twilight looked up to see Fenrir dodging the Knockback jinx on his way to Luna, presumably to bite her, to turn her into a werewolf…or perhaps worse, perhaps to kill her…

"NO!" Twilight screamed. "IMPERIO!"

Fenrir froze in his tracks.

Don't kill her, Twilight told him. Turn around and leave her alone.

And Fenrir did, walking in a daze toward the Portkey.

Harry and Ginny carved their way out of the inferno with a Glacius charm, only for Horvath to raise bolts of white plasma within his hands and fire them. Neither Harry nor Ginny could put up a Protego charm in time, and both were hit, thrown against the wall and falling to the floor.

"You are much weaker than they say," Horvath mocked. "And don't even think about it—"

He turned in time to stop Luna from drawing her wand; one jinx from him, and she froze, entirely paralyzed.

Don't touch the Portkey, Twilight told Fenrir. You need to get Trixie and the other one to touch the Portkey.

Fenrir looked at her and nodded. He started for Trixie's prone body.

"What's with him?" Ginny asked Harry as the pair got to their feet.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "He's got some kind of power I don't understand—"

Horvath charged another white plasma bolt within his hands, readying it to fire at Harry and Ginny. He let it loose.

Twilight intercepted, casting pure energy, her own plasma, through her wand. It struck Horvath's, causing both bolts to slow down, combatting. In the end, Horvath's was whittled down, and only a little of it struck Twilight; she staggered from the shockwave.

"STUPEFY!" Harry and Ginny tried, but Horvath put up a shield, deflecting both Stuns. Twilight again felt the connection making sense. The rings around the cane…probably meaningful. They didn't look like they were part of the cane originally. What if, just what if, they were conduits? What if the reason this wizard was so strong was because he was working with the combined forces of multiple people?

"Don't back down!" Twilight yelled at Harry and Ginny. It was time for her to unleash her new potential, as frightened as she was of it.

"Do you think," Horvath mocked, "that you can truly stand against me?" He raised his cane again.

Twilight focused on her amulet, calling upon the power within, the power that had been instilled in her soul when her soul had been transferred. She suddenly felt a rush wash over her, a rush of power. For a moment, all was dark. Then her body was bathed in light, and her clothing changed. Upon her hooves were four leather shoes with elaborate buckles in the front and heels in the back. Knee-high black stockings traveled up each leg. A royal blue collared button-down shirt, sleeveless, appeared on her chest, the train traveling down the length of her back and the front hem flouncing over the tops of her legs. Over this shirt appeared a black velvet suit jacket, buttoned at the front with two gold shimmering buttons; a similar gold was used in the insignia over her left chest, made up of an entwined "T" and "S." Over all this, cinched around her human waist, there was a belt made of gold. Starting at the midsection of her horse half and flouncing over her rear was a plaid miniskirt, royal blue and black, stopping far above her back knees. Around her neck appeared a gossamer blue scarf, and her hair was pulled back over her left ear by a navy blue bow. Finally, her eyes were lined with a silver eyeshadow that glittered brightly.

But none of this was of any interest to her as much as the object that appeared in her hand: a staff of gold, tall enough that when she gripped the top of the pole in her hands, the bottom tapped the floor. It was topped with a great six-pointed star, somewhere between purple and pink, made of crystal and surrounded by a loop of the same color to keep it steady—a reflection of Twilight's Cutie Mark.

Horvath only saw a flash of light, then Twilight dressed in her new clothing. He wasn't sure what to make of it at all. Thinking nothing of a mere change of outfits, he channeled a blast of winter wind through his cane, sending a hail of snow at Twilight, Harry, and Ginny, enough to freeze them over completely.

"INCENDIO!" Twilight cried, striking the ground with her staff. An enormous column of fire erupted between herself and Horvath, melting the winter wind.

Taken aback, Horvath was unsure what to do next. He tried to redirect the fire right back at Twilight, to immolate her in the flames she herself had conjured.

Remembering Harry and Ginny's Glacius charm, Twilight called that out next: "GLACIUS!" The heart of the fire was overtaken by a spinning ball of white, a snowball that exploded and destroyed the flames.

"No," Horvath muttered.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Twilight cried, and the cane with all its rings was blown from Horvath's reach; Horvath himself staggered for balance. He turned and threw out his hand, calling the staff; it obediently flew back toward its owner, who desperately clutched at it.

What came next was pure instinct. Twilight raised her staff into the air with both hands, closing her eyes. "ELEMENTAL FINALE!" she cried.

It seemed to be raining stars, at first. Great spheres of white plasma, with comet tails that betrayed a pink sheen, poured down from the sky. Harry and Ginny flinched, and Fenrir cowered, but the spheres left them alone, sinking into the ground around them. Horvath was not so lucky as to be spared. The spheres attacked him relentlessly, any that were near him honing in on his body. With each one that hit, he felt weaker, more tired.

At last, they cleared. Horvath dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.

Ginny took her moment. She flicked her wand, and the next thing anyone new, several repulsive black winged creatures crawled from Horvath's nose, expanding in size, flying in his face. He scrambled to his feet immediately to try and escape the bat-bogeys; he dropped the cane.

PICK IT UP! Twilight urged Fenrir. PICK UP THE CANE!

Fenrir obediently did so.

Harry rushed to Luna, casting a countercurse; the girl could move once more.

Fenrir stood near the Portkey, Trixie slumped over one arm and the cane in the hand of the other. Wait for it, Twilight told him. Wait for my mark.

The bat-bogeys dissipated. Horvath took inventory of his bearings; Twilight, Luna, Harry, and Ginny all stood before him.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" they cried as one.

He fell, backward, toward the Portkey.

NOW! Twilight cried out to Fenrir. The werewolf reached down to touch the Portkey as Horvath fell and slammed into him. All three—Fenrir, Horvath, and Trixie—were transported immediately back from whence they had come, and much worse for wear.

"You think that'll keep them?" Ginny asked.

"We did hit them fairly hard," Harry answered, panting slightly. "Twilight…what WAS all that?"

Twilight was taking that moment to survey her new clothing. "That's apparently the reward I get for letting Kyubey put my soul in a phylactery," she answered. "I think it actually just might be worth it. Speaking of 'what was that,' Ginny…"

"The Bat-Bogey hex," Ginny answered. "A personal favorite."

"Did you know her?" Luna asked Twilight. "That Trixie?"

"I…I did," Twilight answered. "I mean, I do! I just…how can she be with THEM? How can she be trying to KILL us?"

"What was she like?" Harry asked. "Before all this?"

"Power hungry, vain, and I got the sense that she thought magic made her superior to everypony else…" Twilight shook her head. "Actually, just short of the killing, I can see how Voldemort would have appealed to her. But when we parted, she and I…we were almost friends. She doesn't belong with Voldemort, and I wish I'd gotten a chance to say that to her!" Her eyes began to water again. "Not that it would have done any good."

"We should go see if we can help the others," Harry suggested, wanting to distract Twilight from her sorrow. "If three of the Death Eaters are here…they're all here. That one…he had more power than I've ever seen."

"It wasn't just his," Twilight explained. "Those rings on the cane. Those belonged to somepony else. More than one. He's using others' magic to make himself stronger. It's definitely a magic style that isn't common on Fourth Earth."

"I want to know more about that," Luna commented. "I wonder if—"

"No time!" Ginny interrupted. "We're under a full-scale attack by this point!" She charged to the door, opening it with Incendio.

She came face-to-face with the silver eagle.

* * *

When Quirrell, Dolohov, Goyle Sr., and Selwyn materialized in the kitchens, they didn't expect the sight that met them at all. Dolohov had expected empty kitchens. Goyle and Selwyn had expected to interrupt a furiously working crew of house-elves and take them defenseless. Quirrell was the only one who actually worried about finding a retaliation party, but he imagined ten high-powered wizards.

None were ready for the sight of Fluttershy quivering while Linney, Winky, and Kreacher stood out front of her.

"You won't…" Fluttershy tried to say, her voice failing her and trailing into an inaudible squeak. "You're not…I mean…"

"YOU WILL NOT HARM HOGWARTS!" Winky cried with all the courage Fluttershy had failed to find.

"And who's going to stop us?" Dolohov asked. "Three little house-elves and a—"

"Do not underestimate them!" Quirrell warned, his own voice cracking. "They are very powerful and—"

As if on cue, Winky, Linney, and Kreacher each snapped fingers, and Dolohov, Goyle, and Selwyn were rocketed backward into the wall. Linney immediately ran after them, turning up the ranges on which Dolohov had landed, setting his robes alight. Winky pelted rotten fruit at Selwyn, disorienting him while Kreacher snapped his fingers again to put Goyle's wand in his own hands.

While the six battled behind Quirrell, Quirrell himself stepped forward to face Fluttershy. "And you?" he said, drawing his wand. "You…will die…in the name of Lord Voldemort."

"NO!" Fluttershy squeaked, thinking of Rapunzel and grabbing a skillet. She nearly dropped it—it wasn't too heavy for her, but it was heavy enough to surprise her, given how she'd seen Rapunzel carrying it around so casually. She lobbed it at Quirrell.

The skillet clattered to the floor some three feet to the right of him; Linney picked it up and beat at Selwyn with it.

"This is the great Element of Harmony of which I was warned?" Quirrell scoffed. "If they're all as easy to kill as you, I may as well do the job myself, all six…"

He'd unwittingly found Fluttershy's berserk button and pushed it. "No," Fluttershy said with clenched teeth. "You…will not…hurt…my…FRIENDS! WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

Quirrell rocketed upward, slamming into the ceiling. He struggled to keep his grip on his wand.

"I guess the time for it is now," Fluttershy said to herself. She remembered what Twilight had told her before the stakeouts were set up: not to hold back on using her Mahou Shoujo transformation, no matter what the stakes. So she called upon her amulet.

In the darkness, her robes were replaced by a green sundress, held over her shoulders by straps and fitted around the rest of her body, with short sleeves cut for her front hooves. A white sweater with long sleeves but that stopped short of Fluttershy's human stomach area adorned the top. Beneath that, a yellow belt cinched, ending in a yellow bow. Her hooves were encased in yellow heeled shoes with straps around the tops and bows at the toes. A yellow sun hat with a great bow finished the ensemble.

As the darkness cleared, leaving Quirrell to drop to the floor and wonder what had just happened—with his compatriots suffering behind him, Linney sending a hail of kitchen knives to pin Goyle to the wall and Kreacher slamming a bowl over Selwyn's head—Fluttershy noticed the weapon that had materialized in her hands: a katana, with a plain silver blade and a golden hilt.

Quirrell barely had time to form the words, "What is—"

Fluttershy reached out to the edges of the new power she felt. Flowers blossomed up around her feet, transparent flowers of pure plasma. The blooms broke off from the stems, rising to head height and unfolding the petals. The petals gleamed sharply; they were plasma shuriken, numbering about fifty. Fluttershy pointed the katana at Quirrell, and the shuriken flew at him en masse. They didn't injure him or bring him closer to death—that wasn't what Fluttershy wanted, and so she prevented it. Instead, as Twilight's elemental rain had done to Horvath, the shuriken dug at Quirrell's soul, making him tired, draining him of the drive to fight. He didn't feel pain—he just felt that he wanted very much to crawl into bed and sleep.

Fluttershy knew that she could enchant her blade to do the same, to weaken—and by no means permanently—for the means of defense rather than to maim. The katana's edges glowed with a soft light. She approached the staggering Quirrell, raising her blade…but before making a move, she asked him, "Why are you doing this?"

"In the name…of Lord Voldemort," Quirrell answered her. "This…this will all be his, this school…everything. The ones who defy him will die. The Muggle-born will know their place. He will be as a king, and I…I will fight to the death to see his will accomplished."

"You're doing this all for someone else?" Fluttershy reiterated.

"I will do anything," Quirrell insisted, "for him."

She lowered her weapon. "Is he here?"

"Of course. Why would the Dark Lord not attend the invasion of Hogwarts he planned?"

"Go."

"What?" Quirrell asked, stunned.

"Go fight with him," Fluttershy said. "I know it's what you want to do. It's in your heart."

"QUIRRELL!" Dolohov cried out after having vinegar thrown into his eyes. "We're lost! We're taking the Portkey back!"

"You're letting me go," Quirrell confirmed with Fluttershy.

"Where you need to be," Fluttershy affirmed.

"QUIRRELL!" Dolohov called again. "We will leave WITHOUT YOU!"

"Then leave," Quirrell said calmly. "I'm not returning."

Dolohov, Goyle, and Selwyn, all fairly battered, took that as their cue. They dove for the book, and it transported them all back to Riddle House.

Shakily, weakened and unsure, Quirrell made his way for the door. Linney, Kreacher, and Winky all started after him, but Fluttershy put up a hand. Quirrell then bolted.

"WHY DOES FLUTTERSHY DO THIS?" Linney cried in frustration. "He kills us all later, you see!"

"A while ago," Fluttershy replied, "around a year, my friends and I united four thieves into a powerful force by accident. We thought it was a mistake, but it came around to do us a good turn. And we know they're happier than ever before. Later, Twilight helped out one of our most dangerous enemies. That did us a good turn too, and he has a strange relationship with her that we still can't really figure out. But I think it makes him happy. We decided that though there are a lot of people that do bad things, even they need friendship, and somehow, it always ends up working out when friendship finds them. The only ones that have really given us trouble are the ones who have refused to accept friendship at all. The traitors, the loners. I don't know if Voldemort knows what friendship is, but that wizard sees him as a friend. I couldn't hold him back. I just know that whatever happens will turn out better if they're together."

"That is beautiful," Linney said. "BUT STILL, HE KILLS US LATER!"

"I think," Fluttershy replied, "that when I'm like this, I can stop him from killing us. I hadn't tested those powers before! They were very useful!"

Then the silver Rottweiler burst through the wall near the door.

* * *

Firenze, Neville, and Romilda first thought Pinkie Pie was joking when she said, "I can't wait for the Death Eaters to show up!"

"Why?" Neville asked.

"Because I wanna try out my new Mahou Shoujo powers, silly!" she explained. "I'm sure they're way powerful enough to protect all of us!"

The four of them waited in the astronomy tower until their four opponents appeared. Yaxley, the two Averys, and Rowle all had wands drawn and ready.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Neville and Romilda were quicker to the draw, sending the wands out of the hands of both Averys. In return, Rowle promptly put Romilda in a Full Body-Bind; Firenze charged at Rowle and put him in a headlock.

Pinkie first simply drew the Party Cannon, pointing it at Yaxley and firing; confused, Yaxley tumbled to the ground in a shower of confetti.

"Now let's see what this baby can do!" Pinkie cried, drawing upon the power of her own amulet. In the darkness, she made a remark for every accessory that appeared upon her. For the pink tank top, lengthened to cover her equine back and chest and fastened over her shoulders by thin straps: "Ooh, pretty!" For the blue corset that fastened itself around her waist, below her bustline, and flared out into a wide ruffle: "Ooh, flouncy!" For the heavily rhinestoned belt that cinched above the ruffle of the corset: "Shiny!" For the bright pink heeled shoes that appeared on each hoof, lacing up her legs with ribbons: "Pinktastic!" For the pink headband that appeared in her hair, with a rather large bow and a pouf of pink feathers on the right side: "That feels stylish!" For the great tulle ballerina skirt that started at the midsection between both sets of equine legs, tied there with a bow, and flowed to cover her entire hind area, "Ruffleriffic!" And for the pistols with rhinestone-studded handles that appeared in each hand: "Now, that'll come in handy!"

Rowle was unconscious, Firenze having worked a pressure point on him during the headlock. While Avery Sr. groped for his wand, which had rolled underneath a desk, Avery Jr. and Neville faced off; Neville was torn between fending off his opponent and countercursing Romilda, and so he was slightly slow on the uptake when Avery began to curse him; Firenze approached Avery Jr. from behind and wrenched his wand arm backward, behind his back, so Avery Jr. squeaked in pain. Neville rushed to Romilda, taking her out of her frozen state. Yaxley was still tangled in streamers.

Pinkie assessed her three targets—two Averys and Yaxley. Then she began firing rapidly. Energy burst from each pistol, along with a slight shower of glitter for every shot. She alternated so that she shot each in turn; Avery Sr., Avery Jr., and Yaxley felt the impact from each as though they'd been hit with an extremely powerful Knockback Jinx. Firenze took that time to secure the wands of both Averys and Rowle, snapping them all.

Each pistol only fired six shots, as was tradition, but when Pinkie threw one over her shoulder, it disappeared, and a new one appeared in her hand. "It's really fun when it isn't real bullets!" she told Firenze, Neville, and Romilda. "WOOHOO!"

"She's crazy!" Romilda hissed to Neville.

"But she's stunning our enemies," Neville replied quietly. "I wouldn't complain…"

"I bet I have some sort of finisher move for you guys!" Pinkie told the thoroughly stunned Averys and Yaxley. "Let's see…" Both pistols disappeared. A giant shoulder-mounted launcher appeared in her hands; she hoisted it up and to the left. The barrel was larger than Pinkie's own head, and the entire thing was a glittering, obnoxious shade of pink. "PARTY TIME!" she squealed, pulling the trigger three times.

Avery Sr. was struck with a great force of draining energy as well as a burst of confetti.

Avery Jr. was hit with the same force and a cream pie.

Yaxley was hit with such force that his wand flew from his hand as he flew backward to connect with the wall; glitter also showered over him.

Firenze caught the wand as it spun in the air, snapping it neatly in two.

"Retreat!" Yaxley ordered, knowing they were all useless without wands. He hoisted Rowle into one arm, moving for the Portkey; the Averys made the same move, and all four disappeared.

"Nice going!" Neville congratulated Pinkie.

"She's still insane," Romilda muttered.

"Thank you!" Pinkie gave a bow, then twirled around and around, admiring her new ruffles. The launcher had been dismissed into Hammerspace.

Then the silver pit bull appeared.

* * *

Rainbow Dash paced up and down the certain third floor corridor where her party was set to meet up with Voldemort himself. "I can't wait any longer!" she insisted.

"You know what will happen if you use any more of your…what did you call it again?" Hestia asked.

"Mahou Shoujo. Apparently it means 'Magical Girl.'"

"Your Mahou Shoujo powers by drawing upon that amulet. I'm sorry, but this is all still a new concept to me."

"Everything we learned over the course of this stakeout was new," Flora added.

"But I don't understand," Ermond Ricksmith, the fourth and final of the party, spoke up. "What WILL happen if she overuses her powers?"

"Nopony knows yet," Rainbow Dash told him. "It's just going to do something to my soul. Something…weird. You know what? If I don't know what's going to happen, it's not going to do me any good to worry about it. I'm using it right now so we'll be ready!"

In a flash, she induced the transformation, her clothing changing to that she'd seen upon herself on the grounds after testing it. She gripped the great sword, swinging it experimentally.

Ricksmith visibly flinched. "What was THAT?"

"I would assume," Hestia answered, "that comes with her Mahou Shoujo power."

"But how long will you have to wait and drain it," Flora said, "before they—"

On cue, they appeared: Voldemort, Amycus Carrow, and Alecto Carrow. Ricksmith noticed immediately what was wrong with that picture, but he had no time to point it out before Voldemort spoke.

"This is what they send," he said, "to fight me. It's almost pitiable."

"You're really ALIVE!" Flora shrieked in fright.

"I knew it all along," Rainbow Dash said in a steely voice. "I knew it was really you. That you'd come back to bother us. Well, I'm ready for you!" She raised her sword.

"How absolutely frightening!" Voldemort nearly laughed.

Ricksmith drew his wand. He stammered. "Ex…expel…expelli…"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Flora cried. "JUST CAST IT!"

With a flick of his wand, Alecto imposed Cruciatus upon him; Ricksmith doubled over, then fell completely, whimpering.

"Leave," Hestia commanded, "him. Alone."

"Flora, Hestia!" Alecto cried warmly. "How we've missed you!"

"Don't," Hestia growled.

"One would think you'd be a little more grateful," Amycus responded, "to see your own beloved parents back from the dead."

"That depends," Hestia said coldly, "on what you've come here to do."

"Hestia," Alecto pleaded, "don't you want to come back with us? Things can be just like they were before."

"Like when you wanted us to join your cause even when we had doubts?" Hestia challenged. "Like when you attempted to enlist us just as two more warriors for your cause without even asking how we felt? If you want us to go back with you, give us a good reason. Give us proof that you want daughters back and not soldiers."

"How cruel, Hestia," Amycus responded.

"This, coming from you?" Hestia replied. "The one who made a name for himself torturing students and killing innocents? Don't be a hypocrite."

"Are you listening to what your sister is saying?" Alecto asked, staring directly at Flora.

Flora was fighting back tears. "I won't kill for you," she stated, "and I won't torture for you! You're going to say you don't want that but you always do! It's all you've ever wanted! How many times have you told us things would be different when they NEVER ARE? NOW LEAVE PROFESSOR RICKSMITH ALONE!"

"I didn't want it to come to this," Amycus sighed, drawing his wand. "But if you won't come back of your own free will—"

"PROTEGO!"

"STUPEFY!"

Hestia's shield blocked Amycus' curse. "You've just proven with one spell," Hestia said, "why we can never go back to you. With you, there's no choice. No ambition. And you claim to be students of Salazar Slytherin. You'll take us back by force. But we won't go. Because we are as strong as you now."

As that continued, Voldemort was undergoing a humiliating realization: Rainbow Dash's sword was overpowering him. He'd meant to eliminate her immediately, thinking back to the green pegasus in the library in Fourth Equestria…but that one didn't have a great rainbow-bladed sword that sent out rainbow shockwaves whenever swung. The shockwaves slammed into him, throwing him against the wall, weakening and tiring him. Rainbow Dash twirled the sword boastfully, readying for another swing.

She had no intention of using the blade to cut, just to produce more of the shockwaves. Unlike Fluttershy, she hadn't figured out how to use the energy waves to guard the blade.

He raised his wand arm again, hoping to get a lucky shot. She was quicker; she countered with another shockwave. The very edge of her blade crossed his skin. And he bled.

The blood was black. And as soon as it spilled, he no longer felt weak or tired. He felt…strange. Happy, even.

The bursts of rainbow occasionally distracted Flora, but she was brought back to the conversation at hand mostly because Hestia refused to be deterred, keeping her eyes off Rainbow Dash and Voldemort and keeping them on Amycus and Alecto.

"Come back with us," Alecto offered, "and we'll let your professor of…what was it again?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hestia filled in.

That caught Voldemort's attention. A new professor in the spot he coveted so? His brain rushed with old memories, old grudges, and a new fervor that had struck him ever since spilling black blood.

"We'll let your professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts go unharmed," Alecto finished.

"N-no…" Ricksmith groaned from the ground. "Don't…listen…"

"All right!" Flora caved. "Anything you want, just let him—"

"They're not going to," Hestia told Flora sternly. "It's all a lie. They're going to keep hurting our friends no matter what we do." She aimed her wand at her father. "I apologize, but Flora and I have decided that we want to make our names apart from you, and for doing good in this world. We chose to come here and fight you today. And we will fight you."

Rainbow Dash was confused when Voldemort suddenly broke into a wide-eyed grin she had a feeling was uncharacteristic of him. The slight blood flow from the one cut he'd been given suddenly formed into a spike and shot at her like a bullet; she ducked it, her shoulder nicked.

Intrigued by the properties his blood had, driven by a mad desire to keep testing it and not question why it suddenly was that way instead of its usual red, Voldemort inflicted a few more wounds on himself using his wand. Shallow ones. The other arm. Each shoulder. Across the chest.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash thought out loud, "I'm confused."

She didn't have long to be. From each wound trickled a length of black blood…and then a sharp spike of black that shot toward her.

With a scream, she hit the floor. She swung the sword upward to cut at the black spikes, but the rainbow shockwave was halted by them and her blade met the spikes with a loud CLANK.

"Uh-oh," she squeaked.

Now all four Carrows' attention was turned to the battle between Rainbow Dash and Voldemort as black spikes and rainbow waves battled. Rainbow Dash attempted a charge forward with a rainbow shield generated by spinning her sword, but the spikes of black pierced it, grazing her on all sides. They became ropes, nearly catching and strangling Rainbow Dash before she slipped out through a gap, causing the ropes to converge on themselves. Voldemort merely laughed long and loud, still grinning, eyes still wide.

"My lord!" Amycus cried, unsure what was going on. While Rainbow Dash only suspected, Amycus and Alecto knew for sure that neither this black blood nor that expression, that laughter, belonged to Voldemort truly.

A hail of black spike bullets poured forth, and Rainbow Dash hit the ground. Hestia and Flora screamed in unison, in terror. Voldemort called the blood back to himself, stopping the flow, before turning to Amycus and Alecto. He blinked his eyes hard several times, as though fighting to regain control of his mind.

"Take the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts," he commanded. "Bring him back to the house. If I cannot kill any of my true enemies…I shall use him instead."

"NO!" Hestia cast a stunning spell: "STUPEFY!" It missed; Amycus and Alecto were too quick as they ran for Ricksmith. Flora physically lunged after her parents, but Amycus threw her off. The pair grabbed Ricksmith; Alecto touched the Portkey, and all three were gone.

Voldemort pointed his wand at the twins, threatening them with what would happen if they came any closer. Then he put the wand away, the mad grin returning; the black blood flowed from all wounds freely, and Hestia and Flora knew that was even more of a threat than the wand. Without another word, Voldemort opened a door and entered the room beyond.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Flora wailed, rushing to the side of her fallen friend once Voldemort had gone. She found that all of Rainbow Dash's wounds had healed; Rainbow Dash slowly blinked her eyes open, shaking her head to clear it.

"We thought you'd perished," Hestia stated.

"Nope!" Rainbow Dash removed her amulet and kissed the red stone. "Lucky for me, this thing isn't gonna let my body die!" She replaced the amulet around her neck. "Hey, where's—"

"They've taken him," Flora wailed. "Our parents took Ricksmith and brought him back to…wherever they came from! They're going to kill him!"

"But more importantly at hand," Hestia said, "Voldemort has just entered the beginning of what I understand is a very extensive labyrinth." She pointed to the door by which he'd taken his leave.

"More hidden rooms," Rainbow Dash sighed. "We've gotta go after him! I can't believe I couldn't beat him. I wished and everything! But I bet that if I could hold him off that long on my own, five other certain element bearers should be able to help me stave him off completely. Hopefully they're all still in their Mahou Shoujo forms. That should pump up our powers!" She looked toward the door. "I'm going after him. You two think you can track down Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack and tell them to get over here?"

"Five messages to deliver?" Hestia confirmed. "It will be quicker if Flora and I go, and we each send a Patronus to deliver a message to the other three."

"Right!" Rainbow Dash remembered—Harry had said the silvery animals could speak for their owners as well as defend them. "I'm going to send one up to Twilight! Flora, you send one to the Astronomy Tower and go meet Applejack in the Great Hall! Hestia, send yours to the ballroom and go meet up with Rarity in the dungeons! Ready? Cast on three! ONE! TWO! THREE!"

As one, they cast the spell: "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Rainbow Dash's eagle, Hestia's Rottweiler, and Flora's pit bull materialized, running off down the hallway before splitting up; Hestia and Flora did the same.

Rainbow Dash ran through the door Voldemort had used to make his escape.

* * *

"Twilight!" the eagle said in Rainbow Dash's voice. "You have to get to the third floor corridor! Voldemort got away from me, and he's headed down the weird secret rooms that way! I'm trying to gather us all there so we can stop him for real!" Then the eagle faded.

"I have to go!" Twilight cried.

"Wait," Harry said. "I know those rooms better than anyone. They were the first place I remember facing Voldemort, actually…I wonder why he…well, it doesn't matter. They're filled with traps and puzzles, and I know how to beat them all. I'll show you!"

"Come on!" Twilight cried, and she and Harry took off running.

* * *

"Fluttershy, you'll want to head for the third floor corridor where Rainbow Dash was," the Rottweiler, in Hestia's voice, told Fluttershy. "She needs your help to stop Voldemort."

"Okay!" Fluttershy told the Rottweiler; it dissolved. She turned back to the house-elf trio. "Are you three going to be okay?"

"We can handle any more Death Eaters that come!" Linney asserted, twirling a saucepan like a weapon.

Fluttershy nodded, then left the kitchens.

* * *

"Get to the third floor corridor, now," the pit bull told Pinkie Pie in Flora's voice. "Rainbow Dash wants the six of you to meet up there to stop Voldemort." It dissolved.

"I MUST GO!" Pinkie cried. "MY RAINBOW DASH NEEDS ME!" Then she galloped away.

"I still think she's off her rocker," Romilda hissed.

* * *

When Crouch appeared in the Potions classroom along with the younger Crabbe, Karkaroff, and Travers, he smirked to see who was waiting for him. "Draco Malfoy…I couldn't have asked for better. You are EXACTLY the traitor I wanted to see."

"Well, you aren't the one I signed up for," Draco replied. Behind him, Rarity and Astoria nodded to emphasize his point. Draco looked past Crouch to his former classmate. "Crabbe."

"Shut it, traitor."

"Do you realize what it meant to me when you died?" Draco spat. "You were one of the biggest reasons I ABANDONED all this. And yet here you are. Working with the wizards that got you killed."

"Obviously, you don't realize what it meant to me," Crabbe replied, "when I found out my supposed FRIEND was a lily-livered coward."

"EXCUSE me!" Rarity interrupted. "If that's the way you see friendship, I'm quite sure you frankly don't DESERVE Draco's friendship!"

"They see me for what I am," Draco hissed, "and for whatever reason, they still seem to stay around me. I can't say that for you."

"I wouldn't want to be caught dead with a cowardly traitor like you," Crabbe replied.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Crouch bellowed. "I don't care about FRIENDSHIP! I don't care about your schoolboy problems! Malfoy, you and your parents proved your disloyalty to Voldemort when you turned on us, when you turned his forces in to Azkaban to die and didn't suffer with them. And if there's one thing I hate…oh, it's a Death Eater who walked free." He raised his wand, aiming it for a kill shot.

Rarity knew it was time. She drew upon her amulet, entering the darkness of her transformation. She was swept into a dress with a fitted bodice, short sleeves that puffed slightly and teetered into being off the shoulder, and a skirt that billowed out over the equine half of her body, showing only the edge of a white crinoline underneath. Over her human stomach appeared a white corset edged in pink; around this was a white sash, tied into a great bow in back. From her ears cascaded elaborate diamond earrings, and diamond bracelets appeared around her wrists and all four legs. Her arms and forelegs were also covered in fingerless gloves of white lace. Her hooves were encased in pink high heels while a white top hat adorned with pink ribbon sat atop her neatly coiffed hair. Finally, a pink and white bow appeared in Rarity's hands, already loaded with a crystal arrow. Before the darkness lifted, Rarity had already turned the arrow in the direction of Crouch. She concentrated; it was just like the arrows of the Galifems.

Crouch's wand was blasted out of his hand by a burst of energy before he could finish the incantation of the killing curse. Rarity wondered where the next arrow would come from, as she had no visible quiver, but the bow reloaded immediately with another shimmering shaft, and Rarity fired it; it turned into plasma and caused Crouch to stagger when it struck him.

"You leave my Housemates alone!" Rarity hissed.

"KILL HIM!" Crouch yelled as he dropped to the ground and crawled for his wand.

Travers stepped in and raised his wand. "AVADA—AAAAGHHHHH!"

Draco could hardly believe what had interrupted his assassin. Travers' entire wand arm had separated from his body in a burst of blood, and it hit the ground uselessly. Stunned, Draco looked behind him to see Astoria looking at Travers, rather pleased with herself. "Sectumsempra," she explained to Draco, though he was actually the one who would know better than anyone else what the spell was. "The wounding curse. I'm actually quite surprised that one isn't Unforgivable."

"I'm glad you're on our side," Draco commented before Crabbe's arms wrapped around his neck from behind. Karkaroff, put off by Astoria's ability to cast Sectumsempra wordlessly, backed away slowly, his eyes on the Portkey. Travers just kept howling. Crabbe was so consumed by anger toward Draco that for him, magical vengeance was not enough. He wanted to feel his former friend's neck break.

Rarity was having fun shooting Crouch's wand. Wherever it fell, he would grasp for it, but another blast would send it out of his reach. "Not so clever now, are we?" Rarity taunted.

"Do not…underestimate me," Crouch growled, finally seizing upon the wand. He turned toward Rarity only to receive a blast of water in the face; Rarity had recalled her old favorite arrow type from Galifem, and it appeared to work quite well on that bow.

"THIS IS NOT A JOKE!" Crouch roared, raising the wand for another go at murder.

"And now for the big finish!" Rarity announced, drawing upon the pinnacle of her power. When she drew back the bow, suddenly hundreds of crystal arrows pulled back along with the one on the arrow rest, all in unison. "DIAMOND RAIN!" Rarity cried, for it just seemed like the right thing to say, and she let the arrows fly.

Crouch screamed in frustration as he was thrown back against the wall and pinned there by a hail of oncoming force.

Astoria's calm demeanor didn't betray her inner conflict. Draco stood between her and Crabbe, and she wasn't sure if she could hit Crabbe without hurting Draco, especially because the two were writhing so violently in their struggle—Crabbe to break Draco's neck, Draco to get free of him. Before Astoria could make a decision, salvation came from the other direction:

"O.M.G.! GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF DRACO, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! BRACKIUM EMENDO!"

Crabbe gave a gasp as his arms and legs went completely numb, unable to be controlled. It was like being hit with a Jelly-Legs Jinx, only worse. He just crumpled to the floor, his limbs splaying out, bones missing from each one.

Draco turned to face his savior. "Ebony-!" he gasped. Instead of "Thank you" or "You saved my life," he burst out, "How did you get back here?"

"I snuck away from all those posers that were leaving," Ebony explained. "And I came back here because I couldn't let Voldemort have you bondage! You're so fucking hot."

"Voldemort…have me…bondage…?" Draco was confused.

"That was a lovely use of the Bone Removal Charm," Astoria complimented.

"Shut up, bitch," Ebony growled.

Astoria raised an eyebrow.

Karkaroff just stared, terrified to do anything. He was facing a former Death Eater, a girl that had melted the bones of one of his allies, and a girl that had cut off the arm of another without even saying the incantation out loud. Not to mention the centaur in pink and white that had just pelted Crouch with magical arrows a thousandfold.

Crouch staggered over to Karkaroff, grabbing his sleeve. "Get Crabbe and Travers and we'll go," he hissed.

Karkaroff nodded, throwing Crabbe's limp body over one shoulder and dragging the still-screaming Travers along with his free hand. He and Crouch touched the Portkey, disappearing.

"I don't believe I was too shabby, if I do say so myself!" Rarity boasted.

"That was strong magic," Astoria observed.

"But with an absolutely terrible price," Rarity wailed.

Hestia Carrow turned the corner, panting—she'd been running. "Voldemort's entered the labyrinth under the third floor corridor," she said. "Rainbow Dash followed him. Rarity, she needs you there."

"I'M COMING, RAINBOW DASH!" Rarity cried, taking off running. Hestia exchanged looks with Draco and Astoria before settling upon Ebony, then shaking her head, deciding not to ask how the first-year had gotten back.

"This place is clear," Draco said.

"Then let's find elsewhere to help," Hestia suggested. The four Slytherins left the classroom.

That left no one to notice as Quirrell slunk down to the dungeons by means of an alternate route. He moved into the Potions classroom as stealthily as he could, opening cabinets, seeking a certain vial. When he discovered the bottle of Wiggenweld Healing Potion, he downed it as quickly as possible, dribbling some in the process.

He felt rejuvenated, as though Fluttershy's attacks had done nothing to him at all. He then set out for the same place Rarity had gone.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

The Death Eaters already defeated were taking shelter, nursing their wounds in various rooms. It was into this environment that Crouch and his party appeared.

"We're lucky we got away without losing more than Travers' arm," Karkaroff remarked.

"Oh, we're about to lose a little more than that," Crouch told him.

"What do you—"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Crouch stepped over Karkaroff's dead body with satisfaction. "If there's one thing I hate," he said to the corpse, "it's a Death Eater who walked free."

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Scabior, Crabbe Sr., Jugson, and Macnair thought they had smooth sailing when they appeared in the Great Hall, near the Hufflepuff table, and found it completely empty.

"And here Crouch had us worried they'd be here to head us off," Scabior cackled. The four made for the door, moving past the Hufflepuff table and into the center of the hall.

From beneath the table, a voice cried out, "NOW!"

"WHAT?" Scabior cried, looking left and right.

From the far left end of the hall, Hermione climbed up from under the table. From the far right, Ron did the same. From the back, near the staff table, Applejack did as well, and much like Rainbow Dash, she hadn't waited for the Death Eaters to show up to undergo her Mahou Shoujo transformation. Her human torso was covered in a tunic of turquoise blue with gold studs, flowing down between her forelegs and over her equine back. A brown leather halter vest overlaid it, with beads and braids dangling. Her hind legs were partially covered by a brown velour skirt with prominent fringe, going down to the knee. Underneath that skirt were black suspender garters. Turquoise boots adorned all four hooves, and a brown belt with turquoise studs and a silver buckle looped around the tunic. Applejack's hair was tied back into her traditional ponytail by a scrunchie that resembled a length of braided rope, and atop all this rested a dark brown cowboy hat with turquoise and silver beads arranged on the hat band. She held a golden whip with turquoise set in the grip of the handle.

Ron and Hermione made quick work of the ambush; Jugson and Macnair were immediately paralyzed by a Full-Body Bind. Applejack cracked the whip, and it lengthened, shooting out to wrap around Crabbe Sr. and bind him so he couldn't move.

Scabior drew his wand to fire at Hermione, but she deflected him with a Shield Charm. She expertly disarmed him, remarking, "You can consider this payback for stalking us in the woods last year."

"I'm sure this thing's got some kinda super magical finisher move with a fancy-soundin' attack name," Applejack stated, "but I sure ain't sayin' it. That'd just be corny."

The whip released Crabbe Sr., and Applejack raised it, twirling it in the air until it shone brightly. It became a web of rope that erupted across the room in a spiderweb pattern, tying up Scabior, Crabbe Sr., and the frozen Jugson and Macnair. The rope broke from the grip of the whip, and the whip cord regrew, leaving the four victims trapped in the web, Scabior and Crabbe Sr. struggling. Ron and Hermione quickly Stupefied the two.

"Somehow I doubt the others put together an ambush plan that good," Ron congratulated Hermione. "We've probably finished ours off before anyone else!"

"Then we should help the others!" Hermione insisted, taking off running for the doors. Ron and Applejack followed.

As luck would have it, they crossed paths with Flora. "Applejack!" Flora cried. "Rainbow Dash followed Voldemort down to the rooms below the third floor corridor! She needs you there!"

"Right!" Applejack said with a nod before changing her course to make way for that direction.

"Wait!" Hermione cried, following close behind; Ron took off after her. "Ron and I have been down there! We know what's waiting! We can help you!"

"Well, come on, then!" Applejack replied.

"Makes me wonder how Rainbow Dash is doing against that Devil's Snare," Ron thought out loud.

"The WHAT now?" Applejack asked. "I don't know what you just said, but it didn't sound good."

"Well, it wasn't," Hermione sighed.

* * *

"It almost feels like home," McGonagall remarked. She, Flitwick, and Nigel Wolpert waited in the Transfiguration classroom.

"So all this," Nigel said. "Resurrection, other dimensions…how long have you known?"

"Quite a long time," McGonagall assured him. "Even the wizarding world has its secrets, Mister Wolpert."

"And exactly how many secrets are there left for us to learn?"

"Countless. I suppose, were Dumbledore here, he would make a remark as to how there is always more to learn about the way things truly are, always new secrets to discover. I believe that was what drove him to become a Professor here—because Hogwarts was a facility built for learning, for discovering truths both obvious and hidden. And with that sentiment, I quite agree."

Then the Death Eaters arrived. Rosier and Wilkes took a moment to gather their bearings, but Bellatrix knew exactly where she was. When she saw who she faced, she let out a long, loud laugh.

"So THIS is the new Headmistress!" she cackled. "Dumbledore's favorite little lackey!"

"I would not use that an insult," McGonagall replied, "given that you are in fact Voldemort's 'favorite lackey.'"

"Oh, I wish," Bellatrix moaned. "I probably would be if that ratty little Quirrell wasn't in my way. But once I tell the Dark Lord that I've killed the Hogwarts Headmistress…well, that ought to get his attention for sure!" She pointed her wand. "But all work and no play makes Bellatrix a bloody dull girl. We've got to have our fun first, oughtn't we? CRUCIO!"

"Watch how it's done!" Flitwick boasted to Nigel. He outdrew Wilkes. "TARANTALLEGRA!"

Wilkes found himself incapacitated as he began dancing a fast jig; every time he tried to get a shot in at Flitwick with his own wand, his feet spun, causing the shot to go wild and blast into furniture. It ricocheted off walls, around desks…and right into Rosier, stunning him. Were Bellatrix not otherwise occupied, she might have taken time to call them both idiots.

"Now go ahead and finish him off with that Dumbledore's Army knowhow!" Flitwick encouraged Nigel.

"STUPEFY!" Nigel cried, flicking his wand; Wilkes almost seemed for a split second to be relieved from his constant dancing before he went down.

Nigel turned to Flitwick. "Why not just Stun him earlier?"

"Oh, there's a reason I became a Charms professor, Mister Wolpert," Flitwick said with a wink. "I like to have my own sort of fun!"

Bellatrix was flabbergasted. McGonagall had shielded against the Cruciatus Curse, negating it, and without speaking the incantation aloud. "But you can't—" Bellatrix sputtered. "That curse-!"

"I was not made Headmistress without reason," McGonagall reminded her.

"You batty old bag!" Fuming, Bellatrix decided to go for the kill, which she knew no one could block. She raised her wand.

McGonagall didn't point her wand at Bellatrix. She pointed it at her old desk, behind Bellatrix. At first, Bellatrix thought McGonagall had merely missed taking a shot at her, and mocked the Headmistress in her head, thinking that it would be lovely to kill her just after she'd made her last bumbling mistake.

Then the pig knocked Bellatrix over from behind.

"The desk to pig spell!" Flitwick applauded. "An old favorite!"

The pig that had been McGonagall's desk stomped on Bellatrix's wand, breaking it. Bellatrix screamed in frustration. The pig returned to McGonagall's side.

"For a 'batty old bag,'" McGonagall teased, "I believe that wasn't half bad."

"Quick, Mister Wolpert!" Flitwick cried. "The other wands!"

Bellatrix crawled toward Rosier and Wilkes, hoping to pick up their wands, but Wolpert and Flitwick were already there, snapping them in half. Bellatrix knew she was cornered. She made for the Portkey, not bothering to take Rosier or Wilkes with her. They were on her own, as far as she was concerned.

And as Bellatrix literally crawled away, disappearing as she touched the book, McGonagall was more than a little smug.

* * *

The majority of students crossed the grounds in a mass exodus, along with the house-elves and various others. Among these others were Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.

"I don't understand," Hagrid said, walking beside the pair out in front of the massive group. "Why didn't yeh stay back an' help yer son?"

"Lucius won't answer you," Narcissa stated, and Lucius held his silence as she said.

"Oh, so he thinks it's beneath 'im to talk to a giant, is that it?"

"Of course that's it. And that's why he's here, not there." Narcissa sighed. "As he put it…Draco cast his lot with centaurs and 'mudbloods.' Lucius thinks Draco CHOSE them all over us. Over safety and escape."

"An' you?" Hagrid asked.

"It's complicated," Narcissa said. "I believe Draco could be there, should be there, because I believe he's strong. Stronger than we gave him credit for. And I believe the others…Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall, even the strange centaurs…they're strong enough to protect him. I trust them all. And I'm not there with them because…because I don't trust myself. I'm not strong. I would fail."

Hagrid wasn't sure what to say. He didn't know whether to admire the credit she gave Draco or feel disgusted that she'd left him behind in the path of danger anyway. He was surely disgusted with Lucius; that was without question. He eventually decided to say something: "Well, yeh're more than strong enough to help protect these students. So help me get them to safety."

"I will," Narcissa vowed. And even Lucius gave an almost imperceptible nod.

At the back of the group, Trelawney crept guiltily, wondering if she'd done the right thing by moving with the evacuation instead of helping to fend off the invasion.

Even further back, Stevie griped to Alice and Luca: "I still don't get why you won't let me go fight! I learned all the same things in the Army as you! And Enoby just went back when no one was looking!"

"I highly doubt Ebony could have gotten away from us," Alice argued.

Luca began to wonder how they'd ended up at the back of the crowd that was moving towards Hogsmeade. When he stopped to think about it, he realized that Stevie had been walking more and more slowly, and he and Alice had been matching their pace to hers. They were at that moment the three in the very back, with Trelawney nearby. Only then did it become suspicious to Luca.

Before he could accuse Stevie, she proved his suspicions correct. She turned around and bolted toward the castle.

"STEVIE!" Alice called out as she and Luca took off after her. "STEVIE, WAIT! YOU'LL GET KILLED!"

"STUDENTS!" Trelawney shrieked. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" She was torn, looking back toward Stevie's chase, looking ahead toward Hagrid leading the crowd. Eventually she sighed, breaking into a run and following Luca, Alice, and Stevie.

Stevie re-entered the grounds proper, running past the tree behind the greenhouses where Astoria always settled down to read—and then she skidded to a halt. Four people had just materialized before her. And she was pretty sure they weren't on her side.

"BRILLIANT!" she remarked, drawing her wand to face the Death Eaters that had appeared at Crouch's final, secret Portkey. Luca and Alice fell in next to her, drawing their own wands in fear; Trelawney caught up, startled by the appearance of enemies on the grounds.

"She seems far too happy to see us," Pettigrew remarked to the Lestrange pair, Edmond and Rodolphus.

"I don't care," Rodolphus said. "Let's get rid of them!"

"Hold on." The fourth, Alex, raised her hand. "Stevie Nichols?"

"How do YOU know my name?" Stevie asked.

"I thought I already killed you," Alex replied.

In the meantime, Alice, thinking fast, cast Diffindo on the tree branch above Edmond Lestrange; it fell upon him, pinning him to the ground. Luca attempted to outdraw Rodolphus, but was struck down by Rodolphus' casting of the Cruciatus Curse; Luca writhed on the ground, letting out a pained scream.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Trelawney put Rodolphus in a Full-Body-Bind, angered by the mistreatment of Luca.

Pettigrew, sensing that he was soon to be outdrawn and jinxed, shifted. The form of the rat was familiar to him, easy to take. Suddenly smaller than Trelawney's foot, he took off at a hard run toward the castle.

"CATCH HIM!" Alice screamed, and she, Luca, and Trelawney went after the rat, firing jinxes that kept missing by a hair's breadth.

Alex and Stevie remained under the tree, staring each other down. "I have no idea who you are," Stevie stated, confused.

"Oh, right, right!" Alex realized. "The parallel universe thing! That's why you're short and have a weird accent! You're not the one I killed! You're the other one, the one on this world!"

"Are you saying we knew each other on another world?"

"Well, kinda. On this world, I lived way back in the past, and now I'm dead. In the world where I'm really from, you and I were friends for a while. But you just used me to betray Voldemort and lead a wizard rebellion."

"That sounds like something I'd do. So you killed me?"

"It wasn't like I wanted to…" Alex shrugged. "But I kinda had to. It was that, or every wizard would have equal powers."

"Do you even hear yourself talk?" Stevie asked, incredulous. "You think me DYING is better than everyone having equal powers? I take it you're one of the lucky ones who got more powers than everyone else!"

"Yeah, pretty much. Well, it looks like I'm just going to have to kill you again to make sure you don't screw with Voldemort on this world. It's kinda funny, actually. Voldemort keeps talking about Harry Potter as 'the boy who lived.' You're the girl who died. Irony, huh?"

Alex cast her spell; Stevie hurriedly deflected it with a Shield Charm. "…Glacius?" Stevie thought out loud, naming Alex's spell, confused.

"Well, that's what I used to kill you last time. I thought it would be…you know. That term for when people get what was coming to them for a long time in an ironic way."

"Poetic justice?"

"Yeah. That's the one."

Alex's next spell was a blast of fire, and Stevie's robes caught flame before Stevie put them out with her own Freezing Charm.

"Okay, this is getting boring," Alex remarked. "So I'm just gonna kill you now and—"

"IMPERIO!"

Alex stopped midsentence, staring at Stevie blankly.

"Do I…actually have you under my control?" Stevie asked. "Answer yes."

"Yes. You have me under your control."

Stevie grinned. "All right. Do a tap dance."

Alex broke out into wild dancing, her heels thudding against the grassy ground.

"And they said I couldn't manage," Stevie muttered. "Now go back home. And rip up that book. Actually, rip up all of them! All the books you can find!"

Alex turned, picked up the Portkey, and vanished.

Trelawney made a last-ditch attempt to catch the running Pettigrew. She abandoned all thought of using magic and leapt into the air, going for a tackle. When she landed on the ground, her hands clasped around the rat, halting him. "STUN HIM!" she cried. "STUN HIM NOW!"

Alice provided the Stun, and when Trelawney stood, she held Pettigrew by the tail. "Disgusting creature," Trelawney remarked.

"Stevie!" Luca cried, turning to run back for the greenhouses only to see Stevie walking casually toward him, waving.

When Stevie caught up, she remarked, "The good news is, I just sent a Death Eater back home. The bad news is, she seemed to know me from a parallel universe."

"She…what?" Alice shook her head, confused.

"She said she'd already killed me once, and she called me 'the girl who died,'" Stevie clarified. "I took care of her, but I'm not exactly sure we've seen the last of her. Actually, I'm just sure I haven't seen the last of her."

Her victory felt hollow. If this girl had already killed her once, what was to stop her from doing it again? As much as Stevie tried to convince herself that she knew enough to outpower the teenage Death Eater…she couldn't shake the idea that she'd merely been lucky.

"I'm…sorry we underestimated you," Luca said at last.

"You probably could have held your own in the main invasion," Alice added.

"Thanks," Stevie replied. She, however, was no longer convinced. Perhaps that was the poetic justice.

* * *

"And this is really what you want?" Grintcliffe asked. "To fight with us?"

"You have to be coming back for good," Slughorn added. "Just think! When I'm able to introduce the infamous double agent of the Second Wizarding War-! Oh, and of course it would best benefit us if we had your…loyalty."

"I've no desire to be paraded before your ranks of celebrities," Snape nearly growled at Slughorn. "When this ends, I would rather return to what was before."

"Then why fight with us at all?" Grintcliffe asked.

"Because as much as it may seem to you that I am either an enigma who acts upon whims or a heartless creature who only lives to serve himself," Snape answered angrily, "I do, contrary to popular belief, have a sense of what I care about, and this school happens to be something I do, strange as it may seem to you, care about."

The three were camped out in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, awaiting the largest faction of Death Eaters yet. To their surprise, only two turned up. They had no way of knowing that Pettigrew, the Lestrange father and son, and Alex had diverted to the greenhouses instead of there. They had no way of knowing why those who had come to the classroom didn't think it a handicap to lose that many allies to another location.

Gibbon was outdrawn instantly; Grintcliffe, Slughorn, and Snape stunned him at the same time, and he hit the ground, unconscious. That left the three of them to face the sole witch that stood before them.

"He's out of the way," Medusa said. "That was over with as quickly as I expected."

"You won't win with three on one!" Slughorn boasted.

"Won't I?" Medusa cracked a wide smile. Then she began to chant in a low voice: "Snake snake, cobra cobra…snake snake, cobra cobra…"

"What is she doing?" Grintcliffe asked.

"Otherworldly magic," Snape replied. "Wandless. Get DOWN!"

He clutched Slughorn and Grintcliffe's arms, dragging them both down so all three hit the floor. From Medusa's body, sprouting from her skin, forms that looked like giant black arrows arced outward and pierced the wall; had the three been standing when the arrows fired, they would have been skewered.

"I repeat," Grintcliffe panted, "WHAT IS SHE DOING?"

Medusa gave a low, throaty laugh. "I see you are impressed by my snakes," she said. The arrows drew back a bit, flowing outward from her body, floating freely. "There are one thousand of them within my body. One thousand different ways to kill you without using a wand."

She crossed her arms, then flung them out wide; a burst of black arrows shot directly upward and then down, giving Slughorn, Snape, and Grintcliffe only a second's notice to roll out of the way. "You are fast," Medusa remarked. "Or perhaps simply lucky."

Slughorn stood, flicking his wand. "STUPEFY!"

The arrows formed into a tight wall between him and Medusa, blocking the spell as a Shield Charm would. Medusa then retaliated, saying, "Vector Plate."

Slughorn barely had time to register that he suddenly stood upon a giant black arrow pointed at Medusa. It shot him forward, towards her, and a rush of black arrows jutted outward to pierce him.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Several of the snakes fell to the ground, severed. Only blunt, chopped-off ends nicked Slughorn; Medusa sidestepped him and let him slam into the wall behind her. She then turned to see who had sliced her arrows. "I remember you," she said. "Severus Snape. If I recall…you betrayed Lord Voldemort at a crucial moment."

"I barely remember you," Snape replied. "Voldemort did his dealings with you in secret. I do remember your name, Ms. Gorgon."

"But you never knew that I wasn't any ordinary witch. Not the kind you're used to dealing with." She licked her lips. "You are tormented, and you thwarted one of my more powerful attacks. You're exactly the kind I love to play with."

"I do not have time for games," Snape replied.

Slughorn wobbled around the room, dazed. "I'm all right…just a little bump on the head is all…"

"I want to see how you stand up to my snakes," Medusa told Snape. "Consider this a test. VECTOR ARROW!"

The arrows didn't come all at once. They were staggered, requiring Snape to cast Sectumsempra again and again in order to stop them before they reached him.

"I am impressed, Severus," Medusa remarked. "How long will it take you to tire out?" She sensed Slughorn moving behind her. "VECTOR PLATE!"

Another Vector Plate sent Slughorn tumbling into the adjacent wall.

In the moment when Medusa was distracted, attacking Slughorn, Grintcliffe whispered to Snape, "I'm going to hold her off. You and Slughorn run."

Snape began, "I would not advise—"

He was too late. Grintcliffe had transfigured into a gray cat. Snape was somewhat startled; he hadn't known she was an Animagus. Grintcliffe took off on four quick paws toward Medusa.

Medusa summoned a hail of Vector Arrows, aiming to pierce Grintcliffe. The cat lithely darted around each one as it planted into the floor. She launched herself off the flat surfaces of the arrows as they jutted into the air. Her path was clear; she was headed for Medusa's face.

Snape and Slughorn edged along the wall toward the door; Slughorn reached it first—the Vector Plates had landed him rather close to it—and he left the room in a panic.

Grintcliffe made a final lunge, clawing out toward Medusa's eyes.

Then came the squelch.

Snape watched as three arrows pierced the cat; there was a spurt of blood, and then the cat was still, lifeless. Medusa recalled the snakes, and Grintcliffe's feline corpse dropped to the floor with a thud.

"It is too bad everyone on this world is so weak," Medusa remarked.

Snape abandoned all thoughts of leaving the room. When he saw Grintcliffe die, his mind had suddenly been taken over by one thought: Medusa needed to be destroyed. He ran at her, casting Sectumsempra again and again.

She countered; it rained arrows. Each one was cut down by the wounding spell. Medusa laughed as Snape destroyed her snakes, nullifying her attacks. He couldn't understand why she was laughing. She must have known that she was about to meet a grisly end.

The wounding spell cut through her skin at long last. He began with her head, as befitting of her mythological namesake. When that hit the ground, off went the arms. Then the legs. He lashed out at her in a nearly blind rage. No more arrows; they shriveled up. No more Vector Plates.

Then he collected what was left of her and dropped it on the Portkey. The pieces vanished.

Slughorn peered around the door. "Is she gone?"

"She is gone," Snape confirmed. "As is Felina."

It took Slughorn a moment to register that statement. "No…" he breathed. He stepped into the room, over the body of Gibbon, approaching the dead cat. "This isn't-!"

"I am afraid it is," Snape stated calmly.

"That…that bloody BITCH!" Slughorn roared. "She'll pay for—"

"She's already paid in blood. I saw to that."

Slughorn wasn't sure how to respond.

"We'll need to contain the other one somewhere safe," Snape said, referring to Gibbon.

"Have you no—" Slughorn swallowed the words midsentence. He was about to ask "Have you no heart?". But as cold as it seemed to pass over Grintcliffe's death, to move toward locking away Gibbon, Slughorn knew that if it didn't matter to Snape, Medusa would have been merely stunned.

And he'd only known her for less than a day.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

Alex was destroying the books.

One by one, as Portkeys came back, she slashed them with Diffindo.

"What are you DOING?" Bellatrix shrieked. "YOU LITTLE BITCH! STOP IT! STOP IT NOW—"

Crouch merely flicked his wand at Alex. She dropped her wand, rubbing her temples. "Man…that was weird…"

"She was under the Imperius Curse," Crouch stated simply.

"Yeah, thanks to Stevie!" Alex growled. "I swear, she is not going to get away with that! Why is she ALWAYS in my way?"

"Always?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. "Do you and this girl have a history?"

"Yeah, we have a HISTORY. I'm going to kill her."

In a flash, the dismembered Medusa appeared, along with the last Portkey. "Ick," Alex remarked.

"That's the last of 'em," Bellatrix pointed out. "Voldemort's still over there. Pretty sure he ain't been taken prisoner." She laughed at the thought.

"He's over there with no way out?" Alex reiterated. She rushed for the Portkey.

A translucent green spotted serpent began to crawl out of Medusa's body. It wrapped around all her limbs, pulling them together as though it were rope.

"You really care that much about him?" Bellatrix asked.

"I care about saving my butt!" Alex replied. "I just broke all the Portkeys because of that idiot Stevie! I'm getting my job security back!"

She grabbed ahold of the book, and then she was gone, returning to beneath the tree.

The snake finished pulling. Medusa's body was whole, and the snake faded into her skin, becoming her tattoo. She opened her eyes, standing.

"Severus was far more amusing than I initially believed," she said with a smirk.

"Things aren't going so well for us right now!" Bellatrix yelled. "You got chopped up, Crouch got sent back, I got my arse kicked by a transfigured desk, Horvath is sleeping off being hit by some kind of nuclear magic, and 'Alexandra' was cursed to destroy all the Portkeys except the one she just took back! HOW CAN YOU HAVE THAT BLOODY STUPID SMILE ON YOUR FACE?"

"Because," Medusa said, "we still have yet to play our trump card. My experiment. Voldemort carries within him the Black Blood. When he discovers it…it will change him. And he will win without need for any of us."

"You…you didn't," Crouch whispered.

"You EXPERIMENTED ON THE DARK LORD?" Bellatrix shrieked.

Medusa just laughed.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Twilight, Harry, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Ron, and Hermione reached the door on the third floor corridor at around the same time.

"Y'all got Rainbow's message?" Applejack asked.

"Yes," Harry answered. "I hope it isn't too late. She can't face Voldemort on her own…"

"But she wished!" Pinkie pointed out. "She wished to beat the bad guy that was behind the attacks on Hogwarts!"

"Then why did she have to chase him?" Fluttershy asked nervously, already shaking.

"I don't know," Hermione said, "but we're going to help her."

"Let's end this," Twilight stated.

Harry opened the door, leading the other seven into the empty room. "Er…what's so special about this room?" Rarity asked. "It's rather…bare."

"Back when this was the first room that guarded the Philosopher's Stone," Harry explained, "there was a three-headed dog posted here as the first challenge. Fluffy was sent back after the Stone was moved."

"Fluffy?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hagrid's idea," Ron sighed.

Harry crossed the room, opening up a trap door in the floor. "This way," he said, jumping down.

One by one, Ron, Hermione, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity followed.

* * *

Chapter 42:

· Yes. I had a spreadsheet laid out for who was going to fight who where.

· Okay, so doing the Mahou Shoujo setups was REALLY fun for me. I know it was a lot of "nobody cares what _ is wearing," but I LOVED making those outfits, as well as the battle setups, the finale moves, and the weapons. The weapons are actually ones I plan to make relevant through the whole story. And it was fun to write some battle action anime style, with the calling of attacks. I do hope that there was enough action here to make up for all the fashion.

· By the way, just so you know, writing wizarding duels is hard. I had to come up with a CRAPTON of excuses for why the Death Eaters couldn't instakill people.

· The Mahou Shoujo weapons do have the ability to physically hurt people, but I thought it more in the style of the Mane Six to be able to "defeat" enemies without harming them.

· Twilight's weapon is a staff, of course, because it matches her magical nature to be a "mage type." And her fighting style is amplified magic. "Elemental Finale" is based on Mami Tomoe's "Tiro Finale" move from PMMM—I think she's the only one whose finale move we actually see.

· Horvath has his cane with Drake and Abigail's rings because I said so. Discord gave it back to him or something.

· I had to give Ginny back the Bat-Bogey Hex after she used it so well in Order of the Phoenix.

· When writing the kitchen battle scene, I was just thinking, "How would Monty Oum do a fight in a kitchen?"

· Fluttershy's battle style is based on ninjas because of the martial arts connection she displayed when karate kicking the knots out of that bear's neck in "Lesson Zero."

· Ophira actually had me pick up a cast iron skillet recently so I could feel for myself how strong Rapunzel has to be to wield one. And those things are freaking HEAVY.

· Pinkie's battle style is guns because of the Party Cannon and because of the fanart that's exploded of her holding a giant shoulder launcher (yes, her finale move incorporates the shoulder launcher from the fanart!) to shoot herself at things.

· Even I find myself shuddering when I think about the depths of the relationship between the Carrow parents and children.

· We see Medusa's experiment begin to pan out. Black Blood drives you mad and can be formed into insane weapons. So that's the effect Voldemort is going under right now.

· Oh dear. Ricksmith is gone and may die. Boo hoo. Oh, come on, I doubt any of you actually were attached to him. I'm not attached to him. And he's my character.

· Hestia and Flora's Patronuses are dogs that are perceived as violent but are actually very friendly if trained properly. Because symbolism.

· Rarity's battle style is archery because…well, hers was actually the hardest to figure out, but I saw a comparison once of the Mane Six to the Avengers and she was given Hawkeye because of the "eye for detail."

· I realize I'm giving a lot of people permission to use Snape's spells from Half-Blood Prince, but I highly doubt that he CREATED them.

· Oh yes. Ebony actually was USEFUL. And "Voldemort has Draco bondage" is another MI reference.

· I of course had to have Crouch off Karkaroff if he couldn't have Malfoy. There was originally supposed to be some line there like, "The draconequus can keep you," but I realized that made no sense. (I ACTUALLY KILLED OFF A CANON CHARACTER? WHAT IS THIS SORCERY)

· AJ's battle style is of course based on Western-related stuff. Whips and ropes. I was actually inspired by Mr. Moss' crystal razor whip in Storm Hawks for how a whip could be used as a weapon, and it was recently confirmed by Rise of the Guardians (Sandman) that whips could be an effective primary weapon.

· Tarantellegra, you may remember, was a dancing jinx from the dueling club in Chamber of Secrets. I feel like Flitwick is the playful type, so I had him bring that one out. Because who doesn't want to see that in battle?

· And of course, the desk to pig spell, a call back to McGonagall's first ever appearance in a classroom.

· I…actually forgot to put the Malfoy parents on my spreadsheet and gave them bullshit excuses for not being there afterward.

· I couldn't resist building for a rivalry between Stevie and Alex.

· "Snake snake cobra cobra," the vector arrows (that are actually snakes), and the Vector Plates are all canon things Medusa can do in Soul Eater.

· Oh no. Another filler OC I made (or at least expanded on from a canon frame) died. Boo hoo.

· Medusa has already been dismembered so many times in canon, I figured I could do it again.

· And it occurred to me that Snape would probably remind her somewhat of Stein from SE, who she loves to torment with Foe Yay.

· No one's actually seen Medusa put her body back together. I imagined how it happens, with the snake and all.


	43. The Mirror of Erised

43: The Mirror of Erised

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity landed in a dark chamber; the only light filtered in from the trap door above. The room was filled with vines that clung to the wall.

"Devil's Snare," Hermione said. "I'm not sure why it's acting so…skittish, though."

"Devil's Snare is the plant that hates heat and light, right?" Twilight asked. "I bet Rainbow Dash used that sword of hers to throw a few rainbows around."

"When you first mentioned a plant on our way up here," Applejack admitted, "I was half afraid Dash'd chop it all to bits."

"No!" Fluttershy gasped in horror. "What would Arbutus think?"

"Who's Arbutus?" Ron asked.

"Let's just say he's the biggest Herbology aficionado you'd ever meet in your life," Twilight answered.

The vine began to twitch. "The plant's lookin' a little more lively now," Applejack observed, her voice trembling.

"Let's go before it gets violent," Harry said, crossing the room and throwing open the door.

The group entered a new room, one that seemed impossibly high—it must, again, have been the strange and magical architecture of the castle itself that contained it. The ceiling was vaulted and rounded. This time, the light came from torches on the wall. Across the room was a door with a handle that only slightly glimmered, enough to tell that it was large and silver. Near it was propped a broomstick. Up by the ceiling, there buzzed a cloud of the strangest winged beings the Equestrians had ever seen: old-fashioned keys with wings. Brass keys with blue feathers. Silver keys with red feathers. Gold keys with black feathers.

And among these keys, Rainbow Dash was flying. She had abandoned the broomstick and was stretching her wings for the first time since coming to the school, zooming about and leaving a rainbow trail. "A-HA!" she cried from above before diving to the ground with a brass key in her hand. She galloped to the door and tried it; the key wouldn't turn. "Rats!"

"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie rushed forward to hug her tightly.

"Hey, hey!" Rainbow Dash giggled. "What's all this?"

"You went chasing after Voldemort all by yourself!" Pinkie squealed. "We were worried! And there are all sorts of traps and nasty things down here!"

"Well, the plants were no match for the great Rainbow Dash," Rainbow bragged as her friends backed away from her. "As for this, it's hardly a trap. More like a frustration. I've caught, like, ten keys, and none of them fit this stupid door!"

"One of them up there does," Harry said. "But I don't blame you. It's hard to find."

"You know which one it is?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, I've been down here before," Harry reminded her.

"I hate to sound desperate, but…can you show me?"

Harry crossed the room, picking up the broomstick. "Let's go."

He mounted the broom, and he and Rainbow Dash shot straight upward into the keys.

Harry looked around for the key from his memory, trusting his sharp eye. For a moment, he feared that perhaps Voldemort had taken the key with him through the door, or that it had otherwise disappeared. But then he saw it—silver, coated in rust, with blue wings.

"That one!" he yelled, pointing. "The rusty silver one. Did you see it?"

"I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash took off after the key. The key immediately began its escape, attempting to get as far away as possible from Rainbow Dash—but she was faster than it, clutching the shaft, taking it back down and landing with a bow.

Harry landed next to her. "Nice work. That was…admittedly faster than I got it."

"Thank you." Rainbow Dash winked. "But it's a lot easier when you know what you're looking for. Thanks for the help."

"It was nothing."

"…and then she said 'Brackium Emendo,'" Rarity was telling the others, "and his limbs just turned to rubber! It was as if there were no bones in them!"

"So that's what that incantation was," Harry muttered. "Sorry. Someone used it on me in my second year. I'd always been curious."

Rainbow Dash fitted the key to the door, and it opened.

"Just warning you," Ron said, "you're…not going to like what comes next."

"What could possibly be worse than what we've already faced?" Rarity asked. Then she stepped into the next room. "…oh."

The square stone chamber was patterned with black and white tiles. Lined up on them, on each side of the room, was a set of chess pieces—black on the side closest to the group, white on the opposite side.

"Why do I always seem to get stuck on giant board games?" Twilight muttered.

"We have to play to the other side," Ron said. "You only get across if you put white in checkmate. But if you get captured…well, it smarts. You probably won't be getting across at all."

"None of the six of us can get captured," Applejack asserted. "We need all six Elements to be present to fight Voldemort. Which reminds me…Rainbow Dash, how come you couldn't take care of him on your own?"

"He had this weird black blood," Rainbow Dash answered. "He could turn it into weapons. It was stronger than everything I could do!"

"That doesn't sound right," Hermione thought out loud. "Voldemort's never had…well, then again, nothing's been as expected lately."

"So, Hermione," Rarity interrupted, "I take it you have our passage across this room secured?"

"Actually…" Hermione replied. "Ron's the one with the mind for chess. Not me."

"Thank you for the credit," Ron huffed.

"Oh," Rarity said sheepishly. "I do apologize…"

"So, Ron." Twilight turned to him. "None of us can get captured. How do we get to the other side of this room?"

Ron thought about it. He stared at the black pieces. "All right," he said eventually. "Here's what I'm going to try. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, you three are the new pawns on the left. Twilight, you're the king's castle. Rarity, you're the king's bishop, and Applejack, you're the king's knight. Harry, Hermione…we're going to try for a repeat success. Harry, you're queen's bishop; Hermione, you're queen's castle; I'm queen's knight."

All the pieces named perked to attention and walked off the board. They were immediately replaced as per Ron's assignment.

"White goes first," Ron said.

A white pawn moved out two spaces.

"Right," Ron muttered. "Pinkie Pie! Forward two spaces!"

"Righty-o, sir!" Pinkie replied before hopping forward two spaces.

When the first black pawn, one not replaced by a member of the group, was captured, Twilight felt a catch in her throat. The white knight drew a sword and swung it at the pawn until the stone shattered. She didn't want any of her friends to be on the receiving end of that.

That fear, paired with her pre-existing knowledge of chess, caused a slight altercation between her and Ron. "No," she said to one of his commands. "I DON'T think Rarity should move diagonally to the left. I think Applejack should go forward and to the right."

"I know what I'm doing," Ron hissed at her. "Rarity moves diagonally—"

"Yes, but don't you see how that opens up Fluttershy?"

"Yes! That's the point! It's a trap! The knight moves forward, thinking it can take Fluttershy in two moves, and that's when we capture it—"

"It's going to have thought that out! It's a MAGIC CHESS SET, for Celestia's sake!"

"Well, if you move Applejack and leave Rarity where she is, that puts you in the open."

"No, you're not looking at it right. I'll be fine."

"No, YOU'RE not looking at it right. The queen—"

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Rainbow Dash shrieked.

Twilight sighed. "Okay…fine. Ron, you've played this game before. I'm going to trust you. Rarity, do what he says."

The decision was wise; Hermione was able to capture the white knight. She just touched it, and it toppled before rolling off the board.

Later, Ron found himself lost. "I think I botched it," he moaned. "Either Pinkie or Rarity has to be taken—"

"No," Twilight rebutted. "Not if you have Rarity go back three spaces."

Ron calculated the move in his head. "How didn't I see that?"

"Even veteran chess players make mistakes," Twilight replied, though she felt quite smug.

As time went on, however, it became harder to preserve the pieces. At a crossroads, Hermione realized she had to be captured.

"I'll be fine," she promised. "Just don't let any of the Elements get taken!"

"But…" Twilight couldn't voice her worry. The great sword. Shattering stone.

"It isn't as bad as it looks!" Hermione insisted. "Let me be taken!"

"Hermione…" Ron looked directly into her eyes. "I…I don't want to order you to do that."

"You see it! Twilight probably sees it! It's the only move we can make!"

Ron bit his lip.

"Ron! I'll be fine!"

Ron sighed. "All right."

The move was made. The white queen approached Hermione, drawing a sword.

"NOOOOOO!" Twilight shrieked.

Ron tried his hardest to hold back tears.

The sword connected with Hermione, and she was thrown against the floor hard, falling unconscious. The queen tossed her limp body to the side of the board.

"HERMIONE!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"She's all right!" Harry assured her. "They don't kill live players!"

"I've been taken before," Ron said softly. "It will just take her a while to come round, that's all…" He stared over toward her. "We have to keep going."

Then Harry needed to be put in the line of fire. "It's all right," he assured the others, "though a little humbling that I'm not going to be the one to make it through to the end this time."

The white queen knocked him out, throwing him next to Hermione. Fluttershy whimpered. From that distance, she couldn't tell if either Harry or Hermione was breathing. For all she knew, they could have been dead.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT!" she shrieked, moving to step out of her square.

"NO!" Ron yelled. "No. If you step off the square, the game is forfeit, and Voldemort can kill us all!"

Fluttershy stayed where she was.

At last, Ron met his own end. "If I let myself get captured by the white queen," he said, "Rarity can capture her."

"But what about after that?" Applejack asked. "What do we do then?"

"I guess you do your best," Ron replied. "Twilight. You're in charge of directing everyone now."

Twilight swallowed hard. "Okay."

Ron stepped into position. The white queen pounced on the opportunity, unsheathing her sword.

"One more thing!" Ron yelled, suddenly remembering. "The potion that takes you ahead is-!"

He was knocked out midsentence, skidding across the floor. A line of blood trickled from his forehead.

"Rarity," Twilight said immediately. "Take the queen!"

Rarity galloped toward the white queen, drawing her bow and firing a single crystal arrow into the queen's stomach. The great white statue absorbed the arrow's energy, then slumped over, rolling off the board.

"What now, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"I don't kn—" Twilight looked ahead. "Wait. I DO know. Pinkie Pie!"

"Ready for command, general Twilight!" Pinkie saluted.

"With the queen out of the way, you can move into the back row," Twilight stated. "That turns you from a pawn into another queen. You'll be safe. When you get the extra mobility, I'm going to arrange you, Rarity, and myself to corner the king!"

"Okie-dokie-Loki!"

"Then MOVE OUT!"

Pinkie hopped into position. "WOOHOO! I'm Queen Pinkie Pie now! My first declaration as ruler of the chessboard is CUPCAKES FOR EVERYPONY!"

"Very good!" Twilight replied as the white pieces responded accordingly. "Now fall back next to me!"

The white pieces struggled to come up with a move; they answered.

"Rarity! Two spaces up! Cut off the king!"

Rarity moved in. The white pieces took so long to move, Twilight thought for a moment they had completely broken down. However, a move was made to block the space between Rarity and the king, leaving just one path open for the king to escape.

Twilight stepped directly into that path. "Checkmate," she stated proudly.

The king bowed.

"Let's GO!" Twilight commanded, and she, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie ran for the door.

Fluttershy hung back, moving instead to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "They're still breathing…" she muttered with a sigh of relief.

"Hey, c'mon," Rainbow Dash urged. "They'll be okay. They're alive. Just knocked out. We gotta go get Voldemort. For them, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded. She followed Rainbow Dash into the next room.

The skeleton of an enormous troll, seven years dead, lay sprawled out on the floor. "Yeah, I think we dodged an arrow on that one," Rainbow Dash remarked.

Once the six passed into the next room, blue flames erupted to cover the door through which they'd come. "Well, that's rather ominous," Rarity remarked.

The door ahead was covered by black flames. The room itself was rather small, containing only a shelf with seven bottles of varying shapes and sizes upon it. A scrap of parchment lay on the table near the bottles.

Pinkie Pie picked it up. "It's a poem!" she squealed. "Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind! Two of us will help you, whichever you would find, one among us seven will transport you ahead—"

"That's not a poem," Twilight realized. "It's a riddle! Pinkie! Can I see that?"

Pinkie handed the parchment over. Twilight read it through. "Okay," she stated. "So, from this, it looks like these bottles each have different things in them. Two have wine, three are poison, one is a potion that takes you back through the blue fire, and one is a potion that takes you forward through the black fire."

"That must've been what Ron was tryin' to tell us before he got knocked out!" Applejack realized. "The answer to the riddle!"

"But Twilight can figure out any riddle," Rarity pointed out. "We wouldn't have needed his answer anyway. Isn't that right, Twilight?"

Twilight felt sweat collecting on her brow as she looked at the parchment, then up to the bottles. "Sure…"

"What, you're nervous?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Three of them are poison," Twilight reiterated. "If I get this wrong, it could just end up being harmless, but it could also mean that one of us…dies."

"But the amulets!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "They keep our souls! I was able to walk off a ton of black blood spikes!"

"That was just a physical injury," Twilight rebutted. "Poison would shut the body down, and with nowhere to go, the soul might stay trapped in the amulet. I mean, that is a worst-case scenario…we might recover from poison too…but I wouldn't know that unless we tested the effects, and I am NOT going to test the effects."

"You won't get it wrong," Fluttershy assured. "You're smart. We know you have the answer."

"Okay." Twilight looked at the bottle array. "I think…I think it's this one." She lay a finger on a tall bottle containing a yellow liquid.

"Great!" Rainbow Dash grabbed the bottle, uncorking it and lifting it to her lips.

Twilight read the parchment one more time, ever the one to double check her work. "No! WAIT!"

Rainbow Dash lowered the bottle. "Yeah?"

"Rainbow Dash, I was wrong!" Twilight moaned. "Don't drink that! It's the poison!"

Rainbow Dash put the bottle back down where she'd found it.

"I'm sorry," Twilight gushed, "I'm just under a lot of pressure—"

"You can do this," Applejack stated. "Just think about it."

Twilight took a deep breath. "It's that one," she said, pointing to the smallest bottle, filled with black liquid.

"Okay!" Rainbow Dash grabbed the indicated bottle.

"WAIT!" Twilight yelled again.

"Poison?" Rarity asked.

"I'm…not sure," Twilight admitted. "That should be the right one, but I don't want to mess up!"

"Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, "here's the thing. You checked your work, you double checked your work, I trust you, and I'm going to drink this."

"RAINBOW—"

Rainbow Dash knocked back the potion in one swallow. She shuddered. "It's COLD."

"You're not dead," Twilight breathed. "That's…a good sign."

"Now let's test this." Rainbow Dash put her hand in the black flames. She waved it back and forth. A wide smile broke out across her face. "I think we have a winner!"

"Well, how are we supposed to all go through when you done drank it…all…" Applejack picked up the tiny bottle. "Well, I'll be. It's full again!"

"It's a Refilling Charm," Twilight guessed. "It would have to be in order to let multiple people through. Otherwise only one person could ever get to the next chamber."

"See you on the other side!" Rainbow Dash charged through the black flames. Shrugging, Applejack took a swig from the bottle and followed. One by one, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie followed suit.

When Rainbow Dash passed through the dark flames, she entered a spacious chamber. She stood atop wide, flat stairs; in a sort of valley below, Voldemort stood with his back to her, staring into a tall, ornate mirror with an engraved golden frame. Rainbow Dash felt the presences of her friends join her in the room. "Hey, YOU!" she yelled at Voldemort. "You better stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW! Um…what are you doing?"

Voldemort turned from the mirror. He'd just been trying to figure out the strangest vision. For the most part, it seemed to be him, deathless, immortal, living through years and years…but every now and then it flickered, and all he saw was his own self, grinning madly. Sometimes it didn't even look like his own face, but that of a red, horned demon. He had no way of knowing at that time that his vision of his heart's desire—immortality—was being interrupted by the madness of the black blood, which craved nothing more than what it already was. Yet it was both Voldemort's true self and the black blood that answered Rainbow Dash when he turned to face her and her friends. "I was merely waiting," he said. "Waiting for you to come so I could kill you."

"Um…I'm starting to think coming down here was a mistake," Fluttershy whimpered.

"You mean this whole time," Twilight reiterated, "you couldn't do anything unless we…came and tried to stop you…"

"That is correct," Voldemort said. The grin took over his face. "But now I can end you here. I was so hoping Potter would be the first death. It would have been quite fitting. But the end of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony will be much more useful to me." He raised his wand. "Time to die."

"Start powering up," Applejack whispered. The sphere of light engulfed the six; their amulets glowed.

Rarity in particular was afraid that Voldemort would kill them outright with the Killing Curse. Perhaps, she pondered, it could pierce the sphere of light. She didn't know how strong it was. But the black blood took over. Voldemort turned his wand upon himself, creating incisions in his own skin. The black blood bled. It trickled down to the ground in snakes, then curled up, solidifying into whips with pointed ends.

The rainbow burst forth from the six at the same time that the spears of black blood shot toward them. The two forces clashed, a wave of rainbow pushing against a torrent of obsidian.

Twilight could feel the force of the black blood pressing against the powers that she and her friends emitted. It felt strong, almost as much as Jafar's power had been, she thought. But at the same time, she felt stronger.

It was Rarity who recalled that they were all still in the garb of Mahou Shoujo, who noticed with her sharp eye that the colors of the rainbow were just a little brighter than they'd been before.

The rainbow forced the black blood backward, taming it, making it weaken. It dripped away, and the multicolored lights moved toward Voldemort, ever closer.

Then he was engulfed in light. In frustration, he cried out: "NYAAAAAGGGHHHHHH—"

The wounds healed over…mostly. One cut remained, the one Rainbow Dash had given him upstairs. The blood that dripped from it was decidedly red, with not a trace of black to be seen.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash felt a surge of pride, having beaten the black blood.

Voldemort drew his wand, a difficult action as the rainbow lights surrounded him. However, as he lifted his hand, the wand cleared an area of darkness. Perhaps it was possible for him to summon the strength to outpower them. After all, despite the fact that some strange fog had lifted, that he felt he was regaining his true senses for the first time since his battle with Rainbow Dash and with that, something was missing, he was still a master of darkness, and most certainly, he had it within him to face these six mere girls—

But he didn't have to.

The light sphere shattered. The six tumbled to the ground, dazed. Not missing his opportunity, Voldemort cast the curse he'd been building over them, a wash of darkness.

"What…" Rainbow Dash muttered. "What happened…"

"Quirinus," Voldemort said softly.

Quirrell lowered his wand. "That light was difficult to break into," he said, his voice quivering. "It took me twenty shots."

"I must thank you." Voldemort smiled, though it was not the crazed grin of the black blood. "You have delivered to me exactly what I wanted."

"You'll only need one of them for the Horcrux," Quirrell pointed out as the six struggled to get to their hooves. "Which one would you have it be?"

"The one with the rainbow hair," Voldemort answered. "She's given me enough trouble."

"OH YEAH?" Rainbow Dash shot back. "I'll give you more than—" She swung her hands down through the air, only to find that they clutched nothing. No sword. She was dressed once more in Hogwarts robes—all six were.

"I've taken the liberty," Voldemort informed them, "of reverting you to your prior states. After all, I do know much more magic than that taught here." He looked to Quirrell. "Let us begin."

The two wizards raised their wands, ready to begin the kill.

"BRACKIUM EMENDO!"

Quirrell shrieked in horror. He dropped the wand. He crumpled to the floor, his legs bending at odd angles. His arms went completely limp. All four limbs were without bones.

As Quirrell collapsed, Voldemort could see who was behind him, who had cast the curse. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie looked that way as well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all had wands drawn, pointed at where Quirrell was; they'd said the curse in unison. They turned their wands upward to Voldemort.

What happened next surprised them all. Voldemort faltered, his wand hand shaking. He appeared momentarily confused. Then he turned his wand back to the Mirror of Erised. It shrank, and he stuffed it in his pocket. Then, with the swiftness of an owl, he ran. He paused briefly before Quirrell, and no one quite saw the exact moment when Voldemort picked up his comrade, but Quirrell's body was slung over Voldemort's shoulder and the Dark Lord continued to run.

"AFTER HIM!" Ron yelled, and the nine gave chase. Voldemort was as a blur, even with the burden of an extra body in one arm, and they were hindered momentarily, for they each had to drink from the purple bottle in the potion room before they could keep going, through the chess room where the white pieces and black pieces were inexplicably reset and let them pass, through the key room, through the room of the Devil's Snare, which was stymied when Voldemort cast a bright flame in the center of the room—

Quirrell was thrown up out of the trap door first, giving a cry as he landed on the floor of the room that had once been home to Fluffy the three-headed hellhound. Voldemort was then in the room with him, nearly flying out of the labyrinth entrance.

The door to the room burst open. Quirrell twisted his neck as best he could with no arms to give him support, and he could see that, of all people, it was Alex Russon who'd arrived.

"Hey!" she yelled. "I got a Portkey! You got the thing?"

"Yes," Voldemort growled. "Now give the Portkey here!"

Alex nodded, dumping a book out of a black bag onto the floor. "Let's blow this pop stand!"

Rainbow Dash flew up out of the trapdoor in time to witness Voldemort, Quirrell, and Alex vanishing. "NO!" she cried.

"What happened?" Harry asked, climbing out of the trap door.

"They got away," Rainbow Dash growled. "How could they do that? I wished!"

"But we're all safe," Hermione remarked as soon as she was in the room.

"Lucky thing, too," Twilight added. "Turns out Voldemort was actually just waiting for us to chase him."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Let's all get in the same room first," Hermione suggested. "Then we'll exchange questions and answers."

When Harry, Ron, Hermione, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack all stood in the same room, Harry began. "What do you mean, he was waiting for you to chase him?"

"He was going to kill us," Rainbow Dash answered. "Actually, he wanted you, but I think we made him…mad. Anyway, he was going to use us for a…thingamabob!"

"A Horcrux!" Hermione realized.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash confirmed. "That thing."

"He wanted to split his soul by killing you," Hermione stated, "and start building his Horcruxes again…of course, he's only a mortal now…"

"He wanted to make it out of the mirror," Harry added. "That must have been why he took it! It makes sense. That mirror was there when I stopped him from getting the Philosopher's Stone. It helped me and not him!"

"But how did you get there?" Rarity asked. "We left you quite unconscious in the chess room!"

"Well…we woke up," Harry answered. "Just in time to see that someone else was finishing playing a game. Quirrell. He didn't see us. The game reset itself, so we played the quickest match of wizarding chess in history."

"Beat it in three moves," Ron boasted.

"And you made quite good use out of the bone removal spell," Rarity stated.

"So I guess that clears things up," Twilight summed.

"But there's something I still don't understand," Hermione said. "Why did he run? Why not kill us and make the Horcrux then and there?"

"Well…I think I might know…" Fluttershy said softly. "When I fought Quirrell…he didn't beat me. I let him go."

"YOU WHAT?" everyone else cried.

"He and Voldemort seemed…attached!" Fluttershy defended. "Even bad guys need friends, right? Quirrell was doing everything for Voldemort! They needed to be together!"

"So both of them could attack us at once?" Ron asked incredulously. "So Quirrell could stab you in the back like he did? So the two of them could kill us all—"

"Except they didn't," Hermione pointed out. "Voldemort was in the position to. But he ran."

"I think Voldemort thinks about Quirrell in the same way Quirrell thinks about him," Fluttershy suggested. "They're both very evil and mean, but…I think they care about each other, if only a little bit. Or at the very least, Voldemort respects how loyal Quirrell is. We outnumbered them. Yes, Voldemort could have started killing us, but then what would have happened? I'm sure we would have tried to take Quirrell prisoner. Those of us that were still alive. Plus, you'd already hurt him with the bone removal spell. By putting them together, we gave them something else to care about."

"So you're saying that Voldemort cared more about Quirrell than killing us," Harry reiterated.

"I think so."

"But that's impossible," Harry said, shaking his head. "Voldemort doesn't care about anyone or anything except making his own life longer."

"Maybe he's changed," Fluttershy suggested. "Or maybe you're wrong."

"Perhaps it's just a mystery," Hermione said to put an end to the discussion. "The long and short of it is, we're all safe. Given that we could all turn up, I'm guessing that we won the invasion. And while Voldemort may have the Mirror of Erised, at least he has no one to kill for—"

"Hermione," Rainbow Dash said somberly.

Everyone looked at her expectantly. Rainbow Dash was silent at first. She didn't know how to break it. She took a deep breath. "The Carrows took a prisoner with them. Voldemort had them hold him. He's back there with the rest of the Death Eaters now."

"Well, who—" Hermione stopped midsentence. She remembered who'd gone with Rainbow Dash, and only one of them was male. "No…"

"They got Ricksmith," Rainbow Dash stated, her voice catching.

"NO!" Twilight cried. "NO, NO, NO!"

"But Voldemort only makes Horcruxes out of special kills," Ron said. "There's hope, right? Ricksmith never did anything to him. They never even met—"

"Except that Ricksmith has the position that Voldemort always wanted at this school," Harry pointed out. "It doesn't matter who it is…the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be a special kill to him. Maybe…maybe that's part of why Voldemort ran. He had a failsafe, and he knew it."

"We're going to have to tell everypony else," Fluttershy realized.

"Not to mention make sure that we've actually won the invasion and everything's safe," Harry added. "Well…I suppose there's no sense in putting it off."

The nine turned to the door, to leave the room.

"By the way," Hermione asked, "how are your amulets holding up? You spent a lot of time as Mahou Shoujo."

"Before Voldemort took us out of the transformation," Twilight grumbled. "He has otherworldly powers now. At least we got rid of that weird black blood. I think." She took off her amulet to get a good look at it. "…oh."

Upon hearing Twilight's tone, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity each took off their amulets to get a good look. The gems didn't shine as they once had. They were cloudy, full of mist. Rainbow Dash's was even gathering a sort of black mist in the center.

"We have to be more careful about using these," Twilight said. "We have to conserve whatever power is left in the amulets until we know exactly what happens when it runs out." She refastened it around her neck, and the others did the same.

Then they left the room to survey the results of the battle.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

"YOU DID WHAT?" Voldemort roared at Medusa.

"A mere experiment," Medusa said calmly. "Did it not make you stronger, almost enough to combat the Elements of Harmony themselves?"

"Without my permission," Voldemort growled, raising his wand.

"Come now," Medusa said. "Would you truly kill me? Especially after the strength I gave you. Only I have that knowledge. Would you risk losing it?"

Voldemort lowered the wand. "It took away my mind," he said sternly.

"A side effect," Medusa replied. "Some would call it worth the trouble. For me, it was enlightening. I have never injected it into one so…ordinary as yourself."

"I AM NOT ORDINARY!"

"In the grand scheme of the cosmos, no. You are one of the most powerful Dark entities there is. Not even you realize your full potential. But the black blood was meant to create new Kishin. Candidates for that are even more rare than Dark sorcerers of your caliber. You must understand." Medusa gave Voldemort's last open wound a disapproving look. "I see that the black blood can in fact be negated by the Elements of Harmony. This will require further study. Hopefully a flaw I can correct."

"In the future," Voldemort snarled, "you will report all of your research to me."

"I will do what I feel like doing, Voldemort. But you knew I would say that." She turned and stalked away, noiselessly on bare feet.

Voldemort gritted his teeth. She was right. The black blood was a benefit to them both, and she was doing a wonderful job of keeping herself valuable by refusing to share the knowledge of how it was created. She also knew much more about the Kishin than any other, and probably a fair bit about Morgana le Fay. Voldemort had no choice but to shrug it off.

He turned to face Alex, who stood behind him with her arms folded, waiting for praise. "So?" she prompted. "I did good, right?"

"Bellatrix has informed me that you destroyed most of the Portkeys."

"Hey, man, I didn't want to. That girl I already killed? She was there. Well, another one of her. She put me under that mind control spell and made me destroy all the books. But I got you and Quirrell out, okay? And you got the mirror."

"Without you," Voldemort admitted, "that may not have been possible. Very well, Alex. You will not be punished…but you will not be rewarded."

"Fine by me," Alex said with a shrug. It really wasn't, but she knew that given the stakes, it was better to break even than to be tortured or killed.

The Carrows and Crouch entered the room at the same time. "Bartemius," Voldemort began. "Tell me of Quirinus."

"He's been laid up in your bed as you asked," Crouch said. "I've started him on the Skele-Gro. He's going to have a long and painful night."

"And I am to understand that the death of Karkaroff was an accident?"

"Unfortunate, wasn't it?" Crouch's tongue flicked nervously, but his eyes sparkled. "You've got young Malfoy to thank for that one."

Voldemort turned his attention to the Carrows. "And the mirror?"

"Exactly as you wanted it," Amycus said gleefully.

"Good. I will finish my business with it." Voldemort stalked out from the room.

"Accident," Alecto hissed, looking toward Crouch.

"These things happen," Crouch replied. "It also happened to Pettigrew and Scabior. Though I think that's good riddance to bad rubbish."

Voldemort entered a room that had been stripped bare of furniture but for two adornments. One was the Mirror of Erised, returned to full size. It glimmered, and Voldemort's reflection in it was no longer marred by any wide grins or red demons.

The other was Ermond Ricksmith. Bound by ropes and gagged in a similar manner Crouch had done to Veronica Aardman, he struggled, and his eyes betrayed panic.

"You had the audacity," Voldemort told him, "to take the honor that was mine. I do hope you do not consider your time as professor wasted, for you had so little of it."

Ricksmith shook his head, whimpering.

Voldemort lifted his wand. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

There was a flash of green.

When all was done, the Mirror of Erised shone a little differently. The glass was slightly warped. Voldemort's reflection was simply that of himself rather than any desire of his; he stared into the eyes of his own soul, the first piece he'd transferred outside himself since his resurrection. Satisfied, Voldemort left the room.

Ricksmith's corpse lay on the ground for the others to dispose of.

* * *

Chapter 43:

· I always did wonder if anyone at Hogwarts was surprised that Ron was a better chess player than Hermione.

· I thought about reviving the troll somehow, but decided that I didn't have a logical way to do it (NOW is when I decide that logic takes precedence over who should be alive in this story). Plus, I really didn't want to do that battle.

· It only makes sense to me that after one goes through the chambers of the Philosopher's Stone (I've been calling it by the British name just because I feel it's more in character for the British characters to say, and also because that's how it's referred to in other media), the bottles refill and the chess game resets. Otherwise the first book would have been Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking through a chess graveyard and getting trapped in a room with no potions left.

· The red devil Voldemort sees in his black blood reflection is a reference to Soul Eater. That thing lives in the heads of whoever gets too "high" on black blood.

· I thought about researching if there was a shrinking charm in the Potterverse, but you know what? Voldemort travels worlds. He's a threat on multiple planes. In this story, he obviously knows more magic than just Potterverse magic, and so I also gave him the liberty of being able to undo the Mahou Shoujo transformation.

· Would Voldemort really drop everything to help Quirrell? I honestly don't know how in character that is, but it's what I wanted to build up to. It fits the theme of the entire story, and it goes with my ship.

· It's possible to beat a chess game in three moves. It kind of requires the opponent to be an idiot, but it's still possible.

· Ricksmith's dead. He's not coming back.


	44. The Nice One

44: The Nice One

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Slowly, peace came to Hogwarts.

* * *

Scabior, Pettigrew, Crabbe Sr., Jugson, Macnair, Rosier, Wilkes, Rodolphus and Edmond Lestrange, and Gibbon were arrested immediately and shipped to Azkaban.

Presumably, the Azkaban guards would be passed the responsibility of having to put up with listening to Scabior and Pettigrew argue over who botched the invasion worse.

* * *

"And you?"

McGonagall stared down over the top of her glasses at Snape from across the desk in her office. She awaited his answer.

"I intend to return to the life I once had," Snape stated. "Invisibility. Anonymity."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Severus, what good does running do you? Were I you, I would take a page from Miss Sparkle and ask what it means when you let those who care about you believe you are dead."

"It admittedly was…a selfish life. But it befits what life came before."

"How can you think you were selfish in your protection of—"

"It was only ever because of my desires," Snape insisted sternly. "Desires that I either should never have had…or lost because of my own foolishness."

"Has it never occurred to you that Potter is Lily's son as much as he is James'?"

"Every. Single. Day."

McGonagall sighed. "If you wish to return to the life you had before, then you may. However, I do not want you to leave with the mistaken belief that your actions at this battle had no effect. Judging from your reports, had you not held off that very strange witch, more than Grintcliffe and Ricksmith would have died. Which brings me to another point. With the new knowledge building that our enemies can return from the dead, for whatever reason…the study of Defense Against the Dark Arts is more important than ever. Mister Potter has declared to me that he intends to return next year and the years after in order to continue Dumbledore's Army. We shall need a professor of the subject, Severus. One who is experienced. Not to mention…er…durable."

"You're suggesting I take the position."

"It was what you wanted most. Severus, what better way would there be to make up for what happened in your past than to devote your future to the students?"

Snape was silent as he cogitated.

Neither he nor McGonagall was surprised to hear Rainbow Dash's voice from behind the office door: "Oh, will you just TAKE THE GOSHDARN JOB!"

"I suppose it wouldn't do to refuse with all of them listening," Snape sighed.

"One of these days, I shall have to find a way to rout eavesdroppers," McGonagall added.

"Very well," Snape conceded. "If Voldemort has returned…than so shall I. I will accept your offer."

"WOOHOOOOOO!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

Snape left the office to find the six Equestrians there, along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ginny, Neville, and Draco.

"You know, Harry," Luna pointed out, "he is the closest thing you have to a father."

"I would not say such things again, Miss Lovegood," Snape growled. "Were I employed, that would be ten points from Ravenclaw." He stormed down the stairs.

"He's NOTHING like my father," Harry added.

The six Equestrians just exchanged glances.

"It looks like we've got the same old Snape back," Hermione remarked.

"Good," Draco replied. "We've finally got a professor who'll invite ME in to tell his class about how great I am." As he said this, he looked to Harry and genuinely smiled.

Harry realized Draco was joking, and he couldn't help but laugh. Soon, they all were caught up in laughter as they moved down the stairs.

"So are you really going to come back next year to work with Dumbledore's Army?" Twilight asked at last.

"I know I am," Harry said. "For sure."

"And me," Hermione added.

"Me too," Ron chimed in.

"I'm not going to back out now," said Ginny.

"Of course," Luna affirmed.

"If you'll have me," Draco stated.

"From what I hear," Harry pointed out, "your teaching about the Imperius Curse saved several lives. You can be a real jerk some days, but you know things I don't know that are important in these times. I think it would actually be best if you did come back next year."

"Can anyone take pictures?" Ginny asked incredulously. "My boyfriend's asking Draco Malfoy to work with him. I won't be able to believe this later without evidence."

"Actually," Ron told Twilight, "all of us were thinking about staying for the rest of the year. We don't exactly know if Voldemort's done wreaking havoc on the place."

"Plus you miss us," Hermione teased.

"Well…there is that," Ron admitted, throwing his arm around Hermione's shoulder.

"But you can't distract us from studying for our N.E.W.T.s!" Hermione insisted.

"That reminds me!" Twilight cried. "Most of us here have finals! We should be studying! We only have three weeks left! Library?"

Everyone else agreed, and the thirteen headed out to the library to form their usual study group.

* * *

Fluttershy couldn't sleep. She had a feeling something was wrong, or at least amiss. She got up from her bed, trotting out into the Hufflepuff Common Room.

She found Veronica Aardman huddled on a couch there. "Veronica?" Fluttershy greeted softly.

"Oh," Veronica replied, equally softly. "Hello."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes…" Veronica buried her head in her crossed arms. "No."

Fluttershy settled herself on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"It was horrible. Living in the cellar. Only the same four walls to look at. But I think the worst part of it was knowing that he was being a fake me and fooling all my friends, and I couldn't do anything about it."

"I'm so sorry," Fluttershy replied. "I can only imagine."

"I guess I'll get over it, but it was so…" Veronica couldn't finish the statement. Instead, she began to cry.

Fluttershy gently hugged her. "It's okay to cry. I can tell you one thing for sure. Now that the real you is back here with us, we're going to do our very best to protect you so nothing bad will ever happen to you again. I know I definitely will!"

Veronica clutched at Fluttershy tightly. "Please," she begged. "Don't ever let them get me!"

"I won't! I promise!"

They stayed there for a little while longer before Veronica got up, wiping her eyes. "Thank you."

"If there's anything else I can do, um, you can just let me know."

"I will. But you've already done so much just tonight." Veronica smiled. "I should go to bed."

"Me too."

The pair walked into the Hufflepuff girls' bedchambers together.

* * *

When Veronica woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of the party cannon going off. A giant banner with the words WELCOME BACK VERONICA was strung across the ceiling.

"Welcome home!" Pinkie cried. "I thought we'd throw you a party now that you're back for real!"

Veronica immediately burst into tears.

"Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy chided. "I told you it was too much!"

"No," Veronica said, and they saw her sincere smile. "It's wonderful. I love it!"

* * *

No one could forget the loss of the two newest professors, and even more importantly, no one could forget that the greatest enemy their world had known had returned from the dead—that otherworldly forces made it possible for death to be reversed, somehow, for the wicked. Firenze still spoke of the movements of the stars and chaos to come, as though it hadn't already knocked on the castle door.

But as friends came together and made vows of protection, peace did come.

* * *

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

The Death Eaters also recuperated. The very night after Voldemort had finished creation of the first Horcrux, he received word that Quirrell wished to see him. Curious, Voldemort ascended the stairs, entering his chambers.

Quirrell was in obvious pain, gritting his teeth as he endured the splintering sensation of bones regrowing themselves inside his body. He'd regained some mobility in his arms, and he was using this to clutch at the edge of the blanket of the bed in which he lay, trying to offset the pain. His skin looked bloodless, and sweat gathered at his brow.

Voldemort wasn't sure what to make of him. He looked so weak. Weakness was something he had never tolerated, never encouraged. His own moments of weakness frightened him. Yet he couldn't convince himself that Quirrell needed any sort of punishment for merely being vulnerable. If anything, he needed security until he was restored to full health. Steps to take to ensure that he wouldn't be further harmed by any associates who wanted to usurp his favor with Voldemort, thereby taking him out of the game, such a valuable player, who'd even been able to stop the bearers of the Elements of Harmony in mid-performance out of sheer tenacity.

"You wished to see me," Voldemort said at last.

"Yes," Quirrell answered, sitting up, gritting his teeth.

"You wouldn't rather it waited," Voldemort suggested, "until you had healed?"

"It's important."

"Very well."

Quirrell looked to Voldemort with pleading eyes. "Make me one of your Horcruxes."

Voldemort hadn't expected that. He wasn't sure how to react. The best he could come up with was "Why would you want a thing like that?"

"Because—" Quirrell stopped to clench his jaw at another wave of pain. When it subsided, he continued. "Because with me, your soul would be safe. No chasing breakable objects like mirrors. I would guard your soul to the last. And I realized that having a piece of your soul inside me would be nothing new. After all, I once had—" Another pause. "—all of you with me."

"Do you realize what you are asking?" Voldemort replied. "It would turn you into a target."

He wanted to kick himself. There were a million other reasons for Quirrell not to be a Horcrux. For instance, it would involve Voldemort having to hand his complete trust to the man. Though that was probably not an issue—all those years ago, he'd given him complete trust. But it would also mean that one of the Horcruxes would be a delicate living being—albeit one who'd proven he could hold up in battle quite well, despite how fragile he seemed. No, the first thought to spring to Voldemort's mind was that it would turn Merlinean wands against Quirrell.

"I would fight off anyone who tried to kill me," Quirrell insisted. "I would live. And you would live."

"I am not about to ask you to sacrifice your entire life for that purpose, Quirinus."

"But I am ready-!"

"You don't know what you're asking for, and the answer is no. I will not change my mind."

"So you'll keep chasing down objects—"

"Yes." Voldemort stepped closer to the bedside, looking down upon Quirrell. "That is my intention. If that is not what you have in mind, you are free to leave."

"No! Not now. Not when we have this chance to have everything!" Quirrell closed his eyes tightly as another rush of pain washed over him. "Damn…this…" He opened his eyes. "It's worth it, you know. This. I'd have my skeleton removed ten times over if only for the chance to win over them, to take the victory we deserve!"

"Your loyalty…impresses me," Voldemort stated. "It is perhaps a little surprising. Though perhaps I should not be surprised…you did lend me your entire body, you did burn yourself to death upon the curse of Lily Evans at my bidding…"

"I would do it again!" Quirrell insisted.

"But for what purpose?"

"For OUR purpose! To put the Muggles and Mudbloods in their places! For the rise of the Morganians! So that every world in which there lived a Lord Voldemort would know him—agh—damn—would revere him!"

"And why?" Voldemort asked, looking directly into Quirrell's eyes. "Why should the world bow to me?"

"You're…asking this?"

"I know why I believe the world should bow to me. I want to know why you believe it."

"Because you're right," Quirrell insisted. "Because just by looking at you, by hearing what you say, I know you're better than all of them. Because…you are…meant to be more."

The two men were then staring into each other's eyes, unsure what to say. Unsure, even, what to feel.

Alexandra had been a moment of weakness, Voldemort thought. The kiss shared in the Ponyville library was something he'd vowed never to give into again. But he was wiser than he had been…he knew more…he could risk more. It was Quirrell's loyalty, he told himself, that he was drawn to.

Loyalty strong enough that the man would sacrifice himself in every way. Something Voldemort was unused to on such a personal level. Something that caught him off guard.

He was kneeling then, so his face was level with Quirrell's. He wasn't sure when he'd done that—knelt by Quirrell's side. Their gazes were brought much closer together by that action.

Quirrell knew he would stand by what he said. He could think of no better leader than Voldemort. No better one to idolize, in fact. In the pits of Voldemort's snakelike eyes, Quirrell could see a drive for power that matched his own, a desire for strength and recognition. He understood that. Perhaps that was why he kept coming back to Voldemort, never choosing anyone else or any other route.

For a moment, they remembered, at once, what it had been like when they had been two minds in one body. It was incredibly familiar, but at the same time, everything had changed. Neither one was bound to the other by the restraint of having the same skin, but they returned to each other nonetheless. Each still remembered how the other had thought.

And Voldemort decided to risk more.

Quirrell was at first absolutely stunned when the Dark Lord himself moved those few inches closer and completely kissed him on the mouth. But he was overcome with a desire for that very occurrence that he didn't know he'd had before then. He let go of the edges of the comforter, sliding his arms around Voldemort's back as much as he could manage with the splinters of bones he had, leaning into the kiss. Voldemort, having decided to abandon his emotional caution, slid one hand around the back of Quirrell's head, running his fingers over the place from where his eyes had once stared.

They parted. And Quirrell had to ask. "What was that?"

"Perhaps…a reward for loyalty." Voldemort stood, backing away. He knew he should have felt regret, and yet he was satisfied with his decision. Quite pleased, in fact.

"An occurrence best forgotten?" Quirrell asked, worrying the answer would be yes.

"I would prefer…not," Voldemort admitted. "After all, you and I have shared so much."

"So…you would think of me as…"

"There is a saying, Quirinus. You know it. Love—"

"—is a weakness."

"You and I are quite strong, Quirinus. If this is what they call love, certainly you and I can withstand it. It will not hinder us."

"Perhaps you are strong, but I—"

"You have proven yourself many times. I would warn you not to speak of this before the others. They would think that we could not maintain our position and still have the ability to connect to each other. But I do hope that you would not be opposed to continuing this…this…" Voldemort was quite distracted then by Quirrell's smile. The man just looked so happy. It was almost hilarious. Were it anyone else, Voldemort would have told him off for it.

"We meet in private, is what you're saying," Quirrell stated.

"I believe that would be best. In the company of others, I do expect you to be with me on the more important of tasks. To assist me in the collection of Horcruxes. Unless 'gathering items' is of no interest to you."

"Oh, no—I will be there, I will be at your side—"

"Good. I would not want it any other way." Voldemort looked toward the door. "They will be wondering what has kept me."

"Go. I won't breathe a word, I won't—"

"I will see you again soon. At latest, when you have finished healing." Voldemort crossed to the door and left the room.

Quirrell lay back, head spinning from what had just happened. It was then that he remembered the regrowing bones splintering in his limbs. He'd forgotten about the pain for a while.

Behind a ventilation grate, having watched the entire scene, a green snake uncurled, slithering through the ducts.

* * *

Bellatrix Lestrange was in a rage. She broke everything she could find in the kitchen—a venue she chose because it contained the most things to break. "I WON'T HAVE THIS!" she screeched.

Horvath watched her, unsure what to say. He most certainly didn't wish to leave. It would have been uncouth, he thought, to abandon a lady such as herself during a time of turmoil. It was how he would have treated Morgana…back when he still held true respect and more for her.

"The castle? Lost! HA!" Bellatrix threw a teacup to the ground, stamping on the shards. "Wormy little Wormtail? We don't even have what little use we could get out of him anymore! All three Malfoys alive, SNAPE alive—WHAT BUSINESS DOES HE HAVE BEING ALIVE?" Three more teacups at once. "All because Crouch botched his so-called brilliant plan! What do we have to show for it?"

"A Horcrux," Horvath pointed out.

Bellatrix glared daggers at him. "Yes. That."

"You're sure this has nothing to do with your former husband being taken prisoner?"

"Oh, he's gone? I hadn't noticed."

"Then that's a no. Then I suppose you're angry because of your defeat at the wand of Minerva McGonagall."

Bellatrix turned red.

"Minerva is no small foe," Horvath pointed out. "She is difficult to destroy. Were it otherwise, she would have been long buried by now. You deserve accolades simply for returning from a battle with her."

"Damn bloody right." Bellatrix's anger looked to have deflated somewhat.

"Besides, you were not the only one to be humiliated. I still have no idea how I was bested by a Kentauride girl dressed in frills when I had the power of three sorcerers combined at my disposal. I do, however, know that it is an offense I will not take lightly."

"You and me both," Bellatrix agreed. "You don't look no slouch. Not compared to Trixie's sort. Something strange is afoot there."

"Stranger than my being here, or Medusa's?"

"You've got a point. So maybe we've been going about this wrong. It's going to take a little more than relying on Crouch's plans and the might of our wands, isn't it?"

"It seems so. We shall have to find other means. Then again, we have the power of multiple worlds at our disposal. We can afford to be creative."

"I like the way you think." Bellatrix grinned, but her expression quickly soured again. "Worst part of this all is, Russo's going to get all the credit for anything good coming out of this because she brought him the damn Portkey. And after she ripped up all the other ones! Oh, but he'll see. It's not her what should be his little favorite. Once he realizes what I've done for him, what I'm willing to do—"

"You suppose you will be his favorite?" Medusa asked, stepping out of seemingly nowhere. "That you even have a chance of becoming his lover?"

Bellatrix went redder than before. "I never said THAT!"

"You can put away all your thoughts of being Voldemort's lover or even his favorite," Medusa stated with her usual smile. "He's already chosen. It isn't you."

"Tell me he's not still mooning over Russo—"

"No," Medusa interrupted. "Though I doubt you'll be surprised. Who has he favored all this time? Who has made the ultimate sacrifice for him, so long ago? Who has he given special treatment, even to the point of deserting an ideal candidate for the Horcrux?"

"Well, there's that Quirrell, but he ain't—" Bellatrix stopped. She thought about it—really thought about it. "No. NO!"

"I observed their meeting," Medusa said. "They seem to be quite more than allies."

"What's that supposed to mean, more than allies?"

"Do mere allies in business express their affections by kissing each other on the lips?"

Bellatrix's jaw dropped in shock and anger.

"You're lying," Horvath said hurriedly upon noticing Bellatrix's reaction. "You're just trying to get a rise out of her!"

"I have no reason to do so," Medusa stated calmly. "I do, however, want to bring it to your attention that our comrade's goals may currently be compromised."

"COMPROMISED?" Bellatrix screamed. "THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT?"

"You know the saying," Medusa continued. "Love is a—"

"I DON'T CARE!" Bellatrix stormed away from the kitchen. "Him! HIM! That weaselly little TWIT! Over ME!"

"It is HIS LOSS," Horvath asserted, but Bellatrix was already too far away to hear him.

"Interesting," Medusa muttered. "It appears that Bellatrix is also compromised."

"Will you leave?" Horvath snapped. "Voldemort may think that your usefulness is worth your meddling, but keep this up and I may decide otherwise!"

"As you wish." Medusa left.

Horvath just stared at the door out of which Bellatrix had stomped. He had to admit to himself that it would be a detriment if that many of the Death Eaters were "compromised" by lust or love or what have you. That was logic.

There was no logical reason, he knew, to keep staring. Much like Voldemort, he decided to give in, just a little. Not a full admission, but…

"It really is his loss," Horvath repeated, still watching the path Bellatrix had taken, somewhat forlornly.

* * *

Voldemort was surprised it hadn't occurred to him earlier. The solution to his problems was suddenly all too simple.

He called for a council of the remaining Death Eaters in the living room. Quirrell had healed by that time, and so he stood there, beside Crouch and Medusa. Bellatrix and Horvath chose deliberately to stand against the opposite wall. Also present were Trixie, Fenrir, Dolohov, Goyle, Selwyn, Yaxley, the Averys, Rowle, the Carrows, the younger Crabbe, Travers (minus one arm), Gibbon, and Alex.

"Our numbers are small," Voldemort pointed out, "compared to the armies that the Merlineans at Hogwarts can pull together, without even mentioning what we face now that the Elements of Harmony have cast their fates in with them. Our loss was a disgrace, but when I consider it, it was not truly a surprise. Another mere invasion of our forces as they stand will not be enough. We must think more broadly, with the resources of the cosmos that are open to us."

"As if we hadn't just said the exact same thing," Bellatrix hissed to Horvath.

"Our forces came together with three goals at first," Voldemort reminded the audience. "To conquer Hogwarts, sanctuary of magical knowledge for the multiverse. To control the Kishin, the ancient evil. And to conduct the Rising, in which Morgana le Fay would return to us the powerful fallen who shared our goals. It now seems that we cannot do the former without the assistance of one of the latter. We must turn our attentions to the Kishin and the Rising."

"Both lost, if I recall," Medusa interrupted.

"And yet your experiments with the black blood indicate that you are not quite finished with the idea of the Kishin," Voldemort replied.

Medusa gave him her sinister smile. "Very perceptive. I have been thinking of ways to undo that…tragic loss."

"But we cannot bring Morgana le Fay back from the dead," Horvath said hurriedly. "Not without whatever power that draconequus had."

"That is true," Voldemort said. "The Morgana you knew was from Camelot, a kingdom that hailed from days far past…days that are mysterious even to us. Camelot was reportedly part of the Lands of Legend, which existed when, supposedly, all worlds were one. But we know the story, do we not? Time was broken by fools, and the existence of multiple timelines caused the need for multiple worlds."

"Did you know this?" Bellatrix hissed to Horvath. "Where the hell is he getting this?"

"This is basic knowledge for interdimensional travelers," Horvath hissed back. Bellatrix felt slightly sheepish.

"It would stand, then, that the Morgana we knew was famed throughout many worlds…the Morgana that came from that Camelot, where Horvath originally called home," Voldemort went on. "But what of other Camelots? Would the branching timelines not create that kingdom again? We retrieved Alexandra Russo from a world where she existed under different circumstances, despite her permanent death on this one. There was another of myself in that world, as well, and…Alex…has reported that on this world, there is a copy of her old nemesis, the first one she ever killed in my name. What, then, stands in the way of our discovering a second Morgana?"

Everyone present set to whispering.

"It's a good point," Quirrell whispered to Crouch.

"It's…brilliance!" Trixie whispered to Alex.

"What do you think of all this?" Bellatrix asked Horvath.

Horvath wanted to spit at the idea. He wanted Morgana to be dead and gone. She had betrayed him in a way she could never have betrayed any of the others. But that was when he felt differently about her…when he was consumed by obsession. That feeling was gone, for reasons he didn't quite understand were standing right next to him. Not to mention, it was a Morgana as different from whomever Voldemort spoke about as Alexandra was from Alex. He had no reason to reject the idea anymore…and from a purely professional standpoint, it was genius.

"It has merit," Horvath answered Bellatrix at last.

"With Morgana le Fay again on our side," Voldemort said, "we could direct her destiny, help her to become as powerful as the Morgana we recall, the one who gave us the name of Morganians. She would complete for us the Rising. Scores of pure-blooded witches and wizards on our side—"

Trixie crossed her arms, indignant that Voldemort would mention "pure-blooded witches and wizards" before a Kentauride who he'd deemed valuable. He either took no notice of this or chose not to respond.

"—and with that power, and possibly that of the Kishin, we would not only be able to take hold of Hogwarts, but this world and many others," Voldemort concluded. "It is because of this that I wish to form a small party tasked with finding Morgana. It will be led by myself and be composed of those of my choosing. The rest of you will occupy yourselves with whatever else you wish to accomplish until our return." The number of them that were still alive and hadn't gotten themselves blown up or thrown into Azkaban, Voldemort added in his mind, would stand as testament to how many were truly deserving to stand alongside him. The incompetent would surely weed themselves out as Pettigrew and Scabior had. "I intend to take only five with me. Quirinus—"

"Figures," Bellatrix hissed.

Quirrell couldn't restrain a grin. He and Voldemort met eyes for a split second, a short communication.

"—Horvath," Voldemort continued, "Bellatrix—"

"At least he still has some respect for me," Bellatrix muttered.

Horvath was beginning to doubt. After all that had happened when he tried to instigate the Rising by himself…could he actually seek Morgana in person? He didn't dare say no, however. Only an idiot, he thought, would do that.

"Medusa," Voldemort said, somewhat gingerly.

Medusa didn't make any sort of response.

"And Crouch," Voldemort finished.

"No," Crouch replied, confidently, immediately.

Horvath hadn't thought Crouch was an idiot before that moment.

"Why do you think you can defy me?" Voldemort asked.

"Because there are other things I can do to serve you besides either going on your wild Morgana chase or staying here like a mandrake rooted in the ground," Crouch stated. "I, too, have considered the possibilities of the powers found on other worlds. I have a few things in mind, in fact. There are destructive forces you haven't even considered. Let me go and do what I wish to accomplish, and you'll come back here to find the job of conquering this world half done."

"I would reject you, and even punish you for insolence, had you not performed so well with the coordination of the invasion," Voldemort replied. "Though it was a failure, it only progressed as far as it did because of you. I will humor you. You may attempt…whatever it is you wish to do."

"Oh, you won't be disappointed," Crouch said with a grin. "Still…I'm not one to ruin the surprise."

"As to those I have named, you would do best to have your affairs in order," Voldemort commanded. "We will leave tonight."

* * *

Crouch watched from the doorway as Voldemort, Quirrell, Bellatrix, Horvath, and Medusa disapparated on the front lawn, off to find other Camelots. He wondered if he should have at least gone with them for the moment, because they had the power to transfer their bodies to other worlds with just the flick of a wand. Crouch did not have that skill. It was reportedly a painful one to learn.

But he did have other means. Where he was going was nowhere near any Camelot anyway.

"So what's this genius plan of yours?" Alex asked him. "I mean, I'm just set on figuring out how to kill Stevie again. But you look like you're thinking about something huge."

"There are things I always believed in," Crouch said, "that others laughed at me for. But if the multiverse is really as big as they say…I know exactly where to find these things. Morgana isn't the only user of Dark magic to have survived since the Lands of Legend, after all."

"Well. That was useless. You really are bent on not telling anyone anything about this plan, aren't you?"

"You'll see it when you see it."

"You know, I could see you being an expert on all this stuff about dimensions and worlds. You should have your own spaceship. Make it travel through time, too. Just go all over finding different aliens and magic and stuff."

"That's ridiculous," Crouch said with a huff as he turned to walk past Alex and re-enter the house.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Finals drew near, and the study group—Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Draco—met in the library nightly. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Draco were merely there to keep the others company; Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were nearly driven crazy studying for their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests ("That one spells N.E.W.T.!" Pinkie had cried before bursting into laughter) while the six Equestrians looked over their books for their simple first-year finals.

After class, Applejack and Rainbow Dash made their way toward the library for one such study session. "Anyway, if Hermione comes back next year, she'll be able to make S.P.E.W. even bigger and better," Applejack stated.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "And—"

She heard the laugh.

"Did you hear that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Hear what?"

"Someone…laughing. It was creepy."

"Uh, Rainbow Dash? This is a school. Students laugh."

"No, this was…" Rainbow Dash felt a chill. "You'd know what I mean if you heard it."

It happened again. The laugh echoed toward Rainbow Dash's ears from further back down the hallway. It sounded absolutely familiar, a cold giggle from a male voice.

"You go on ahead," Rainbow Dash told Applejack. "I have to go take care of something. I'll be right there."

"Does this have anything to do with your mysterious laugh?"

"Well…yeah. It does. I have to check this out, okay? It's probably nothing, though."

"Want me to come with you? I mean, Voldemort is still out there, and if somethin's suspicious—"

"Nah," Rainbow Dash said, suddenly filled with confidence. "I'm sure it's nothing. But if it is? I can take it! It's just ONE laugh, after all."

"Well…all right," Applejack sighed. "See you in the library."

"See ya there!"

Applejack continued toward the library while Rainbow Dash walked in the opposite direction, following the sound of the laugh. She found herself walking down a stretch of hallway that was abandoned. The laugh emitted from behind a tapestry.

"Hey, you!" Rainbow Dash grumped. "Stop creeping me out, okay?" She swept back the tapestry. All she saw was a hidden stairway leading up. She decided to take it.

She heard the laugh again. "Whoever you are, you know I can take you, right?" Rainbow Dash threatened. "I nearly beat Dark Lord Voldemort in a battle! Geez, I don't even know who I'm talking to! Pull it together, Rainbow Dash!"

The stairway led her past another tapestry into a hallway on an upper floor. This hallway was also deserted, but at the end was a window through which filtered bright sunlight. It seemed impossible that something sinister could happen in an area so brightly lit, so Rainbow Dash sighed with relief.

The laugh was louder. It sounded as though whoever was laughing was standing right next to Rainbow Dash. "CUT THAT OUT!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash," the voice—the same voice that had made the laugh—said. "Did you REALLY think it would be that simple?"

Rainbow Dash felt her joints go weak as fear rushed over her. She figured out where she'd heard that laugh before. The voice, too. "No," she told herself. "It's a trick. A stupid trick. Ron, are you using something you bought from your brother's store?"

"You know," the voice went on, "I was never quite sure when the right moment would be to make my dramatic reappearance. I suppose this is as good as any."

With one more laugh—but different; this one was filled with mirth—the speaker came into view in a flash of light. Rainbow Dash, stunned, took two steps backward, steeling herself before she could catch herself running away like a coward.

"It can't be," she said. "You…you can't! You aren't here! You're back in Equestria! YOU'RE A STATUE!"

"Au contraire," Discord replied. "I am obviously very much here, and I am most certainly not a statue. Last time I checked, anyway."

"HOW?" Rainbow Dash asked. "How did you get here?"

"Well, I guess Maleficent would want to take the credit for that," Discord sighed, "but I like to think this is fate. Times are about to change, Rainbow Dash. Things are about to get a lot more chaotic. But you knew that. Firenze showed you where it said that in the stars."

Rainbow Dash's fear turned to anger. "So Maleficent's using you as a weapon too."

"I really wish people would stop getting that impression," Discord sighed. "Yes, she let me out of my uncomfortable stone prison, but that doesn't mean she owns me or even that she's more powerful. SHE is a pawn in MY game. Which you, by the way, are doing an EXCELLENT job at playing!"

A thought occurred to Rainbow Dash. "How'd you even get in here? You can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds!"

"When have I ever followed rules like that, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash sighed in frustration.

"But it seems you and I have an appointment," Discord pointed out. "As I recall, you made one wish, to defeat the so-called 'bad guy' behind the attack on Hogwarts. Well…here I am!" Discord spread his arms, beaming with glee.

Rainbow Dash drew her wand, about to fire a curse. Then his words sank in. "Wait. YOU were behind the attack…?"

"You see, once again, you give Maleficent far too much credit," Discord informed Rainbow Dash. "She may have brought Gothel back from the dead, but that's about all she's done in that respect. Voldemort and the Death Eaters? That was all me. I'd appreciate it if you started giving me due credit for showing them the way back here. Oh, and while we're on the subject, I also happened to be the one who brought Jafar back to the Seven Deserts. Mirage is an old friend of mine, you see. I thought it would be fun if she gave that lamp to a power-hungry tyrant, and oh, was I ever right! Twilight and Mozenrath are more entertaining than most soap operas."

"You…YOU UNLEASHED A HORDE OF BLOODTHIRSTY KILLERS ON INNOCENT STUDENTS?" Rainbow Dash screamed.

"It may seem one-sided," Discord countered, "but when you really think about it, it was an even match. And your side won. For now. I'm looking forward to the rematch. Oh, come now, you know I wouldn't set it up unless there was a chance you would win. I can't have you dying on me while there's still so much fun I can have watching you survive new challenges! But all this talk is boring me. Are you going to defeat me, or not? Do I have to make the first move?"

Rainbow Dash was struck speechless, unsure what to do. So Discord snapped his fingers, and suddenly the halls became a river, water four feet deep rushing down to wash over Rainbow Dash as a wave and knock her over.

She burst from the water angrily. "THAT'S IT!" she cried. Discord watched, amused, as in a blink of light, she transformed into a Mahou Shoujo, wielding her great rainbow sword.

"Now that's more like it," Discord muttered.

Rainbow Dash charged, swinging the sword. Discord ducked it, evading the shockwave. He tossed a few lightning bolts; they forked in the air, and Rainbow Dash slipped between them. She charged directly at Discord, screaming as she held the sword aloft. She struck out with it.

The shockwave knocked Discord down. The water dissipated. Rainbow Dash walked to stand over Discord, who lay on the ground, claw pressed to his forehead dramatically.

"Oh, dear," Discord said. "It seems you have beaten me. Your wish has come true."

"Save it," Rainbow Dash growled. "You aren't beaten."

"Oh, but I am! This time, anyway. I can't do anything else to bother you at this moment. That way you get exactly…what…you…wanted."

Realization struck Rainbow Dash. "Wait. You're doing this to screw with my wish!"

"I wouldn't call it 'screwing with' your wish if I'm granting it within all the terms and conditions. You beat me, fair and square. However, I can give you some information before I go. Would you like that as your reward, Rainbow Dash? To know what's going on?"

"Tell me what you're up to," Rainbow Dash commanded. "I get to choose whether or not I believe you."

"I should hope you believe me," Discord replied. "If you don't, well, you're going to be in for a nasty surprise. You've heard about the Old Ones, haven't you? Well, I'm looking for a way to bring them—to bring US, to be precise—all back. Oh, and what fun we'll have then! You're just part of the game I'm playing in the meantime to amuse myself. When the Old Ones are once again in power, why, the entire multiverse will go back to the way it was supposed to be! Have you heard of a time when all worlds were one?"

"I've heard about it." Rainbow Dash kept the sword pointed down at Discord, not daring to move.

"We were before that," Discord said. "Before there was anything that you would call familiar existence, there was chaos. There was us. Maleficent is also looking for them. She thinks she can CONTROL us. Well, you know what that means. The game's stakes are upped. More villains back from the dead, more disharmony to be spread. More ways to test you."

"Is EVERYTHING a game to you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Actually, yes!" Discord admitted proudly. "But that's where the problem lies, you see. I like a little balance. Good with evil. Light with darkness. Not that the latter two are related to the former. It makes everything just so much more enjoyable! But my idea of chaos is a little different than that of my friends. You see…well, it will be more effective if I just show you."

Discord put up his paw and claw, stretching out what looked like a square screen between them. On it flashed a series of images, and the longer Rainbow Dash watched, the bigger the screen seemed to become until it filled her entire vision.

The images were terrifying. There was Mirage, along with a blue winged cat. There was a gigantic black creature, somewhat like a gargoyle, with bright yellow eyes and a horned head, rising from a mountain in the darkness. There was a tall, thin, humanoid man, with no face—just blank whiteness—and arms that branched into writhing tentacles; he wore a neat black suit. There was a golden two-headed dragon whose body was that of a gigantic marble statue's head. There was a red-orange mass that erupted from the ground into a lumbering body and a head with sharp teeth. A slim red creature with slicked-back black hair and a teasing grin. A black sphere from which protruded an enormous hand, and at its center, through layers of black metal, a tiny glass sphere containing a green larva was visible. A man wearing black horned armor, impossibly gigantic and casting a hungry shadow. Another man, bound in bandages, with black and white striped hair. Another black sphere, with no remarkable features other than an impending sense of danger. A grinning god—or something more powerful, the father of gods—flanked by hulking masses of elements, fire, ice, wind, shaped vaguely like living beings. An aged man in crimson robes, with bright crimson eyes. A soil-colored dragon chewing upon the root of a tree, hoping to cause its toppling and with it an entire realm of existence. A creature that shifted from human woman to mare, but kept constant two black buttons for eyes. A blue-skinned woman with silver hair—her head was hacked off by an invisible blade then and there, but it kept on smiling. A man who seemed unremarkable, resembling perhaps a politician or an office worker, but whose shadow writhed as he held up a vial of what seemed to be deadly poison. A being as tall as a mountain, with a green face, sharp white fangs, and flames for eyebrows. A monstrously huge being, green as the sea, with tentacles protruding from its face.

"You see, Rainbow Dash," Discord said, interrupting the slideshow so that his own face loomed larger than any of the images. "The problem is that of all the Old Ones that are coming, of all the Old Ones you have yet to face…I AM THE NICE ONE."

He snapped his fingers. The screen and all its pictures disappeared. Rainbow Dash was unable to form a response. She simply stood in place, breathing hard.

"I know it can be difficult to take," Discord said with mock sympathy. "But you're going to have to get used to the fact that what you've seen so far is only the beginning. Well, that's all I had to say! Feels good to get that off my chest! I'll see you soon, Rainbow Dash! And tell your friends hello from me when you see them!"

Discord vanished, completely. He left behind one last echoing laugh.

It took Rainbow Dash a while to move. Discord's return was…difficult to process, but in the end, on its own, it was just frustrating. But he'd been the one who brought back Jafar. The one who brought back Voldemort. Setting up catastrophes like they were only games.

And he would probably never go away. He'd been sealed in stone three times and broken out three times. There were people who WANTED him out. Especially those who wanted the age of chaos represented by…by…

Rainbow Dash could barely process the creatures she'd seen. It was easy to believe that among them, Discord was, in fact, "the nice one."

She lowered her sword. She dismissed the Mahou Shoujo clothing, returning to her student's robe. She knew she had to tell the rest of her friends…but she walked slowly. She was in no hurry to break the news to them.

The chaos would never stop coming, she thought. They couldn't win. It was hopeless.

Her amulet was completely filled with cloudy darkness.

* * *

"Hey, where's Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

"She said she had to go check out somethin'," Applejack answered. "Some kinda weird laugh. She'll be along."

* * *

If they couldn't win, why even try?

This was the thought that whirled around Rainbow Dash's head as she moved ever slowly downstairs. Students pushed past her; she barely registered their existence.

So many horrors like Voldemort or worse waiting in the wings. There was no way the six of them could challenge…those. No hope.

Rainbow Dash became aware of something else, a writhing in her skin.

* * *

"Okay, Rainbow Dash has been 'checking out' that thing for way too long," Twilight stated. "I'm getting worried."

"As am I," Hermione agreed. "You never know what she could have run into, given the state of things…"

"I should've gone with her," Applejack realized.

"Let's go find her," Harry suggested. The study group rose from the table.

* * *

She felt dangerous.

Despair was eating at Rainbow Dash, despair and doubt. She knew the truth, felt that the entire universe was turned against her, and worse, her friends. But a new truth was beginning to reveal itself. When she looked down at her body, she saw it sort of shimmer and warp, as though it wasn't quite in that existence.

She took off the amulet, looking at it. The lightning bolt was cloudy and black, with not a trace of red.

Her instinct was to lash out. To draw the sword and use it. To destroy. She didn't know where those thoughts were coming from, especially since she had been in despair not so long ago. The only answer, she theorized, was that there was a curse inside of her.

That made sense. She'd used up all the energy in her gem as of the skirmish with Discord. She'd poisoned the container with her soul. She was feeling the effects. And they made her feel mean, aggressive.

A student crashed into her; she turned and hissed at that hapless child. Then she covered her mouth with a hand. She hadn't been able to control that impulse.

She began to feel what she was becoming. As her physical form kept on warping, she felt a building pressure, all her doubt and fear, and it was blowing her up from inside like a balloon, making her feel bigger.

That was how she knew she would be harmful. The last thing she wanted, after all this, was to become the threat to her friends. So she changed course. She didn't go to the library. She didn't waste time. She ran, down and down, to where she knew she would be alone.

To where she knew they would be safe from her.

The gem shifted in her hands. She felt the lightning bolt drop from its golden frame, and she caught it, not wanting it to roll away. Roll, indeed. It was round. She stole a glance at it. Round and black, a sphere with a spindle at one end and a tiny lightning bolt at the other.

She kept running. Then she found the place and entered. She was alone. She didn't know if she was safe—

But they were safe. From her.

She let the black sphere drop to the ground.

Then she took all the despair inside of her, all the fear, all the doubt—

And she let it come bursting out.

* * *

Chapter 44:

· I really feel like I'm shipping Scabior and Pettigrew at this point.

· So now you know the truth: Ricksmith was a placeholder before I could put Snape back in office. So we'll have Snape around for more fun later!

· Of course I have to keep bringing the main cast back even though they've graduated. It's more fun that way.

· I felt like Veronica needed a little closure after what she'd been through, but I didn't want to devote too much time to it because I didn't want to mishandle it.

· The Quirrell/Voldemort kiss scene was obviously one I was excited to write. Screw the idea of love potion babies not knowing love.

· I also have a thing for Horvatrix. Could you tell? This is the chapter where I take all the characters who've supposedly renounced love and make them fall in love. (You get off easy this time, Medusa.)

· The idea of the parallel Morgana is one that kind of struck me partway through this storylet, and actually will carry the Death Eaters' arc through several storylets now that I have it.

· The worlds were separated because "time was broken." This is just an outright reference to the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica. While I'm aware that the breaking of the time tower did not, in fact, create multiple timelines in that canon, I feel like it's the best historical excuse I have for how things broke.

· I apologize for the bad David Tennant/Doctor Who joke. As characters go, Ten and Crouch are as far apart as characters can be.

· I introduce Discord to the Mane Six! And he can Apparate on the grounds because HE'S DISCORD.

· I have actually got confirmation that Q has set off chains of events that unleashed hordes of killers upon the Star Trek universe. So I don't think Discord would cry too hard over the casualties caused by unleashing Death Eaters.

· Rainbow Dash's wish WAS just literally granted.

· I'm also not giving you hints as to who the Old Ones were I listed. Some you'll have recognized immediately. Others are from obscure stuff.

· If the despair seems out of character for RD, I will say that the amulet is influencing some of it. You'll get more on that next chapter. In fact, next chapter, you will understand the ending of this one. I know I kind of hit hard and fast with a bunch of stuff that didn't make sense. But this is setting up for what's to come.


	45. Regenbogen-Fabrik

45: Regenbogen-Fabrik

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

After a week, Rainbow Dash was pronounced completely missing.

"I doubt she could have left this world," Twilight said when asked about the subject. "I mean, we have enemies that travel worlds, but…well, I guess I'm just holding onto hope."

"What happens if you don't find her?" Nevile asked.

"We will find her," Applejack insisted. "We ain't leavin' until we have either Rainbow Dash or a hint about where to look for her. And that's final."

* * *

The study group continued to meet and study in the library, though they divided their time between actual studies—in tense times, tests could take their minds off things—and trying to figure out what might have happened to Rainbow Dash.

"I'm still afraid it's Voldemort," Harry insisted.

"What if it's Maleficent?" Fluttershy suggested nervously.

"What if she hasn't even been kidnapped?" Neville thought out loud. "What if she's gone because of…something else? I don't know what, but we can't just make assumptions."

"It had something to do with that laugh," Applejack sighed.

"Unless she decided to try to learn to Apparate six years early, and she landed in Peru," Luna pointed out.

"Which would not be out of character for Rainbow Dash," Rarity sighed.

* * *

Then came the day that Ron snapped.

The group studied in silence. That day, Harry and Hermione happened to be sitting next to each other. Ron slammed his book down on the table.

"So that's how it is, is it?" he growled. "You two sneaking around behind my back? I knew it. I KNEW IT!"

"Ron, what are you even talking about?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not going to stand around here and be made a fool of!" Ron insisted. "Hermione, if you want to be with Harry, just say it!"

"I don't want to be with Harry!" Hermione argued. "We've been THROUGH this! What's gotten into you?"

"So now you don't trust me?" Harry shot back. "If I didn't know better, Ron, I'd say you were jealous of me!"

"I am not!" Ron replied. "Though it would help if you didn't go prancing around, acting like king of the goddamn world!"

"Did we miss something?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Maybe I deserve to," Harry hissed. "After all, if it wasn't for me, you'd be dead."

"So you deserve everything I can't have!" Ron shot back. "I'm not going to listen to this anymore." He got up, hastening to leave.

"Ron, wait!" Applejack got up to follow him.

"I don't want to put up with this either," Harry grumbled, getting up and walking in the opposite direction.

"Harry!" Pinkie followed him.

"I didn't want them to fight again!" Neville wailed. "This is too much! I…I can't deal with it!" He also got up to run away.

"Neville?" Fluttershy went after him.

"This…is weird," Twilight said. "I feel like that just came out of NOWHERE."

"It did," Hermione said. "These arguments are old ones that I thought Harry and Ron had already resolved. I think there has to be something going on we don't know about. Draco, you were with those three all day while we were in class. Did anything happen?"

"What makes you think I'd tell YOU anything?" Draco replied, rising from the table. "This lot is nothing but filthy mudbloods and horses anyway! I don't know WHAT I'm doing here, but I'm done acting beneath myself!" Then he left as well.

"Draco, you can't mean that!" Rarity rushed after him.

"I was wondering when the old Draco would turn up," Ginny sighed.

"No," Twilight said. "Something's wrong. Hermione, what do you mean old arguments?"

Hermione was still reeling from Draco's statement. She cleared her thoughts. "Ron and I had feelings for each other for almost as long as we knew each other. It took us a while to get over our denial. I love him because he's brave and loyal, and because he isn't afraid to speak his mind. But he can be pigheaded on his worst days, and he got jealous easily. Jealous of anyone who got close to me. It nearly caused a rift between him and Harry several times, because Harry and I have always been close…but Harry's never been anything like that for me. I thought they'd worked it out for good. I thought Ron TRUSTED me enough to know that I wouldn't go behind his back and abandon him.

"And Harry…well, it took him a while to figure out what being the Boy Who Lived actually means. He thought it made him entitled, and he held onto that when he felt like the world was against him. He was really angry at the Order of the Phoenix when they brought him to sanctuary without telling him what was going on. But I thought that was past, too.

"And Neville and Draco…Neville used to be incredibly skittish. And Draco wasn't like…that…too long ago. I'm not sure what dredged up old demons for the four of them, but…they were together while we were in class. SOMETHING must have happened then!"

"I could go knock some sense into Ron if you wanted," Ginny offered.

"I doubt that would work," Twilight pointed out. "So…nopony has any idea where they were today?"

"I do," Luna stated. "I had Potions class today, and on my way, I happened to pass them down in the dungeons. The four of them were talking about what it was like to have Snape for Potions professor in those dungeons. They were just reminiscing. Perhaps thinking about old good memories brought up old bad ones."

"But seriously, if Ron doesn't get his act together…" Ginny groaned. "I'm not going to sit back and watch him throw away good friendships because of some stupid jealousy issues."

"Throw away friendships," Twilight repeated. "You know…if someone wanted to get at us, the easiest way would be to tear up our friendships. We draw a lot of our strength from being together."

"I know you want someone to blame," Ginny sighed, "but these are problems that have been with these guys since forever. My brother's a pig, Harry's unfortunately hot-headed, Neville's not the most confident, and it was only a matter of time before Draco blew up. This is just something they have to work out."

"But…all four of them at the same time!" Twilight reiterated. "For no reason! I just…I don't understand…"

"There's no conspiracy," Ginny insisted. "Whatever happened…it's their problem."

* * *

"Why'd you do that?" Applejack asked Ron, keeping pace with him in the hallway.

"Because I know that no matter what she says, I'll never be good enough for Hermione with someone like Harry around," Ron muttered.

"And you don't think she'd be honest with you about that?"

"She pities me. That's the only reason."

"But you were fine yesterday! What's the big deal? What happened today?"

"I just realized the truth, that's all!"

"Hey," Applejack suddenly interrupted, "what's that on your neck?"

"What's WHAT on my neck?"

"Somethin' shiny. Mind if I take a look at it?"

* * *

Harry stared out the window, out at the rolling green of the grounds. Pinkie Pie sprang into position behind him, looking out the window as well. "Ooh, what do you see? Niiiice view!"

"Go away," Harry demanded.

Pinkie was taken aback, and, frankly, hurt. "I just wanted to see if I could cheer you up," she said forlornly.

"Well, you can't," Harry insisted. "Now that Voldemort's back, I'm going to have to be in charge of defeating him again. More people are going to die, and it's going to look like my fault."

"No, it won't," Pinkie tried to argue. "Everypony knows you're doing your best! And we're going to help you out as much as we can! We—"

"You can't do ANYTHING. Voldemort marked ME at birth. I'd just like it a lot better if…if you could leave me alone and let me do my job!"

"But—"

"Leave me ALONE!"

"Okay…" Pinkie started to back off. Then the sun glinted off something she hadn't noticed before. "Hey, there's something shiny on your neck!"

* * *

"Neville?" Fluttershy approached Neville as he sat against a wall, hugging his knees. "Are you okay?"

"No," Neville said. "Fluttershy, what if all this time, I've just been lucky? What if I'm just not good enough to make it?"

"But you are," Fluttershy tried to reassure him. "Everypony talks about how much of a hero you are. And you're wonderful with the spells we learn in Dumbledore's Army."

"I'm a failure," Neville sighed, crossing his arms over his knees and resting his forehead on his arms. "Maybe it would be best if the Death Eaters just killed me. Then no one would have to worry about me."

"Don't talk like that—" Fluttershy was suddenly aware of Neville's neck, as he'd bent his head. She took note of a mark there, and it struck her speechless.

* * *

"Wait!" Rarity yelled, chasing Draco down the hallway. "DRACO, WAIT!"

"NO!" Draco spun to face her, wand drawn.

Rarity gasped. "You wouldn't! Not to me!"

"I would!" Draco snapped. "Look what you've done to me, Rarity! You've dragged me down to your level!"

"I did NO such thing! If anything, I dragged you UP a level! And you came of your own free will!"

"I never should have," Draco growled. "In fact, I've been wondering lately why I ever left Voldemort's circle. THEY seem to be incredibly well off."

Rarity gasped. "You are NOT the Draco Malfoy I know! You are NOT the same person that faced Crouch, Crabbe, Karkaroff, and Travers and vowed to protect this school from them!"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE THE DRACO MALFOY YOU THINK I AM! Now go away. Or I WILL use this."

Rarity swallowed hard. "Well. If you insist. But if this is your idea of how things should be, you can consider our friendship OVER. And you're a HORRIBLE judge of fashion, by the by. That lightning bolt tattoo on your neck does NOT flatter your hair tone."

She turned to storm away…and then realized what she'd just said.

* * *

Twilight made her way back to the Ravenclaw common room, deep in thought. She knew something wasn't right, but she couldn't prove that Harry, Ron, Neville, and Draco were being driven by…well, whatever was driving them. She hoped that Ginny was wrong, and that the four of them hadn't simply given up.

"TWILIGHT!"

Twilight turned to look down the hall; Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity rushed toward her.

"You'll never BELIEVE what we found out!" Pinkie cried.

"Were you able to talk to them?" Twilight asked.

"Well…no," Rarity admitted. "Draco threatened me, Harry told Pinkie Pie to go away, Neville seems to believe he's better off dead, and Ron has absolutely no trust in anyone."

Twilight's gaze dropped. "Oh."

"But it might not be their fault!" Pinkie gushed. "Something else might be controlling them! 'Cause we all noticed something about them! Something that's the same on all of them! They've got a mark!"

"A mark?" Twilight looked up again.

"A quite unusual mark," Rarity explained. "It seemed to occur somewhere on the neck area for all of them. It shimmered with unnatural iridescence. And we all recognized it. It was one you'd know anywhere."

"A lightning bolt," Applejack described. "With a sort of border around it."

"Like Harry's scar," Twilight deduced.

"No," Rarity corrected. "This one was three lines thick, coming out of the base of a swirling cloud. It was like Rainbow Dash's Cutie Mark."

"Oh my GOSH!" Twilight cried. "That HAS to mean something! The way they've been acting, Rainbow Dash being gone…it's connected!"

"But how?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hmm…" Twilight thought it over. "I wonder…the mark was shaped like Rainbow Dash's Cutie Mark. But so was her amulet. And we know there's something suspicious going on about those amulets. I know there's something there, I just…need more information to put it together. I wish there was more about Mahou Shoujo in the library, or else I would know by now if that had anything to do with it. But wherever Kyubey got that term from, it sure wasn't here. And it's not like he's around to ask."

"Or that Joseph guy," Applejack added.

"Joseph…" Twilight's eyes widened. "Girls…I just realized something!"

"What?" the others chorused.

"That I…am…an IDIOT!"

"No, you're not," Fluttershy replied.

"But I am," Twilight insisted. "I almost forgot that Joseph's journal was the first place I ever read about Mahou Shoujo. I've kept on looking for other books in the library, but there were TONS of other books about the stuff he wrote about up in the Luminary Hall! WHY DID I NEVER GO CHECK THERE? Uggggh! Between me forgetting how to use sand mesmerism and this, I just feel like I'm SLIPPING!"

"But now you've figured it out!" Pinkie cried happily.

"I have to go do some research!" Twilight cried. "NOW!"

"Want us to come with you?" Fluttershy asked.

"It'll be easier if I can just hunt it out on my own," Twilight admitted. "Besides, if we're out past curfew, we'll all get points taken from our Houses. I'm willing to throw Ravenclaw under the train for this, but we probably shouldn't have ALL our Houses punished, should we?"

"Rainbow Dash is more important than Gryffindor winning the House Cup," Applejack insisted, "but I get what you're sayin' about bein' able to find it faster if you read it yourself."

"I promise to come back with at least SOMETHING we don't already know," Twilight vowed. "I'll see you later!"

She then took off for the upper tower at top speed.

* * *

"LUMOS!"

Twilight shoved through the door to the Luminary Hall, bolting down the path to the altar and swerving to take the stairs up to the room of books. The shelves looked exactly as she'd left them. She stared the books down with new determination.

"You're going to tell me something," she growled at them.

She started with a sweep of the spines, seeing if she could get lucky and find a title that betrayed all. It paid off. "Mahou Shoujo: The Good and the Bad" was easily visible; Twilight took it from the shelf and brought it to a nearby table. She set the book down, opened it, and began to read.

* * *

"A Mahou Shoujo, or Magical Girl, is a protector of the universe, aligned with light. Her primary ability is to summon light magic from within herself, causing a transformation that augments her powers enough to fight evil. The Mahou Shoujo's transformation reflects her persona, and will be displayed in the form of unique celestial weapons, as well as clothing that reflects power.

"It is essential to remember that while a Mahou Shoujo draws from the powers of light, she is only the larval form of a witch, and witches draw from darkness just as much as or more than light. Many Mahou Shoujo, particularly those chosen by benevolent gods or spirits or granted their powers from birth, reach this maturation gradually if at all. Those who were formed by contracts with Incubators, however, will always turn destructive, and Incubators seek to 'farm' witches from all Mahou Shoujo, even those who were not created by Incubators."

* * *

Twilight took this as an indication that Incubators were her next buzzword. She flipped through the chapter headings until she found one entitled "Incubators."

* * *

"Incubators are residents of a faraway world with the capacity to observe all other worlds. They seek Mahou Shoujo or those girls with the potential to become them. An Incubator's goal is to rush the maturation of a Mahou Shoujo into a witch, for a more drastic transformation will unleash a burst of energy that will combat entropy. Incubators can see the flow of entropy through the universe, and wish to counteract the end of the world by harvesting the energy from Mahou Shoujo. As explained in Chapter 3, all wizards, witches, and mages contain the ability to counteract entropy because of their unique combination of mortal emotion—the only known force in the universe to grow with age rather than diminish—with the cosmic forces known collectively as 'magic.'

"It is highly debated, however, whether the Incubators' methods are necessary. All Incubators claim that entropy decreases at such a rate, traditional magic will eventually fail to combat it, and the only way to truly restore the balance of existence is to farm the magic that comes from the rushed transformation of Mahou Shoujo to witch. Some have said that this is Incubator propaganda, as their methods are most unethical, but as no entity that is not an Incubator has seen entropy in the way Incubators see entropy, there is no way to know."

* * *

Twilight took a moment to be relieved that this author seemed much more impartial and free of bias than Joseph St. Aelphege.

* * *

"If a Mahou Shoujo's transformation is rushed, instead of merely becoming a witch, she will turn into a destructive monster with all the abilities of a humanoid witch, but magnified. This is caused by the pressurization of grief.

"When a Mahou Shoujo or potential Mahou Shoujo forms a contract with an Incubator, her powers are either created or augmented further through the creation of a Soul Gem, which contains the soul of the Mahou Shoujo, outside of her body."

* * *

Twilight paused to beat her head on the side of the desk. With every thud, she groaned a word: "Why! Didn't! I! Find! This! Book! EARLIER!"

* * *

"This has the advantage of protecting the soul of the Mahou Shoujo, but the disadvantage of pressurizing the emotions inside a tiny container. In order to facilitate the transformation, an Incubator must tip the balance so the Soul Gem contains more negativity than positivity. The Incubator must cause grief. As known Incubators have put it, the Mahou Shoujo will transform when she 'curses the world.' The Soul Gem will also become more pressurized with negativity as it is drawn upon more and more for power.

"In order to increase grief, Incubators use the contract to trade Mahou Shoujo powers for a wish. However, the wish will eventually be corrupted in such a way that, if the Incubator has played correctly, will cause the Mahou Shoujo to be overcome with grief. Her Soul Gem will turn into a black Grief Seed, and from this Grief Seed will hatch a new body, the witch. The witch will come in the form of an inhuman monster.

"Witches of this type create their own labyrinths in which to hide. To keep balance, they must, as known Incubators have said, 'curse as many as they have helped' with their talents as Mahou Shoujo. Those who pass a witch's labyrinth and not realize it will be cursed with a Witch's Kiss, a mark that appears on the body in the form of the witch's particular insignia. The Witch's Kiss interferes with mental and emotional processes, causing victims to grieve without reason, cause harm to others without provocation, and other negative actions.

"Inside the labyrinth, the witch is powerful and deadly, and will kill any that fight her. The only way to destroy a witch of this caliber is for Mahou Shoujo of any type or situation to enter her labyrinth and slay her. The discarded Grief Seed can be used to purify Soul Gems of those under contract with Incubators, extending their time before they become witches."

* * *

Twilight's heart pounded. There, before her, was the entire answer. Rainbow Dash's wish had brought her grief…somehow. Whatever had laughed and drawn her away, it had corrupted her wish. Something had happened to make Rainbow Dash sad enough to "curse the world," especially since she'd used her amulet's powers so much already.

"She's turned into a witch," Twilight muttered. "She's hiding her labyrinth somewhere in Hogwarts…and the guys are acting weird because they picked up her Witch's Kiss!"

"So you figured it out."

Startled, Twilight turned to see Kyubey sitting atop one of the bookshelves, giving her his usual sweet, nonchalant smile. "YOU!" she cried. "You lied to us!"

"I did not lie," Kyubey said. "When did I tell you a lie?"

Twilight thought it over. "Okay, so you didn't lie. But you didn't tell us the whole truth, either! Rainbow Dash didn't become a real witch! Just some kind of monster!"

"She is a real witch," Kyubey said. "She has the same powers now. If she could inhabit the body of a pony, human, or Kentauride again, and if she could control her mind and heart, she would have the same powers as your friend Hermione Granger."

"But you made it so she doesn't have that body and she can't control her mind. You did that to get her energy transformation!"

"I must admit you six were strange cases. I do not like to form contracts with Mahou Shoujo as old as you because younger girls emit more emotional energy. However, you all had plenty of emotion to spare. You are all strangely childlike in that respect."

"I'm going to let that one slide because I'm mad at you about other things," Twilight grunted. "So where is she?"

"I do not know where her labyrinth is," Kyubey stated. "I know she released her transformation energy into the universe, which is good. It will keep entropy stable. Twilight Sparkle, the transformation into a witch is what I have to keep secret from most Mahou Shoujo. They hate the idea. Most of them form contracts with me not only to have their wishes granted, but to have enough power to fight things like witches. Especially witches that drop enough Grief Seeds for them to purify their Soul Gems and keep on fighting. You know, if you killed Rainbow Dash, you could use her Grief Seed to take the grief from your own gem and replenish your power."

"I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Twilight cried.

"But it is the only thing you can do," Kyubey said.

The two were surrounded by darkness; Kyubey wanted to show Twilight another picture. The blue haired girl who had wished for her male friend to be healed watched as this friend held and kissed another girl, with green hair. The blue haired girl cast her gaze downward, depressed. Her body began to shimmer.

Then she collapsed into a small, dark sphere, the size of a marble shooter. The sphere broke open, and from it burst an enormous monster, a humanoid creature with a mermaid tail and an armored, helmeted upper body. It waved a sword to conduct an orchestra of instruments that appeared before it. Three other girls—one with red hair, one with pink hair, and one with dark hair—rushed in to combat it, yelling at it, bursting into tears. In the end, the monster was destroyed, leaving behind a black sphere.

"No," Twilight whispered as the vision faded.

"Rainbow Dash will keep cursing people from her labyrinth unless you destroy her," Kyubey said. "Now, she is making people angry. But it will grow. Draco-kun will return to Voldemort."

"NO."

"Harry-kun will separate from his friends. Ronald-kun will become his enemy. Neville-kun will wish only to die. And others will become cursed."

"NOOOOO!"

"In fact," Kyubey clarified, "she is no longer truly Rainbow Dash. Her mind is overtaken by her grief, and that makes her dangerous. Her happy memories no longer exist, or her other emotions or memories. She is Regenbogen-Fabrik, a creature of grief."

"Well, I don't believe you," Twilight growled. "There's a way to bring our Rainbow Dash back. To save her. After all, that's what the Elements of Harmony are for, right? To fight grief?"

"If there is a way to defeat her without destroying her, I do not know it."

"Well, there are some things I want to know if you DO know," Twilight pressed. "Rarity and I are already witches. Are we safe?"

"No. Incubators can make contracts with those who are already Mahou Shoujo or even those who are already witches. Anyone with the power to undergo the transformation is a candidate. You and Rarity will both have your days. Pinkie Pie-chan is safe, though. She wasted her wish and has already undergone the consequences. She may draw upon her Soul Gem as much as she wants, and when it is in overdrive, it will have no negative effects. I do regret that she wished for something as simple as cake. That is not a wish that can be corrupted so one will curse the world. Pinkie Pie seems to be the sort who will not find that sort of grief. It is a pity. She has so much emotion within her and so much potential for darkness that her transformation would be incredibly great, and she would become a very wicked witch. In the end, she will be the one who has to destroy you all."

"And you don't think THAT will cause her grief?" Twilight screamed.

"I hope it does. That way, we can harvest her energy."

"Are you doing this to anypony else?"

"There are many Mahou Shoujo all around the multiverse. We Incubators—"

"Kyubey," Twilight interrupted. "It's short for Incubator."

"Quite perceptive. We Incubators have the goal of taking all Mahou Shoujo into our contracts in order to gather their energy. When the Old Ones reign again and the new age of chaos is upon the multiverse, we will be able to harvest it even more easily."

"What do you mean by THAT?"

"It is complicated. It is something Rainbow Dash figured out before she met her fate."

"What DID happen to Rainbow Dash's wish, anyway?" Twilight pressed. "You granted it. You know what happened."

"She defeated her villain. It was not satisfactory."

"Who was the villain?"

Kyubey simply stared at Twilight.

"I KNOW YOU KNOW. WHO WAS IT?"

"Someone she probably thought she would be glad to defeat."

"You're not going to give me any more answers, are you?"

"I can give you plenty of answers."

"But only if they're the ones you want to give me," Twilight clarified. "If you can't tell me where Rainbow Dash is, I don't have anything else to say to you."

"I do not know where she is," Kyubey repeated. "I did not keep that close of a watch on her. However, it would be best if you figured it out soon. Regenbogen-Fabrik will curse and destroy everyone in Hogwarts if you do not." He turned and walked along the side of the bookshelf until he came to the end; he jumped off, landing lightly on the floor, and walked into the shadows, disappearing.

"Okay, Twilight," Twilight muttered to herself. "You can figure this out. She's in some kind of labyrinth she's hidden. And everypony who passed it…got the kiss. That's right! Luna saw Harry, Ron, Neville, and Draco hanging out in the dungeons today! She might be down there! Actually, if Rainbow Dash figured out what she was turning into…she would have wanted to get really far away from us so she couldn't hurt us! So she WOULD have gone down into the dungeons! Unless there's a better place than that to hide…" Twilight gasped. "Or a better place to hide IN the dungeons!"

She galloped out of the reading room at top speed.

* * *

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked.

"I don't know!" Twilight cried. "Caput Draconis! Fortuna Major! Godric Gryffindor! Albus Dumbledore! Open sesame! PLEASE!"

"You won't find it by just yelling random words," the Fat Lady stated calmly.

"Yeah, well, I need to talk to somepony in there," Twilight growled. "So I'm going to keep trying until SOMETHING happens!"

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung aside.

"'Until something happens'?" Twilight guessed. "That was the password?"

However, the opening was caused not by anything Twilight said, but by Applejack coming through from the other side. "Couldn't sleep," she said. "Heard you yellin' from all the way out here."

"Applejack!" Twilight cried in relief. "You're exactly the pony I needed to see! I figured it out! Everything that's going on with Rainbow Dash! I need your help!"

"Want me to go get Ginny?" Applejack asked. "Or Hermione?"

"No. This has to be something the five of us do ourselves. It has to do with our contract with Kyubey. I think we're the only ones who can even find her!"

"Find who?" Applejack's eyes widened. "Rainbow Dash? You know where she is?"

"Yes. I do. But it's not good news. I want all of us together before I tell."

"Got it. I'm gonna go get Pinkie and Fluttershy. Pinkie's such a blabbermouth, she done told me exactly how to get into the Hufflepuff common room. You could probably stand outside the Slytherin wall and yell like you were doin' and Rarity would hear ya."

"Let's meet up in the classroom where we tested out the range on our amulets."

"I'm there!"

Twilight and Applejack split up.

* * *

The moon shone brightly into the abandoned classroom. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie waited.

"Sorry I came burstin' into the common room like I did," Applejack told her friends. "But accordin' to Twilight, this is an emergency."

"It's okay," Fluttershy said.

"The other Hufflepuffs did seem strangely okay with me bein' there."

"Hufflepuffs aren't really that competitive," Pinkie Pie stated. "We've all talked about it, and we don't mind if people from other houses come to visit, or even compete with us for points. We just like to have fun with everypony else!"

"That's pretty Hufflepuff," Applejack admitted. "Gryffindors are a little more sensitive about havin' the common room burst in on. And I can't even imagine how Slytherins take it."

On cue, Twilight and Rarity walked in. "I see Twilight got your attention," Applejack pointed out.

"She was making such a fuss in the outer hall," Rarity said. "I didn't even know you COULD hear through that wall. Luckily, I wasn't very tired anyway. To tell you the truth, I was up late worrying about Rainbow Dash."

"I think we all were," Fluttershy said.

"We're all here now," Applejack pointed out. "Twilight, you wanna tell us what's goin' on?"

"I know where Rainbow Dash is," Twilight stated. "But…it's not good news."

She tried to tell all the important parts as quickly as she could. That the Soul Gems would become Grief Seeds and turn them all into witches, and that Rainbow Dash had already undergone that fate, becoming something Kyubey called Regenbogen-Fabrik. That Kyubey himself had shown up to deliver the news. That the wishes were all doomed to corrupt, and that Pinkie Pie's already had, with the rotten cake. That Rainbow Dash, or Regenbogen-Fabrik, was so consumed by grief that she'd left marks on Harry, Ron, Neville, and Draco, causing the earlier outbursts. That supposedly, the only way to fix everything would be to kill Rainbow Dash.

"I KNEW something was wrong with the way those boys were acting!" Rarity cried.

"So…this is going to happen to all of us?" Fluttershy's voice shook.

"Now, hang on," Applejack said. "We can worry about what happens to the rest of us AFTER we figure out what to do with Rainbow Dash. Twilight, you've got some kind of plan, right?"

"I…might," Twilight said. "Kyubey said if there was a way to transform a witch out of a monster grief form without killing her, he didn't know it. Well…we've already transformed a witch overtaken by negative emotions back into her old self, haven't we? We turned Nightmare Moon into Luna. I don't know if Kyubey really knows that much about the Elements. Maybe they can do what all other powers have failed at and bring Rainbow Dash back. But there are a couple problems with that. One is that this…this is probably a whole other level than whatever was going on with Nightmare Moon. Already, she's turned Harry, Ron, Neville, and Draco to thoughts that are downright dangerous. Nightmare Moon just kept trying to spread darkness and make ponies sad. The other…is kind of obvious."

"We only have five Elements," Applejack clarified.

All five looked downward, feeling defeated already.

"I won't kill Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy insisted. "No matter what she's turned into."

"We're all thinking the same thing, sugar cube," Applejack agreed. "But what can we do?"

"We can try the one plan we do have," Rarity said. "Twilight, you said witches of this sort had…labyrinths? Couldn't we go in, try using the Elements, and then leave if things didn't work out?"

"Things not working out could be really dangerous," Twilight pointed out. "Rainbow Dash is in a state where she won't recognize us. She'll try to hurt us. I don't even know what happens in the labyrinths or how much they're…space out of space. I'm not sure if we can leave them once we've entered. But…" She looked up, her face set in determination. "I'd rather try than give up."

"Tonight?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"D'you really think any of us are gonna be able to wait much longer?" Applejack replied. "I'm thinkin' we go as soon as possible."

"Me too," Fluttershy agreed.

"As do I!" Rarity added. "Twilight, you never told us where Rainbow Dash's labyrinth even was."

"Oh, I forgot!" Twilight cried. "Okay, so it has to be somewhere near the dungeons, right? That's how it could have infected Harry, Ron, Neville, and Draco when the four of them were down there! I thought that if Rainbow Dash figured out what was going on, she'd go down below and hide where she thought she couldn't hurt anybody. I think she's somewhere in the Demigod Hall."

* * *

"The dungeons are even creepier at night," Rarity moaned.

"Shh!" Applejack hissed. "D'you wanna get caught and sent back to the dorm?"

"They have to give us passes for this," Twilight pointed out. "Right? They wouldn't take off House points for us trying to save a friend, would they?"

They turned down the hallway, nearly dark to the point of blinding, that led to the wall beyond which lay the Demigod Hall. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy pointed wands at it. "Spongify."

The five moved through the softened wall, then beheld what was there. Everything looked as it had the first time they'd been there…except for one major difference. A wall just before the first alcove was embossed with a shining fresco, iridescent in the same way the Witch's Kisses had been. Bordered with a square, it contained an all too familiar design: a lightning bolt, three lines thick, protruding from a swirl of cloud.

"It's a portal," Twilight realized. "That's the entry to the labyrinth."

"We just…walk through?" Rarity asked. "I'm not sure we're prepared!"

"When are we gonna be more prepared?" Applejack asked her.

"CHAAAARGE!" Pinkie Pie cried, galloping straight at the portal. She barged right through it and was gone from view.

"Well, now we've got no choice," Rarity sighed. "Come on, girls."

One by one, they entered the portal. Fluttershy, the last to pass through, gave a last longing look at the dungeons. Dank and creepy as they were, she had a feeling she preferred them to whatever was waiting for her on the other side of the portal.

The labyrinth was, as Twilight had put it, "space outside of space." It was like stepping into a completely different world. The five found themselves in what appeared to be the corridor of a dark factory. The only lighting came from the machines…machines to either side, with silver blades that glinted as they raised in the air to chop at clouds, with spouts that poured the colors of the rainbow in dull sludges, with steam engines that puffed out clouds and made creaking noises as though they were at any moment about to explode. Tiny lights in rainbow colors flickered on and off as different functions were performed.

Fluttershy whimpered and moved in close to Pinkie Pie; Pinkie put her arm around Fluttershy's shoulder. "Don't worry, Fluttershy! None of this is going to hurt us! It's just cutting up clouds and rainbows and weather stuff!"

"But…look," Fluttershy moaned. "Clouds and rainbows are supposed to be happy and pretty! This all looks…really scary!"

"You just gotta laugh at it, remember?" Pinkie replied. "I think it's really funny that all these scary machines are just here for clouds!"

"And I think it's horrifying that something as innocent as clouds can look so…terrifying!"

"Remember, this is a reflection of Rainbow Dash's mental state," Twilight said. "It's weather machines because that's what features most prominently of her memories, but it looks dark and intimidating because she's filled with grief and hardly anything else. I don't think any of this can actually hurt us, but…it's a bad sign when it comes to what we're going to find when we run into Rainbow Dash for real."

"What did Kyubey call her again?" Rarity asked.

"Regenbogen-Fabrik," Twilight answered. "I guess that's what her name is when her emotions are flipped around like this. Come on. She isn't here. We need to find her."

Pinkie Pie let go of Fluttershy to spring ahead, leading the party by hopping at a fast clip. The others were forced to walk at a fast pace to keep up; nopony wanted to be left behind in the strange labyrinth.

They passed other machines. A glass ball in which lightning swirled round and round, connecting at a metal core. An enormous fan that blew out chill winds through its rapidly spinning, rusty blades. Giant devices like shower heads that gave noises like not-well-oiled hinges swinging open before they emitted a collective puff of dust and snowflakes. Sun-shaped lamps that turned on and flickered briefly, bathing the path in light, before they shorted out and left the lighting to the smaller lights on the machines.

The path occasionally branched out, but it seemed to stick to one main road, so the five continued in that direction, hoping that would lead them wherever they needed to go. They twisted and turned, finding new off-putting weather machines, until at last, bright light shone through an archway at the end.

"I don't know if I want to know what's there," Fluttershy said nervously.

"We have to go," Applejack insisted.

"ME FIRST!" Pinkie Pie went bounding off again towards the arch.

"Pinkie Pie, no!" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Yes," Twilight insisted. "Now let's hurry!" She galloped after Pinkie, heading through the archway. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy hurriedly followed.

Beyond the arch was something incredibly different from the strange and disturbing machines. A bright blue sky shone down over a courtyard with a ground made of white clouds, just like one might see in Cloudsdale, and the entire courtyard was ringed by white pillars. A puffy white cumulus cloud floated twenty feet off the ground, dominating the sky space.

"I thought it would be scary," Fluttershy sighed.

An ominous rumble came from the cloud.

"I wouldn't talk just yet about what's scary and what ain't," Applejack cautioned.

The cloud shuddered; its white darkened to gray. The entire sky shifted from blue to a soupy green, the color seeping through and staining. The cloud doubled in size, twisting into different shapes; lightning bolts forked from the bottom. Rarity's sharp eye noticed that the bolts were tinged with red, blue, and yellow. The cloud wrung itself out into a wormlike shape, and for a moment, it seemed that it was actually looking at the five Kentaurides.

"Girls?" Twilight said nervously. "I think I figured out what that cloud is!"

An enormous thunderclap rocked the courtyard; pillars cracked and fell over. The cloud sailed toward the five Kentaurides at an alarming pace.

In a flash, Twilight wore the gear of the Mahou Shoujo, readying her staff. "I'd transform right now if I were you!" she barked.

"But why?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Because that cloud," Twilight answered, "is Rainbow Dash!"

Regenbogen-Fabrik saw five living targets. In her memory, she knew that they were significant…that somehow, she knew them. But that was overwhelmed by her desire to spread her grief, to not have to suffer alone. Whatever had happened between them in past days didn't matter. She just wanted—needed—to attack anyone that entered her domain.

Upon Twilight's request, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie all induced their Mahou Shoujo transformations—and not a moment too soon. A web of lightning cracked through the air, aiming for them. Twilight gripped her staff, diverting the lightning through will. Pinkie Pie fired a pistol shot directly at the bolt intended to strike her, causing it to go off course. Rarity did the same with a crystal arrow. Fluttershy slashed at the bolt intended for her with her katana, causing it to splinter.

Regenbogen-Fabrik shook with anger. She swirled round and round, shifting shape into a cone with the point touching the ground. She became a great tornado, pulling her five targets closer to the vortex.

"WE HAVE TO USE THE ELEMENTS!" Twilight cried over the howl of the wind.

With a shriek, Fluttershy was sucked into the whirling tornado.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Applejack cracked her whip, and the length of golden cord snapped right into the dark whirling mass. When she pulled back on the grip, the cord retracted; it had wrapped around Fluttershy, pulling her back.

"How are we going to use the Elements when we can't have a moment to prepare?" Rarity cried, digging her heeled hooves into the ground. Her hat flew into the vortex. "You…did…NOT!" she growled. "THAT HAT HELD THE ENTIRE ENSEMBLE TOGETHER!"

Regenbogen-Fabrik changed tactics. The tornado retracted, reforming into a cloudy mass. The cloud then emitted hail, ice pieces sharpened into tiny arrowheads.

"NO!" Fluttershy called up the flower shuriken, sending them to collide with the ice particles.

Rarity met a cloud of frost face first. Twilight saw her become frozen over completely with a layer of ice. A quick casting of a fire spell from Twilight's staff turned the ice to water.

Another thunderclap rocked the courtyard. "We're gettin' nowhere unless we find a way to slow this cloud down!" Applejack yelled.

"Let me try!" Pinkie Pie cried, firing a round of energy shots directly at Regenbogen-Fabrik. The cloud merely shuddered. Then it darkened to black.

"I think you've made her angry," Rarity observed.

From the center of the cloud descended a shining black sphere. It erupted into a shockwave identical to that of a Sonic Rainboom. Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were thrown against the white pillars at the courtyard edges. No sooner had they gotten their bearings than another sphere descended and erupted.

"Think, Twilight," Twilight murmured to herself as she was thrown against the pillars for the third time. Her senses were growing fuzzy. "What would get Rainbow Dash to stop? Being beaten in a contest?"

The next shockwave knocked her over, and she felt incredibly weak. She tried to get up; she faltered.

Fluttershy watched as all around her, her friends encountered trouble with Regenbogen-Fabrik. Applejack was frozen over by another hail of ice. Pinkie Pie dodged lightning bolts, occasionally letting out a small shriek when one grazed her. Rarity's hair was blown askew by a chilling wind.

"No," Fluttershy said, drawing her katana. "Rainbow Dash…THAT'S ENOUGH!"

She spread her wings, taking off into the air. She cut her way through a rainbow shockwave, sliced a network of lightning bolts, and dodged a hail of pointed icicles. She circled round and round the cloud, pulling it toward a gravitational center.

"Why don't we just use a finale move to subdue her?" Rarity cried—the winds lessened.

"NONONO!" Pinkie shrieked. "That might destroy her!" She did notice, however, that the lightning was striking at her less frequently.

Regenbogen-Fabrik was stunned. Fluttershy was not only cutting through her attacks—the pull from her quick circling was hindering her ability to make offensive strikes.

"Applejack!" Rarity yelled. "Keep her still!"

"I'm on it!" Applejack cracked the whip, which roped around and around the cloud. Regenbogen-Fabrik struggled against it, trying to break out. Applejack dug her hooves into the ground. "I'm tryin'! Anypony wanna give me a hoof here?"

"Rarity!" Pinkie yelled. "Double-fire!"

"Double-WHAT?" Rarity cried. Then she saw Pinkie draw both pistols. "Ohhhh!" She drew back an arrow.

Regenbogen-Fabrik felt the puncturing of energy bullets, fast and loose, from Pinkie Pie, and crystal arrows, slow but deliberate, from Rarity. She thundered in anger, but could barely make a move. She tried swirling in a counterclockwise direction from Fluttershy's pull to make another vortex.

Twilight stood, seeing an opportunity. She rushed beneath Regenbogen-Fabrik, standing beneath the eye of the storm. She raised her staff, crying out, "VERDIMILLIOUS!"

A halo of light burst from the star atop the staff; Regenbogen-Fabrik recoiled at its touch, shrinking down. The ropes tightened.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Applejack commanded. "GET DOWN HERE!"

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked Applejack.

"She's as subdued as she's gonna get," Applejack grunted, keeping a firm hold on the whip. "We gotta try your Elements plan now or just split!"

Fluttershy landed. "Get in close to me!" Applejack barked. "Elements! NOW!"

Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all rushed to Applejack's side. The sphere of light formed around them; their amulets glowed.

At last, Applejack chanced letting go of the whip. The ropes loosened. Regenbogen-Fabrik struggled to work her way out of the bindings.

By that time, the sphere was complete, and the rainbow of elements burst forth—but it was incomplete. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy could all see that their rainbow completely lacked redness.

Doubt struck Twilight for a moment. It wasn't going to work with only five. Rainbow Dash was lost forever.

But when the rainbow struck Regenbogen-Fabrik, a small red center glowed within the cloud. It reflected back at the five. They braced themselves, thinking this an offensive attack, but instead, it joined the light they emitted. It completed the rainbow.

Twilight realized what was happening. The Loyalty that still remained within Rainbow Dash, Regenbogen-Fabrik, or whatever she was had been activated when struck with the other elements. It was completing the set.

Regenbogen-Fabrik was bathed in rainbow light. Three great rainbow shockwaves exploded from the cloud in succession, knocking Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight to the ground. Horrified, they struggled to their hooves, fearing the worst.

However, the rainbow waves were merely signifiers of release. Wisps of white cloud peeled away from Regenbogen-Fabrik. The sky overhead turned blue. The cloud descended, wisp after wisp floating off, until the cloud was as tiny as any of the Kentaurides. Then the final layer drifted away, revealing its center.

Rainbow Dash stood before them, panting, out of breath, wearing her Hogwarts uniform and her amulet, now bright red and sparkling.

"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy ventured. "Is it you?"

Rainbow Dash looked to her friends, stunned. Then she gave a nervous smile. "Hey…I nearly thought I'd bought it there. Thanks."

Reality shifted. The six stood not in the midst of a labyrinth, but at the top of the staircase in the Demigod Hall.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Pinkie Pie screamed, lunging forward to squeeze Rainbow Dash in a tight hug. "You're back you're back you're back!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash replied, hugging Pinkie in return. "I'm really sorry, though. When I was…that THING…I recognized you, and I tried to remember who you were. I don't wanna hurt you, but…"

"But you became something else out of grief," Twilight explained. "You had no control. It was like a magic hypnotism. That wasn't your fault."

"But that stuff…it's in me," Rainbow Dash stated as Pinkie Pie stepped away from her.

"Hon, we've all got dark sides," Applejack reassured.

"We're just glad you're okay," Twilight stated. "But we wanna make sure you stay okay. What happened, anyway? We know your wish was corrupted, and it made you feel like everything was hopeless. You have to tell us!"

Rainbow Dash shivered. "It was Discord," she burst out. "Discord's back, and he's going to ruin EVERYTHING!"

* * *

QUADWRANGLE MANOR, THE FLUFFY HEAVY SLOW-MOTION UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

Discord and Kyubey sat in fluffy armchairs, watching the battle on a giant rabbit-ears television set Discord had conjured up. While Kyubey didn't show surprise at the outcome—it was probably physically impossible for him to—Discord knew he was at the very least confused.

"There is not supposed to be a way to confine the witch to a rational form," Kyubey stated. "What they have just done is impossible."

"As far as you knew," Discord said.

"Did you always know they had the power to do such a thing?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I did. Do you really think I would have made you forge the contracts if it was a dead-end for them? It's all a test for them, and I wanted to see if they would pass."

"That is very interesting."

"But keep in mind," Discord said, "the Elements of Harmony are the ONLY thing that can do that. Celestia and Luna have actually 'saved' quite a few witches that way. I can think of at least four that are walking around today…anyway, they can use the Elements of Harmony to confine any Incubator-formed witch they want into a rational form, but any they DON'T meet are still doomed."

"I will have my energy harvest either way," Kyubey said. "The energy from Rainbow Dash's transformation did not dissipate after they transformed her back from Regenbogen-Fabrik."

"How does that make you feel, to know you can have your cake and eat it too?"

"I do not care what happens to the witches so long as they release the proper energy. To think that all this can be done with only honesty, loyalty, kindness, laughter, generosity, and magic. Of those, magic is the only one that is not a mortal concept I have never found necessary."

"Yes, but it seems those 'mortal concepts' are the most effective thing against our plans," Discord pointed out.

"Can they use the Elements to revert the Soul Gems now?"

"No. The gems are impenetrable, but they'll be figuring that out on their own soon enough. You'll get all your energy bursts soon enough. And I'll have the fun of watching them all go through their little test!"

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

The study group met again, not in the library, but in the abandoned classroom on the upper floor.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry again," Harry offered, "for the things I said."

"No…I should be the one who's sorry," Ron argued. "I was even worse."

"I'm sorry too," Neville added.

"No," Draco insisted. "The one who has the most to apologize for…is me. I considered betraying you all for Voldemort." He did indeed look the most repentant, as he hadn't yet been able to look anyone directly in the eye.

"Guys," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "I'M the one who should be sorry. You guys only said and did that stuff because my evil magic made you do it. You weren't even in control."

"In my defense, she's right," Ron pointed out. "I didn't want to say things like that up until the moment that I did, and it never really did feel like my own decision!"

"I suppose that's the power of the contract of the Incubators," Hermione concluded.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie had brought Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Draco, Ginny, and Luna up to speed on all that had taken place.

"So what happens now that you know your enemy…Discord…is back?" Harry asked.

"We get ready to fight him," Applejack replied. "Same way we fought Voldemort."

"I'm ready to fight him too," Harry admitted. "Knowing he was the one who led Voldemort directly to us."

"And he did it for fun!" Ron spat.

"That's Discord," Twilight sighed.

"That's why I felt so…hopeless," Rainbow Dash sighed. "We can't get rid of him. He's got to be doing things like this all over, bringing old bad guys back, turning places to chaos…and he told me that of all the Old Ones, he's the nice one. I can't see what he meant by that. He tried to kill me by turning me into a cloud witch thing!"

"But he had to have known the Elements would work," Twilight pointed out, "and Kyubey didn't."

"It's another game to him," Fluttershy added.

"But what do we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It's never going to end."

"That doesn't mean it's hopeless!" Pinkie Pie pointed out. "Whenever bad things have happened, we've been able to face them! We stopped Voldemort from taking completely over, and we sent Jafar away from Agrabah! We even outsmarted Chrysalis in Corona, and we KNOW now that Discord was helping her! We always ended up having the help of new friends, and we've also always had each other, the six of us, wherever we go! Sure, we run into really bad stuff on every new world! But we also see GOOD stuff, and we make friends!"

That made Rainbow Dash grin. "Y'know…it did do a lot, knowing that you all refused to leave without me, even when they told you the only way you could move on is if I was dead."

"And we're happy to help you with whatever you're facing," Ginny pointed out.

"We've been really lucky to know you here," Applejack told her.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like us to do," Luna said, "now that you have a greater foe on the loose?"

"Nothing besides what we planned," Twilight stated. "I mean, I'm not ordering you all to do nothing, but you've already got your hands full with Dumbledore's Army, S.P.E.W…"

"And the Order of the Phoenix, when McGonagall contacts them," Harry added.

"That all helps us out so much," Twilight concluded.

"Not to mention that just being our friends gives us incredible moral support," Rarity added.

"So…what about the amulets?" Ginny asked.

"Twilight had us run some preliminary tests last night," Fluttershy said. "We can show you what happened." She took off her amulet and lay it on the table. She, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight concentrated. From the latter five's amulets, beams of light radiated, piercing Fluttershy's amulet and causing it to be bathed in a rainbow glow. However, when the glow subsided, the gem still looked cloudy—not sparkling like Rainbow Dash's.

"The gems are tough," Twilight admitted. "They're resistant to having the Elements used on them. Probably because they either house or conduct the Elements in the first place. The only way to fix this is for one of us to undergo the transformation so we can stop it. But there are some ways I've thought of to prevent that. For one, transformations are started when we get overcome with grief. If we all just look on the bright side, we can probably avoid it!"

"I like that plan!" Pinkie cried.

"Uh, I think that plan might be easier for some of us than…others," Applejack pointed out, her eyes flicking momentarily toward Rarity.

"You can't expect to control your emotions completely, especially when the cosmos has them stacked against you," Hermione added.

"I know," Twilight sighed. "But it's worth a shot. Besides, I know that I in particular am not expecting anything really that good to come from my wish except that it comes true in some way. The other thing we can do is hold off on using our Mahou Shoujo powers unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I just have one more question," Ron said. "Does this mean Rainbow Dash really is a witch now?"

"I…didn't think of that," Twilight admitted. "I just kind of assumed all her powers came with the territory of being Regenbogen-Fabrik. The use of the Elements would have undone all of that."

"Hmmm…" Rainbow Dash thought it over. Then she flicked her wand. "LUMOS!"

The end of the wand burst into light. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.

"You couldn't cast that one before!" Luna cried happily.

"Spongify!" Rainbow Dash yelled, pointing the wand at a section of floor; she stomped on the board to find that it was soft and springy. "INCENDIO!" She drew rings of fire in the air. "I'm really a witch! I'M REALLY A WITCH! YEAAAAAAAH!"

"You don't suppose she's become an alicorn, do you?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"No," Twilight replied. "I think we could tell if that happened. She's just…got full magical powers now as a pegasus. Okay, Rainbow Dash, when we get back to the Starlight, I am going to need to run a LOT of tests on you to figure this out."

"Tests," Rainbow Dash repeated smugly. "Speaking of tests, it looks like my powers came in just in time for finals!"

* * *

Chapter 45

· I wanted to pick specific character flaws the guys already had from canon in order to exploit with the Witch's Kiss…partially for being realistic, and partially to poke at how stupid things like Ron's recurring gripe with Harry over Hermione are.

· The story just wouldn't be as interesting if Twilight remembered all the stuff she was supposed to. I originally planned to have one more scene with her browsing the Restricted Section to find information, but it just wouldn't have worked. I have more stuff I want to bring up about the Restricted Section, but I'll have to do that in another visit.

· Pretty much all of the explanation is taken word for word from PMMM, except for a few things. For one, in PMMM, Mahou Shoujo are ONLY created by Incubators, and ALL of them are created by Incubators. And in canon, humans are supposedly the ONLY beings in the cosmos with that kind of emotional range. Anyway, the way things work in PMMM: human emotion is the only energy source that grows with time instead of diminishing. Incubators (which "Kyubey" is canonically short for) pick preteen girls, because they're the most emotional (that's probably stereotyping but I know that when I was a preteen girl, I was really freaking emotional), and trade magical powers to them for granting a wish. The wish gets corrupted in a Faustian way, causing the girls to go into despair so great, they "curse the world." Their Soul Gems become Grief Seeds. Witches hatch from Grief Seeds and also drop them when they die; the only way to clear out a Soul Gem of grief is to use a Grief Seed obtained from killing a witch (so they have a cycle of killing their own and becoming what they fought). They turn into witches; that makes them release counter-entropy energy.

· So now you see why I chose to use PMMM, especially so early on: because I now have an excuse to do a witch transformation for EACH OF THEM. Except, apparently, Pinkie Pie…or do you think that perhaps I've thought of a way to get around the fact that her wish won't cause her enough grief?

· Also, Witch's Kisses literally hypnotize passerby into doing bad things. In PMMM, there's a canon instance where a group of people Kissed, who were theretofore happy and mentally stable, decided to forge a suicide pact en masse.

· The scene Kyubey shows Twilight is of Sayaka Miki canonically becoming the witch Oktavia von Seckendorff. She wished for her crush Kyosuke to heal from a horrible accident, but he ended up getting together with her best friend Hitomi (one of the things I used to HATE about PMMM to the point of it making me quit the show was how Sayaka decided life wasn't worth living because a guy she never really had a chance with didn't date her, and he wasn't even rude about it, but then I realized I used to be the exact same stupid way at that age). So Sayaka transformed. Kyoko, Madoka, and Homura entered her labyrinth in order to destroy her.

· I REALLY had fun designing the labyrinth. PMMM is created by the SHAFT anime studio, which is famous for "What Do You Mean, It Wasn't Made On Drugs?" The labyrinths there are all really scary and trippy, so I was excited to do one of my own. I wanted to play a certain binary with it. The machines are not DANGEROUS. They don't hurt living beings. But they're just plain creepy. I wanted to test my skill at making something scary without it being harmful in the beginning stages of the labyrinth. I also had an idea to base it around a certain theme that inspired the name I picked for Dash's witch form. And you know what? This DOES mean I get to make creepy labyrinths for ALL OF THEM.

· In PMMM, when a Mahou Shoujo goes witch, she gets a new name that's put up onscreen in a cipher. I was clueless as to what it even was until fan translations cropped up of all the names (it's a cipher from made-up runes into GERMAN). All the new names are German, which is probably a shout-out to Faust (the original story about making wishes and being corrupted by human weaknesses and Literal Genies). Sayaka becomes Oktavia von Seckendorff. Madoka would potentially become Kreimhild Gretchen. So I had to come up with a German name for Rainbow Dash just for her witch form to keep in the spirit and to also have more fun with this concept. "Regenbogen-Fabrik" is German for…Rainbow Factory.

· "Rainbow Factory" is the name of a certain MLPFIM fan phenomenon. It started out as a fan song by WoodenToaster about how the Cloudsdale rainbow factory is secretly a front for something more horrifying, but it's never made explicit. Fanvids and an infamous fan fiction made it about Rainbow Dash running a factory where she grinds up living ponies to make the colors. Now, I'm not a huge fan of the grimdark reboot (it's not that I don't think it should exist; it's just not how I usually roll). But the song is damn catchy, and listening to the Flutter Rex remix in particular inspired the labyrinth and my theme for the whole of this chapter. So, while I've removed the murder aspect (which isn't to say that Regenbogen-Fabrik didn't try to kill her opponents out of anger and despair), this chapter was VERY much influenced by Rainbow Factory because it had so much fuel in it.

· It should be fairly obvious why Regenbogen-Fabrik is a cloud. And it's canon to PMMM that she wouldn't recognize her friends or hold back against them; Oktavia von Seckendorff sure didn't.

· Fluttershy's cyclone move was a call back to the ep "Hurricane Fluttershy," where she's supposed to help the Ponyville pegasi create a water funnel for the real (and non-murderous) Cloudsdale weather facilities to make rain, but she almost doesn't join in because she isn't as strong as the others. Turns out her wing power, small as it was, was absolutely necessary to form the funnel.

· My actual thought process: "Oh, I introduced Verdimillious as an important thing earlier. I'd better bring that back before I wrap up."

· So…is using the Elements to save Rainbow Dash cheating? Probably. Is it shitting on PMMM canon? Probably. But for one, it worked on Luna in MLPFIM canon. And for another…SNAPE WAS NEVER DEAD. I DO WHAT I WANT.

· And with the label of "witch," I couldn't just hold out on giving Rainbow Dash a Level in Badass. Look out, worlds. Rainbow Dash now has magic powers.


	46. Taking Tests

46: Taking Tests

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

Astoria appeared lost in the pages of her book as she sat below her favorite tree, the sunlight pouring in through the leaves to illuminate the text. She didn't, however, miss the sound of footsteps nearing her. As Draco approached, he didn't expect her to notice him until he'd gotten much closer; she looked up from the book and turned to face him calmly, startling him somewhat.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello," he replied.

"What brings you out here?"

"I…never thanked you properly," Draco said, in somewhat of a rush—he wasn't used to handing thanks over to others. "You…saved my life."

"As did Ebony and Rarity. I merely did what I had to do."

"Yes…but I've also noticed that you compliment me after every lesson I give to Dumbledore's Army—"

"I would hope you notice. I say it directly to your face."

"That's not what I…I just know that you and I have both been outsiders. Of everyone here, you were the only one that didn't judge me beforehand. Or at least didn't make it clear that you were."

"I didn't judge," Astoria clarified. "I'm aware you've done awful things. I'm aware that one day, you could do more awful things. But I also know you're a human being with more than one emotion."

"Do you actually enjoy being alone?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Astoria answered. "It's peaceful."

"I only wanted to say that if you didn't want to be alone, someday…I'm coming back next year with the others. You could…talk to me, if you wanted."

"Thank you. I do like my time to myself, but I also do enjoy company under the right circumstances."

"Am I the right circumstances?"

"Yes," Astoria answered. "Am I the right circumstances for you?"

Draco knew what she meant. "I've already put my lot in with Potter, the Weasleys, Granger, and six centaurs. My parents have insulted your family often for your father having married a Muggle, but that wouldn't stop us from becoming acquaintances or even friends."

Friends was as far as he wanted to take it, Astoria noted. She wasn't surprised. In fact, she felt slightly smug at having called that correctly, even though she was simultaneously a little crestfallen at the confirmation that Draco Malfoy wasn't about to look at her the way she looked at him.

"Then I would like to take you up on that offer," she stated. "Starting next year. I would love to learn anything you have to teach me."

"What are you reading?" Draco asked, changing the subject.

She tilted the book upwards so he could tell it was Magick Moste Evile. "I thought that book was in the Restricted Section," he observed. "How did you get permission to sign it out?"

"I didn't," Astoria stated. "This is my own copy. It's difficult to find in print nowadays, but my father found me a copy because I wanted it."

"Is that where you learned that spell you used on Travers?"

"Yes. And a few other little tricks that I don't intend to use on anybody but my enemies."

"Who are your enemies?"

"People who threaten my life or the lives of my friends."

"You're not as soft of a heart as Potter and all of his," Draco pointed out.

"I will do what I need to in dire circumstances," Astoria replied.

"Why learn all those spells, anyway?"

"I've always been interested in Dark magic. I don't believe in blood purity or any other superiority, and I don't see any reason to just go around killing or maiming willy-nilly, but the methods for doing such things are fascinating to me. And when I find something fascinating, I research it. I learn how to do it. That way, when the time comes, I can have the skills I want. I was actually a little glad to finally have an occasion to really USE Sectumsempra. It's not exactly something one can practice under ordinary circumstances."

"I would imagine," Draco replied. "I'm…admittedly impressed. I can't even cast that spell. I want to know how, though. With things shaping up the way they are, I'll need it."

"I could teach you," Astoria said, her grip on the book tightening, "but I'm not going to lend you my book. No one touches this book but me."

"I understand that."

"I thought you would. It's a little funny. Most of the time, you have the spells I want to learn. I've never cast an Unforgivable curse before. Learning the Imperius Curse was something I could barely believe I had the chance to do. I eventually want to learn the others."

"That is something I could teach you. Though the other students wouldn't look on it well if I tried to teach them how to torture and kill."

"Of course they wouldn't understand," Astoria sighed. "Is it true you're also a master of Illumency?"

"I practiced it quite a bit under Voldemort's guidance. I've yet to really master it, though. I plan on it."

"If you do, can you teach all of us?"

"Yes." Draco suddenly laughed. "We're lucky you're on OUR side, you know!"

"I could say the same for you." Astoria smiled.

"Look at us. Two users of Dark magic here in a world of light. I guess things really are changing."

"How do you feel about that?"

"It's strange. But I suppose we have to accept it."

Before Astoria could make any reply, a high-pitched shriek pierced the air as a blur came speeding toward them across the ground. "O.M.G., YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM RIGHT NOW! HE'S MINE!"

"EBONY!" Draco growled at the approaching first-year. "For the last time, I have NO interest in you! You've done nothing but make me ANGRY since you first spoke to me!"

"Shut up," Ebony snapped. "I wasn't talking to you!" She turned to glare at Astoria. "You little traitor bitch. I bet you were nothing but a poser this whole time!"

"We were only talking," Astoria said calmly.

"Go away," Draco threatened, "before I report you for cheating, stealing, or whatever will leave the most stains on your record."

"I'm a master at cursing people, you know," Ebony went on, ignoring Draco entirely. "If you don't leave him alone, I'm going to fuck you up so bad, you won't even—"

Astoria slammed her book shut. She got to her feet, standing to full height, looking Ebony in the eye. Then she flicked her wand at the younger girl.

"That didn't even do anything, you fucking idiot!" Ebony screeched. "That…" Her voice caught in her throat.

Draco looked on in awe and amusement at Ebony as she began to swell up like a balloon. She grew larger and rounder as though filling up with air. Simultaneously, she rose up into the air, screaming curse words as the wind caught her and carried her away.

"They'll be sure to find her eventually," Astoria said. "She hasn't got the best track record with the staff, but in the case that they do come to us about the incident, I trust we will cover for each other and say that neither of us was involved?"

"We were never here," Draco confirmed. Then he burst out into complete laughter. "We really ARE lucky you're on our side!"

* * *

After the Death Eater invasion and the Regenbogen-Fabrik incident, the six Equestrians felt more than prepared to tackle first-year exams. Twilight, of course, boasted all day that she had been entirely prepared for everything from the tap-dancing pineapple charm to the forgetfulness potion. Rarity, after earning extra points on her Transfiguration exam (administered by McGonagall in Grintcliffe's absence) by transforming a mouse into a white snuffbox with floral engravings, had asked to keep the snuffbox for her own collection, and was allowed to do so; however, at Fluttershy's begging, she eventually turned it back into a mouse. Rainbow Dash felt particularly pleased that she was able, at the last minute, to transfigure the mouse and make the pineapple dance (the standard Charms final). Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack had to settle for writing essays on Transfiguration theory and uses of charms.

All passed, though Twilight had the highest marks, and nopony was surprised.

* * *

For the awarding of the House Cup, all were present at the feast in the Great Hall—even honorary members. The Malfoys sat at the Slytherin table while Harry, Ron, and Neville graced the tables of Gryffindor.

"This…is a most unexpected occasion," McGonagall began. "Over the past seven years, there have been stigmas associated with each House. Not all, as you can probably guess, have been positive. However, it is in the darkest times that we must remember the importance of working together, no matter how much we compete. No one House is better than the other. Bravery, kindness, wisdom…ambition. Everyone has within them these four attributes, and to lack any one is grave. In recent years, the announcement I am about to make would not have been well received by three quarters of this school. However, the events of this year seem to have sufficiently proven that times have, indeed, changed. And so it is with pride that I grant this year's House Cup to Slytherin House!"

An enormous cheer went up through the entire Great Hall. Flora and Stevie hugged each other. Rarity squealed with delight. Hestia appeared as though she were about to cry. Astoria lifted her goblet with a smile. Draco, for old times' sake, banged his own goblet on the table. Lucius and Narcissa clapped politely. Ebony, by then deflated, pumped her fist.

"I can't believe it," Harry remarked.

"I take it Slytherin winning used to be a bad thing," Applejack replied.

"The Slytherins were the only ones who ever liked it when they won," Ron explained. "We kept that House Cup away from them for seven years!"

"But they really have been actin' like a family," Applejack pointed out. "If a weird one. I'd say they deserve it."

"I'd say so too," Ginny remarked, looking across the room at Flora and Hestia.

"Me too," Harry agreed.

"Just this once," Ron sighed.

And so a joyous celebration took place at long last beneath banners of silver and green.

* * *

It all seemed too fast, when everyone went home, lining up for the train. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were busied with goodbye after goodbye. The study group, Dumbledore's Army, Quidditch teammates, classmates.

Then, all too soon, the castle was emptied of all students but six.

"I'm going to miss everypony," Fluttershy remarked as they made their way through empty halls, reminiscing. "But we're coming back next year, right?"

"Right," Twilight stated. "No matter how long we stay away, we can time it so we'll be back right at the beginning of the next school year. At least, I think that's how our engine works."

"Y'know, we gotta leave eventually," Applejack pointed out.

"Awww, maaaan!" Pinkie moaned. "I don't wanna!"

Firenze intercepted them around the corner. "I was hoping to find all of you," he said. "You have a visitor to see you off. She seems to know you quite well. She goes by Princess Luna."

"LUNA!" Twilight cried. "Oh my gosh! I'll be right back!"

"Where are you going?" Rainbow Dash called after her as Twilight went galloping down the hall.

"To the Ravenclaw common room!" Twilight yelled. "I've been keeping a journal of all the lessons we've learned, and this way, Luna can deliver it to Celestia directly!"

"Of course she's been keeping a giant letter for Celestia this whole time," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Why would we expect any different?" Rarity commented.

* * *

The six carried all their luggage downstairs, meeting Luna in the atrium. "Greetings!" she called out. "I trust thou hast enjoyed thy first year?"

"It was AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash squealed.

"Well…there were some…bumps," Fluttershy added.

"Yeah…" Rainbow Dash's face fell. "We…lost two awesome professors. We also found out that Discord is back, and he brought a dangerous villain back from the dead to attack this place."

"Discord?" Luna was momentarily taken aback. Then, to everypony's surprise: "That would explain what happened in the Crystal Empire!"

"What happened in the Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked in a panic.

"It is a long story," Luna said, producing from a pocket a thick scroll. "I hath written for thou a letter detailing the occurrence! To make a long story short, as they say, I am now acting as regent in the Empire to make sure King Sombra does not return. Fear not—we hath not seen him since the incident, though I had best make my time here brief."

"But what happened to Cadance?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh, Cadance!" Luna cried happily. "It is all there in the letter! She and Shining Armor are now on a journey much like yours, along with some new friends! I trust you remember Rapunzel and Eugene Fitzherbert?"

"NO WAY!" Pinkie screamed.

"Rapunzel and Eugene were in Equestria?" Fluttershy asked.

"Lemme guess," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "It's all there in the letter if we want to know."

"Thou art correct!" Luna cried.

"We've got a letter for you too," Twilight said, handing over ten scrolls.

"Oh my!" Luna cried, taking the scrolls into her arms. "This IS going to be a letter worth reading!"

"To give you the short version," Twilight stated, "we learned to give people chances without judging them by what House they get sorted into…or equivalent as the situation calls for it. We learned that friendship really can touch even the most evil, when the time is right. And we learned that even though disasters may never stop happening, as long as we have each other and our friendship, we still have hope."

"I look forward to reading the story of how thou camest to thy conclusions!" Luna announced. "I shalt also take from thee thy animal companions and return them home."

"Can you tell Spike hello for me?" Twilight asked. "Is he doing all right running the library?"

"He is doing a remarkable job!" Luna answered.

"I just…kinda miss him sometimes. Maybe one of these days, when the time is right, we can take him on a little adventure with us. Don't tell him that yet, though. I want to wait until things…calm down a little bit before we see if he can come."

"My lips art sealed!" Luna promised.

"Thank you again, so much, for helping us get enrolled here," Fluttershy said sincerely.

"Thou art welcome!" Luna replied. "But now, I must be away. It would not do good to leave the Empire unattended!"

"We should go too," Applejack suggested. "We've got places to go, people to meet—"

"Tests to run!" Twilight cried excitedly.

"Aw, maaaan…" Rainbow Dash sighed.

"We shalt see thee in Equestria when we seest thee!" Luna promised, levitating the carriers of Tank, Opalescence, Owlowiscious, Winona, Angel, and Gummy. "Let me know when thou returnest for thy second year here, and I shalt make arrangements for thee!"

"Goodbye, Luna!" the six chorused.

They all left the castle at the same time. Some looked back; Twilight waved goodbye to Firenze through the door, Fluttershy waved goodbye to Hagrid as he walked toward the castle across the grounds, Pinkie Pie waved at McGonagall's office window. Then the six boarded the Starlight. Applejack and Rainbow Dash pulled up the gangplank and raised anchor.

Luna watched the mists roll in around the ship until the ship disappeared and the mists cleared, leaving behind a crystal clear lake. Then she Disapparated, returning to the crystal throne.

* * *

LONDON, FOURTH EARTH

Deep beneath the surface of the city, in the very bowels of the Ministry of Magic, Ennius Croaker made his way swiftly down the dark hallway that led to the door to the Department of Mysteries. He opened the door and walked through hurriedly, his heart pounding.

He knew exactly which door he needed. As an Unspeakable, an employee devoted to working solely in the Department of Mysteries, he was never lost there, though the wing had enough defenses in place to make sure that anyone who was not supposed to be there would be. He made a direct beeline for his goal.

He passed through the Space Chamber, where for a moment, he walked in empty black aether between the stars and planets. At least, the ones that were billed as existent to this planet. He knew there was far more to space than what was currently depicted in that chamber—Shacklebolt was constantly nagging at him to get on expanding the chamber, or seeing if it had old records in it. He was afraid to. He didn't want to touch the subject with a fifty-foot staff.

He had also sworn never to do anything with the little side room accessible through the small door at one of the edges of the Space Chamber. But this, he had to do. He shivered as he opened the door. He knew what he was doing was dangerous, but he believed he had no choice. He didn't know what he could have done instead.

The room contained glimmering glass cases filled with oddly shaped rocks in bright colors. Some of the rocks were more like gemstones with glimmering facets. It was all Dark Matter, though, and the multicolored, smooth-edged stuff seemed to be much more…agreeable…than the glittering jewels. Croaker fervently removed one of the glass cases and stuffed the Technicolor rocks beneath into his robe. He knew that as soon as it was discovered to be missing, there would be an alert sent out through the Ministry. He would be under investigation. He would perhaps lose his position as Unspeakable. But it was better than the alternative.

He swiftly left the side room, nearly running through the Space Chamber, out into the main hall. As he moved toward the elevator, he jostled against other Ministry workers who attempted to communicate with him: "Good afternoon, Croaker!" "Ennius!" "Hello, Croaker." He ignored them all.

He rode alone in the creaking elevator up to the atrium. When he got out, several Ministry workers and a couple paper airplanes—interdepartmental memos—filed in. Croaker then whisked past the desks, past the rebuilt Fountain of Magical Brethren that Shacklebolt had commissioned to replace the old Magic Is Might monument installed during the Voldemort years, toward the exit.

The phone booth rose into position on the streets of London. Croaker exited, moving swiftly among the Muggles and their establishments. Eventually, he came upon the designated alley for the exchange, and turned down it. His breathing grew heavier. His heart nearly burst from his chest.

In the very back of the alley, cloaked in shadow, Barty Crouch Jr. held a youth, petrified by a Full-Body-Bind, in his grip, wand pointed at the boy's neck. "Have you got it?" Crouch asked Croaker.

"Yes," Croaker said, emptying his robes, laying the rocks down on the ground. He had thought that Barty Crouch's boy had died, but he couldn't deny that the man stood before him in flesh and blood. Crouch had come to him for what only an Unspeakable could give, and he offered a bargain that Croaker could not pass up.

"If these are fakes," Crouch hissed, "I'll make sure you pay later. For now, I'll keep my end." He removed the curse from the younger man, and Croaker's son staggered toward his father in a panic. Crouch had considered killing the boy anyway, but he didn't know if he would need Croaker's services again. "And need I remind you, if you attempt to play the informant about what I was doing here, I will make sure you both suffer."

Crouch knelt, gathering the multicolored rocks, then stood and vanished.

"Should we tell the Minister?" Croaker's son asked.

"It won't matter," Croaker sighed. "With what I've given Crouch, by the time we tell anyone about him…he won't be anywhere on this world to be found."

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

The Starlight contained a large chamber, perhaps originally intended as a ballroom or a sporting arena. It was there that Twilight set up the testing arena for Rainbow Dash, and as those two stood in the center, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie lined up along the side wall to observe.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "First, I want you to try out your Mahou Shoujo transformation just like you'd done before."

"Okay!" Rainbow Dash nodded, and in a flash, she underwent the transformation…but there were marked differences in her clothing. Specifically, every item that featured a rainbow also had a stripe or gradient of black among the other colors.

"How do you feel?" Twilight asked.

"A little weird," Rainbow Dash admitted. "Almost like…Twilight?"

"Yeah?"

"You might wanna back up a bit. I feel some new stuff coming that you're going to want to take notes on…from a safe distance."

Twilight scooted back against the wall. Rainbow Dash raised her sword into the air, and lightning crashed down around her in a circle at about a two and a half foot radius. A small cyclone of air whipped around her momentarily. Clouds formed around the point of Rainbow Dash's sword, though she couldn't get them to do anything.

"What's that?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

"New stuff," Rainbow Dash answered. "I KNOW I couldn't do this stuff before. But I remembered it from when I was Regenwhatsit. I bet with some practice, I could get these clouds to do stuff too."

"That must come with you being a full witch," Twilight theorized. "I've been reading recently now that the Guide is back online, and it says that some kinds of magic are themed. You can have snake mages, toad mages, buttered scone mages…"

Everypony looked at her in confusion.

"I'm just quoting what the Guide said," Twilight huffed. "Half the time, I don't know if it's being serious or if it's just messing with me. Anyway, Rainbow Dash, I'm willing to bet that you can transform into some kind of…weather witch. Try transforming back and seeing if you can do the same things."

Rainbow Dash switched back out of the transformation, and found she was unable to call lightning, wind, or clouds to her aid. "Looks like I can only do that when I'm wearing the fancy outfit."

"That always did strike me as kinda odd," Applejack pointed out. "How come we gotta wear all that frilly stuff in order to have magic powers? Seems kinda useless."

"How DARE you!" Rarity growled. "You underestimate the true magic of fashion!"

"Uh…sorry?" Applejack shrugged.

"How about the sword?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash thought about it. In a flash, her sword appeared in her hand, though the rest of her transformation did not occur. She swung it a few times. Its rainbow glow's range was considerably shortened. "Well, at least I have the sword," she said with a shrug.

"Hmm…" Twilight thought it over. "I want to try something." She called out, in her mind, to her staff, and it appeared in her hands. "Looks like we still have access to our weapons without the full transformation. The powers will be limited, but this might be a way we can conserve the energy in our amulets. Why don't the rest of you try?"

Rarity's bow, Pinkie's pistols, Applejack's whip, and Fluttershy's katana all appeared in a glow.

"Congratulations!" a male voice called out from across the room. "You've figured it all out!"

As one, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack gasped, then turned to face the speaker, calling his name angrily: "DISCORD!"

Discord leaned against the opposite wall. "As they put it, long time, no see."

"We know all about what you're doin' now!" Applejack snapped. "And we're gonna put a stop to it!"

"Well, you can try," Discord replied. "That's the fun in it, you see. I was worried for a minute that you wouldn't pass the little test I gave you with Kyubey. But you seem to have figured out how to bring Rainbow Dash back. All that's left is for the rest of you to undergo your transformations, and we'll see if the outcome is the same then."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "YOU sent Kyubey? WHY DOES THAT EVEN SURPRISE ME?"

"Kyubey and I are old…well, not friends, exactly," Discord ruminated. "I have an odd relationship with the Incubators. They were around since the age of chaos when I was first born, but for such chaotic creatures, they do seem to love ORDER far too much. Then again, that IS a contradiction in terms, and I'm quite fond of those."

"So you've been creating chaos on other worlds for a game," Fluttershy stated.

"More or less," Discord replied. "I mean, EVENTUALLY it might be nice if the Old Ones could have that reunion we planned and bring about an age where everything is chaos and the fun never ends…but to me, it's more about the journey than the destination in this case. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't underestimate you as players. I always have some faith that you'll be able to beat whatever challenge is thrown at you. But I'm never QUITE sure whether or not you'll actually beat the odds. That's what makes this so entertaining!"

"Did you just come here to mock us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I did think that since I made my grand entrance to Rainbow Dash, it just wouldn't seem fair to keep pretending I was still in that statue back in the Canterlot gardens," Discord pointed out. "So I thought I would drop in and say hello to my little ponies. Or, I guess, my little Kentaurides! And also congratulate you on beating the Incubators' system…for now. Yes, now Rainbow Dash can go back to being able to just be killed by mortal means."

"Hang on," Twilight broke in. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's what supposed to mean? Oh, I thought you had already known that you were all Kentaurides. You've been in those bodies for a year—"

"Not. That. The part after it. Being killed by mortal means."

"Well, when her soul was in that amulet," Discord reiterated, "her body could take as much damage as you could imagine and she'd come back fighting. But now she has a body that can still be killed by poison, disease, stabbing, shooting—mortal means. No matter how long she lives."

"Okay, you're USUALLY weird," Rainbow Dash said, "but today, you're being extra-weird. What would how long I live have to do with it?"

"Well, you know," Discord said, "that special little thing that comes with bearing the Elements of Harmony…you DO know about that, right?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you humor us and tell us what it is," Applejack replied.

"You mean you DON'T know?" Discord put on a face of shock. "Well, dear, me, this is awkward. You mean Celestia never TOLD you? I wonder what reason she could have had for lying to you!"

"We trust Celestia not to lie to us," Twilight stated. "We don't trust YOU not to lie."

"Then you wouldn't believe what I had to tell you anyway. Shame. I suppose I could just leave now and—"

"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "Tell us…whatever it is you want us to believe."

"Oh?" Discord's face lit up. "Is it possible that the great Twilight Sparkle, doubter of Discord, could in fact be afraid that whatever lie I have to tell is actually true?"

"WILL YOU JUST TELL US ALREADY!" Pinkie screamed. "THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!"

"Haven't you ever wondered how Celestia and Luna have survived for one thousand years and are still going strong?" Discord asked. "Haven't you wondered why Luna grew to maturity almost immediately after you cast all the Nightmare spirits out of her, but stayed an adult after that? And perhaps most importantly, you've just been away at school for a year. But do you FEEL any older?"

Twilight felt the bottom of her stomach seem to drop. "You're not saying…"

"I'm saying that you're immortal," Discord announced. "You don't get older. You can completely avoid dying. Once bearers of the Elements of Harmony reach adulthood, they stay that young…FOREVER. Unless, of course, you get poisoned, infected, stabbed, or shot. Or hit by the Killing Curse…or burned to death…or blown up, that one's fun…"

"You've gotta be lyin'," Applejack accused. "This is just one of your fakeouts."

"Is it?" Discord countered. "And so ironic, too." He imitated Twilight's voice exactly. "Immortality would just be a curse!"

"HEY!" Twilight cried. "You saw all our wishes! You've been watching us! You knew we didn't know…I mean we didn't think we were immortal! You just came onboard to tell us that and freak us out!"

"Hm, it seems I did," Discord replied. "Well, if you really don't believe me, why don't you just ask Celestia yourself? I would hope she wouldn't lie to you when you directly confronted her about it. But take it from me: the way things are now, you're set to outlive all of your friends and family except for each other…Celestia and Luna…and me. Well, and a scattering of other certain gods and immortals. You're going to get to watch them all get older as you stay young. But it isn't all that bad. After all…look at me! I'm ageless and I'm loving it!"

"Get off our ship," Applejack demanded. "NOW."

"Oh, and what ARE you going to do to me if I don't?" Discord asked, beginning to chuckle.

The six tightened their grips on their weapons.

"As you wish!" Discord vanished, laughing raucously as he did so. When he was gone, his laughter lingered.

"You don't think he was serious, do you?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "It is strange that Celestia and Luna have never gotten any older for a thousand years…I'm going to write a short letter to Celestia asking about it. Then we'll know for sure."

"You were the one who said immortality was a curse," Fluttershy recalled. "What if Discord is right? What happens to us then?"

"Then…well…then we just find a way to deal with it," Twilight resolved, though she had no idea how to do that.

* * *

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

McGonagall relished the thought that for a short few months, the castle would have drastically fewer people in it and a drastically lightened workload to attend to. She could put more energy into prying into the Ministry, seeing what Shacklebolt could dig up. At the very least, she thought, there had to be something in the Department of Mysteries about the days before Voldemort. Perhaps somewhere there was even identification of the sort of magic that had killed Felina Grintcliffe.

It occurred to her then that she had yet to hire a new Transfiguration professor. She hadn't the faintest idea where to look. She supposed it was simply time to seek out applicants through a public announcement, or perhaps to approach wizard and witch acquaintances she thought well-suited to the position. At least Snape had agreed to remain in the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and had moved into the office immediately, proving to be a strange housemate for the summer.

As McGonagall ruminated upon the thought of replacing Grintcliffe, a knock came at the office door. "Come in," she commanded.

Hagrid ducked through the low door, entering. "Firenze wants to talk to yeh out on the grounds," he said. "He's got Bane and Ronan with him, and some other centaurs."

"Not a declaration of conflict, I hope," McGonagall stated.

"No…they say they want to talk to yeh about summat more peaceful. Beats me why. I've never seen this many centaurs leave the Forbidden Forest at a time unless there were certain circumstances. Though they are stayin' close to the border. Won't come up here an' see yeh."

"Then I suppose I should see what it is they want," McGonagall said.

* * *

McGonagall and Hagrid walked across the bright green of the grounds beneath a shimmering summer sun. They came at last to the border of the Forbidden Forest, where Firenze, Bane, Ronan, and several other centaurs awaited them. One of them in particular drew McGonagall's eye. She seemed, to judge from the shape of her figure, to be female, though she wore a cloak over her upper body that shrouded her head in a hood. She was also more proportionate in size to the Equestrians than she was to the Forbidden Forest centaurs.

"Headmistress," Firenze greeted. "This is a visitor from the same world as Twilight Sparkle. She landed here in a strange craft that we believe she made herself. We spoke to her about everything that had happened recently, and she asked to know what became of Twilight and her friends. Apparently she knows them well."

"We told her of the outcome of the recent battle," Bane said, "and that it was little of our concern."

"It is very much our concern," Firenze corrected him harshly.

"As soon as we mentioned that you were down one Transfiguration professor," Bane said, "she got very interested in the job."

"I happen to know much about the art of Transfiguration," the new Kentauride said in a deep, rich voice. "I do not often find the need to transform one thing into another, but it has been useful at times."

"So you are a witch?" McGonagall asked.

"Not in the traditional sense, as Twilight Sparkle and Rarity are," the Kentauride said. "I am no unicorn. But I have still taught myself much magic, and, if I may boast, I can perform spells that rival those of many unicorns. I am interested in teaching my arts to others, especially if it means I may explore this world at my leisure. It is the first I have come to since leaving Equestria."

"We tried to tell her that centaurs and humans just don't get on well here," Bane grumbled, "but she wouldn't have any of that."

"We wanted to meet with you for that very reason," Firenze told McGonagall. "She would be the second centaur to be employed by the school if you took her up on her offer."

"If she proves herself to be as adept at magic as she says," McGonagall stated, "I see no reason why we should turn her down as a candidate. Particularly if she brings with her knowledge from outside this world. It would do our students quite good." She turned to face the hooded Kentauride. "Would it be awkward for you to teach your friends when they return?"

"Not at all!" the Kentauride replied. "I had attempted once to teach my arts to Twilight Sparkle, but she discovered that what I know cannot be learned in a day."

"Then I would like you to come to the castle and demonstrate your skills," McGonagall stated. "Though I already have high hopes that you'll be able to fill the position."

"I am quite grateful to you for that."

"Before we begin," McGonagall said, "I will need to know your name. I, of course, am Minerva McGonagall."

"So I have heard." The Kentauride took down her hood. The black-and-white striped Mohawk of hair revealed called attention for the first time to the lower half of her body; McGonagall had somehow failed to notice, among everything else, that unlike the others from Equestria, this Kentauride's lower body was that of a zebra. With a calm, sincere smile, she stated, "My name is Zecora."

* * *

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Are we immortal?"

Celestia stared at the parchment a while, not sure what to do. She felt ashamed of keeping the secret for so long. Twilight had trusted her…and she'd let her own fears keep her from giving Twilight the whole truth. Now Twilight had asked the question Celestia had hoped to avoid answering for at least a little while longer.

Eventually, she set quill to scroll. It was time to reveal at least one of her closely guarded secrets.

* * *

Chapter 46:

· Some Drastoria setting up here. Oh, yes, I'm offering all sorts of evidence for why they shouldn't work, but that's what we have next year to get around, isn't it? I also kind of wanted to put some of the malice back in Draco by having him bond with Astoria over horrible curses. And I wanted to keep trying to establish Astoria as…well, I think "We're lucky you're on OUR side!" sums it up.

· Remember the spell Harry used to inflate Marge in Prisoner of Azkaban? Remember how that was never brought up again? It must be a cool spell to use on Enobies—I mean enemies.

· I gave the House Cup to Slytherin because I felt I not only did the most new character development there, with the Carrows and Astoria and Stevie, but I also wanted to hammer in the "Slytherin is not the Evil House" thing. With a SLEDGEHAMMER.

· Croaker is a canon character. His first name, I made up.

· Now CROUCH is traveling. I find it funny that when I started this storylet, I had pretty much NOTHING planned for him, but I now know EXACTLY where he's going. Thanks again to GAvillain for the idea to use him more.

· I feel like Douglas Adams would totally have written the phrase "buttered scone mage."

· Believe it or not…"You underestimate the true magic of fashion" is something I actually plan to come back to and explore. Yeah. I know.

· I always did wonder why Celestia and Luna were immortal. I'm sure that in canon, they're going to make something about it coming with the territory of being alicorns. But in this continuity, it's my headcanon that the Elements make you ageless. Which means that the Mane Six are now very special cosmic beings. And also means that they can just keep going on in time forever and have lifetimes' worth of adventures. So…Discord wasn't lying. He was revealing what Celestia was too scared to say. After all, if you had to tell someone that they inherited immortality, wouldn't you put it off?

· The idea of Zecora as the Transfiguration prof is actually something that reader Ophira sort of inspired with an offhand comment he probably doesn't even remember about how awesome Zecora would be as a Hogwarts prof. I know Zecora is a fan favorite, and as of the episode "Magic Duel," it's revealed that she knows a LOT about high-level magic and probably transfiguration. (If she could fill her glass with water spontaneously generated from NOWHERE, I'm sure she can Transfigure things.) So now my little placeholder professor OCs are out of the way and I have the staff set the way I want it.

· And yes, Zecora is very much black, but I didn't want to mention that in the prose because I didn't want that to imply that the other ponies were all white—and I know I have at least one reader that likes to picture them as multiracial. So it's here in the author's notes. Which means I might as well have just put it in the prose, but whatever.


	47. The Gospel Truth

A/N: Before reading this chapter, I advise familiarizing yourself with the song "The Gospel Truth" from Disney's Hercules. Including both reprises.

47. The Gospel Truth

THE SPACE BETWEEN

The letter arrived.

The six had been waiting anxiously for it; none of them could deny that. At first, each scrambled to take hold of the parchment, but as if through a telepathic agreement, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie stepped back and let Twilight read the letter out loud.

Twilight cleared her throat, ready to give the verdict.

"My dearest students:

"I regret to inform you that I have not been entirely honest with you. It is not easy for me to admit, but I have wronged you by omitting this information. You are, indeed, ageless."

Twilight paused for a moment. The six just stood in place, processing.

"Well," Applejack said at last, "read the rest."

Twilight began again.

"The bearers of the Elements of Harmony are ageless once they become adults. It has always been this way and always will be. If you have ever held one of the Elements, you will be ageless. That is why Luna and I have lived so long. We shall continue to live on unless an accident should befall us.

"You are still in great danger of mortal means. You can be killed by bullets, blades, poisons, and anything else besides old age. Given what I have read in your most recent account, I'm sure that you, excluding Rainbow Dash, would also be killed if your Soul Gems were shattered.

"That reminds me. I'm glad you figured out on your own how to counteract the Incubator transformation. Luna and I have saved quite a few witches that way, though many more have been lost.

"Returning to the subject, I kept this a secret from you because I didn't know how to say it. I was afraid. Most regard it as a curse, at least at first. But honestly, it was wrong of me to hide this secret. I did it out of my own cowardice, and for that I am sorry.

"I should have told you myself. I am sorry you had to find out like this. If it's any consolation, Luna and I are actually quite glad of our status now. The bad news is, you will outlive those you know now. But the good news is, if you're careful and lucky, you will have an eternity to experience new things and meet new friends. And you will have each other in this fate as Luna and I have each other.

"I wish I could tell you that this is all I have hidden about the Elements, but the truth is that there are many more things I could tell you. It is difficult for me to know when to reveal them, or how to say them. However, I am certain that you now know everything about the Elements that directly affects you and your lives. You may ask for whatever else you wish to hear at any time.

"I apologize, and I hope you can forgive me, though I will understand if you cannot.

"Sincerely,

"Princess Celestia."

"So it's true," Applejack reiterated. "We ain't agin'."

"COOL!" Pinkie cried. "Do you girls know what this MEANS? We have forever and ever to have adventures!"

"NOT cool," Applejack countered. "You know what this means to me? It means that I…that I gotta watch Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom get older and older until finally they…" She swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said in sympathy.

"But we have the power of time on our side," Twilight reminded the others. "We can go back and visit the ones we love whenever we want. The Starlight can actually move through time, remember? Phineas Black RECOGNIZED us. And we were on the vase in the Demigod Hall."

"What do you think about this?" Rainbow Dash asked Rarity.

"Well," Rarity said, "I have to admit…it is a little comforting to know that my beauty will never fade. What? That's what I think!"

"Nopony judges you for thinkin' it," Applejack said, cracking a smile. "We gotta look on the bright side."

"But this whole thing IS a bright side!" Pinkie insisted. "We have ETERNITY! That's like never being able to really waste time! And we are all together!"

"That's right," Fluttershy emphasized. "We're all together in this. We'll have each other."

"What if we have some kind of fight or falling-out?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"There are six of us," Fluttershy pointed out. "I'd like to think that would never happen, but if it does, I don't see us all fighting each other at the same time. And we'd have eternity to forgive each other if we wanted. Just like how Celestia waited a thousand years to make up with Luna."

"Not to mention we'll also have Celestia and Luna along with us," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"And I suppose if we really wanted to, we COULD choose when to die," Rarity said, "though the thought of that just disgusts me."

"Me too," Applejack admitted. "I didn't like the sound of bein' ageless, but I do like bein' alive. And I sure would miss ya if any of y'all decided you wanted to go."

"I doubt any of us want to be dead anytime soon," Twilight said. "Am I right?"

She was answered with five "Yes"s.

"Then we'll look at this as a good thing," Twilight resolved. "Everypony agree?"

"YEAH!" Pinkie squealed.

"Of course!" Rarity added.

"I could get used to it," Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"Oh, yes," Fluttershy said. "The more time I have to help others out, the better."

"Heck, even I could get used to this," Applejack admitted. "It's just a little hard to hear first time around."

"I feel bad for Celestia," Fluttershy added. "She must be feeling really guilty."

"I understand why she never told us," Twilight admitted. "I mean, I wish she had, but if I were her, I wouldn't know how to say it or when to say it."

"Me either," Applejack chimed in.

"If we're all in agreement on that," Rarity said, "we should write her a letter immediately saying we don't blame her."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash agreed.

"She shouldn't have to feel bad any longer!" Pinkie chirped.

"Is it okay if I add that she doesn't have to tell us anything else about the Elements yet?" Twilight asked, finding parchment and a quill. "I get this really weird feeling that she's…afraid to. And not for the same reason she was afraid to say anything about the agelessness."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said, "but ONLY if she's sure that's the LAST thing that applies to us here and now."

"I'm sure she was honest about that," Twilight said, beginning to write the letter.

She wrote a short page telling Celestia not to worry, that nopony onboard the Starlight blamed her for keeping the secret, and then she mailed it away through the fireplace.

"So how long until we hit another world?" Rainbow Dash asked, changing the subject.

As though her approach to the subject had shifted the very fabric of the universe, an alert bell sounded through the ship. The six turned to the monitor to see the ship approaching a new territory.

"I guess right now," Twilight answered.

* * *

THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAINS, THE ENCHANTED DOMINION

"So what are you thinking we do now?" Hades asked Maleficent. "I mean, from the looks of things, we're kinda short on numbers."

"There are several routes to pursue at this point," Maleficent informed him. The pair once again met with Jafar and Gothel in one of the sitting rooms. "I have been meaning to get in touch with our old ally Ursula, of course. In the meantime, I have my sights set on yet another potential for our group. I suppose the proper course of action would be to test him. You will, of course, allow me to bring both to the realm of the living."

"Babe, you've got an all access pass to the soul bank," Hades reminded her. "So who is this new guy you're thinking about, anyway?"

"A disgraced soldier," Maleficent clarified. "One who has lost everything. It would only be generous of us to offer him a way to earn it all back."

"I thought generosity was our enemy," Gothel said, confused.

"It is," Jafar told her. "This is merely the style of Maleficent's humor. Though it's safe to say that we all find much more amusement in action. Making the worlds bend to us."

A pig-snouted goblin rushed into the room. "Your grace!" he announced.

"What is it?" Maleficent spat.

"We've got word from Grimhilde that she's taken the Changeling back to her castle," the goblin stated.

Maleficent smiled. "Excellent. You are dismissed." She turned to present company. "Exactly as planned."

"Now, I'm aware we're playing it cool until the time comes for the big whoop-de-do," Hades said, "but in the meantime, I need something from you. A little consultation, if you will."

"State your request." Maleficent seemed almost bemused.

"I'm looking for a way to kill time in the interim," Hades said. "And I don't mean playing checkers with the minions. I'm talking conquest, destruction, anything I can get in advance before we make the big strike we've been talking about. See, the closer I can get to the throne of Olympus and the SOONER I can get there, the better. Problem is, we had the whole big prophecy, I let out the Titans, that got foiled, Zeus' brat kicked me out of the Olympic gates, I took a swim in the Styx, I crawled OUT of the Styx, I abused the minions, lost lover girl to Jerkules, picked up the blood knight and the shadow man, and that brings us to today. Eighteen years of work, down the tubes. I am currently Titan-less and prophecy-less. You see my conundrum."

Maleficent nodded. "That I do. Rest assured, Hades, when the time comes, you shall have me on your side, and what I shall contribute will more than make up for the loss of the Titans…though were I you, I would not forget them. They are, after all, the Old Ones, and only four of them were destroyed."

"And a Cyclops," Hades added. "Though he was useful."

"But why was a Cyclops among Titans?" Jafar inquired.

"Eh, back in the day, we had this whole big Titanomachy type deal," Hades explained. "Zeus made war on the Titans, and the Titans were enemies with the Cyclopes and the hundred-handed giants, and, well, the enemy of my enemy. But every war has its traitors. One Cyclops ended up going rogue, and he got tossed in with the Titans. One hundred-hander joined up with him, and HE was actually put to a USEFUL job. The guy stands as a living prison for blood oath breakers right now. Not a pretty sight, lemme tell ya. There's your short answer." He turned back to Maleficent. "So I get what you're saying. We're working toward a cosmos WITH Titans. But that still leaves the question of what I am supposed to do…NOW."

"If you cannot take the throne of Olympus," Maleficent suggested, "send the Olympians a clear message that you are not to be taken lightly. You needn't challenge Zeus directly to get what you want. Might I also suggest calling in on old connections? If I recall correctly, you were not the only deity who felt disappointment when your reign was crushed by Hercules."

"Hmm." Hades thought it over. "Rekindle old alliances…find damage that can be done without even touching Bolt Boy…take juuuuust enough to make a name for myself again…Maleficent. Babe. You ALWAYS know just what to say."

"I have not gained the state of power I currently possess," Maleficent replied, "without obtaining a mind for these matters. I trust that you will, of course, know what to do when the time comes. You are no small threat to Olympus."

"Heheh, you got that right, baby! Of course, when I do make it to the top, you'll get your due."

"I am not afraid you will go back on your word, Hades."

Gothel watched this conversation intently, a question forming in her mind.

A column of darkness then appeared in the room; the sign of someone apparating at the speed of darkness. The shadows cleared to reveal a figure that Hades found familiar.

"WHO is this intruder?" Maleficent asked angrily, causing the newcomer to flinch.

"Hey, hey, whoa, cool your jets!" Hades replied. "This is my guy. I gave him these coordinates. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the good doctor himself: Anton Facilier."

Facilier, no longer intimidated by Maleficent, grinned at her before whipping off his hat and bowing gracefully. "Enchanté," he greeted, though there seemed to be a hint of venom in his voice. "So you're the infamous Maleficent, I take it."

"And you are Hades' new right-hand in the Underworld," Maleficent replied. "From what I have heard, you intrigue me."

"Trust me," Hades said, "the shadow man is Overtaker material. You give us time to shine, I see us all forming a happy little alliance. Anyway, Facilier. What've you got for me?"

"Not good news," Facilier stated. "There was, to put it lightly, an incident in the Underworld."

For a moment, Hades' fire flared bright orange. It returned to calming blue as Hades asked, "What…KIND…of incident?"

"One of the Old Ones broke in and stole the mortality serum," Facilier stated. "He managed to take out Pain, Panic, Dan, and myself."

"Whoa, whoa…whoa," Hades replied. "ALL of you? I mean, the imps, they couldn't hold their own against a housecat, but ALL FOUR of you?"

"Not at once, but he didn't exactly give us a chance to mobilize."

"And this Old One," Hades went on. "Did you catch a name?"

"Discord."

"Huh." Hades turned to Maleficent. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was YOUR guy."

Maleficent's brow furrowed. "The draconequus made a strike against those who granted him freedom. He chooses to walk a treacherous path."

"NO ONE," Hades said, glowing orange again, "steals from me and gets away with it."

"Except Discord," Facilier pointed out, "did."

"Yeah, well not for long," Hades growled. "First thing when we get back, I'm putting up patrols. My palace is going on LOCKDOWN. Old One or no Old One, that draconequus puts another toe in MY Underworld, he joins the general populace. Understood?"

"Crystal clear," Facilier confirmed.

Hades turned back to Maleficent. "You still have faith in the guy?"

"As a means to our end, he is still useful," Maleficent stated. "But in personal matters, this strike should not be ignored. Do not kill him…but do not let him go unpunished."

"I think I got that covered," Hades said with a nod. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a LOT of business to attend to. Facilier, we're out of here."

"As you wish," Facilier replied.

"Later, babe," Hades told Maleficent, and Facilier scowled in response. Then Facilier and Hades disappeared simultaneously in pillars of shadow.

"You still trust Discord as a means to our end?" Jafar reiterated.

Maleficent nodded. "I should have known that chaos would not ally with us. But this does not change our plans. No matter what, Discord will find himself working towards our goal…for it is the same as his." Maleficent turned to the door. "I must send word to Grimhilde that we have received her message, as well as tend to the matters of which were spoken earlier." She left the room, impossibly gracefully.

"So I've got a question," Gothel said. "Maleficent and Hades. Are the two of them…involved?"

"So it seems," Jafar replied, "though it is not a matter to be spoken of. Their connection is…unusual. It certainly isn't something Maleficent would admit to, given our current climate."

"Love is weakness, I get it, I get it," Gothel interrupted. "So they're together, but they're not in love, and they don't want anyone to think they're in love."

"Precisely. Though there is more information you would find…perhaps…amusing."

"Oh? Do tell."

"There is a child."

"A child!" Gothel gasped. "The two of them?" A sly smile spread across her face. "Oh. That IS amusing."

"Though no one has seen this child in years," Jafar pointed out. "I suppose it best I say no more. I would not want the others to think that I had little better to do than engage in idle gossip." His smile, of course, said otherwise.

"I guess," Gothel replied, "though it was worth knowing, all the same."

* * *

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

"We're sailing into someplace called 'Olympic Greece,'" Rarity observed.

"I know this place!" Twilight said. "This world has a kind of connection with Mount Olympus and the Underworld. We could be in proximity with all the Olympian gods!"

"How did you know that?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well, I…" Twilight shuffled her hooves. "Mozenrath…might have told me about it…"

"We're still Kentaurides," Rarity noticed. "We haven't changed. I'm guessing that means there are centaurs and Kentaurides on this world."

"But still no talkin' ponies, I guess," Applejack added.

"So are we doing the usual plan?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I help drop anchor, and Rarity goes out and gets us designs for what to wear?"

"I'm hoping we aren't forced to wear plain uniforms again…" Rarity almost sounded weak, as though the very prospect of wearing something as plain as Hogwarts robes made her want to faint.

"Sounds like a plan," Twilight said.

"I'm so excited!" Pinkie cried, bounding up and down. "I wonder what new adventures are out there waiting?"

As a matter of fact, the ship was pulling into the waters outside of the shores of an island called Chryse – a very significant island to Olympic Greece, for it was the residence of –

"Oh, are you serious?" the Muse Thalia interrupted. "Ladies, are you reading this? This is drier than Bob's narration."

"Sorry, everyone," the Muse Clio added, "but if you're going to read this story about what went on in Olympic Greece, you've got a lot to catch up on. The legendary hero Hercules saved Olympus from the Titans, but that doesn't mean he was done!"

"And he isn't even the only hero we need to talk about," Melpomene chimed in.

"We can't just take control of the whole story!" Terpsichore argued.

"Of course not," Calliope – often considered the leader of the Muses, as she was the guardian of epic stories, from which other genres and art forms sprang – surmised. "But we can give this chapter a little helping hand."

"Just sit back and enjoy the show, readers!" Melpomene advised.

"Will somebody give us a beat?" Thalia called out, and a jazzy piano tune began.

Calliope sang:

"By now you know the tale,

How Hercules earned laurels to rest.

But history goes onward,

And it wasn't over yet!"

Melpomene took over:

"Herc did the rightful thing!

He put to use his fortune and fame!

And he and Meg helped Philoctetes

Find new heroes to train!"

The five chorused:

"THAT'S WHERE THE SIX COME IN!"

"Elements of Harmony!" sang Clio.

"YOU KNOW!" the Muses chorused.

"The sixfold company!" sang Melpomene.

"THERE THEY GO!" the Muses chorused,

"AND THEIR GREEK DRAMA WILL UNFOLD!

AND THAT'S THE GOSPEL TRUTH,

OUR WORD IS GOOD AS MIDAS' GOLD!"

"That brings us to today!" sang Thalia,

"Phil's still the same – a trainer uncouth!"

"And although it may seem impossible,

That's the Gospel truth!" the Muses chorused,

"Phil waited on new clients, and

Six turned up, sailing smooth!

With Herc and Meg there as apostles!

THAT'S THE GOSPEL TRUTH!"

* * *

It had been far too long, in Phil's opinion, since he'd gotten to use any of the training equipment on his island. The satyr paced the training arena, letting out dramatic sighs as he dusted off everything from the vaulting horse to the barbells.

A pair of humans – one mortal, one demigod – watched him. "I'm thinking we should get his mind off it," the mortal, a thin woman with a long chestnut ponytail and clad in a soft pink peplos, whispered to the demigod, a tall young man with carrot-colored hair, a very muscular frame, and an outfit consisting of bronze armor and a blue cape. "Before he drives himself…more insane than he is."

"C'mon, Phil," the man suggested. "We should do something fun! Sail to Athens! Take in a drama! No one's going to turn up if you just wait around!"

"You'd think," Phil ranted, "that once you got the gods to put a picture of your guy in the night sky, the clients would just come rolling in. I had it all pictured! I'd be Phil, trainer of heroes! Agent for the finest names in Greece! And what have I been doing since they put up your constellation? Gathering…dust."

"Heroes don't just come falling out of the sky," the woman pointed out. "You've gotta give 'em time. Eventually, some wannabe's going to come crawling up to your door out of destiny or divine inspiration. You know the deal. And that's when you turn 'em from a wannabe into a yes-I-am. But they've gotta have a reason to want to find you first."

"I bet Chiron doesn't have slow days," Phil muttered. "People are probably lined up for MILES around his door."

"Give yourself more credit!" the man insisted. "So it's a slow decade! Phil, if you just stand around here and wait for another hero to take on, no one's going to turn up at all! But if you forget about it, they'll come flocking to you! I don't know if you noticed, but the Fates kinda like to play tricks like that."

"Ehhhh…maybe you're right," Phil resigned, turning to face the pair. "Besides. You two flew all the way in here to see me, and probably not just to watch me mope around the stadium. We'll go do something. But as soon as you two go back home, I get to mope all I want. Deal?"

"Deal," the woman said with a smile.

"Okay," the man agreed, also smiling.

"Now," Phil said, "what were you two sayin' about Athens – "

A loud bell clanged. The attention of all three was turned to the sound.

"The security alarm!" the man cried.

"Sounds like SOMEBODY tried to get too close to the arena!" Phil clarified. "Nobody pulls one over on my watch! Probably some petty bandits thinking they can make easy money off official merch from THE arena that trained Hercules."

"Or it could be a wild pig," the woman suggested. "But sure. Let's go with bandits cashing in on your popularity."

Phil stormed out of the arena, his friends in tow. They entered the wilderness of the island – a thick tangle of vines and trees interspersed with mist and broken statuary.

"I know exactly the type that would try to break in on my turf," Phil grumbled. "Big, unshaven dolts with more muscle than brains, the kind of guy you know is scum just by lookin' at…whoa whoa WHOA."

Phil halted before the net trap that had activated the bell. His two companions stopped beside him. The net – previously carefully strewn across the ground and covered in leaves – had taken up into its tree Rarity, wearing her stealth suit and trying to chip at the ropes that held her with a crystal arrow. "WHY," she growled, "DID. MY. WEAPON. HAVE. TO BE. ARROWS!"

Phil, taken aback by the beautiful Kentauride before him, licked his fingers and smoothed back what little hair he had on his head. "Well, hel-lo beautiful," he said. "What brings a lovely centaur like you to a place like – "

"Phil!" the orange-haired man chided. The brunette woman shot him a disapproving look.

"And now I've been spotted!" Rarity wailed. "This was all just a disa-a-a-sterrrrr! I just wanted to find out what you were wea-ea-ariiiing!"

"Hey…" the orange-haired man said, attempting to be soothing. "Don't…don't cry…um, everything's going to be okay, we just – "

"You want us to get you down from there?" the woman asked.

"YE-E-E-ESSSSS!" Rarity moaned.

The woman approached the tether rope, letting it down, and Rarity crashed to the ground with the net.

"So…why were you trying to figure out what we were wearing?" the woman asked.

"Well…it's quite a strange story, you see," Rarity babbled, nervous to come up with an excuse. "My friends and I, well, we're heroes – "

Phil's attention was caught.

" – from another…er, country," Rarity went on. "And clothing customs aren't quite the same as they are here. We've been traveling, and customarily, I find out what the citizenry wears in wherever we land and I make us matching outfits."

"Well, there's just us three here," the man said. "Four, I guess, if you count Pegasus…"

"There are pegasi here?" Rarity asked.

"Just…the one," the man said.

"Well, this is close enough," the woman said, picking at the fabric of her peplos. "You need guys' clothes too?"

"Just women's," Rarity answered. "I really MUST thank you for bearing with me through this…EMBARRASSING incident. Usually the stealth suit keeps me from being seen…this is altogether EXTREMELY awkward."

"Hey, no sweat," the man replied. "We get it. You want to blend in."

"Hang on," Phil broke in. "You said you were heroes. What did you mean by that?"

"Well…" Rarity thought how best to answer. "We protect people and fight away evil. Though we're still learning the ropes, to be perfectly frank."

"Miss," Phil said, "have I ever got a proposition for you! You heard of Philoctetes?"

"Er…no."

"Well, that's me. Most famous trainer of heroes in the world, thanks to this guy!" He motioned to his male companion. "The one and only…Hercules! You have heard of Hercules, haven't ya?"

"Er…still no," Rarity admitted.

"That's…my name," Hercules said shyly, with a wave.

"On the subject, name's Megara," the woman added. "Friends call me Meg. You?"

"Rarity."

"Rarity," Phil repeated. "A beautiful name for a beautiful – "

"PHIL!" Meg and Hercules chided.

" – hero in training," Phil concluded. "Anyway, you and your friends need to hone your skills? I'd be glad to show you the ropes."

"Erm…" Rarity looked at Phil with confusion and a little disgust.

"Don't worry," Hercules reassured her. "Phil's the real deal. He trained me from a clumsy nobody into a real hero! Not to brag, but my picture IS a constellation now."

"Hmm." Rarity thought it over. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in introducing you to my friends. We could consider your offer. But why are you so eager to train us?"

"Because after Wonder Boy here made headlines in the Greekly World News," Meg explained, "business went dead over here. Not that it was booming before."

"Well, I suppose there's no harm," Rarity said. "It has been a pleasure to meet you. And we'd love a tour of this…well…wherever we are."

"Isle of Chryse," Phil corrected. "It ain't much, but it's home."

"We'd love to show you around!" Hercules confirmed.

"Then I'll bring my friends out straightaway," Rarity said. "But first, I do have to rectify the clothing situation. You don't mind?"

"Not at all!" Hercules said, and Phil and Meg gave nods and smiles of approval.

"Then I'll be back," Rarity said before galloping back toward the ship.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"While our heroes were getting acquainted in the mortal world of Olympic Greece," Calliope explained, "plans of a different kind were being made down in the Underworld. Hades had another scheme brewing."

"But you have to feel bad for him," Terpsichore argued.

"Say what?" Thalia challenged. "He's responsible for most everything that goes wrong up in Olympic Greece! He's joined up with the Overtakers, and if I had a drachma for every heartless deed they did, well, honey, I'd be able to buy Croesus' mansion right out from under him!"

"Hades ruins a lot of lives and makes them a living Tartarus," Terpsichore clarified. "But it isn't like he never lost something he loved."

"I remember that story," Clio said. "Persephone."

Melpomene took a deep breath and sang, rather mournfully: "There was an incident…

A tragedy that rocked all the gods.

An evil scheme, a warrior's rage,

And Persephone was lost!"

"The man that was to blame," Clio added,

"The Ghost of Sparta, Kratos by name,

Back when Athena taught him,

Before he rebelled in rage!"

"The goddess' death was just," Thalia concluded,

"But circumstances demand others' ruth.

It left a hole in Hades' heart,

And that's the gospel truth."

"The…gospel…truth," the others chorused.

* * *

Persephone's old fortress was sizeable. Facilier often wondered how just one goddess could have handled all that space. There were still rooms of it he hadn't seen. Granted, he spent most of his time going back and forth between there and Hades' palace, but given that Persephone and Hades had in fact been married, she had probably done the same.

So Facilier found himself walking the halls, looking for things he hadn't yet discovered in the building. He'd just happened upon a room containing a tall marble statue of a female figure when he heard a voice from behind him:

"Did you tell him?"

"Yes I did, Dan," Facilier answered without turning to face the soldier.

Dark Danny took his place beside Facilier, his eyes absently staring at the statue. "How did he take it?"

"Better than I thought," Facilier answered.

"And still, I'm going to have to say it could have gone a LOT better," a third voice broke in.

Facilier and Dark Danny turned to see their employer standing in the doorway. "How ya doin'," Hades said by way of greeting. "Oh, hey, you found that old thing."

"What's our next move?" Facilier inquired.

"I'm calling in a few favors," Hades explained. "I'm thinking…we are probably going to want to move outside just having the usual group. I've got a couple resurrections to pull off and a blood oath to cash in, but before all that, I've got a contact I'm waiting on to deliver."

"Who's that?" Dark Danny asked.

"None of your business," Hades replied. "She's going to want complete and total anonymity, and that's what she's going to get. Let's just say that she and I have been doing business together for quite a while. We go way, WAY back. You fellas just show up and look pretty when she turns up on the palace doorstep."

"While we're waiting," Facilier said, gesturing broadly towards the statue, "if you don't mind…who was she? After all, I'm fillin' her shoes…I'd think I deserve to know."

"Heh." Hades moved toward the statue. Upon paying closer attention, Facilier and Dark Danny could make out the details. The woman had long hair with flowers braided in it, and she wore a gown that was low-cut in both the front and the back, the skirt draping low enough to cover her feet. Upon her face was a look of strange wistfulness, as though the artist couldn't decide what emotion to really give her – anguish or joy.

"Good ol' Seph," Hades said, putting a hand on the statue. "First wife. Technically, only wife. Y'know, this whole thing with trying to unseat Zeus and become king of the gods isn't a new deal. It was in the works ever since he stuck me with this gods-forsaken wasteland. Seph was right there with me and the plan. I guess you could use the term 'partners in crime,' but, well, there was a bit of a complication.

"You see, our marriage was a bit of an arranged one. Aphrodite and Seph got into a tiff, Aphrodite cast a spell on me to become uncontrollably attracted to her, not that it would have made a difference anyway because LOOK at this woman, seriously, LOOK at her, and bada boom…we're eloping in Elysium. Well, Seph was a little torn about it at first. She liked the idea of being queen of the dead, I mean, who wouldn't, despite it being an eternity of desolation and dead guys, and she used to say I was a nice enough guy, but she maaaay have been a little tiny bit less into the 'love' factor. So maybe I 'kidnapped' her, technically. It's not like I forced her into actually doing anything in this marriage she didn't want to besides coming to live down here. She wanted her own place at first. So I had this built. Nice piece of work, right? Particularly good crown molding.

"Eventually, there's this whole fiasco, she eats a pomegranate that grew down here, there's that whole rule about eating the food of the dead and not being able to actually leave, we work out a split custody thing between having her down here and letting her go upstairs to be with Demeter, it puts the seasons out of whack, then back INTO whack, eventually Demeter gets over it and lets Seph start controlling the seasons on her own. And, eventually, Seph and I, well, we got close. She did finally fall in love with me after that immensely awkward time being basically weird roommates.

"I mean, it's not like either of us was perfect. We talked it out, we let each other have our share of mortal lovers. She had this one guy she was particularly attached to. You heard of the Boogeyman? And I'm not talking any old Boogeyman, I mean THE Boogeyman."

"Pitch Black," Dark Danny supplied.

"That's the one," Hades answered. "Used to go by 'Kozmotis Pitchiner' before this whole insanity deal. Trust me, he was a lot more fun of a guy after he became the Boogeyman. Seph was kinda into him. And hey, he was a cool guy, we sat down, had a few drinks, a few laughs, soon I'm lettin' him stay here whenever he wants. He and Seph were lovers. Seph and I were lovers. Just kinda how things worked. Life, or as close as you can get to life down here, was pretty good.

"Anyway, the thing with Seph was, when she was happy, the room almost literally lit up with how gods-darn happy she was. But when she was moody, well, when it rained, it poured. Now, I'm smart enough to know that she really was in love with me. But I'm also smart enough to know that she wasn't all the time. Sometimes the whole arranged marriage thing caught up with her. Basically, I deceived her by dragging her down here and not even warning her about the pomegranate. That was her argument, and I'm not gonna say she was wrong. She would go on and on about that, and then one day, it would just be like, 'I'm sorry I thought such things, I really don't know what I would do without you, you have become my world.' Yeah. She used to talk like that. All fancy and…flowery. Pun intended.

"So she and I got this plan. We were talking about releasing Titans LONG before the whole Hercules deal. Got Pitch on board with this too. If Seph and I got ahold of the thrones at Olympus, Pitch would be elevated to as godlike of a status as you can give a guy who's immortal but not a god. Our first try was with Atlas. Our idea was to spring him from Tartarus and have him hammer away at the foundations of Olympus and Olympic Greece until it all fell down. Seemed pretty foolproof. Payoff was gonna be big for Atlas, too.

"Now…maybe what happened was my fault. Not gonna lie. Maybe it was. Because around that time, Seph started getting in one of her moods again. Wondering about what could have been if she wasn't queen of the Underworld. Wondering about a life full-time on the surface where she didn't have to be in charge of the corpses. She said it to me very clearly. Hated that she'd been 'tricked' into this. That? My fault. Well, you COULD pin a lot of it on Aphrodite. Seph wanted to know what life was like on Olympus. I say we're going to find out when we take it by storm. She says she wishes she could find out without having to resort to that. She starts saying she wants Olympus down as revenge for getting her stuck down here. So I say, Seph, babe, you're wishing we were never married? She gets all kinda confused then. Says losing me is the price she'd have to pay for a life up there, and she's not really sure how to chalk that one up, Pitch notwithstanding.

"Well, we let loose Atlas, and wouldn't you know it, Athena has this little over-muscled BRAT she's been training. Not a hero, mind you. This guy. Oy. Piece of work. Ares and Athena took turns basically molding him into some super-soldier killing machine. Which is good for business down here, he racks up a lot of souls for the tally, but he also has this REAL nasty habit of just sticking his nose where it does. Not. Belong. So Seph and I spring Atlas and hijack the sun chariot so we can pin the operation on Morpheus when Athena's little brat, wouldn't you know it, WALTZES INTO MY UNDERWORLD, FULLY MORTAL, and claims to be looking for his daughter. Seph says she can handle it and takes him off into the gardens, and then…well…that's where things get weird.

"Basically, long story short, she spilled the beans about the Atlas operation, and he killed her before he put Atlas in his place holding up Olympic Greece. Now I know what you're thinking: 'But I thought Olympian gods couldn't die!' And you would be WRONG, sir! Olympian gods can, in fact, die. They're just…not supposed to stay dead."

Upon saying this, Hades paused, looking toward the statue with what could have been mistaken for regret. "Ninety-nine percent of cases, Olympian gods respawn. Death is kinda just like a long nap for us. So I waited. And…she never came back. I thought maybe she didn't want to. Maybe she made her choice, and she gave me up to have a life on the surface. Which wouldn't have been so bad if that had actually happened. I mean, yeah, might have, y'know, hurt to find that out, but it's a Tartarus of a lot better than what I got. No sign of her. Anywhere. Just gone. Poof. Vanished. Can't even find a soul in all the Underworld that matches her description. So what happened to her? Nobody knows.

"Well, after that, Pitch is a good buddy and all, but without Seph, he's really got no reason to stick around, so he goes back to being the Boogeyman of the cosmos and I go back to sorting stiffs and we kinda just fall out of touch. I get the Fates to come around and tell me the whole prophecy about the four elemental Titans and the rebel Cyclops and how they can succeed where Atlas failed. That, by the way, is where I started working with our contact from today. And that pretty much gets you up to speed. Yes, the cold and heartless Hades used to be in love, once. But now? I don't actually care anymore. Not one iota. The past is the past, and have I got my eye on one Tartarus of a future. And you guys happen to have nice cushy thrones in this future."

"And after Persephone," Facilier asked, "was there anyone else?"

"Geez, you think I'd make the mistake of falling in love again?" Hades replied.

"Or lust," Facilier accused, his tone taking on a sudden edge. "There seems to be something between you and Maleficent."

"Hey, a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," Hades stated, "and before you launch any arguments, neither does an Overtaker."

"LORD HADES!" Panic practically tripped over his own feet, skidding into the room. Pain came traipsing after.

"This…had better be good," Hades snarled, pressing a finger to his brow in exasperation.

"Your mysterious goddess contact is here!" Pain announced.

Hades grinned. "Perfect! Right on time! For once, you two managed to do something right. Let's not keep the lovely lady waiting, eh?"

* * *

Facilier, Dark Danny, Pain, and Panic couldn't tell how lovely the lady actually was. When they gathered in Hades' throne room, the goddess wore a thick cloak that looked like it was woven of shadows, and probably was. The hood was pulled up, and it draped low over her brow, but as an added measure to conceal her identity, the goddess had enchanted the hood so that a dark fog filled it and nothing was visible in the area of her face. Her hands were tucked beneath the cloak's fabric. All anyone could tell was that she was tall, but all goddesses were, relatively.

"Welcome back, babe," Hades greeted; Facilier, Dark Danny, Pain, and Panic each wondered for a second if even he knew who she was. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Can we offer you a drink? I have a Dionysus vintage that's just been waiting for the right occasion for…come to think of it, going on 500 years."

"I need nothing," the goddess said, and her voice proved at least that she was female. "So you think it's time to start again."

"Babe, it is DEFINITELY time to start again," Hades affirmed, "and as usual, you'll get your promised cut. Right now, we're looking at starting by sending a message. You know, a 'force to be reckoned with' kind of statement. I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve as usual, but I wanted to pick your brain a little. After all, you do have a sort of a knack for this."

"I have what you need to put all of Olympic Greece into turmoil," the goddess said, removing a hand from beneath the cloak; it gripped the handle of a basket with long, graceful fingers that could have belonged to any goddess, as their color aura was dimmed. "If this doesn't send a message to Zeus that he is not secure on his throne, nothing will."

The basket was laden with golden apples, somehow sparkling despite the lack of lights in the throne room. Instinctively, Facilier and Dark Danny each took a step toward the basket before Hades put up a hand: "Ah-ah-ah-ah, look, but DON'T touch." Pain and Panic backed off. They knew about the apples and all that would come with them.

Hades grasped the handle of the basket. "As usual," he said with a grin, "you are an absolute genius."

"I thank you," the goddess said, tucking her hand back under her cloak of shadows. "But I must also warn you. The Fates will not be so willing to work with you this time."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Hades said with a wave of the hand, "I can deal. There's more than one way to divine a future. These are MORE than good enough for a starting point."

"I'm glad to hear that," the goddess said. "Perhaps now, we can finally both get what we want."

She stepped backward three paces, then vanished without giving any further notice.

Hades hoisted the basket into the air. "Get a good look, fellas," he said, "'cause tomorrow, these babies are gonna be scattered throughout all of Olympic Greece!"

* * *

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

The six disembarked from the ship, treading through the tangled forest and thick mists to reach the area where Rarity had been caught up in the security trap. Rarity had just finished designing for each a new set of clothing in the Greek style. Twilight wore a blue peplos with long sleeves and silver accents, the skirt front draping down between her equine forelegs but otherwise leaving her pony half uncovered. Applejack's peplos was brown with green accents, Fluttershy's green and gold, and Pinkie Pie's a soft pink with blue; they all had shorter, straplike sleeves holding their garments up. Rarity had only gone with one shorter sleeve, leaving the other shoulder bare, for her white and gold dress. Rainbow Dash had insisted on a simple, short tunic that didn't drape past her humanoid waist in order to make up for the "frilly" things she claimed Rarity had been "stuffing her in" lately, and so said tunic was just a plain white.

Phil was dumbstruck. He had never before seen six attractive female Kentaurides all in one place. He merely stared, speechless; Meg shot him a dirty look and lightly kicked his ankle to bring his focus back to important matters.

Phil, Meg, and Hercules were joined by one more entity, a white winged horse with a short-cropped blue mane. Hercules stepped to the front of the group and waved. "Hi! So you're the new heroes?"

"You could say that," Rainbow Dash replied with a grin. "I mean, we've been around the heroic circuit a few times."

"And you train heroes?" Twilight asked.

"You've come to the best place in the business!" Phil insisted. "No matter WHAT Chiron says. The man lies."

Twilight remembered where she'd heard that name last, from Nearly Headless Nick. She wondered what exactly Phil had against Chiron. Perhaps it was only friendly competition.

"You want proof?" Phil continued. "You know the Hercules constellation in the sky?" He pointed to Hercules. "This guy. Absolutely outstanding in the field."

"Phil…" Hercules seemed to blush slightly.

"And I taught the kid everything he knows," Phil insisted.

"And after that, Phil nearly got bored out of his mind waiting for someone else to come along," Meg added.

"So you're interested in training?" Phil asked.

"Of course!" Applejack answered. "I mean, we know some things, but it never hurts to learn more."

"NEVER," Twilight emphasized.

"Great!" Hercules cried. "I'll be glad to help! Welcome to the – "

"Ah-ah-ah!" Phil interrupted. "Before Herc just throws you onto the team, I'm gonna need to hear your résumé first. What's your experience level?"

"Well…" Twilight thought over how best to phrase it. "We've kind of worked in…distant lands. So you wouldn't really have heard of what we did. But – "

"First, back in our home country, we stopped an evil nightmare queen from taking over the daylight and making everything into darkness forever!" Pinkie Pie began. "Then there was a guy who had control over chaos, and he was turning everything upside down, so we turned him into a statue! After that, we stopped a shape-shifter from crashing a royal wedding, and after THAT came the time we saved an entire empire from an ancient evil tyrant locked in the ice! Then we let the chaos guy back out, but some things happened, and we had to put him back, but he broke out AGAIN, and we're still tracking him down right now! Anyway, we got on our ship and we started sailing, and we came to this land where we chased an evil wizard around and liberated a ton of kingdoms from his rule! Five of us got stranded in the Netherworld after that, and we fought off all these dead people who were trying to make US dead, and when we were all together again, we teamed up with a bunch of armies to take down a huge and powerful djinni! And THEN the shape shifter came back and we had to chase her off! We followed her aaaaaall the way to another royal wedding and stopped her there, and we also found that evil wizard, but the princess of that country stopped him that time. Then a dark faerie showed up, but we couldn't handle her, so we had to go learn more and study magic. And while we were studying magic, we ended up fighting a whole ARMY of evil wizards and saving a castle, and only two people died, but we still really miss them. Then one of us turned into a monster because of this spell that's on us, but the rest of us managed to change her back! And then we came here!"

"Huh," Phil said, rather stunned. "So you're saying you've managed wizards, djinni, shape-shifters, AND the undead?"

"Mmhmm!" Pinkie nodded furiously.

"Well…we didn't entirely manage them," Twilight corrected. "We had help pretty much every time. We're a little underpowered."

"Well, you've come to the right place!" Hercules assured the six.

"What he said," Phil agreed. "You six? You're hired."

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"So, you already know that I'm Hercules, and this is Philoctetes, though he prefers 'Phil,'" Hercules introduced.

"And the name's Megara," Meg reasserted. "Meg, for short."

"And this is Pegasus," Hercules said, gesturing to the winged horse.

Twilight gasped. "That's…THE Pegasus?"

"The only Pegasus I know of," Hercules admitted. "Made by my dad out of the clouds. Oh, yeah…my dad's Zeus, by the way."

"YOUR FATHER IS ZEUS?" Twilight's jaw nearly hit the ground.

"Yeah," Hercules admitted. "And my mom's Hera."

"How…how did you end up down here in the mortal world?" Twilight asked.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Hercules said. "We can talk about it on the way to the arena."

"I wanna see what the six of you can do with a weapon," Phil said, already turning to walk in that direction. "C'mon."

"Let's go!" Hercules added, and the group of ten moved towards the arena.

"You can start your story in just a second," Twilight said. "First, I need to discuss something with my friends."

The six Equestrians dropped to the back of the group, and Twilight whispered, "That's Pegasus. The horse from which all pegasi are descended!"

"I'm descended from him?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes!" Twilight insisted. "After thousands of generations!"

"Lemme go talk to him!" Rainbow Dash trotted up to Pegasus' side. "Hi! I'm Rainbow Dash, and I – "

Pegasus whinnied and licked her face.

Rainbow Dash fell back in alongside Twilight. "No."

"Sentience and language skills take a while to evolve," Twilight pointed out. "Anyway, Zeus is a famous god of the sky, and Hera is a goddess of marriage. They're god ROYALTY. I can't believe we're actually walking with one of their sons!"

"You know," Meg called back, "you never told us your names."

"Sorry!" Twilight apologized, stepping forward. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

The others introduced themselves in turn:

"Name's Applejack."

"Rainbow Dash."

"Pinkie Pie!"

"I'm Rarity!"

"Fluttershy…"

"Nice to meet you," Meg said with an odd little grin, one that suggested she was happy, but not TOO overly happy.

"Never seen Kentaurides with WINGS before," Phil pointed out.

"Did I mention we're from really far away?" Twilight reiterated. "Hercules, weren't you going to tell us how you got down here to the mortal plane?"

"Oh, yeah!" Hercules began his story. "Well, way back when I was born, Hades, the lord of the Underworld, kind of had a grudge…"

* * *

THE PARADISE GARDEN

"While our heroes and our villains were making plans and alliances," Calliope narrated, "the disappearance of the golden apples didn't go unnoted. You see, they didn't just come from any old garden."

"That garden's Hera's pride," Terpsichore sang jauntily,

"Although it crosses more than her world,

"And at the center, the most

"Very sacred tree unfurled!"

"You can't take apples down!" Thalia picked up.

"Unless you wanna get tailed by a sleuth!

"One gal's about to pick up the trail,

"And that's the gospel truth!"

* * *

The garden itself was seemingly neverending, spreading into the twilit horizons. Over its lush beauty, the sky was always in a state of twilight, shining brilliant reds and soft purples. It seemed every sort of plant imaginable bloomed there, and in abundance, with gigantic leaves, sweet-scented petals of all colors, and vines that curled across the ground in such a way that careless mortals might trip. Various animals also crawled among the leaves and trunks of the flora, from multicolored insects to chirping birds to even prowling big cats. Even something scalier and far more sinister was known to crawl about there.

No humans were native there – anyone who came never stayed long – but certain humanoids called it home: the nymphs known as the Hesperides. They built no shelters, but instead lived among the wild, communing with the animals and plants.

The Hesperides most often gathered around the tree at the garden's center. It was an old tree…perhaps one of the oldest living things in existence, barring anything that had survived from the first Chaos. And it was a significant tree. The elder Hesperides knew all its stories, all its secrets, what it truly was, what lay at the top of its outstretching branches that were so high, no one could even see where they ended by merely looking, and there was a reason for this. They knew how far down the roots went. They knew what sort of fruit it bore. The younger Hesperides didn't know it all yet, but they would learn in time, they knew, and they already had suspicions that the tree was a greater force than they could comprehend.

Despite its seeming boundlessness, the garden did, in fact, have borders. It had many gates, which opened upon many realms. One such gate opened into Hera's domain on Mount Olympus, and it was through this gate that Hera herself walked at a fast clip, with a sense of urgency.

Her golden hair was stacked upon her head and braided through an intricate crown. She wore a gown of shimmering pink, a deep shade that offset the lighter pink glow given off by her skin. She walked directly toward the great tree, beneath the shade of its canopy that seemed to melt into the sky itself, and looked up at the lower branches.

The Hesperides noticed her presence, gathering around the tree. The four eldest moved towards the base of the trunk while the four youngest, who had frolicked in the lower branches of the tree, simply dropped down onto the lowest tier and sat there, ankles and bare feet dangling. Though all had the same pigmentation – dark brown skin, raven hair, piercing black eyes – and wore the same garment – a loose white shift – they all looked as distinct from each other as could be.

"What is the matter, Hera?" Arethusa, an elder, asked.

Hera gestured to the tree dramatically. "I had thought I felt the passing of a strange force through Olympus!" she moaned. "Look there! Where the golden apples of chaos once had grown!"

Eight pairs of eyes followed Hera's broad gesture to the empty branches. Eight gasps were heard.

"It can't be!" Lipara, a younger, wailed. "You don't think…they were taken to the MORTAL world, do you?"

"I do not know what other fate could have become of them," Hera answered mournfully. "They are not on Olympus, to my knowledge. Perhaps I am wrong. But I fear the worst…that someone has stolen them and brought them to the mortal world below Olympus."

"Why would anyone want such a thing?" the elder Hesperia asked. "The only thing these apples will bring to mortals is temptation and resulting chaos. If they have not left Olympus, they will bring chaos to the gods themselves."

"I do not know," Hera said, "but there are many for whom chaos serves its own purpose."

"Are you sure they were brought out to your world?" the younger Chrysothemis asked. "What if they were brought out to one of the others instead? What if they never left the garden?"

"They could have gone to Jötunheim," the younger Asterope suggested.

"Pray not," the elder Aegle replied.

"The apples cannot pass me completely unnoticed," Hera stated. "It was a condition given to me by Gaia when she granted me the gate. That is the reason that I do not accuse any of you of the crime." Her voice became icy at that. The Hesperides gave a collective shudder. Hera had set up certain security features to make sure none of them would steal fruit from the sacred tree…and it was not as though the thought had never crossed any of their minds. "I fear for what is to come. I do not know who has done this, or what will happen because of it."

"So why do we not find out?" The youngest Hesperide, though she was still several centuries old, chimed in as she dropped from the branches onto the ground. Young Zoë stared directly up into Hera's eyes. "Why do we not track down the thief and stop him or her before anything horrible happens? Art thou afraid?"

"I am not AFRAID!" Hera growled, throwing her arms into the air. "Would you LEAVE the garden? Would you have ME leave Olympus and abandon my duty in order to chase after one whose identity we do not even know?"

"If thou carest about the mortal world below Olympus, and about Olympus itself!" Zoë challenged.

The others were silent, staring. They couldn't believe Zoë had the insolence to challenge Hera herself.

"I will admit," Hera said at last, "something must be done. This may in fact touch Olympus."

"I will go," Zoë volunteered. "I shall leave the garden so that thou needest not and so that my sisters needest not. I shall discover the identity of the thief and undo whatever the thief has wrought on the mortal world below!"

"You go with my blessing," Hera said.

"Then I leave at once." Zoë began to walk toward Hera's gate.

"Sister!" Hesperia called out.

Zoë turned to face her. "Sister."

"Be careful in the mortal world," Hesperia said coldly. "Do not lose yourself. And do not give into mortal temptation. Do not do anything that would give us cause to exile you from the garden evermore."

"I shalt not," Zoë promised. "I shall only do what is needed to protect order and balance so that Olympus and the garden do not suffer."

"Then you have our blessing as well," Hesperia swore.

"I thank thee." Zoë then continued her journey toward the gate to Olympus.

* * *

THE CLOUDS AROUND OLYMPUS

"Well, this story's got more threads in it than the Tapestry of Fate!" Thalia complained. "I don't even see how the regular narrator can work under these conditions!"

"Well, we aren't done introducing our heroes yet," Melpomene informed her.

"Really?" Thalia groaned. "Oh, come on!"

"A couple years before," Calliope sang,

"Apollo's daughter suffered in pain.

"But in flew Pit, and Orcos

"And Medusa were good as slain!"

"Pit was a hero made!" Clio continued.

"But by mistake fell from the sky's roof!

"And there he stayed till now,

"And that's the gospel truth!"

* * *

Palutena, a minor deity of light and daughter of Apollo and Acantha, searched the clouds. She had been searching for a while; there were so many, an abyss of white fluff. She passed through, a vision of gold glow, clothed in a white toga, her grass-green hair flowing in the wind.

At last, she found what she sought. A young boy in a white chiton, his hair brown and somewhat spiky and framed in gold laurels, picking at the surface of the clouds idly with one of the twin golden knives he carried. From his back sprouted the stumps of wings, though the feathers were all gone.

"Oh, Pit," Palutena said with pity. "I had wondered where you got off to. What happened?"

"It's so stupid," Pit growled. "You wouldn't believe it."

"Tell me anyway."

Pit sighed. "After I saved your temple from Medusa and Orcos and you awarded me the honors, I…flew too close to the sun. And then I made kind of a crash landing, and now I'm stuck here."

Palutena giggled.

"Don't laugh!" Pit said resentfully.

"I apologize," Palutena replied sweetly. "But you really do live up to that nickname they gave you, don't you? The 'Kid Icarus.'"

"Yeah," Pit grumbled, "though I kind of wanted to be remembered for being as AWESOME as he was. Not for making his same crash landing."

"I know you must be embarrassed," Palutena said, "but I want to help you."

"Palutena, I don't know if I can ever show my face around Olympus again after this!"

"Yes, you can," Palutena said with a smile. "I can restore your wings, you know."

She approached Pit, who stepped closer to her automatically. Palutena placed her hands over the stumps of his wings. In a flash of light, they were repaired, as full of shining white feathers as they'd been before the accident.

"Good as new," Palutena said, stepping back.

"YEAH!" Pit leapt into the air and flew in a succession of loop-de-loops.

"I'm glad you're happy," Palutena commented. "What do you want to do now?"

"Ugh. I still don't really feel like figuring out what the Olympians think of me," Pit sighed. "Is it cool with you if I go down and chill on the mortal world for a while?"

"You can go wherever you want!" Palutena insisted.

"I'll be back as soon as I feel less stupid about the whole thing," Pit promised.

"Take as long as you need," Palutena replied. "Now that I know you're all right, it doesn't matter to me what you do!"

"Thanks, Palutena!" Pit said. "No, really, thanks for EVERYTHING. You're cool."

"Why, thank you!"

"I'll catch you later!" Pit flew in one more loop before making a dive toward the mortal world of Olympic Greece far below.

Palutena watched him leave, smiling proudly. Then she made her way back to her domain on Olympus.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"Are we almost done?" Thalia groaned.

"Almost," Calliope said.

"While Zoë was on guard for the thief of the golden apples, and somewhere in the backs of their minds, Meg and Hercules knew that Hades would probably be up to something someday as soon as he could get his bearings," Terpsichore explained, "there was actually another threat brewing that no one even suspected."

In the most sinister tone of all, Calliope sang:

"The goddess Hecate…

"Opposed them all right from the get-go.

"And in her hate of Hades,

"Had a plan all of her own!

"It was a force to be reckoned with!

"And that's the gospel…truth!"

* * *

On the banks of the Aornis river, a tributary to the Styx, there rose a crystal palace. Within resided another of the Underworld's residents, the oft-forgotten goddess Hecate, deity of magic.

Like most of the other Chthonic deities over whom Hades exerted his iron fist, she hated Hades with passion. She, like him, sought power and dominion in the Underworld, in Olympic Greece, and on Olympus, and she wasn't opposed to turning her sights to broader targets. But if Hades wasn't holding her back, there was always some hero on the surface – usually Hercules or someone associated with him – ready to tear her down. And if she could bypass mortal heroes, Zeus would strike her down immediately, and she would be relegated back to her limited control over magic from her crystal palace on the banks of the Aornis.

She hadn't had a good opportunity to make a power play in years. Not only that, but she felt the distinct sting of being forgotten. Fewer mortals were paying tribute to her. Perhaps they thought that they could just rely on Hades or Athena for everything she could give. Whatever the reason, her support network was dwindling.

In frustration, Hecate finally gave in and did the best she could think to do: she held a tea party.

In other pantheons, there were other gods who shared her interests, who she considered her friends, at least on a casual level. They too had recently complained of a loss of tribute and support from mortals – well, one had. The other had never really had it to begin with. These two sat at Hecate's table in the palace tearoom: a raven-haired and pale-skinned goddess in a red and black cloak, and an obsidian-haired and coffee-skinned god in a red tunic and matching pants.

Hecate herself wore a bright blue peplos. She had removed her blue headdress, as she was in the company of friends, and revealed all three of her faces set around her head beneath her flowing blue hair – a feature she often concealed during surface business or dealings with the Olympians, as most found it unnerving to speak to a figure with three faces.

"Well, it's happened," all three mouths moaned at once in the same sultry female voice. "I'm…a washout!"

"Don't say that," the cloaked goddess said. "You still have a great many followers. Probably more than I." She sighed. "It seems I only ever get attention if there's a good war raging. Perhaps I should start one."

"You have it easy, Morrigan," the other god complained. "At least as the goddess of war and sovereignty, SOME mortals take that as a positive thing. Me? Ever since I declared war on that goody-goody Mithras and he sacrificed himself for humanity, no one's EVER wanted to side with me! I could count my followers on one hand! Everyone's all so concerned with making sure Mithras keeps dominance over me so that GOOD can win in the multiverse. Doesn't anyone want any good old-fashioned EVIL anymore? That's what I want! Darkness! Carnage! Tears!" He sighed wistfully. "It's music to my ears. Not that anyone ELSE agrees."

"Would that I could give you a multiverse full of that, Ahriman," Hecate moaned.

"Don't you have some kind of scheme on your plate?" Ahriman inquired.

"No," Hecate grumbled.

"But you're Hecate!" the Morrigan said, nearly dropping her crystal teacup. "You always have a scheme!"

"Not anymore, I don't," Hecate spat. "I haven't got anything left that will get past Hades, the mortal do-gooders, AND Zeus. Every Olympian is onto the whole power-leeching crystal gambit, and making a super-soldier isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"I thought Ares and Athena did a good job with that Kratos fellow," Ahriman posed.

"THEY GOT LUCKY," Hecate hissed, all three faces scowling as she slammed her teacup on the table. She took a triple deep breath to calm herself. "I've thought about taking in my own mortal disciple to mold, but what do I have to work with?" She brought up a scrying sphere with a wave of her hand, showing Ahriman and the Morrigan an illustration of her point. "I've been looking for someone up above with some good evil ambition. Someone who knows their way around Olympian territory. But these are my pickings!"

The scrying sphere depicted a tanned king in resplendent robes, golden hair cascading over his smirking face as he sat upon his throne. "Adonis," Hecate explained. "Mean and petty as they come, but what's the catch? No…scope…whatsoever. He's happy just to sit there on THAT THRONE and order HIS OWN SUBJECTS around. Put him in the heat of a REAL battle and he's nothing but a coward!"

The scene changed to a well-muscled man dressed in a blue cape. "Agent Epsilon," Hecate sighed. "He has the strength! He has the skill! He has the ruthlessness! But he GAVE UP trying for a power play when his boss Midas went soft!"

The scene changed to a rather hourglass-shaped witch, with tan skin and luxurious dark hair, clothed in a red dress. "Circe," Hecate groaned. "She could have gone far, with all that magic and all that rage…IF SHE CARED ABOUT ANYTHING MORE THAN COLLECTING MEN!" Hecate waved the scrying circle away angrily. "And everyone else worth their salt is under contract with Hades!"

"Ahriman!" the Morrigan gasped. "Are you thinking…" She began to cackle.

"Yes," Ahriman said in revelation, "they DID remind me of…" He chortled.

"WHAT?" Hecate barked. "What are you two LAUGHING about? My FAILURES?"

"No," the Morrigan said calmly. "Simply that we've thought of someone that would interest you greatly, if you want mean and petty…"

"Skilled and ruthless…" Ahriman added.

"Magical and angry," the Morrigan concluded.

"It's a little joke the Morrigan and I have had," Ahriman explained. "We seem to have a shared follower. Strange, I know, that I even have a follower, let alone one that knows about the Morrigan."

"He's an eclectic collector of legends," the Morrigan went on. "Technically, Ahriman is the one native to his territory, but he found out about me and has been paying me respect. His familiar is even identical to one of my rarer forms. It's flattering, really."

"Strangely enough, he WANTS me to triumph over Mithras," Ahriman stated. "Though it makes sense. He's a conqueror in the making, and he'd get NOWHERE in a multiverse with Mithras and without me. On the other hand, a multiverse with me and not Mithras would suit him just fine. I'd let him take over and destroy all he wanted."

"So you're saying you have an eccentric follower who knows his way around legends, is a champion of evil, and has magical powers?" Hecate raised three left eyebrows. "Go on."

"You'd like him," the Morrigan said. "He's got a fascination with magic, after all. He'd probably like you."

"Show me," Hecate said.

"Well, this is old news from a while back," Ahriman began. "He's not a native to Olympic Greece. A completely different world, actually. But he found a portal that connects his world to ours and made a power play against Circe herself."

The scrying sphere reappeared. The scene was in the palace of the floating island of Aeaea, Circe's domain. A young man sat across the table from Circe, and the two appeared in heated conversation.

"…and you're my ticket to dominating Aeaea," he said. "I know, it may seem like a SMALL conquest, but while I'm on unfamiliar ground, I prefer to walk before I can run. The only thing standing in my way is you. But I can take care of that…easily."

"You USED me!" Circe cried.

A plasma bolt was thrown; Circe ducked it narrowly, a lock of hair catching the heat and vaporizing. She took up her staff, flinging out a bolt of energy that would have turned her opponent into an animal of her choosing had he not dodged her throw, readying another.

"Fast forward…" Ahriman muttered, waving a hand; about thirty minutes' worth of fighting passed in the span of five. Eventually, Circe's opponent retreated when she had him cornered, but she was considerably weakened, and once alone, staggered to find a seat, propping herself up on her staff. The palace dining room was covered in scorch marks from the battle.

"I realize he lost," the Morrigan said, "but – "

"No," Hecate said, "it takes a lot of power to do THAT to Circe. Keep going."

"I don't even think he knows how much potential he has to harness dark magic," the Morrigan said with a smile.

"Give me an idea," Hecate cajoled.

The Morrigan leaned forward and whispered into one of Hecate's many ears. Hecate's six eyes widened. The Morrigan took her seat.

"I take it you're interested?" Ahriman said.

"Very interested," Hecate confirmed. "Where is he now?"

"Let's see." Ahriman called up another scrying sphere to view a large, spherical crystal rocketing through the space between worlds. He panned the view around to find the destination. When his eyes alit upon the target world, he muttered, "I don't believe it…"

The Morrigan was also shocked, but only for a moment. "I suppose it makes sense," she said. "He wants to try for Aeaea again."

Hecate grinned with all three mouths as she watched the crystal sphere hurtle toward Olympic Greece. "Then it's settled," she said. "He's mine."

"Good luck," Ahriman said. "And do me a favor…don't steal his loyalty to me completely."

"He needs to be loyal to me," Hecate said as she put on her blue headdress; only one face was visible now, and only one voice rang out. "But not exclusively. You two can keep him. It's the least I can do after you showed me exactly what I need!"

"Glad to help," the Morrigan said. She rose from the table. "Ahriman. We must go. We have work to do, and from the looks of it, so does Hecate."

"Evil never rests," Ahriman agreed.

"And there are wars to start," the Morrigan added. The two strode from the tearoom, on their way out of the crystal palace.

Hecate took a different route out. For the first time in years, opportunity had come to her door, and she wasn't about to let it escape.

* * *

"All right," Terpsichore concluded, "you can have your story back now."

"Good luck," Thalia practically harrumphed. "Keepin' track of all those characters, I mean."

As the Muses left, I have to admit I couldn't have said what they did much better myself.

* * *

Chapter 47:

· I needed to start out by reassuring that the relationship between Celestia and the Mane Six is okay. I didn't want any unnecessary bad blood there. And I didn't feel like taking up space with gripes about the agelessness when there's STUFF to get to.

· I don't feel like I need to explain how Hades came back. If a deity controls the Underworld in your pantheon, he can't literally be trapped in the Styx forever. He needs to get back to his JOB.

· Yep, my weird retconning for why there's a Cyclops among Titans emerges. As does a reference to Aegaeon the Hecatonchires from God of War: Ascension, which is a little foreshadowing. (If anyone wants to know what I thought of GoW: I watched LPs of Ascension and Chains of Olympus, because the timeline right now is currently between CoO and GoW 1. I'll deal with the rest later and retcon in anything I have to. I also have looked up and will be looking up footage of various gods in GoW, especially 3, for characterization as I go along. Hades, for the most part, I've left alone because his Disney incarnation is so memorable and just TOO good – the most he'll get from GoW is an outfit if anything. Anyway, despite GoW having pretty much everything in it that people say is bad about video games – rampant sex and violence – I really did enjoy what I saw. I mean, the premise is "let's beat up everything in Greek mythology.")

· "Anton" as Facilier's first name is actually the idea of YouTube users 73windman and Manwhoooo, with whom I am friends. I liked it, and they've let others use it, so I'm taking it, but not without credit to them.

· The idea of Maleficent and Hades having a child – and the particular child I'm going to make that person – originally belonged to GAvillain, who gave me permission to use it because it's awesome. Of course, I'm going to modify it a bit from his version…

· Chryse is the island most closely affiliated with the mythological Philoctetes.

· As I was watching the Hercules animated series (hereafter HTAS) as reference, I noted how the Muses got a lot of musical numbers, and I debated giving them one. At the last minute, I had the idea of them doing The Gospel Truth for the entire first chapter. The first time is to the tune/pace of the first time they sing it in the film. Also, Bob is the canon name of the Hercules narrator.

· Funnily enough, I was going to assign the Muses my own identities until I found out Disney HAD canonized them, and their Calliope and Thalia were EXACTLY who I was going to peg as Calliope and Thalia.

· You might as well know now: I'm calling some HTAS episodes canon (Spring of Canathus will be particularly important) and some discontinuity (Twilight of the Gods, for reasons that will become obvious later on). I'll let you know which are and aren't as they come up in prose when I can and in author's notes when prose is inconvenient.

· It's not a Hercules fanfic until Phil has creeped on the ladies at least a little bit. (Don't worry. If he went any further, Meg would knock his lights out.)

· The Persephone backstory. Probably my favorite thing about this chapter, and something that doesn't end with this chapter. It's going to come back to HAUNT. Basically, it's most convenient for me if Olympians can die, but not permanently. The reason I even thought of using GoW was because its prequel has Persephone die, which is what I planned all along as a Hades motivator. (And I'm lucky, because GoW had a LOT of material I want/need to use.) I had to walk that fine line of "tearing a hole in Hades' heart" and making him three-dimensional as a character while preserving his villainous integrity. I also had to walk the line of having Persephone love him (which is important to the story) and resent her life (which is important to why things went as they did in GoW CoO).

· The Pitch-Persephone-Hades polyamory is just something I plain LIKE and was consensual all around. Some of you may already have guessed why Pitch/Persephone.

· Don't you love how my Hades is cool with killing, wifenapping, and general destruction, but just draws the line at rape? I don't want to deal with rape in this storylet (you'll see me dance around a famous mythical instance of it NEXT chapter). And also, I do want to emphasize a realistic romantic bond between Hades and Persephone. As bonus points, it lets me explain why Persephone has her own fortress (GoW canon – the place is really elaborate, so I had to let it be). TL;DR just don't want to have rapists, don't want to deal with it, don't want to make readers deal with it.

· And you can tell my Persephone has the physical body of the Spring Sprite from Fantasia 2000 (ever my headcanon for a Disney Persephone) and the clothing of GoW Persephone. COMPOSITE CHARACTERIZATION!

· The golden apples are just a favorite plot device of mine to trot out whenever I talk Greek mythology. They're practically universal! Though in this timeline, the Trojan War hasn't happened yet! So no one knows about THAT.

· Who's the hooded goddess? You get to guess! I won't tell. And I'm hoping I can pull off some good suspense with this. Maybe it's obvious, but I'm hushing it up anyway.

· Pegasus SHOULD be the original Pegasus from whom all pegasi descend…but does Rainbow Dash have a point that he seems a bit too animalistic for her and her family to come from? Hmmmm…

· Of course Twilight knows about Greek gods. I mean…"It's About Time." Her and Cerberus. SHE KNOWS. IT'S CANON.

· So Hercules is just basically explaining the plot of the movie in the time they take to get to the stadium. This entire chapter covers about HALF A DAY total. Next chapter? The other half of the day.

· Why doesn't the Paradise Garden get a world listing? Because I'm going to ATTEMPT something about it. I have this idea that involves binding three different mythologies. And that means I can't set it on any one world. Just…just wait for it. It'll make sense. Hopefully.

· Mythical Hesperides should come in a set of three; the seven names provided for them (Erytheia is the only one I didn't give dialogue to) should rotate around three. But as deep as fluid concepts are, it's just easier for me to write it if they're all separate people.

· Zoë, otherwise known in a couple millennia as Zoë Nightshade…the only Percy Jackson-original character to be alive in this time period! (If anyone was brought up in that spinoff series about Jason Grace, I don't care. That is NOT CANON to me.) Yes, I'm going to be doing a chronicle of Zoë's backstory. Yes, I'm going to alter it a little, but only a little. Yes, your stomach should have dropped about a mile when you realized that Zoë and Hercules are going to interact, because you know how well THAT ends.

· Hera here has her Disney design, but I'm using the GoW personality because I like it better. Which I'm hoping could have been picked up on by the arm flailing (which looks RIDICULOUS but I love how melodramatic and anguished she is). She's in pink instead of GoW blue now because…it's prettier and I'm shallow.

· I hope I wasn't too heavy-handed when I made fun of myself and how many plot threads I try to shove into one thing.

· Yes, there's Kid Icarus in this too. Pit's not an "angel" here, but something similar enough. Palutena, I have made a daughter of Apollo so she fits in the pantheon. (Her mother Acantha was chosen because Palutena is a light goddess and Acantha in mythology was changed into a sun-loving plant. Acantha is also a nymph, meaning Palutena isn't of mortal blood at all and can be on Olympus by what I'm hoping is an acceptable loophole.)

· Timeline: after the original Kid Icarus and before Kid Icarus: Uprising. I've combined the original KI and the Of Myths and Monsters remake by saying that Orcos and Medusa led the invasion of Palutena's domain TOGETHER. (And if you remember Orcos' role in GoW…) Also, the ending of him flying into the sun is from Of Myths and Monsters exclusively.

· Decided to have "Kid Icarus" as Pit's nickname. How is this going to connect to when we meet actual Icarus? Ohhh, I have a plan. (And if that actually is his nickname in Uprising, which I haven't researched yet, I apologize for claiming it's my idea. If it isn't, then it's still my idea.)

· Pit does seem a little too happy to be embarrassed about losing his wings, but I need an excuse for him to go to the mortal realm.

· So…who is Hecate's protégé? Here are your hints: he's someone Circe, Epsilon, and Adonis all remind me of in certain respects. He's someone I chose the Morrigan and Ahriman SPECIFICALLY for because of his connections to them (try and figure out which of the Morrigan's animal forms could be his familiar, and think about where Ahriman was a thing). And finally, IT'S GODDAMN OBVIOUS. But I'm still going to act like we don't all know who it is until he shows up. (It's been far too long.)

· I'm not basing the Morrigan or Ahriman on any pop culture descriptions. The Ahriman is just my general picture of him and the Morrigan is based on some drawings I've seen of her, but that's it. If I do find them in pop culture that I like, I'll retcon or something.

· I gave Hecate her three faces because it's closer to original mythology and also explains that big headpiece. She's pretty much just the HTAS design, though. She's one of my favorite HTAS characters (tied with Nemesis and Medusa) and I NEEDED to give her some role now that Hercules is grown up, things are heating up with Hades, and stuff's just getting real! She lives in the Underworld because that's actually a common depiction (as far as I know) and it's a crystal palace as an homage to her love of crystals in the HTAS episode "Underworld Takeover."


	48. Fury

48. Fury

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

"So I've been living down here in the mortal world ever since, and I don't think I could be happier," Hercules finished. He stood within the training arena while Meg, Phil, Pegasus, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash listened to him from the bleachers. "Oh, and of course, the gods made a constellation out of me because I saved them from the Titans, so Phil's dream came true after all, and he's actually become a famous name."

"That story was absolutely wonderful," Rarity gushed. "Megara, you're so absolutely lucky!"

Meg gave a slight shrug, but she smiled as well. "Yeah…I really am." She and Hercules exchanged a quick glance of admiration.

"So you're a big-time hero!" Rainbow Dash confirmed.

"Yeah," Hercules admitted. "Now, Phil's kind of been exaggerating. Business hasn't been COMPLETELY dead since Olympus was saved – "

"I got four trainees in the past year," Phil grunted, "and one of them wasn't even the right guy. Do you know how many trainees Chiron gets in a year? Twenty."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "So. Phil. Think you're ready to take on six new clients?"

"Ready?" Phil repeated back. "Kid, I've been ready ever since Herc came down from Olympus!"

"I'm not a kid," Rainbow Dash asserted.

"Duly noted, kid."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and Pinkie Pie snickered.

"So now that we're done with story time," Phil said, "I wanna see what each of you can do on the field. What're you're preferred weapons? Please tell me I have at least ONE sword in the bunch. And you…" He pointed to Rarity. "I already know you're…ugh…bow and arrows."

"What's WRONG with a bow and arrows?" Rarity balked.

"Nothin', if you're huntin' boars or shooting tournament archery," Phil explained, "but when you're up against a big-time monster? By the time you get the second arrow nocked and loaded, you're dead. You've heard of Atalanta? Actually, this is a relevant story."

"Atalanta was on the first Calydonian Boar Hunt with Meleager, wasn't she?" Hercules recalled.

"Meleager." Meg gave a half-snort. "Haven't spoken to HIM in ages."

"Wonder what he thinks now that he's read in the Greekly World News that his little sis helped stop the Titans," Hercules told her with a grin.

"Same thing he'd think if he knew his little sis helped release them," Meg replied. "He'd be generally unimpressed."

"That's…Meleager in a nutshell," Hercules admitted.

"HEY," Phil interrupted. "You gonna let me tell the story or not? Anyway, Atalanta and Meleager were in the very first Boar Hunt. They were kind of an off-and-on thing. Anyway, Atalanta actually pegged the most damaging shot on the boar and slowed it down, but Meleager was credited with the kill for two reasons. One, because it takes more than one arrow to bring down even the smallest monsters, and he fired the second shot. Hence my dislike of arrows as a primary weapon. But if you want to use them, go ahead. It's your funeral."

"What was the other reason Atalanta wasn't credited with the boar hunt?" Twilight asked.

"That's the thing about, well, all this," Phil said. "Nobody believed a woman could peg a Calydonian Boar. Nobody even believed she fired the first arrow! And that's what you're up with around here. No one wants to take a HEROINE seriously. Everyone expects the ladies to stick to being DIDs."

"Huh?" Pinkie interrupted.

"Damsels. In. Distress," Phil explained. "And you want me to be honest here? I used to think heroism was a man's game. In fact, kinda still do. But for one, Herc woulda died in the field if Meg hadn't played hero at the right time, and for another, if you ladies are tellin' the truth, you've got the walk to back up the talk. So I'm gonna take a chance on you, all right? No, this is not DESPERATION talking. Something about you. I think you've got potential. More than potential, even. So. Weapons. Whaddaya got?"

"Well, I'm a witch," Twilight began. "I have a staff for bigger spells, a wand for backup, and some natural ability without a conduit."

"A witch, huh?" Phil's interest was peaked. "Show me somethin'. Lift those barbells over there." He pointed.

Twilight thrust a hand in that direction. The indicated training equipment was suddenly awash in purple light, lifting off the ground. Twilight held it for a few seconds before setting the barbells down to conclude the demonstration.

"Holy Hera," Phil said.

"And that's not even a teeny tiny little bit of what she can do!" Pinkie asserted. "She can set things on fire and light up dark places and cast light spells and do stuff with ice and sometimes reverse gravity and – "

"Yeah, I get it," Phil said. "You're gonna have to give me a demonstration later, Sparkle. The works. Now you. Pinkie. Whaddaya got."

"I use my party cannon!" Pinkie said, producing the cannon and setting it on the bleachers. "I also have pistols and a big launcher!"

"Where'd that thing come from?" Phil asked.

"We can kind of just…do that," Twilight answered.

"And what's a 'pistol'?" Phil continued.

"It's like a mini-cannon!" Pinkie answered.

"Interesting," Phil evaluated. "That could come in handy. Okay, AJ. What's your story?"

"Well, I mostly work with ropes," Applejack answered.

"Ropes," Phil replied, visibly disappointed.

"You let me show you what I can do with a rope and you'll be singin' a different tune," Applejack said with a slight smirk.

"Ooh!" Pinkie interrupted. "CAN we sing anything now?"

"No," Phil insisted. "There is no SINGING in the hero business."

"Well, unless someone's your one last hope, so they'll have to do," Hercules teased.

Phil shot him a glare before moving on. "Dash. What's your poison?"

"A sword," Rainbow Dash answered proudly. "A big one."

"Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" Phil cried. "And Fluttershy."

"Uhm…" Fluttershy moved to hide behind Twilight and Rarity. "I…use a katana…and some shuriken…"

"A what and what now?" Phil replied. "Are you goin' all fancy-talk on me, or are you just makin' stuff up?"

"It's another kind of sword," Rainbow Dash said, "and shuriken are…um…little spinny blades."

"Now you're speakin' Greek I can understand," Phil replied, reminding the Equestrians that due to the Babel Effect, they were, in fact, speaking Greek. "Okay. I wanna see you all in action. Start with a few laps around the arena while I set up enough target dummies to have all six of you going at once."

"Running laps," Rainbow Dash asked, "or flying?"

"Runnin'," Phil insisted. "Flyin's easy."

Pegasus snorted indignantly.

"I'll see how you can handle the wings later," Phil said. "For now, let's just start you out with a basic exercise. See how long you can last on your hooves." He clapped his hands. "Now let's go!"

"Awwww," Pinkie groaned, "do we HAVE to run laps?"

"If we each go at our own pace, we'll do just fine," Twilight said, getting up to walk toward the track that encircled the edges of the arena. "Nopony has to win or go fast."

"Unless we MAKE it a race." Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack. "You on?"

"Any time, any place," Applejack said. "Five laps around to decide winner."

"You're on!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack leapt onto the track, running at top speed. Twilight followed at a slow trot.

"Come on," Hercules told Pinkie and Fluttershy. "It's not that bad. Your friend's right. You don't have to go fast. Hey, I'll run with you. It's not fair just to make everyone else do all the work. It'll be fun!"

"Well…only if you PROMISE it'll be fun!" Pinkie said rather sternly. "Because I take my fun veeeeery seriously!"

The three walked onto the track, and Pinkie set to bouncing instead of running, but as it was still forward motion, no one complained. Fluttershy set off rather slowly. Hercules also took to running, but deliberately set his pace as slower than usual to average out between the others – Rainbow Dash and Applejack's breathtaking speed, Twilight's slow canter, Fluttershy's nervous jog, and Pinkie's surprisingly fast bouncing.

"Really?" Rarity groaned.

"Oy…an archer AND a drama queen." Phil sighed. "Get out there!"

"Fine." Rarity stepped down from the bleachers. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it." She began to run, soon overtaking Twilight and Fluttershy but not catching up to Rainbow Dash or Applejack and switching positions often with Pinkie and Hercules.

"I'm trainin' women now," Phil remarked, half to himself, half to Pegasus and Meg. "Never thought I'd see THIS day."

"But you know they can do this, right?" Meg reminded him. "They're heroes. I can see it in them."

"Yeah. Wouldn't take 'em on if I didn't have faith," Phil answered. "Which actually makes me think. You DID pull some grade-A heroics during the Titan disaster. Nearly got yourself killed, if I remember."

"I did get myself killed," Meg clarified.

"Whatever the case, maybe all this time I've been lookin' for trainees to come to me when I've had one right under my nose."

"Whoa." Meg put up her hands. "I'm no swordswoman. I don't do monsters."

"Yeah, I figured that out pretty quick," Phil replied. "But you do have the courage to be on the field without flinchin'. Whaddaya say to training to be a field medic?"

"You might be able to talk me into that. Might."

"We'll discuss the details later," Phil said, walking away. "Right now, I've got to put up a Tartarus-ton of practice targets."

* * *

Phil planted six sets of targets around Chryse, sending each of the six to practice with weaponry on a different set. Then he, Hercules, Meg, and Pegasus began to make rounds, analyzing each.

Twilight got to have reign of the arena itself. She drew her staff and began to work, setting each target dummy – shaped like a different cardboard monster – on fire. Then she systematically doused each fire with a gust of icy wind.

"Okay, first question," Phil began. "Where'd you get that staff anyway?"

"Like I said earlier," Twilight answered, "we can just kinda do this with our weapons."

"So let's say somethin' big's on your trail," Phil began. "A chimaera. What do you do?"

"Well…I guess I'd…" Twilight thought it over. "Um…you might wanna step back."

Phil, Meg, Hercules, and Pegasus backed up a single step each.

"Further," Twilight suggested.

They backed up several paces.

"VERDIMILLIOUS!" Twilight cried, holding her staff aloft. A burst of light emitted from it, engulfing all the targets.

"Whoa!" Hercules gasped. "That's AWESOME!"

"Nice moves," Meg complimented.

Pegasus chirped his approval.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, very flashy and all," Phil grunted, "but you all seem to have completely missed that IT DIDN'T DESTROY ANY OF THE TARGETS!"

"I don't use magic to destroy things," Twilight said. "If it comes to the worst, I might stun somepony or use a slight amount of mind control to get them to leave me alone. Most of our weapons are set to drain energy instead of actually hurt anypony else. And even that's temporary."

"Wow," Phil scoffed. "I didn't realize you were all wusses."

"I don't want to have it on my conscience if anypony gets hurt, and I mean anypony," Twilight argued. "Everypony deserves to live, all right? And I might add that defeating enemies without killing them is actually a bigger challenge! Wouldn't that be MORE heroic than killing them?"

"Nnnnnope," Phil retorted.

"Phil!" Hercules chided. "I like the way she thinks!"

"This, coming from the master of monster killing himself?" Phil's jaw dropped. "I feel a little betrayed, Herc."

"So she does things differently," Meg added. "You do still get the job done, right?" she asked Twilight.

"There's always a way," Twilight concurred. "The Verdimillious spell counteracts dark magic. The Stupefy spell is for stunning."

"Didn't you mention mind control?" Meg challenged.

"That's for emergencies," Twilight replied.

"I think you're makin' it up," Phil snapped. "If you're really that good at magic, make me do something ridiculous. Make me stand on my head and start counting backwards from – "

As soon as he issued the challenge, Phil found himself doing a one-handed handstand. "X," he said in a low monotone. "IX…VIII…VII…"

Hercules, Meg, and Pegasus stared in wonder until Phil finished the countdown and stood. He shook his head to clear it.

"I'm sorry," Twilight said guiltily. "It's just…you wanted proof, and…"

"Kid!" Phil cried. "That was PERFECT! Now THAT'S the kind of thing we can use to have monsters running!"

"I don't know how well it will work on bigger monsters," Twilight admitted.

"That's why you practice," Phil said.

"Well, I should probably master more of the basics first," Twilight said. "Minor transfigurations and levitation…"

As Phil, Hercules, Meg, and Pegasus left Twilight to practice, having seen more demonstrations, Phil couldn't get what he'd just seen out of his head. "That one's really somethin'. I ain't never had a trainee who could lift all the shotputs with their mind and make 'em dance in little loop de loops. Though she's right about needin' to practice it. She was doin' well until that bit at the end when she dropped 'em all…"

He did have a slight limp due to the shotput that had landed on his hoof when Twilight's mental grip had slipped.

* * *

Outside on the plain, Applejack's display was much more impressive. She twirled her rope whip in the air, flicking it out at each target and encircling the wooden monsters tightly in loops.

"Oh, hey!" she greeted when she saw the quartet coming to watch her. "Don't mind me. Just keepin' up old skills."

"Not bad," Phil complimented. "Pretty creative…for a rope."

"These're mostly tricks passed down through the family," Applejack said. "But also this one." She twirled the rope in the air, making a loop of it, then angled the whip grip downward so that she could step through the loop, hopping back and forth seamlessly until she got muddled – never having done that trick with two arms and four legs before – and fell on the ground in a tangle.

"Yeah…keep workin' on that one," Phil advised with a snort.

"Your parents taught you that?" Hercules asked.

"Well…they taught my brother," Applejack admitted as she stood, "an' he taught me. They weren't exactly around to…well, you get the picture. Nothin' worth bein' sad over."

"You and your friends sure learned a lot of things back home," Hercules observed. "Your family teaching you how to do rope tricks…where did Twilight learn all that magic?"

"A lot of places," Applejack said, "but she started out with one of the best teachers back home."

"No, no, I mean…what country ARE you from?"

"Well…" Applejack scratched her head nervously. "That's…that's kind of a weird situation. I wish I could just tell y'all outright, but there are just certain reasons I can't. Sorry."

"That sounds suspicious to me…" Phil began.

"Let's go see how the others are doing," Meg suggested, beginning to walk away. "Good job with the rope, Apple girl."

"What gives?" Phil hissed as he, Hercules, and Pegasus caught up to Meg, who was making her way down to the beach.

"Sometimes, Phil," Meg explained, "you've gotta let a girl have her secrets."

Applejack cracked the whip high and began to throw it at the dummies again.

* * *

Down on the beach, Rarity faced not a horde of wooden monsters but instead a set of square targets with bullseyes painted on them. Five of the targets had arrows stuck in the very center. Rarity set up her bow behind a sixth. There were fourteen more in the set.

"Hey, Rarity!" Hercules greeted.

"SHHSHHSHHSH!" Rarity hissed. "I'm concentrating!" She eyed the arrow carefully, adjusting it first one way, then another. When she was at last satisfied, she let it fly, pegging a perfect bullseye.

"Very nice," Phil complimented. "Only one criticism."

"Well, I don't really see what I've done wrong, but I'll listen," Rarity said.

"I just think it might be nice," Phil replied, "if MAYBE YOU COULD TAKE LESS THAN A CENTURY TO FIRE AN ARROW!"

"WELL!" Rarity huffed. "You can't rush perfection!"

"Haven't you ever had to rapid-fire against an opponent before?" Hercules asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well, yes," Rarity said, "against Regenbogen-Fabrik…but I'm STILL not pleased with how the majority of those shots turned out."

"Your assignment," Phil commanded, "is to fire like your life depends on it. Forget the bullseye. Just hit the TARGET."

"FORGET the bullseye!" Rarity gasped. "It is painted there for a REASON, you know!"

"In the time it takes you to complain," Phil retorted, "you'd get eaten by a sea serpent three times over."

"He does have a point," Meg asserted.

"Maybe just…a little faster and a little less perfect to start?" Hercules suggested. "Your friends ARE going to depend on it."

"Well…" Rarity sighed. "I'll try." She loaded up an arrow and loosed it almost immediately, gasping in horror when it sank into the second-to-innermost ring of the target.

"At least it's progress," Phil huffed as the group moved on.

"Though she does hit targets with style," Meg observed. "I like that."

* * *

Atop the bluffs, Fluttershy rushed target after target, slashing hay bales with her katana. She diced them in a blur, almost too quickly for the eye to comprehend.

Phil, Hercules, Meg, and Pegasus noticed this as they approached, seeing her atop high ground. Pegasus let out a loud whinny of congratulation while the other three set to applause.

"Go Fluttershy!" Hercules called out.

Fluttershy squeaked, immediately blushing and dropping the katana.

"Why'd ya stop, kid?" Phil asked. "You're doin' GREAT!"

"I…um…" Fluttershy whimpered. "I can't work under all this pressure!"

"Kid," Phil sighed, "if you can't work in front of an audience of four, how're you gonna work in a battlefield full of soldiers, civilians, or monsters?"

"I…I don't know!" Fluttershy cried.

"Let's just leave her alone," Hercules suggested, feeling sympathy toward Fluttershy. "It's okay. You can practice more when we're gone."

"But you're gonna work on fighting for an audience, all right?" Phil asserted. "Got that?"

"I got that," Fluttershy said softly.

"You're doing really well, though!" Hercules reaffirmed before the four left.

"I have a feeling she'll come through during crunch time," Meg said.

* * *

"HYAAAAAH!" Rainbow Dash slashed a hay bale in two down in the fields. "HAH! TAKE THAT!"

"Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" Phil cheered. "You've got the best form of anyone I've seen yet!"

"Heh…I know." Rainbow Dash twirled her sword.

"What's that thing made of, anyway?" Phil asked. "Doesn't look like any sword I've seen before. Almost looks divine, but it sure ain't celestial bronze."

"I…don't actually know," Rainbow Dash admitted. "We got it from kind of a weird place."

"How weird is weird?" Meg asked.

"We made a deal with a magical creature," Rainbow Dash said. "He gave us our weapons, and we had to pay a price. I already paid mine. And now I'm better than ever!"

"What did you have to pay?" Hercules wondered out loud. "If that's not, y'know, too personal…"

"Nah." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I just had to learn that we were up against bigger odds than I thought. There's some scary stuff out there! But you know what? Now that I know, I've just resolved to become good enough to beat them all! With my friends, of course. Together, we're unstoppable! Did anypony tell you what these are yet?" She tapped her amulet.

"No," Hercules answered.

"These amulets are our Elements of Harmony," Rainbow Dash explained. "It's kind of like a super magic power. When we use them on bad guys, they do all sorts of cool stuff. Like clearing nightmare spirits out of them, turning them to stone, taking away superpowers they gave themselves…you get the picture. We've each got one. Mine represents loyalty."

"LOYALTY?" Phil burst out laughing. "You fight your enemies with LOYALTY? Loyalty ain't exactly a weapon, kid!"

"I'm not a kid," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Whatever, kid."

"Hey. Loyalty's beaten out more bad guys than this sword has, for your information."

"I wouldn't knock loyalty," Meg warned Phil. "We of all people should know that it can make or break."

"Yeah…" Phil thought back over the difference made in their lives when Meg was loyal to them…and when she wasn't. "Got a point."

"So you wanna see the real show?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You can do more?" Hercules replied.

"You bet!" Rainbow Dash initiated her witch transformation, thrusting her sword into the air and calling a ring of lightning to strike all the hay bales within radius. She then returned to the white tunic, dismissing the sword entirely and folding her arms.

Phil was struck speechless. "I…you…"

"Zeus'd be proud," Hercules complimented. "Hey…your amulet!"

"What about it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That shape. The lightning bolt," Hercules clarified.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash affirmed. "It matches my Cutie Mark." She nodded toward it.

"That's even more like…I should explain," Hercules said. "My dad, Zeus. He has a sort of symbol. A lightning bolt coming out of the clouds. It's that exactly! Well, that version is more colorful. Maybe you're connected to the gods somehow!"

"Hey," Rainbow Dash said, "I like that! Rainbow Dash, warrior of the gods!"

"Hoo boy," Phil groaned. "This one's problem isn't going to be battle. It's gonna be hubris."

"WHAT'S my problem?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Hubris," Phil repeated. "Y'know, gettin' a big head? It throws you off your game! And if you get thrown off your game in these parts, you die."

"I'm not gonna die," Rainbow Dash insisted. "I'm too awesome!"

"And that's what they all say right before they DIE," Phil retorted. "Eh, I can see I'm not gettin' anywhere with you on this today. Or maybe ever. You're good with the sword. Keep doin' what you're doin'." He turned to Hercules, Meg, and Pegasus. "Let's keep movin'."

* * *

The four moved through the forest, where Pinkie Pie had been set up with the hay bales. They knew they'd found the spot when they heard the sound of shots being fired.

Pinkie Pie was alternating between the pistols and the party cannon, blowing up the hay bales completely in great mushroom clouds of straw and confetti. "Oh, hi everypony!" she greeted when they came upon her. Then she blew another haybale to pieces.

"Uh…keep up the good work," Phil said before hustling away from the site.

"What was THAT about?" Hercules asked as he, Meg, and Pegasus followed.

"Did you see how she was DESTROYING those things?" Phil hissed. "That one kind of scares me…"

"So what next?" Meg asked.

"We let 'em practice for a while more," Phil answered. "Then they can rest. We'll set up bunks for 'em in Herc's old room. Tomorrow, we'll have 'em work on honing their form. Though if you wanted, tonight we could also start your field medic training…"

"I'll think on it," Meg replied, though she grinned.

* * *

GORGADE, THE BORDERS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Among the witches in Death's Domain, forging an alliance with the Death Eaters, had been the woman known as Medusa Gorgon. This name, of course, was not entirely original. It had a namesake. To be specific, a Gorgon named Medusa. Medusa was perhaps the most famous of Gorgons, though she was rarely alone – she had two close sisters, also Gorgons.

Medusa was spending that particular afternoon on the shores of Gorgade, an isle far away from Olympic Greece where she was born and raised. Gorgade had been deserted before she and her sisters arrived, and she liked it that way. It was the perfect place to go, to run and hide, not to harm anyone.

There had to be some times in her life, she thought, when she wasn't responsible for hurting anyone else.

She could stare out across the blue ocean for all eternity and never meet the gaze of another non-Gorgon. She would never have to worry about accidentally turning anyone into stone that way, and that was why the glasses Aphrodite had once provided her to shield others from her eyes were stored in her room, gathering dust. She wore a purple peplos fastened at one shoulder; it rippled in the wind. Her feet were bare, toes wriggling in the sand. The snakes that comprised her hair were calm.

Eventually she turned away from the shores and the sky and the sea and the eternity of blue emptiness to return to the small stone house that she and her sisters had built.

When Medusa entered the doorway, she was met by her sister, Euryale, who looked nothing short of furious. Euryale looked very much like Medusa, and so she had made several distinct fashion choices to distinguish herself: her snakes were trained to lie around her face as though they were curls, and she wore a teal peplos with one long, sweeping sleeve and a skirt that was hemmed above the knees. "WHERE have you been?" Euryale snapped. "Staring at the sea? AGAIN?"

"What's wrong?" Medusa asked, sensing in her sister's voice that something had happened.

Stheno emerged from a side room. She had perhaps the most distinct style of the three, wearing a long peplos with a leg-long slit on either side of the skirt and a loose ribbon around the midsections of her snakes so that they formed a crude, squirming ponytail. "Sometimes I really hate that we can't look into mirrors," she grumbled. "I want to see how pretty I am!"

"Stheno," Euryale grunted.

"Oh, yeah," Stheno said with a grin, handing a parchment scroll to Medusa. "We got mail."

Medusa scanned the parchment with her eyes.

"Medusa:

"So, how've you been? How are the sisters? How's life in Boringopolis? Okay, I'm just going to cut to the chase: I'm planning another strike to hit Zeus where it HURTS. And for that, I need you.

"Before you object, I feel I should remind you of a few things: first, that your hands are not at ALL clean, and second, that you are still under contract to me. I've got an Oath Stone to prove it (and don't think I'm not going to bring Orcos into this). Just a small reminder that ignoring or refusing this summons may be VERY bad for your health. You like having your head attached to your neck, right?

"So I'll be expecting to see you in the Underworld now. Like, RIGHT now.

"See you soon (and I mean, like, VERY soon),

"Hades, Lord of the Dead

"P.S. Bring your sisters. I know how much they like to party."

"No," Medusa whispered, crunching the parchment in her hand. Her memories were in another time, in another place.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

TWO YEARS AGO

Before Hades had released the Titans, Medusa had made a deal with him. Lonely, exhausted from being treated as a monster all her life by everyone but Euryale and Stheno, she beseeched whatever gods could help her, and Hades and Aphrodite both came to her call.

Aphrodite offered Medusa the lenses to suppress her gaze of stone, saying the only way she could earn true friendship was to be herself. Hades offered the chance for Medusa to become human during the day so long as, as written on the contract he offered her to sign, "I, the undersigned, pledge to be at the beck and call of Hades during such time as I am a Gorgon." Medusa jumped at the chance, living out the life of a human by day and a Gorgon by night. It pained her to do Hades' deeds, but as a human, she found true friendship – in Hercules, still a young trainee.

Eventually, she rejected the humanity, showing Hercules her true form. She balked at Hades, and Hercules and Medusa were, for a time, friends.

Then Hades came back to call. As it turned out, though finding a true friend had nullified most of the contract regarding Medusa's human transformations, there was a horrible trick buried within the words.

"You still work for me so long as you're a Gorgon," Hades explained, tapping the sentence in the contract. "Did I forget to mention that part was permanent? You really should learn to read the fine print on these things. Anyway, now that you're a Gorgon all the time, well, you know the drill."

"What do you want me to do?" Medusa asked in horror.

"Nothing," Hades told her. "Yet. But I'll find something for you to do very soon."

* * *

She was summoned within a few months. She entered the room in Hades' palace where he set up his plans in the form of pieces on a great chessboard map of Olympic Greece on the central table. When Medusa entered, however, the lid of the table was removed, revealing a well of Styx water.

"What's down there?" Medusa asked.

"This is where I keep the SPECIAL cases," Hades told her. "The biggest! The baddest! The most ferocious! And, in this case, the most furious. Get it? It's a pun – eh, you'll get it when you see him."

Both the death god's hands were alight with fire, and he plunged the twin fireballs into the well. A humanoid figure rose from the well, engulfed in flame; as the flames died down, it was almost as if he was being tempered into his current shape, into the body that Hades had used to grant him life. He was humanoid, but his skin jet black of a shade not found in human skin but rather seen only in the depths of the night sky. His chest was pockmarked with circular holes.

"Orcos, son of the Furies!" Hades introduced. "Meet Medusa! Medusa, Orcos. You two are going to be partners in crime."

"For what purpose have you brought me back from the dead?" Orcos asked Hades in a soft tone; Medusa couldn't understand how someone who spoke in such a voice could have been branded one of the "biggest and baddest." "I had finally found peace. Why take that from me?"

"Because I need you to do me a favor," Hades said. "Keep in mind that if you do what I say, I can pay you in ways you wouldn't even believe. But if you DON'T…well, I gave you a new body. I can take it back."

"I may want to be taken back into the arms of death," Orcos said.

"Well, then," Hades replied. "I'll just have to make you WISH you were dead instead. Get the picture?"

"I understand that your punishment is not light," Orcos replied. "After all, I too was…am a punisher."

"Who are you?" Medusa asked.

"I was the keeper of blood oaths," Orcos told her. "I kept them all within me, and when they were broken, the Furies would know who to exact revenge upon for the transgression. I suppose you could say that I myself am a Fury. When I died, every oath I carried within me was rendered null and void. That is what concerns me now. Who are you?"

"Medusa," the Gorgon replied. "I…I'm here because I made a mistake."

"No, you are here because you are a monster," Hades corrected.

"Did you revive me so you could begin to forge new blood oaths?" Orcos asked.

"Bingo!" Hades cried. "You just won the grand prize! Your job, first and foremost, is to make sure little Medusa here doesn't try to break her contract with me." He waved a hand, and suddenly, there appeared within it a stone that appeared to be amber. Medusa took a step closer to look inside. She saw at its very center a figure that she realized with horror was her own silhouette.

"A blood oath to you?" Orcos asked.

"It can't be a blood oath!" Medusa cried. "I haven't spilled the blood of – "

"Hold on," Hades interrupted. "Now, here in the Olympian circuit, we have a little tradition for what constitutes a blood oath. How does it go again? Blood of the enemy, blood of the friend…I just can't remember that last one…" He sneered at Orcos. He wanted the punisher to finish the phrase.

"Blood of kin," Orcos said mournfully.

"Now, let's tally it up," Hades said. "Blood of the enemy? No-brainer. Back during the golden days when you first signed on for this gig, you petrified a few people that were scared witless of you. Blood of the friend? Are we forgetting how we accidentally petrified Hercules, our one true friend in all the world, and sacrificed my permanent humanization spell to turn him back?"

"It wasn't an accident!" Medusa insisted. "You tricked me into petrifying him!"

"Whatever. In the end, it was temporary, but he was legally dead for five minutes."

"But I haven't done anything to my family!" Medusa protested. "I would never hurt my sisters!"

"Petrify them? Kill them? Of course not," Hades agreed. "But I think we can both agree that you did the next best thing. You three used to be normal girls, remember? You used to be human. But now all three of you are Gorgons, and not all three of you were there for the incident that caused it. Basically, Medusa…Euryale and Stheno are the way they are because of YOU."

"But that wasn't my fault either…" Medusa cast her eyes downward. "Or…I didn't think it was."

"Medusa," Hades cajoled, "didn't you blame Olympus for that?"

"Yes," Medusa said softly.

"Well, you see, I'm contracting you and Orcos to make an attack AGAINST Olympus," Hades went on. "Don't you think they deserve at least a little bit of vengeance?"

Medusa looked to Orcos.

"I cannot say," Orcos stated. "The gods have done horrible things. But Hades is no better."

"And yet I don't go around turning people into Gorgons OR killing people's oracle girlfriends," Hades snapped, causing Medusa to wonder even more about Orcos. "I'd say I'm the lesser of two evils, but you two don't really have a choice, do you? You're just going to have to accept that you're both on the right side. And before I get distracted any more, Orcos, I'm going to need you to hold onto…" He held the Oath Stone out toward Orcos. Orcos extended his hand to take it.

"THIS!" Hades screamed, plunging the Oath Stone into one of the cavities in Orcos' chest, causing Orcos to wince. "Keep it safe for me, will ya, buddy?"

"I suppose I have no choice," Orcos sighed. "What is it you wish us to do?"

Hades conjured a scrying sphere with a wave of a hand. "As you know, when the planets align in a couple years, I will be able to unleash the four elemental Titans and set them upon Olympus. This has nothing to do with that." The sphere showed an area of Olympus surrounded by white clouds, with a gold and white palace in the center. "This is the home of Palutena, a particularly annoying little brat of Apollo's. Lately, she's been bragging about how life is better than death, light is better than darkness, and 'good' is better than 'evil.' I want her shut up. Destroy as much of the mortal plane as you have to. Just get her to shut up. PERMANENTLY."

"You can't attack her yourself?" Medusa asked.

"I've got an image to keep up, okay?" Hades argued. "Besides. I can't exactly go anywhere on Olympus without being noticed. No one's going to be looking for a Fury and a Gorgon up there because no one's going to be expecting a Fury and a Gorgon to pass the gates. Capiche?"

Medusa and Orcos stared at him blankly.

"Let me put it this way," Hades said. "One…more…time. You put Palutena out to pasture and you not only escape my ABSOLUTELY UNFORGIVING wrath, but you also teach that yuppie crowd that made YOU a Gorgon and killed YOUR girlfriend a valuable lesson: that they are not invincible. Now, are you going up there, or do I have to BURN this into your heads?"

Medusa bit her lip, then nodded. "I'll go." She hadn't wanted anyone else to get hurt. But Hades had a point. Olympus had wronged her.

"As will I," Orcos said.

"Good," Hades replied. "Then we're all on the same page."

* * *

Medusa and Orcos left together, treading the path to Olympus.

"I hope you do not mind if I transform," Orcos told Medusa. "In this form, I am useless to Hades' cause."

He changed seamlessly, not even slowing his stride. He grew several times in size, sprouting horns and claws until he resembled a demon more than he did a human.

"I apologize," the demon said with the same gentle voice, "for holding the stone that binds you to this task."

"Don't be sorry," Medusa snapped. "He's right. The gods have done a lot right by me, but they've done even more wrong."

* * *

The strike against Palutena was successful at first. Medusa and Orcos launched a dual invasion, thrusting several lands into darkness, turning many living beings – animal, human, and plant alike – into stone. Palutena herself was imprisoned in a small cell in her own palace.

But as happens so many times when outsiders attempt to interfere with Olympus, a hero came along. Pit, one of Palutena's disciples, fought his way through the Underworld, through Olympic Greece, and through Olympus in order to find artifacts that would allow him to become more powerful than Medusa and Orcos. He challenged them each to battle, and he sent each of them away in shame.

Medusa and Orcos practically crawled back to Hades, who was less than pleased. "WHY?" Hades raged. "WHY IS IT THAT EVERY TIME I WANT TO DO EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF DAMAGE, SOME UPSTART COMES OUT OF NOWHERE AND SCREWS IT ALL UP?"

Medusa stood on the opposite side of the room and she could still feel the flames of his skin burn hers.

"Okay, okay, fine," Hades sighed. The temperature in the room was taken down several degrees. "The good news is, you got in a good run. Turning the crops to stone? Nice touch. And now even Olympus is afraid of the great Gorgon Medusa and Orcos the punisher. Not just mortals."

"This means I can never go back to trying to make friends in the mortal world," Medusa realized out loud. "Not when Olympus itself declared me an enemy."

Orcos hung his head. "I am sorry, Medusa."

"The point is, you didn't succeed, but you didn't fail either," Hades summed up. "So you're not fired. For now, you two can go about your lives. Oh, don't start getting ideas about dying again, Orcos. I can bring you back as many times as it takes for you to get the picture. So go. Mind your own business. One day, when I figure out what I want to do with you, you will get a call back. Don't take it lightly."

"After all this," Medusa said coldly, "I'm surprised you aren't keeping us around to be your personal attendants and do your dirty work every day."

"You see, I did actually consider that," Hades stated, "but wouldn't you know it, the other day, someone even better came along for just that purpose. Someone smart enough to be able to hijack a jar of Lethe water from me and DUMB enough to trade her entire life away for some bozo who doesn't know the meaning of commitment. So you're off the hook. For now. But remember our contract."

Medusa nodded. So did Orcos.

"Now get out," Hades commanded. "Both of you. Run along now!"

Medusa and Orcos turned and walked away from the palace. On the way out, they passed a mortal girl going in, a thin woman with a chestnut-colored ponytail and a pink peplos. Obviously the one Hades had referred to. Medusa didn't know whether to pity her or be thankful that she wasn't in her shoes.

* * *

GORGADE, THE BORDERS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

PRESENT TIMELINE

"Medusa?" Stheno snapped her fingers before her sister's eyes. "Mortal plane to Medusa!"

Medusa blinked. She had been so lost in her memories, she hadn't realized how much time she'd spent standing in the doorway holding crumpled parchment. "I'm sorry."

"If we don't go soon," Euryale snapped, "we're going to be as good as dead."

"Do we have to go?" Medusa asked. "What if we didn't? What if it was worth risking our lives – "

"MEDUSA!" Stheno practically shrieked. "Are you still that STUPID? You're seriously going to pass this up?"

"Pass what up?"

"You know what we could earn if we help Hades!" Stheno gushed. "If we succeed at what he wants to do, we could be queens!" She grinned widely.

"What if he wants us to do something horrible?" Medusa asked.

"Who cares?" Stheno groaned. "It's always been the three of us, hasn't it? And if the three of us are doing fine, who cares what happens to anyone else? No risk, no reward. Think about it, Medusa! Just…suck it up and go! This could be our chance to FINALLY have power! REAL POWER!"

"I think your expectations are way too high," Euryale sighed, "but I'm not going to turn down a summons from Hades." She looked toward her doubtful sister. "And you?"

"Of course not," Medusa said, ignited by Stheno's energy.

"YES!" Stheno cried. "I knew you'd make the smart decision eventually. Who knows? Maybe one day…we can even be more feared than Hades." As her sisters stared at her, she snapped, "What? Haven't you ever heard it's better to be feared than loved? That's what I thought!"

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

When Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno crossed the threshold of Hades' throne room, he was waiting there to greet them. "Ladies!" Hades cried. "A little bit more on the fashionably late side than I expected, but hey, I'm in a good mood, so I'm gonna let this slide!"

Medusa looked around the room. Along the wall on one side of the window, Facilier and Dark Danny were lined up, standing at attention. On the other side of the great circular window stood Orcos, who bowed: "Medusa. Stheno. Euryale." Through the window, the three sisters could see the great green and horned head of none other than Echidna, mother of all monsters. Pain and Panic crouched nearby, trembling.

"What's going on here?" Medusa asked, somewhat taken aback.

"I don't know," Stheno practically squealed, "but I like what I'm seeing!"

"And I like your initiative," Hades complimented. "Which one are you again?"

"Stheno," the Gorgon introduced, tossing her reptilian ponytail.

"Oy," Hades groaned, "that's a mouthful. You got a nickname?"

"Well, around the house," Euryale said coldly, "we've noticed that she's even more vengeful than a Fury."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Stheno screamed, snakes hissing at Euryale.

"You're only proving my point!" Euryale barked.

"Okay, then," Hades said, pointing at Stheno. "From now on, to me, you're the Fury. Which is about to become really ironic in a few seconds."

"You haven't answered my question," Medusa said. "What is going on here?"

"Just a little employee reunion," Hades said. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to shake up Olympic Greece so hard, not even divine intervention can put it back together! Now, don't worry. Your jobs will be easy. All your targets will already be primed for chaos. You've just gotta take it the rest of the way. Oh, and in case things go well, be prepared to mobilize into a super anti-Olympian army. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Hey," Stheno interrupted. "What do WE get out of this arrangement?"

"A piece of whatever we win," Hades answered. "Personally, I'm not asking for much. All I want, in the very end, is Zeus' cushy little seat. Everything else is up for grabs."

"So we could potentially become royalty?" Stheno asked.

"Medusa," Hades said, "where HAVE you been hiding this LOVELY sister of yours? Seriously, why have I not met her before? She's WAY better at this concept than you are. Tell you what, Fury. When this is over, at the very least, you three will be known as the queens of the Gorgons. At the very MOST, you get control of an entire physical dominion. Sound fair?"

"Sounds PERFECT!" Stheno squealed.

"There just seems to be something…missing," Hades muttered, obviously for dramatic effect. "Hmm, now what could it be? Oh, I know. The guests of honor."

He shoved the lid of the table off its base, uncovering the well.

"What's that?" Euryale whispered.

"Some kind of well where the most powerful souls are kept for Hades to use," Medusa whispered back.

Orcos figured it out before Hades revealed who he was bringing up. "No…"

Hades threw twin fireballs into the well. "BOOM!" A humanoid figure, tall and elegant, rose from the well and began to form, but Hades wasn't done, sending another set of flames down. "BADA BOOM!" As the second figure materialized, he repeated the process. "Aaaand let's KICK IT UP A NOTCH!"

Three female figures revealed themselves. One, clothed in minimal armor plating that left her limbs and most of her chest bare but covering her head with an ornate helmet, had eight limbs – traditional humanoid arms and legs, and then four green, insectoid legs, double jointed, protruding from her back and hoisting her off the ground. The second was clothed in a gold and green gown with long slits up the sides of the skirt and a hood that was pulled down to obscure her eyes; she too wore a helmet. The third was ghostly pale, wearing an intricate, dark gown and a twisted metal hairpiece of the same shade; wherever fabric or metal rested against her skin, at the border, the white skin seemed to melt into a more fluid substance than skin should be, black as tar. Her gaze, obscured by neither helmet nor hood, was bright and piercing.

"Presenting the Fury queens!" Hades introduced. "Megaera, the ruthless! Tisiphone, the illusionist! And Alecto." He winked at the pale Fury queen. "Just…wow, Alecto. Have you lost weight since I last saw you?"

"Since you last saw me," Alecto said coldly, "I have been dead. Why did you wait this long to revive us? Is it because you want something from us, and nothing more?"

"Don't put it like that," Hades said. "That just makes it sound so nasty. I prefer to think of it as giving you an opportunity. You ladies feel like getting revenge on the institution that ended up putting you in the drink, and maybe picking up some new domains as part of the bargain? Eh? Ehhh?"

"This is a good thing, sister!" Tisiphone tried to reason. "Hades has given us back our living bodies! He can give us so much more!"

"I don't care what he can give us," Megaera snarled. "I just want to tear Kratos' throat out. Followed by Athena's."

"And you will get your chance," Hades assured her. "Though as far as rewards go, you of all Furies should be thankful."

Megaera noticed what had been replaced, what had not been there when she'd died. "My arm!"

"Your body is all the way back at full killing potential!" Hades laughed.

"I suppose we have no choice in the matter," Alecto said, "as you are far more powerful than even the three of us together. However, I have a feeling that this alliance will benefit all of us. You have the loyalty of me and of my sisters."

"Orcos!" Tisiphone laughed. "You've been taking Oath Stones again. I thought you'd sworn that was over."

"Had I a choice," Orcos moaned, "I would not align myself with you again."

"You DARE speak that way to your mothers?" Megaera hissed.

"Can we save the family feud for another time?" Hades sighed. "I don't even have you all assigned to the same city-state!"

"Can we just talk about the big plan already?" Stheno griped.

"If everyone is done complaining," Hades stated.

No one uttered a word.

"Good," Hades said. "Now. Let's talk business."

* * *

AEAEA, OLYMPIC GREECE

The crystal sphere was planted on the shore, and left there, cracked open. The sorcerer and his familiar stood outside the gates to Circe's palace.

"Well, Xerxes?" Mozenrath asked. "What do you say we finish what we started?"

"Destroy Circe!" Xerxes laughed.

"My thoughts exactly."

They were interrupted by a thunderclap; a column of blue smoke rose up between them and the doors. Mozenrath thought at first that Circe had detected their presence and was trying to get the first strike, but to his surprise, the smoke cleared to reveal a completely different woman entirely. No, not a woman, Mozenrath realized. He could tell the difference between a mortal and a goddess, and this was definitely a goddess. She was flanked by a pair of winged wolves.

"You COULD storm in there and try to challenge Circe to another duel," the goddess said. "It would probably turn out about as well as last time. Or, you COULD do something different that would pay off with an even greater reward than this tiny island."

"Are you saying I'm not strong enough to take Circe on?" Mozenrath growled.

"Interesting," the goddess replied. "You know I'm a goddess. I know you know I'm a goddess. Do you really want to mouth off to me? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Mozenrath clenched his right fist, and it glowed slightly blue. "I do whatever I want."

"Bad idea!" Xerxes wailed. "BAD IDEA!"

"Ooh, this one's feisty," one of the wolves said in a smooth voice.

"We might actually be onto something here," the other added.

"Lukos," the goddess scolded, "Aetos. Quiet!"

"Sorry," the wolves muttered.

The goddess turned back to Mozenrath…and laughed.

"You think I'm a JOKE?" Mozenrath roared, drawing the fist back.

"EVEN WORSE IDEA!" Xerxes moaned.

"No," the goddess said through her laughter. "Actually, I'm impressed. The way things are now, if you really did challenge me to a duel, I could kill you. You're smart enough to know that. And you still want to try. You're not afraid of me at all, are you?" She grinned. "You strike me as the type who doesn't think he has limitations. And that's exactly what I was hoping for."

This threw Mozenrath off guard. The blue plasma he was building dissipated; he relaxed his hand. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hecate," the goddess introduced. "Goddess of – "

"Magic," Mozenrath finished softly.

Hecate couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face. "I knew you'd have heard of me! And I've been doing a lot of research on you…Mozenrath. In fact, I was hoping we could come to an agreement. I can help you in ways you probably didn't know you needed help. And in return…"

"In return," Mozenrath interrupted. "That's always the thing, isn't it? With you Olympians, it's never about what the mortals get out of it. It's always about what you get out of it."

"But you do know the legends of the mortals who were taken on as apprentices of the gods, right?" Hecate asked. "Hercules, banished son of Zeus? Kratos, Ghost of Sparta? Psyche, consort of Eros? Any of the stupid blind sheep that end up making deals with Hades? Basically, whatever they get, their patron gods get. You're a conqueror, right? Whatever you'd get control of, I'd get control of, but you wouldn't have to give up anything. When you win, I win."

"So what you're saying," Mozenrath summed, "is that you want to help me win. This seems too good to be true. What's your angle?"

"You and I have something in common. And I don't mean magic or weird familiars."

"Weird?" Lukos repeated. "We're not weird."

"I thought we were rather intimidating," Aetos added.

"Xerxes not weird," Xerxes muttered.

"YOU'RE ALL WEIRD," Hecate asserted. "Now GET OVER IT. Anyway, you and I each have the potential to be extremely powerful. But we keep getting shoved aside by competitors, rivals, you name it. The more power Hades gets, the less I have. And after you got ahold of the Black Sands and laid waste to the Mamluks, how much more territory did you actually get?"

Mozenrath wasn't sure how to answer that.

"Exactly," Hecate said. "And how many times have you heard of anyone paying respects to poor old Hecate?"

"About as many times," Mozenrath said, catching on, "as I've heard of anyone paying respects to the Morrigan."

"So you're starting to get it."

"Yes, but you still haven't given me any evidence that I can trust you."

Hecate shrugged. "You can't. You have one of two choices, Mozenrath. You can storm into that palace and challenge a witch that you didn't manage to defeat in the past. Maybe you can get trapped in another giant crystal. Or have your gauntlet stolen. Or you can accept the fact that a goddess took time to appear to you specifically, come with me, and learn your true potential, which will earn you a LOT more than Aeaea. Up to you."

She stepped aside, gesturing to the gates of Circe's palace. Mozenrath stormed toward the door, preparing to blast it down. He stopped. He hesitated.

"Well?" Hecate asked.

"I'm thinking," Mozenrath muttered. Then he sighed, turning to Hecate. "Don't make me regret being curious."

"I'll take it." Hecate held out her hand, and a pendant materialized within it – a small crystal that actually appeared to be two crystals fused together, with a clear seam between the halves, which were slightly different shades of blue. It was attached to a loop of twine. "Put this on and come with me."

Mozenrath tentatively grasped the crystal. "If this hurts me, you WILL pay. I may fall hard, but I've never failed to come back."

"Point taken. But it won't hurt you. Goddess' honor."

Mozenrath placed the pendant around his neck; it glowed a bright blue. "So what does this do?"

"We're going to my palace in the Underworld," Hecate explained. "And before you accuse me of anything, I intend on taking you there alive. The Underworld can have a draining effect on pure mortals, and you may be powerful, but you're no demigod. Your powers would be weakened, and neither of us want that. This crystal was part of a set I made to try and drain other gods' powers. It ended up not working as well as I wanted, to say the least. The transmitter crystal soaked up the energy of whoever had it and the receiver crystal put it somewhere else. That crystal has a transmitter and a receiver in it, so it will collect all the energy you have on the surface and put it back into you in the Underworld."

Mozenrath grinned. "Clever. So what do you want from me in the Underworld?"

"I'll show you."

Hecate spread her arms outward, engulfing herself, Lukos, Aetos, Mozenrath, and Xerxes in a blue sphere. Then all disappeared from Aeaea before Circe's guard could ever detect that she'd had so many unexpected visitors.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

In the crystalline great hall of Hecate's palace, the blue sphere materialized, dropping off goddess, sorcerer, and familiars three. All the furniture had been removed, leaving the hall as a vast empty space.

"Up there in Olympic Greece," Hecate explained, "hero training is serious business. Trainers set up arenas and drill wannabes until they become muscleheads. As overdone as the concept is, I thought I'd give it my own spin. I want to train you in the art of dark magic until you can go toe to toe with the gods themselves. That'll show Hades who really holds sway around here…"

"I'm sensing that you have Hades issues," Mozenrath remarked.

"Do you have any idea how high and mighty he sees himself down here?" Hecate seethed. "He's got the entire Underworld wrapped around his finger, and he thinks he can do the same to all Olympus. With that oaf around, I can't catch a break! And now I'm starting to hear about these 'Overtakers' he's allied with. Meaning he's expanding to a multi-world operation! I'm not going to sit back and let that idiot take over what should belong to ME!" Hecate stopped to breathe, calming herself. "That crystal was built to drain him. It failed because even the so-called 'heroes' around Olympic territory think he should be able to boss the entire Underworld around."

Mozenrath nodded. "I see. I've had dealings with the Overtakers myself. They actually put in a bid for me as well."

"So why aren't you working with them?"

"Because apparently I have to 'prove myself' first. Which, in my mind, I've already done multiple times."

"Conquered Seven Deserts!" Xerxes punctuated.

"And that brings me to my big question," Mozenrath continued. "Why do you have an interest in me in particular?"

Hecate nearly laughed. "I can't believe that of all things, you don't have enough faith in yourself to know the answer to that."

"I never said THAT," Mozenrath snarled. "It's just that the past few allies I've tried working with didn't seem to see my potential."

"And they're all blind," Hecate said. "You don't know it, but you have the capability to become one of the most powerful dark forces in the cosmos."

"You say that like my power is actually my own." Mozenrath held up his right hand. "I hate to disappoint you, but all my magic comes from this."

"I know about your little trinket…" Hecate stepped closer to examine the gauntlet. "But apparently not everything. It's dragonskin."

"Yes…"

"Where did you get this?"

Mozenrath put his hand down at his side so that Hecate couldn't ogle it. "I'd prefer to keep that story to myself," he said. "Let's just say I faced a lot in order to get away with it. And despite everything, it's been worth it."

"Fair enough," Hecate said. "Now, you're relatively new to the world of magic when compared to any of the Overtakers. I need to get a feel for what I'm working with. You don't mind if I ask you a few questions, do you?"

"Fire away."

"Can you bend the four elements of nature?"

"Yes."

"To what extent?"

"Enough."

Hecate snorted. "'Enough' isn't enough when it comes to elemental bending. The best know they're the best, and obviously, you don't. How are you at manipulation of the twelve elements of the multiverse?"

This was answered with a blank stare.

"Can you even NAME the twelve elements of the multiverse?"

Hecate could tell that Mozenrath was fuming silently; she'd asked him a fundamental question and he didn't know the answer, and it was tearing him apart. "So I take it that means you don't know how to enter hypertime."

"That's physically impossible."

"No, it's not. What does the moonlight do to your power level?"

"Nothing."

"Do you carry anything in Hammerspace?"

"I've never needed to."

Hecate sighed. "And I noticed you came here in an ugly spaceship. I know you can Apparate. Can you do it at the speed of darkness? That means between worlds."

"No."

Hecate could tell that Mozenrath was incredibly perturbed. She had no doubt that he could take on gigantic monsters, and she'd seen him face off against Circe, but making him face gaps in his own skill and knowledge was a transgression. "Well, by the time I'm done with you, you'll have all those skills and a few more. It isn't going to be easy."

"It never has been. I know that."

"So you're on board? You do realize – "

"Not just yet, Hecate." Mozenrath's smirk returned. "I need your word that you're not just fattening me up for the slaughterhouse, so to speak. I need to know that you're being honest about this training concept, and that I won't end up becoming a human sacrifice to you or anything."

"I give you my word as an Olympian," Hecate said, "that I won't hurt you or intentionally send you to die. And you know what they say about the word of an Olympian: it's binding for all eternity."

"Hmm." Mozenrath's eyes rolled around to look at Xerxes. "What do you think, Xerxes?"

Xerxes shook his head. "Not good enough."

"My sentiments exactly." Mozenrath looked back to Hecate. "Swear on the Styx. I know you can't break that."

"If that's what you need." Hecate waved her hands, and a flask of green water appeared in them. She uncorked it; it emitted an unnatural hissing noise. She used her left hand to pour the Styx water over her right. "I swear on the River Styx that I won't cause you permanent harm or intentionally send you to your death." The last of the water trickled onto the crystal floor, then dissipated. The flask disintegrated. "Of course, that doesn't mean parts of your training won't hurt. Apparition at the speed of darkness is painful for first-timers."

"Fine by me."

"You do realize," Hecate reminded Mozenrath, "that if you go through with this, you're turning your back on the Overtakers, right?"

"Of course." Memories: blue robes changing to red, the blow that knocked him over, waiting in the crystal room for someone to see what he'd become. "In fact…you could call that a selling point." Mozenrath shrugged. "So, when do we begin?"

Hecate smiled. "Immediately."

* * *

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

Training had ended. Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Hercules, and Pegasus sat on the bleachers of the arena, watching as Phil instructed Meg in how to dress a false wound on Rarity's foreleg.

"You want to wrap the bandages tightly if you don't want loose blood all over the place," Phil instructed.

Meg tied the bandage off. "That good enough?"

"Well," Rarity complimented, "it is tied quite neatly. Almost like a…unique bracelet."

"That'll hold," Phil evaluated. "Not bad for your first day."

"You hear that?" Meg called up to Hercules. "Next thing you know, the two of us will be on the battlefield together."

"Awesome!" Hercules cried, and Pegasus gave a whinny of approval.

The sun's last rays faded. Rainbow Dash yawned. "Well, I'm officially tired."

Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack chorused out their "Me too"s.

"We set up your bunks where my old room was when I trained here," Hercules informed them. "It'll be a bit cramped for living space…"

"We're used to that," Applejack replied. "Thanks a lot, everypony. Today was tough, but y'all really know how to make the new kids on the island feel welcome, you know that?"

"Our pleasure," Meg told her.

"It is kinda cool to see the island this busy," Hercules pointed out. "And you've all been really, well, friendly. I think this is gonna work out!"

"Thank you," Fluttershy said quietly.

"Well, we should get some sleep," Twilight said, getting up. "We're working on honing our form tomorrow, right?"

"Right," Phil confirmed. "Heroes are only as good as their weapons."

"Yeah, right," Rainbow Dash laughed as she and the others followed Twilight to where their sleeping quarters would be set up. "But it can't hurt to learn to use 'em better."

"Hey," Phil called after them. "Ladies."

The six Equestrians stopped to look back.

"Two words," Phil said. "You're doin' great."

"Actually," Twilight began to interrupt, "that was th – "

"Thank you," Rarity replied.

Then all present retired to where they could rest.

* * *

OLYMPIC GREECE

That night, chaos took root in the soil. Spread across the land, it began to grow. It would be in full force come morning.

* * *

Chapter 48:

· Watch the retconning magic as I try to quickly state that the KH events took place by now so that the timeline makes sense for later events.

· The Disney Megara is based more on the mythological Deianeira than the original Megara, so that's the bio I'm giving her. Deianeira was the sister of Meleager, so Meg is going to be Meleager's "little sis." I don't actually think that will have any real bearing on the story at this point, though. Just explaining a side detail.

· I wanted Meg to be able to have a bigger role in questing, but I don't see her as a weapon wielder, and she's definitely not going to be able to pass as a mole for enemy forces anymore, so a field medic is what was left. (Besides, KH had her throwing health orbs at you from the sidelines, so there's a precedent.)

· It isn't to say that everyone in this story is a pacifist. In fact, pretty much all the other heroes in this storylet are in favor of taking care of problems by slaying monsters. The Mane Six, however, aren't giving up their "no killing" conviction.

· Whip rope. It can whip and rope. Mostly rope.

· The similarities between Zeus' symbol on the medallion and Rainbow Dash's Cutie Mark were pointed out to me through the My Little Brony page on Memebase. Don't credit me with that connection. I don't even know if I'm going to go anywhere with it, though it seems a shame to leave a coincidence like that unexplored.

· The Gorgons should live on islands called the Gorgades, but it just didn't make sense to split up their property on multiple islands, so I just condensed it into one island called Gorgade.

· As with Princess Luna and Luna Lovegood, I again have to address the problem of characters with the same name. Just assume that every time I refer to Medusa in this storylet, I mean the Gorgon and not the witch from SE and the last storylet.

· I'm actually using Medusa's HTAS personality and backstory here despite it being the least popular of pop culture depictions. This is because "Gorgon" is my favorite HTAS ep, and also because I have friends (who are readers) who have adopted Medusa as a symbol of the oppressed. You can also see for now that she has the HTAS design.

· Euryale and Stheno you may recognize as the personalities from American Dragon: Jake Long (episode "Bring It On"). They were some of my favorite one-episode-wonder (well…two-episode-wonder) villains from the show, and actually, Stheno's bloodlust and the way ADJL made her the ringleader worked out for my portrayal of Medusa – I could have Stheno kind of egg her on into things and convince her that being cruel is for the better. I not only gave these two their ADJL designs (the dresses), but kind of poked at ADJL's changing of "Stheno" to "Fury" with Hades' nicknaming.

· The contract from "Gorgon" I have adapted in order to be a plot device to explain why Medusa lives a life of villainy (outside of all the cajoling Stheno does as to why power plays are worth it).

· The soul well is brought in from KH. I just think that there have to be WAY more fearsome souls in there than Auron.

· This design of Orcos is from GoW Ascension. The spelling was chosen because it's halfway between "Orkos" and "Orcus" (and "Orkus" looks silly). He and Medusa are teamed up in the flashback to form the catalyst of the plot of Kid Icarus (as mentioned in the last chapter's Author's Notes).

· The Oath Stone is another concept from GoW. Orcos keeps them in order to hold people to blood oaths. They are forged from the spilling of the blood of "enemy," "friend," and "kin." Kratos killed Orkos at the end of Ascension to nullify the Oath Stones, but obviously Hades is beginning work on reforging some to suit his needs here.

· I didn't go into this with the intent to ship Medusa/Orcos, but it grew on me.

· And here's a mythical event I wasn't sure how to approach: how Medusa became a Gorgon. I didn't want to phrase Poseidon as her "boyfriend" the way the Percy Jackson books did. In generally accepted mythical canon (there are a couple versions), Medusa was raped by Poseidon on the altar of Athena's temple, and Athena punished Medusa by turning her into a Gorgon (though some say Athena gave her those powers as a defense against future attacks). And, presumably, her sisters with her (though some versions say that they were born Gorgons and always were Gorgons). So…I'm just leaving that as an implication here. You can decide for yourself if that's even how it happened, because I KNOW I can't characterize post-rape and don't want to really deal with the subject here. I didn't want to airbrush the "boyfriend" thing over it, though. Anyway, the important point is that Olympians turned Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno into Gorgons, and that's why Medusa sees some justification in attacking them. (For Orcos, it's avenging the death of Aletheia, which was Ares' fault in a way.)

· Also, I'd like to bring up that in this world, there are many minor Gorgons and Furies; each respective trio of sisters just represents the "queens" of each race.

· Orcos gets a monster form to explain his design in Kid Icarus and also because it's just what I picture when I hear/read his name, particularly when Orcus comes up in English Romantic poetry.

· I have introduced ALMOST Hades' entire army for the chaos…but there are a few surprise players waiting in the wings, of course.

· My high school friends and I used to memetically quote Emeril Lagasse for some reason, though we never really watched any of his shows. So I couldn't turn down the perfect opportunity to "kick it up a notch."

· The Furies' designs are all GoW. And so far, they're my favorite GoW characters – I needed them!

· To simplify more multiple naming: all mentions of Alecto in this storylet are the Fury, not the Death Eater. And I'm going to be referring to Megaera the Fury as "Megaera" and Megara the heroine as "Meg" (I know that one has an extra E, but I still want to be as clear as possible).

· So Hecate was scoping out Mozenrath this whole time! Aaaaand no one is surprised.

· I was originally going to legitimately write another battle between Circe and Mozenrath during which he would either prove his potential to Hecate by beating her or discover he needed Hecate's assistance by losing again, but for as many pointless things as I put in this story, that was a scene I just felt I couldn't pull off convincingly.

· Hecate's wolves have no canon names as far as I know. "Lukos" and "Aetos" are what Google Translate spat out for me for "wolf" and "eagle" in Greek.

· The crystal is a callback to the HTAS episode "Underworld Takeover."

· To have the gauntlet be dragonskin was inspired by the book "Sapphique" by Catherine Fisher. And if all goes well, this gauntlet and the gauntlet in Sapphique are not unrelated.

· Hecate's questionnaire should give you an idea of what Mozenrath's current character arc is going to be. Yeah…he's going to be doing a little more "training" and a lot less "action." But I promise that in the end, it will pay off, and this is necessary building towards plot stuff.

· The word of an Olympian goddess is eternally bonding (see: Eris), but following oaths sworn on the Styx is absolutely compulsory. This is proof that Hecate has no illusions. She legitimately wants to build Mozenrath up as a protégé so that she can vicariously have his victory spoils and employ his services against Hades.

· Meaning, officially, that Hecate and Mozenrath are the beginning of a rival villainous faction to the Overtakers.


	49. The Oracle of Delphi

49. The Oracle of Delphi

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Hades, Facilier, Pain, and Panic awaited the three guests in the throne room. When the trio shuffled in, hunched over in their black cloaks, Hades greeted them by saying, "Ladies! You are looking lovelier than EVER!"

If that was true, Facilier thought, he didn't want to see what they used to look like. Each was a tiny, wrinkled old woman, and none of them seemed to have eyeballs – just empty sockets. One was somewhat taller than the others, and rail-thin, with blue skin and a long nose in which the hairs seemed to be moving (unbeknownst to Facilier, because they weren't hairs, but the legs of the insects that had moved in there). One was in between the two others in height, with green skin and wriggling yellow appendages in place of hair. The third was shortest of all, with lavender skin and tufts of green hair; most disconcerting of all, she had only one eye socket in the middle of her forehead, as though she were a miniature Cyclops.

"Lachesis," Hades said, kissing the back of the hand of the blue-skinned woman. "Clotho." He kissed the hand of the green woman. "Atropos." The last, lavender woman. "We really should get together more often."

"What is it you want, Hades?" Lachesis huffed.

"And don't think you can bargain anything out of us with flattery this time!" Atropos snapped.

"Why must you assume that every time I call you up," Hades sighed, "it's because I want something? Can't I ever just want to have a drink with my three favorite Fates?"

"NO," the three women chorused.

"Fine, fine, you got me," Hades huffed. "Listen. I'm going to need another favor from you. Remember how a couple decades ago, you gave me a prophecy about how I could work the future to my advantage, and it almost worked except for the end part?"

"Everything went as written in fate," Clotho reminded him. "We explicitly told you that should Hercules fight, you would fail."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got the concept," Hades snapped. "Well, as you can see, I'm out of elemental titans, Zeus is back on the throne of the high and mighty, and I'm ALMOST back at square one. Now, I'm implementing a new plan, and while I for the most part have faith in my ability to pull it off, we all know that accidents happen and goody-two-shoes heroes have a tendency to screw up my plans. What I need to know is how many drachmas to bet on this. Short version: do I win or do I need to make adjustments!"

"What do you think we are?" Lachesis grumped. "Your personal oracles who jump when you say to jump?"

"You aren't getting any more out of us!" Atropos added. "We gave you your prophecy, and we weren't even supposed to do that!"

"You're wasting our time," Clotho concluded.

"Listen," Hades bargained. "I will pay you anything you want. You want cash? I can get you cash. You want vengeance? I'll have the minions bump somebody off. You want Thessaly? I'll get you Thessaly. Wait, no, scrap that, no one wants Thessaly, Thessaly's a dump. I'll get you THRACE."

"The answer is still no," Clotho insisted.

"We cannot be bought!" Lachesis asserted.

"Let's try another angle, then," Hades said. "You like your Tapestry of Fate where it is, right? Would be a real shame if someone were to mess with it – "

"You think that just because the Tapestry has changed in the past, that you can simply cut its threads?" Lachesis barked. "Even the amendments to the Tapestry were written by fate itself!"

"And if you are suggesting that you wish to challenge us," Clotho added, "you of all gods should know very well – "

"YOU CANNOT FIGHT FATE," the three said in unison.

At that moment, a sudden chill filled the room, startling Facilier and sending Pain and Panic running to hide and shudder behind the throne.

Hades raised his brow. "All right, all right…I get the picture. A little birdie told me you weren't gonna cooperate anyway. Worth a shot. You can go home now. After all, there's more than one way to – "

"We knew you were going to ask the Oracle of Delphi when we turned you down, anyway," Atropos pointed out.

Hades sighed. "Can't a guy keep a secret around here?"

"We also know who gave you the apples," Atropos went on, "and what they're going to do to the mortal world you planted them on."

"You're not planning on taking that information to Olympus, are you?" Hades asked, suddenly in a panic.

"It wouldn't be prudent of us," Clotho pointed out. "Perhaps now you understand why it is best for everyone that we do not reveal the future."

Atropos removed from the folds of her cloak a single, bulbous eyeball. She tossed it into the air, and in a flash of blue light, it enveloped the three Fates and disappeared.

"On the bright side," Hades joked, "you can count on them never to spoil the ending of a good Euripedes yarn."

"So who is this Oracle of Delphi?" Facilier asked.

"The next best thing to the Fates," Hades answered. "Up there, they've got an institution at Delphi where all the mortals in Olympic Greece with the gift of prophecy train. One of them is always chosen as the Oracle of Delphi: the best prophet in all of Greece! However, due to a little incident, Delphi is currently head-oracle-less. But they've got a chariotload of trainees with foresight, and one of them's bound to have seen the outcome of our little plan. All we have to do is ask the right question."

"And who asks the questions?" Facilier inquired.

"Somebody inconspicuous," Hades answered. "Somebody who can't be traced back to the Underworld because they won't have the same face when they get back here. Somebody who looks too incompetent to be planning anything evil. Somebody who needs to GET OUT FROM BEHIND MY THRONE."

Pain and Panic crept out into the room proper, still shaking. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about us," Panic said, "w-w-would you?"

"Pack your winter coats, boys!" Hades cried, raising his arms and smiling brightly. "You're goin' to Delphi!"

* * *

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

The sun crested the horizon, lighting up the misty isle. As the very first rays of dawn broke, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack were curled up in the bunks set up for them in Phil's home, in one of the spare rooms. They slept soundly until the bugle blared.

"GAAAAH!" Twilight cried as she woke suddenly.

"Too early…" Rainbow Dash muttered, rubbing her eyes.

The six made their way down to the small dining room, where breakfast awaited them in the form of spelt flatbreads with honey. Hercules, Meg, Phil, and Pegasus were already seated; Phil still held the bugle.

"I've always wanted to use this," Phil said with a grin.

"Very funny," Rarity grunted, trying her best to smooth her hair with her hands.

"Well, breakfast's on," Hercules said with a smile. "It doesn't look like much, but trust me, it's good."

The six sat down and dug into the flatbreads immediately.

"I wonder if the news was delivered yet," Hercules thought out loud.

"Think Pegasus will go get it?" Meg teased. "Go on, boy. Get the news. Good flying horse."

Pegasus snorted indignantly.

"Worth a shot," Meg remarked with a shrug.

"I was thinking we'd work on form one at a time today," Phil said. "Everyone trains in front of everyone else, so you can all get the same information."

"You want me to…demonstrate to an audience?" Fluttershy began to tremble.

"It's just going to be us," Rarity told her. "You can perform for us, right?"

"M-maybe…" Fluttershy closed her eyes and made up her mind. "Yes!"

"Though you are going to have to be careful not to DROP ANY TRAINING EQUIPMENT ON THE AUDIENCE," Phil asserted, with an accusatory look at Twilight.

"Hey!" Twilight snapped.

"All right, I'm done," Rainbow Dash said, motioning to her empty plate. "Now let's go! I want to show off how awesome I am!"

She got up and ran out the door. "That's our Dash!" Pinkie laughed.

"If she flies right into a hydra's mouth," Phil growled, getting up to follow her, "I am not going to get her out."

"Actually, that's our job," Applejack pointed out. "We already had to go get her out of worse."

"But we should get to training as soon as possible," Twilight said, putting down her own plate.

She, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Phil all left the table and made their way to the arena.

"Hey," Hercules asked Fluttershy, "are you still nervous?"

"Yes," Fluttershy admitted. "I know I can fight evil when I need to protect my friends, but…I always feel everyone staring at me whenever I have to do anything for an audience. What if I'm not good enough? And I already know that when Phil finds something wrong, he's rather…loud about it."

"That's just Phil," Hercules reassured her. "He's one of my best friends, but he can be a jerk sometimes. Don't tell him that, though. Yesterday, Meg said she thinks you have real potential. And I think so too."

"I stand by what I said," Meg confirmed.

"We promise not to judge whatever you do today," Hercules told Fluttershy. "If you mess up, well, I used to mess up all the time! Actually…I still do."

"It's part of your charm," Meg told him.

"And if you do great, we'll all be there to cheer you on!" Hercules went on. "And, well, if you're too nervous to do anything today, we know you're pretty good already, so don't sweat!"

"Thank you," Fluttershy said. "I'll try my very best."

"No problem! Now get out there and let whatever happens happen!"

"Right!" Fluttershy rose and followed her friends.

"You seem to be taking a shine to that one," Meg pointed out.

"I dunno," Hercules said. "This is gonna sound weird, because I've never really been shy or anything, but she kinda reminds me of how I used to be. Actually, she reminds me a little bit of how I am."

"I can see it," Meg observed. "Has a good heart, wants to protect others…and thinks the criticism of the general public is the biggest monster of all. There's also something about that one that just makes you wanna protect her, even if she can take care of herself."

"Yeah!" Hercules rose from the table. "I'm gonna go see how she does."

"I'll catch up," Meg told him.

After he left, Meg looked over to Pegasus. "You sure you don't wanna go fetch the news?"

Pegasus shook his head.

"Up to me, then." Meg got up and left the house to head down to the shore, where the news delivery barge would have tossed the news of the day.

* * *

"No, no…like this." Phil held a quarterstaff in both hands, slowly passing it from hand to hand. "Try it slowly. That way you don't drop it."

Twilight sighed. "I don't normally drop my staff."

"Well, you did just now."

Twilight began spinning the staff slowly, passing it from hand to hand.

"Great. Now add in that ice stuff you were doing."

Twilight willed the staff to begin drawing lines of frost in the air wherever the star swept, creating complex figure-eights.

"Now speed it up a bit."

Twilight kept up the hand motions she'd been doing, but twirled the staff faster and faster, drawing a tangle of frost in the air. "I'M DOING IT!" she cried. "I'M DOING IT!"

Hercules, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack all set to cheering, and Pegasus let out a proud whinny.

Then the staff flew out of Twilight's hands and nearly skewered Pinkie Pie. The small audience was silent for a while; then Pinkie cried "WOO HOO!"

"Don't try and tell me you meant to do that," Phil groaned.

"Why would I throw my staff at the bleachers on purpose?" Twilight moaned. "I know, I know. Slow it down first." She walked back to the bleachers.

"Okay. Fluttershy," Phil called out. "You're up!"

Fluttershy trembled.

"You'll do great," Hercules whispered to her.

"Okay…" Fluttershy stepped down into the arena, summoning her katana.

"Now the important thing when wielding a lighter sword," Phil began, "is to…"

His words became fuzzy to Fluttershy's ears. All she could feel was the burning stares of those judging her. She did her best to copy Phil's grip, which he demonstrated on the staff, on her sword, and hold it at the right height.

"No, no, now you've got it crooked," Phil sighed. "You wanna swing it straight, otherwise you're not gonna hit your target with as much force as you need."

Fluttershy corrected her stance. The weapon shook in her hands.

Before she was required to do anything more, a voice interrupted, crying out, "HERCULES! PHIL!"

"MEG!" Hercules called back, standing; the others followed suit and looked toward where Meg ran into the arena, holding a tablet.

"You're going to want to see this," Meg panted, holding out the tablet.

Phil grabbed it out of her hand, scanning the headlines. "Whoa!" he remarked. "What the – ohhh, this is bad."

"What?" Hercules asked.

"Is it bad news?" Pinkie added.

"It's like every single polis in all of Greece has gone berserk!" Phil explained, holding up the news tablet. "Riots in Athens! Street fights in Thrace! Broken windows in Abacus Valley! What's goin' on here?"

"I don't know," Hercules said, "but it sounds like they need a hero right about now. I should go – "

"Ooh, OOH!" Pinkie Pie cried, hopping up and down. "If you're going to the disasters, we should go with you! It'll be the perfect chance to learn in the field!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Phil argued. "You six just got here yesterday. You've trained for one DAY. You ain't ready!"

"Are too!" Rainbow Dash argued. "Or did all our stories about defeating dark wizards and djinni mean nothing?"

"It's complicated!" Phil said. "You six are not getting anywhere near a battle until…until you're ready!"

"What if we are ready?" Rarity asked.

"More importantly, what if helping out with…whatever's going on is the way to get ready for bigger battles?" Applejack pointed out.

Phil sighed. "I don't really think you're right for this job."

"You don't even really know what it is," Twilight snapped. "Just that SOMETHING is causing riots. Is there some other reason you don't want us to go?"

"It's just that…" Phil searched for the right words. "You've heard me talk smack about Chiron a lot, but the truth is, he's a big exception to a rule. He may be famous for being a hero, and everyone praises him, but the truth is, he's the only guy like him who is. Anyone else like that…"

"What do you mean, 'Anyone else like that'?" Twilight challenged.

"Centaurs don't have the best rap," Phil admitted. "If you're a centaur or a Kentauride and you ain't Chiron, everyone's gonna think you're a monster. Centaurs are known as looters. Pillagers. Worse. No one's gonna take you seriously as heroes. You go in there while everyone's riled up, they're gonna think you're part of the problem!"

"Is that true?" Fluttershy asked, looking to Hercules.

"Yeah," Hercules admitted. "I fought a lot of centaurs when I was in training. Everyone always says never to trust a centaur."

"Unbelievable!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "No one takes heroes seriously when they're women. No one takes heroes seriously when they're centaurs! Well, you know what? I just wanna go out there and show them all that they're wrong!"

"And I don't care what people say about us," Twilight added. "If something's going wrong on the mainland, I want to help. I'm not just going to stay behind and let it happen."

"I happen to think Rainbow Dash has an important point," Rarity said. "Once everypony on the mainland sees that we're actually helpful instead of hurtful, we'll obviously gain a better reputation. Don't you think?"

"That is a good point," Meg affirmed.

"We should go!" Pinkie insisted, bouncing up and down. "Please please please can we go? I really wanna!"

Phil sighed again. "Fine. You wanna go to the mainland when everyone's in a turmoil? Your funeral."

"All RIGHT!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"Then it's settled," Phil said. "Herc will fly on ahead with Pegasus, and the rest of us – "

"Hang on," Hercules argued. "I think we'd probably be more effective as a team."

"But we've only got one flying horse, and it seats one," Phil pointed out.

"Fluttershy and I could keep up," Rainbow Dash argued.

"But where does that leave the rest of us?" Rarity asked her.

"I think we should take a barge to the mainland," Hercules suggested. "It won't take THAT long."

"Only about a one-hundred-person death toll's worth," Phil muttered.

"We don't even know if people are dying," Meg pointed out. "Well, unless we assume that the usual troublemaker is behind it."

"And we DON'T know that," Hercules insisted.

"Fine," Phil gave in. "Barge it is."

Pegasus let out a rather disappointed moan, very dismayed that he didn't get to fly valiantly into battle.

"Then let's go!" Rainbow Dash took off galloping for the harbor.

On the way down to the barge, Applejack asked, "So who's the 'usual troublemaker'?"

"Hades," Hercules answered.

"Didn't you knock him into the Styx?"

"I did, but the Underworld still needs a ruler," Hercules explained. "Dad wouldn't have it any other way. Hades had to keep his job to keep order. But the Titans were all destroyed, so it's not like he can do much more besides shake things up a little bit to increase the Underworld population."

"That's still pretty big," Twilight stated.

A small barge was moored at the harbor, some distance away from the Starlight. The ten boarded it. "So, where are we going?" Pinkie asked.

"Only one port city ain't mentioned in the news," Phil answered. "My plan is, we stop there and get our bearings. We're headed for Kirra."

The barge pushed out into open water. "Our first real adventure in Greece," Applejack stated.

"Ooooooh, I'm so excited!" Pinkie gushed. "So how long is it until we get to Kirra? Five minutes? Ten minutes?"

* * *

DELPHI, OLYMPIC GREECE

The great temple of Delphi was situated in the heart of the mountain peaks, where the wind blew great gusts of snow that nearly obscured the palatial structure. Two men made their way through the cold, up the mosaic path leading to the temple that housed the Oracles. Anyone looking at the scene with a naked eye would believe them to be two humans, but that was not at all the case.

"Man, I hate Delphi," Pain complained. He'd taken on the form of a human man as proportionally short and wide as he was to most imps. He sported short, curly brown hair and matching stubble on his face. He gave a dramatic shiver, pulling his brown coat tighter over the purple chiton he wore. "It's always so cold!"

"It isn't like we haven't been this cold in the Underworld, you know," Panic replied, in essence complaining at Pain's complaint. He took on the form of a tall, lanky man with long, golden hair, wearing a similar brown coat. His chiton was teal; the pair honestly had no idea that wearing purple and teal clothing could be perceived as a giveaway. "I would argue that one time that Hades locked us in the frozen part of Tartarus for a year, it was even colder!"

"How do we even know this is gonna work?" Pain grumped. "What kinda question are we gonna ask, anyway? 'Will Hades end up winning'?"

"We aren't going to say THAT! That would blow our cover!"

"You got any better ideas?"

"I'll have you know, I…am working on it, okay?"

The pair reached the temple doors. Pain knocked on them three times.

"You don't just KNOCK on the door to the temple of – " Panic began to hiss, but the door was opened all the same by a priestess wearing a plain white shift.

"Welcome, travelers!" she greeted. "You are here to see an oracle, are you not?"

"Oh yeah!" Pain nodded enthusiastically.

"Enter," the priestess beckoned. "You needn't pay tribute anymore."

Pain and Panic followed the priestess into a wide, elaborate hall painted in a deep red motif. "What did you come to ask?" she inquired. "This will determine which of our oracles you see. Unfortunately, we have not yet installed a head Oracle of Delphi since…well, the incident. However, we have many Oracles in training, and one of them will certainly have the answers you seek."

"Well, we're lookin' for kind of a weird question," Pain said. "Not like one about the outcome of any evil plans or anything – "

Panic elbowed him in the stomach, hard.

"OW! What was that for?"

"We are but humble citizens of Greece," Panic took over, "and we are simply concerned for our nation's fate. We wish to know if any impending disasters threaten it, so that we may prepare for the worst."

"Ohhh, so now we're Mr. Big Words all of a sudden!" Pain insulted.

"Will you give it a rest?" Panic hissed.

"Figures that when you get to ask the question, you sound like a big worrywart," Pain replied.

The priestess smiled, somehow not suspicious of the two travelers' odd behavior. "I believe I know just who you should see. It is difficult to obtain audience with her, but these are special circumstances. One of our Oracles has shown far more talent than all the rest, and her sight into the future has extended further than the others. She is actually in consideration to be the next head Oracle of Delphi. She does, however, only see visions of disaster. This seems to be exactly what you are looking for."

"YEAH!" Pain and Panic cried.

"Then I will lead you to the visiting chambers of Cassandra," the priestess said cheerily. "Come with me."

She turned and began to lead the pair down one of the deep red hallways.

As he walked, Panic fidgeted, looking left and right and not seeming to know what to do with his arms. "Calm down, buddy," Pain whispered. "What's the big deal?"

"I didn't expect it to be Cassandra!" Panic hissed. "She and I have a history together, you know?"

"What, that time we all got turned into babies and you and her had to drag us all down to the Spring of Canathus? Didn't she spend the whole time insulting you?"

"We had to work as a team in order to parent four children on an epic quest!"

"Yeah, pretty sure she just spent the whole time insulting you."

"Things got weird, though! She's the only person who's ever really cared about my safety besides you and Hades!"

"I think she kinda does that to everyone out of a sense of duty. I'm not actually sure she ever, y'know, liked anyone…even her friends…"

"The point is," Panic attempted to conclude, "she and I were…awkwardly close."

"For, like, an hour. What's your deal? You got some kinda crush on her or something?"

"No, no, of course not! She was just a kid! Eeeuuugh…I'm just saying, the circumstances were weird. I have no idea how she felt about me! What if she remembers all that? What if she thinks it was awkward? What if - "

"Whatever. It's not like she'll recognize you or anything. These disguises are flawless."

The priestess led the imps to a room, a door that was one among many identical doors in the hallway. She opened the door, telling them, "Enter." The room beyond was dark but for a single flame of light. Pain and Panic walked inside with trepidation; the priestess closed the door behind them.

In the center of the room was the brazier with the fire that lit up its near surroundings. The walls of the room weren't visible – it wasn't clear how big the room was at all – and the only proof that there was a floor at all was the fact that Pain and Panic were standing on it. To the left of the fire, a large basin with a spigot was visible, as though it was for emitting water. Directly behind the fire, half cast in shadow, was the oracle herself.

Cassandra knelt before the brazier, eyes closed in concentration. Panic was struck by how much she'd changed since he saw her last. She was taller, and she had gained a little weight, which only made her look more solid and mature. Her auburn hair was as long as her waist, and she kept it in a thick braid interwoven with gold threads. She wore a long, loose white peplos edged in gold, with a white and gold shawl thrown over her shoulders. When she looked up at her visitors, her eyes were the same dull green they always had been.

"Let's get this over with," she began.

Beads of sweat were forming on Panic's brow.

"So," Cassandra said. "What's your big question? It better be a big one. I don't do daily horoscopes."

"I…" Panic found it strangely difficult to form words. "Uh…I…you see, we – "

"We wanna know what the next big disaster is gonna be to hit Greece," Pain interrupted. "And I don't mean, like, the riots and all the little chaos. I mean, like, if anything BIG is gonna hit the country."

" – Worried!" Panic burst out suddenly. "For the fate of our homeland! That's. Um. That's why we want to know."

"Disaster?" Cassandra smirked. "Good thing for you, I'm great at disaster. You want the ugly truth?"

"The ugliest!" Pain asserted.

"Then I'll give you the ugly truth."

Cassandra turned the spigot to her right, and a fine green mist emitted from it. She wafted it closer to her face, breathing it in, absorbing the power to see the life and death of all things. Her eyes closed for a while, and when they reopened, the dull green irises, black pupils, and brilliant whites were erased by a piercing green.

"I see a world gone dark," she stated in a monotone. "The sun has fallen out of the sky in the midst of the day, perhaps never to return. The people are thrown into a panic. The gods are distraught. Everything turns to chaos." She blinked a few times, her eyes returning to their natural state. "Huh. That one's new. Kinda cool, actually."

"That's PERFECT!" Pain cried victoriously. "I mean, uh, that's TERRIBLE!"

"What he said," Panic added. "Though as far as disasters, eternal darkness is kind of a nifty way to go – "

"I know, right?" Cassandra replied. "See, you know where it's at – what were your names again?"

"I, uh…Th…Thanatocrates," Panic answered.

"And I'm Paul," Pain added.

"Wow," Cassandra commented. "Paul. You pretty much had the worst parents ever. Anyway, you got your disaster. And I've got a lineup of clients. So you should go prepare fallout shelters or supply rations or something."

"Yeah, we should," Pain said. "Right, THANATOCRATES?"

"Right," Panic said. "Thank you for the…the prophecy. Really well done. Couldn't have done better."

"No problem. Like I said, disaster is what I do." Cassandra winked.

"Now let's GO," Pain insisted, dragging Panic out of the room.

As they walked down the empty hall, Pain gushed, "Man, we get to steal the SUN! Hades is gonna LOVE this! Dude, are you even listening?"

"Oh, what?" Panic answered. "Yeah. The sun. Pretty big target."

"Oh, no! Don't tell me! NOW you have a weird stupid crush on Cassandra!"

"She is NOT a kid anymore," Panic observed. "And she has great taste in apocalypses."

"Dude, no! She's not on our side! Hades will kill you! Just don't say anything, and we can just let this all – "

"I wonder if Hades will need any other prophecies read. Maybe we can come back!"

"Dude, TELL me that isn't why you made up that big frilly name. To have some kinda…fake identity when you see her again so she doesn't know you're working for Hades!"

"That…may have been a factor," Panic admitted. "Come on, you and I know it would never go anywhere! Hades WILL kill me! I just want to see her maybe one or two more times and then we can let the whole thing drop!"

"That BETTER be how it goes. Right now, we gotta focus."

"Right. Focus." Panic was silent before: "On…what again?"

"Oh, come on, man, the SUN!"

* * *

KIRRA, OLYMPIC GREECE

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

The other passengers of the barge were amused by Pinkie Pie's impatience to get to Kirra, her constant verbalization of such impatience, and Phil's growing annoyance.

"So…are we there yet?"

"THERE! LOOK! YOU CAN SEE THE KIRRA HARBOR IN THE DISTANCE! SO YES!" Phil screamed at Pinkie. "WE! ARE! THEEEEEEERE!"

"Oh," Pinkie replied. She broke out into a bright smile. "YIPPEE! WE'RE HERE WE'RE HERE WE'RE HERE!"

The boat drew closer to a harbor within a cavern, sheltered by a rock roof. The Equestrians all gasped as a giant lumbered out from the harbor in order to guide the boat into position.

"Why is he in chains?" Fluttershy whispered, noticing the giant's harness.

"Oh, he's from Laestrygonia," Hercules answered. "It's an island of man-eating giants. The Kirrans captured him and put him to work moving boats in the harbor instead of eating people."

"That's awful," Fluttershy said. "They just took him away from his home, chained him up, and told him to move the boats?"

"Yeah, well, at least this way, he ain't eatin' people," Phil hissed.

"He doesn't really look like he wants to eat anybody," Twilight offered. "He just looks…kind of tired. I just don't feel like this is right."

The giant brought the barge up to the dock, where only three men appeared to help tie it in place. The ten exited the boat, climbing up onto the dock.

"Welcome to Kirra," one man said. "I apologize for not having a better welcome prepared, but we are coming from hard times."

"No problem," Meg replied. "This works."

"We're wasting time!" Phil scolded. "Let's go! Downtown! Chop chop!" He stormed towards the road that led into the heart of the village.

Hercules, Pegasus, Meg, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie followed. Fluttershy was reluctant to move, and Twilight noticed this.

"Oh my gosh!" Twilight suddenly cried. "I just remembered I left my…my wand on the barge!"

"You weren't storing it in your Hammerspace?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I dropped it," Twilight insisted, giving Rainbow Dash a meaningful look, "and it rolled somewhere. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, can you help me look for it? Everypony else, you can go on ahead. We'll catch up with you in a minute."

"Okie dokie, Loki!" Pinkie cried, and all but Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash walked out of the harbor.

"Okay, what's this about?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Fluttershy's right," Twilight said quietly. "It isn't right to keep this giant chained up here. We're going to set him free."

"I'm game," Rainbow Dash decided. "But how are we gonna do it?"

"That's why I need you," Twilight said. "Your sword is probably strong enough to cut through all those chains, especially with how much magic is in it. Fluttershy, you and I are going to distract the harbor workers so that they don't see what we're doing."

"Okay," Fluttershy agreed.

"Then let's go," Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash, you cut the chains when they aren't looking."

"I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash said with a nod.

Twilight and Fluttershy approached the three harbor workers, positioning themselves so that the men would have to face away from the giant in order to look at them. "Hi," Twilight greeted.

The three workers put down the ropes they'd been arranging and looked at Twilight and Fluttershy with slight disgust. "Centaurs," one said as a return greeting.

"We're new in town," Twilight said. "We don't know anything about Kirra, and we were curious. Why was it in hard times?"

"What business does a centaur have asking about Kirra?" a second man replied.

"Just curious," Twilight said defensively.

"As if we need your kind to come barreling in and raid us when we're at our low," the third man said.

"Hold on," the first argued. "They're not from these parts. Maybe they're from somewhere centaurs are actually civilized."

Twilight and Fluttershy were beginning to become very angry with the Kirrans. "Of COURSE we're civilized," Twilight said through gritted teeth. "Do we LOOK like we came here to raid you? We sailed in on a nonmilitary water vessel, and we're making conversation with you!"

The irony wasn't lost on her that they were, in fact, trying to take Kirran "property" by liberating the Laestrygonian, but Twilight figured that if you were the sort to insult centaurs and Kentaurides just for being centaurs and Kentaurides, and you were the sort to turn a Laestrygonian into a machine, you fully deserve to find the Laestrygonian missing.

"Well, she is talking to us," the second man said, "so they're obviously smarter than most centaurs."

Twilight could hear Fluttershy's breath rate speed up, and she put a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder, warning her not to snap. Calmly, Twilight asked, "So what happened here?"

While the men talked, Rainbow Dash crept up to the Laestrygonian. She summoned her sword, holding it aloft.

"I'm gonna set you free now!" she told the giant. The giant made no response. Rainbow Dash wasn't sure if he understood. She brought her sword swinging down onto the bundle of chains that bound him. At first she was doubtful that her metal edge would make any impact on metal chains, but the magic in her weapon proved as Twilight said, and the chains were severed.

"GO!" Rainbow Dash hissed, making gestures toward the giant to indicate that he should get moving. He obviously understood this, as he turned to wade out of the harbor.

"Kirra was once a prosperous village," the first Kirran harbor worker explained to Twilight and Fluttershy. "But then the channels that brought us water from the spring in Delphi were destroyed. Without water, we experienced a drought, then a famine, then a plague. Most of the population died. The rest left. Some of us have begun to move back, now that the channels are repaired. With any luck, Kirra can become a civilization again."

"Gosh," Twilight remarked. "I hope so."

"Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash broke in. The Laestrygonian had moved out of the harbor, wading out into the ocean, and was fading from sight, swimming to a destination only he knew. "We really should get going so we don't keep everypony waiting!"

"Thanks for answering my question," Twilight said politely.

The three Kirrans grumbled and returned to their work.

With a huff, Twilight walked away, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in tow.

"I hope the rest of this town is a little bit less mean!" Fluttershy stated when the Kirrans were out of earshot.

"Phil wasn't kidding when he said they didn't like centaurs on the mainland," Twilight sighed.

"Just wait until we start doing heroic stuff!" Rainbow Dash argued. "They'll see!"

"I think we've already done something heroic," Fluttershy brought up, looking out toward the harbor.

"But I don't think the Kirrans will think so," Twilight muttered.

* * *

When Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash caught up with the rest of the group downtown, they were at first struck with how beautiful Kirra was…and how ghostly. The homes were all square, each painted ornately with a different fresco. On the horizon, a giant water wheel was visible, obviously churning the water from the Delphi spring. Yet there were no living beings to be seen. Some lights were on in the houses, beacons in a sea of dark windows.

"Did you get your wand?" Phil asked in a huff.

"Oh…yeah," Twilight said nervously. She produced it from her Hammerspace. "Right here."

"We were just talking about our course of action, now that we've reached the mainland," Rarity said. "Apparently this quaint village is adjacent to Delphi, where there seem to be oracles."

"Delphi is where all the best seers train," Hercules explained. "There used to be one Oracle of Delphi who knew everything. What was her name?"

"Aletheia," Phil supplied.

"Yeah," Hercules remembered, "Aletheia. But there was some kind of incident involving corrupt priests and the gods having a grudge against her, and she ended up dying. When I was a kid, I used to be friends with Helen, who's the queen of Sparta now. Her older brother Castor was the head priest at Delphi, and his twin Pollux kinda had to be there too, because they were…well…"

"Joined at the hip," Phil supplied. "Literally."

"Anyway, apparently Castor and Pollux were part of the corruption, and whatever happened, they ended up dying too," Hercules said. "Helen was really sad, but she moved on. So that's why there isn't a head Oracle of Delphi anymore, though I hear that if they get someone who's really good, they'll pass on the seat to another seer. They do still take visitors, though, and I bet that there's someone there who can tell us all about the disasters that are going on!"

"We can't reasonably play peacekeeper in all of Greece at the same time," Meg clarified. "Maybe one of the oracles can tell us which polises should be our priority."

"Sounds like a plan," Twilight said with a nod. "How far is it to Delphi?"  
"Just down that causeway." Phil pointed. "We can get there in a half hour tops by walkin', worst case scenario."

"Then let's make sure we walk extra super fast!" Pinkie insisted. She began to bounce toward the causeway to Delphi, and the rest of the group followed her.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"So?" Hades asked. "What did they say at Delphi? Show me apocalypse!"

"The oracle we saw said the world was gonna go all dark," Pain reported. "Apparently the sun would disappear. We think this means you're gonna steal it!"

"All RIGHT!" Hades clenches his fist in victory, awash in blue flame. "For the final act of chaos, we are going to steal…" Realization dawned on him. "We're…we're gonna steal the sun." He looked toward Pain and Panic. "Good job. You can go do…world takeover stuff now."

The imps left the throne room, and Hades stood there alone…or almost alone.

"So what's the story on the sun?" Facilier asked, slipping out of the shadowy hallway. "Don't tell me there ain't one. I saw how you reacted when they said it."

"Well…it's just…" Hades sighed. "Y'know, stealing the sun was part of Seph's plan back when we let out Atlas. Right before she…you know. Let's get real: stealing the sun is probably THE best way we could have ended it. Surprised I didn't think of it first…but hey, the oracle saw it, so I was gonna think of it anyway. Let's call it…poetic justice."

"I thought you didn't care one iota," Facilier replied.

Hades shrugged. "Purely a business observation. Technically, the whole mess with Seph ended the way it did because Zeus and his little flunkies messed with us. Need I remind you, it BEGAN because of Zeus and said flunkies. More than anything, this is going to be poetic justice for THEM."

* * *

DELPHI, OLYMPIC GREECE

"Brrrr!" Pinkie shivered in the cold Delphi winds.

"If I'd have known about this," Rarity moaned, "I would have brought us some coordinating scarves…"

"Toughen up, will ya?" Phil barked. "You faced dark wizards and shape-shifters, and you complain about the WEATHER?"

"I could probably mess with it and get rid of some of the cloud cover," Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack.

"I wouldn't," Applejack whispered back. "Doesn't seem right to mess with the weather of a place where weather ponies or rainforest birds ain't in control of it. Especially if the weather belongs to the gods like everypony's been sayin'!"

The group arrived at the doors to the temple, and the head priestess opened them.

"How did she know we were here?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"They're oracles, silly!" Pinkie replied. "They probably saw us coming!"

"Welcome," the head priestess said. "Come in, out of the cold."

"Finally!" Rarity cried, galloping into the entry hall; the others followed at a less excited pace.

The head priestess recognized a member of their party. "Hercules!" she gasped, beaming, obviously star-struck. "What brings you here?"

"The riots," Hercules stated. "We want to know where to start helping out."

"Which polises need us the worst," Applejack added.

"A question of great disaster," the priestess summed.

"Pretty much," Meg agreed.

Pegasus nodded.

"It seems that Cassandra will be having a lot of business today," the priestess stated.

"No way," Hercules replied, stunned. "CASSANDRA? Does she have red hair? Seem kinda bored with everything? Eyes go all green when she has visions?"

"That description fits our Cassandra," the priestess said, beginning to move down the hall; the others followed. "She is our most prolific seer, and it is more than likely that if her performance remains as it has been, she will sit where Aletheia sat as the head Oracle of Delphi. She only sees great disasters, but always reveals the truth of the fate of the world as a whole. Given the state of Greece as it is, I believe she is the one who will best know which polises are headed toward immediate doom and which can wait for their heroes."

"I can't believe it," Hercules said. "Cassandra and I were friends growing up. I haven't seen her in years! I knew she went on to be a seer, but…head Oracle of Delphi?" He laughed.

"So you get to see your old friend!" Pinkie cried. "AWESOME!"

"You told me about her," Meg said, amused. "I'm a little curious about this famous childhood friend."

The priestess opened the door to Cassandra's chambers. "I will leave you to your meeting," she said. The ten filed into the room, and the priestess closed the door.

They saw the same sight Pain and Panic had seen: the lit brazier, the mist spigot, and Cassandra herself. She opened her eyes, looking up at the group before her. Then she gave a slight smile. "Hey."

"CASSANDRA!" Hercules cried. "I can't believe it's really you! You're really in line to become THE Oracle of Delphi?"

"Pretty much," Cassandra summed. "And I hear you saved Olympus from a Titan invasion. That must've been hardcore."

"Oh, it was. Trust me. Oh, man, you don't know…you remember Phil and Pegasus, but this is Megara," Hercules introduced. "My wife!"

"The eternally awkward Hercules finally found a dream girl who would give him the time of day?" Cassandra's eyebrows shot upward. "Now that's something NOBODY saw coming. Hey…I remember you," she told Meg. "You were that femme fatale type that got Herc wrapped up in that mess with the Lethe water."

"The what?" Hercules and Meg said in unison.

"And apparently, you both got drenched in it," Cassandra sighed. "Anyway, nice to meet you."

Meg smirked. "Likewise. So Wonder Boy wasn't always a ladies' man, huh?"

"He was downright pathetic," Cassandra replied.

Hercules began coughing loudly, hoping Cassandra would get the message and stop bringing up the awkward old days.

"So who are your other friends?" Cassandra asked.

"New trainees," Phil said. "Got a lot of promise…and a lot of flaws. That there's Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity."

"NOW he calls us by our full names," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Not that there's anything wrong with the nicknames," Fluttershy said quickly.

"Thanks, Flutters," Phil replied.

"Any of them ever met a real life oracle before?" Cassandra asked.

"Only two," Twilight admitted. "Though one of them was a lot more…"

"Sane?" Rainbow Dash offered.

"Professional than the other," Twilight finished.

"And yet Phasir has to live in absolutely decrepit tunnels beneath the city while Trelawney has tenure," Rarity groaned.

"Well, life's not fair," Cassandra said with a shrug. "You kinda get used to that concept when you can see exactly how unfair it's gonna get. So why are you all here, anyway?"

"Y'know how Greece is kinda all…full of disaster?" Applejack asked. "We were hopin' you could tell us which places would be full of disaster first so we would know where to start."

"Fair enough." Cassandra nodded. "You want to know where things will get worst first. I can handle that." She reached for the spigot.

"What's that?" Twilight asked.

"Mists of Delphi," Cassandra answered. "They contain the 'life and death of all things.' Seers use it to kick their foresight into working on command."

"What happens if someone who isn't a seer uses it?" Twilight asked.

"Well, you could try it for yourself," Cassandra answered, "but it isn't pretty. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Twilight reached for the spigot, turning it. She wafted some of the green mist towards herself, breathing it in.

Immediately, her surrounding vision changed. The fire in the brazier disappeared. Everyone else in the room – humans, Kentaurides, and Pegasus alike – withered, becoming skin and bones until the skin disintegrated and skeletons remained. The room itself broke, cracks running down the walls and segments of the floor falling away into mile-high drops. Pieces of the ceiling rained down.

Twilight cried out in horror, but as soon as the vision had begun, it ended. The room was whole, and dark. The brazier blazed. Everyone was whole and healthy. "What WAS that?" Twilight asked.

"What did you see?" Pinkie asked.

"I saw…everyone die," Twilight said. "You all withered away into nothing, and then the room fell apart."

"That's kinda what happens if you use it and you're not a seer," Cassandra explained. "You automatically get to see what everything looks like when it dies."

"I think I'll leave it to the professionals from here," Twilight said sheepishly.

Cassandra turned the spigot, wafting the mist toward herself; Twilight backed away from it as far as she could. Cassandra closed her eyes, and then they opened, brilliantly green.

"I see…Athens," she said. "They're in conflict with Sparta over the possession of something valuable. Something forbidden. The city is overrun with Spartan soldiers. The Spartans attack everything. Ares orders the Ghost of Sparta himself to the frontlines, even though Athena begs him not to." Her eyes faded to their normal state.

"Athens!" Hercules cried. "That's where we have to go first! Thanks, Cassandra!"

"No problem," Cassandra said. "Good luck with your quest or whatever."

"Wait a second," Rarity interrupted. "How will we know where to go after Athens? We'll be lost then! We can't just run back to Delphi afterward! An entire city-state might be WIPED OUT!"

"That's a good point," Applejack commented. "Say, Cassandra…"

"Yeah?"

"You ain't gotta stay there all day, do ya?" Applejack asked. "Ya think you could leave the temple, if it was a special circumstance?"

"I know I could, if it was a special circumstance," Cassandra answered.

"How about for an old friend?" Twilight posed.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Cassandra asked.

It dawned on Hercules too. "You should come with us!" he cried. "We need your help in order to know what to do! Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do from the old days."

"Hmm…" Cassandra thought it over. "Well…I guess I could cut loose for a while. For an old friend. And because you might mess up and doom everybody without my help." She stood. "Yeah. I'll clear it with the head priestess, and we can get going."

"WOOHOOOOO!" Pinkie cried.

"Ugh," Cassandra remarked. "Is that one always that…sunshiney?"

"Wouldn't have her any other way," Twilight replied.

"I'll meet you out in the entrance hall," Cassandra said.

"We'll be waitin'!' Applejack replied.

* * *

A few minutes later, as Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Hercules, Meg, Phil, and Pegasus waited in the entrance hall, Cassandra approached, carrying a canvas bag.

"I had to take some of the mists of Delphi with me," she explained, "so we don't get caught without a vision at a bad time. Oh, and they're basically letting us use the company car."

"What?" Meg asked.

"This way," Cassandra replied, leading the group out a side door.

Several large chariots were parked in the snow, as well as one larger wagon. Two priestesses were leading a pair of horses out of nearby stables, hitching them up to the wagon.

"You seriously thought you were going to WALK everywhere?" Cassandra asked patronizingly.

* * *

KIRRA, OLYMPIC GREECE

The wagon pulled into Kirra carrying Hercules, Phil, Megara, Cassandra, and the six Equestrians. Pegasus had insisted on being strapped into the lead of the harness, the other two horses from the temple following him as he held his head high.

"To Athens!" Hercules cried, pointing in that direction.

"HEY, YOU!"

The passengers of the wagon turned to see the three Kirrans from the harbor storming angrily towards them. "Which one of you cut loose the giant?" the first growled.

"I bet it was those dirty centaurs!" the second accused.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Phil put up his hands. "They didn't do anything! I was with them the whole time! Well, except for when Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy stayed back in the harbor to – " Realization dawned. He turned to face them angrily. "YOU DIDN'T!"

"TO ATHENS!" Twilight cried.

"TO ATHENS!" Rainbow Dash added.

The horses took off running at top speed as the Kirran harbor workers shook their fists, shrinking in the distance, and a few other civilians in the area joined them to yell at the wagon, though their complaints faded in the distance.

"Way to make a first impression," Phil spat.

"Did you really free the harbor giant?" Cassandra asked.

"Maybe…" Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah," Twilight admitted as Fluttershy nodded.

Meg laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm not gonna lie. That was cool."

"Awesome," Cassandra said, though in a rather deadpan voice.

"YOU'RE TAKING THEIR SIDE?" Phil raged.

"They did what they thought was right," Hercules argued. "Can we just agree that what happened in Kirra stays in Kirra?"

"Fine." Phil crossed his arms, sat down, and shut up.

"I still think it was awesome," Cassandra whispered to Twilight.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"Obviously, we need to start with the basics," Hecate told Mozenrath. "If you don't know the twelve elements of the multiverse, you aren't going to know how to manipulate them, are you?"

"I don't think I like how patronizing you're being," Mozenrath replied.

"I'm a Cthonic goddess. You're a sorcerer that can't defeat a frying pan in combat."

"HOW much of my life did you research?"

"Bits and pieces. The point is, I can be as patronizing as I want."

Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "Go on…"

Hecate waved a hand, and twelve spheres of different colors began to orbit her as though she were a sun and they were planets. She pointed to each of them as they circled around front: red, deep blue, brown, sky blue, white, black, green, dark purple, golden yellow, orange, teal, and lavender. "Fire, water, earth, air, light, darkness, life, death, time, space, aether, and entropy. Everything in the multiverse is made up of these twelve. Now, you can break this down into what kind of atoms make up every different variety, what's Helium, what's Hydrogen, what's Vibranium, but it all comes back to these." She waved a hand, and only the first four spheres remained, spacing out to circle her equidistantly. "As for nature, if you take out all magic, energy, biological, and ethereal components, you can break it down into fire, water, earth, and air. But you knew that." She closed her hand into a fist, and all the spheres vanished. "The trick to making the cosmos do what you want is knowing how to control everything that makes them up. Are you with me?"

"Yes," Mozenrath said, "though I do wish I had my – "

"I knew you'd want it." Hecate held out her hands, and in a swirl of smoke, the blue sketchbook appeared in them. She tossed it at Mozenrath, who caught it awkwardly. "You can take all the notes you want later. So. Any questions?"

"Just one," Mozenrath replied. "How do the Elements of Harmony fit into this?"

"Those," Hecate sighed. "By all standards, those shouldn't exist. They belong to mortal emotions, and not even all of them. Just to the abstract concepts of 'love' and 'harmony.' They don't make any physical sense next to what I just showed you. What I showed you is tangible. It's real. Laughter, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, and Loyalty are fickle, and more than likely, mortals just made them up. Even the Magic that goes with them is at its best in conjunction with those five concepts, which shouldn't be physically possible. Magic doesn't need FRIENDSHIP. But for some reason, whenever those six elements turn up, they end up rivaling the power of even gods! IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"

"I sense this is a sore spot with you," Mozenrath observed.

Hecate gritted her teeth. "I don't like it when something nobody understands ends up having an effect on everybody."

"Or something YOU don't understand."

"Oh, and you think I'M being patronizing?"

"Smarts, doesn't it?" Mozenrath smirked.

"If your attitude wasn't one of your major selling points," Hecate growled, "I'd smite you down where you stand."

"But I'm mysteriously charming, so that's not going to happen."

"You're enjoying this too much."

Mozenrath just laughed.

"The point is, if you want to start increasing your power level, you're going to have to start with the basics," Hecate said. "The four elements of nature. Right now, you have a minimal control over them. You need to MASTER them. Here's what I want you to do."

She executed an elaborate routine: stepping forward, moving her hands out in great sweeps, then delivering a punch to the air that sent a massive blast of fire rocketing out. "Show me you can do that," Hecate challenged.

Mozenrath attempted to copy her move, but he produced considerably fewer flames.

"Again," Hecate challenged.

So Mozenrath repeated the process, producing the same weak flame.

"AGAIN!" Hecate commanded. "Less hesitating, more conviction, and not so clumsy!"

More flames this time; Mozenrath wasn't quite sure if it was because of his following her instructions or because her commanding was making him angrier than he could let on to someone that much more powerful than him.

"AGAIN!"

So it was that Hades had no idea of the growing force of darkness beneath the roof of his own Underworld, even when massive flames rocketed out of the windows of the crystal palace.

* * *

Chapter 49

· I regret that I couldn't accurately do the thing the Fates do where they toss the eyeball around and fight over it. Partly because I felt I couldn't do it justice, partly because I was too lazy to try, and partly because I feel like if they were absolutely dead set on not making a prophecy, they wouldn't even have it out.

· Also, by HTAS standards, the Fates are willing to drag the Tapestry of Fate around and show it to people, and they make prophecies for others all the time in exchange for small favors. So it's a little OOC to have them refuse, but I needed a plot device to set up the Oracle of Delphi, which is the first domino in a huge chain of Oracle-of-Delphi-related dominoes.

· "You can't fight fate" is actually a line I found in a mythology book that contained the original Heracles myth. In the big battle with the giants atop Olympus after Heracles ascends to godhood, the Fates join in, and the particular author used that line to describe why they joined. It's one of my favorite translations in all of mythology because it really shows how the Greeks anthropomorphized concepts rather than just calling them "Fates" because they could see fate. Anyway, here, it's meant to be foreshadowing. …for something that isn't going to happen in this storylet or anywhere near it. Because you're totally not tired of me loading Chekhov's Guns that will go off in 500 chapters.

· I feel a little weird about having Hades reference Euripedes because in this timeline, the Trojan War hasn't happened yet, so Euripedes obviously doesn't even exist. But he's the one Greek playwright I actually know and wrote my favorite Greek play, "The Trojan Women." Besides, all the sources I'm using take major liberties with mythical chronology anyway.

· My Oracle of Delphi setup comes from a few places. First of all, from GoW Ascension, where the Oracle of Delphi known as Aletheia dies. Second, from a short story I read in the "Trickster Tales" anthology of short fantasy (I regret that I can't remember the author's name or the story title) where Delphi is represented as a facility where people who have the gift of prophecy are taken, though I'm sure this must have been a depiction in some original myths as well. So my Delphi is actually a sort of school, with one head Oracle that's the famous one. The HTAS Delphi is discontinued from existence (though I would like to say that "Prince of Thrace" is otherwise canon because I want Adonis to have nearly died. He pisses me off).

· If flatbreads weren't actually used as breakfast in Greece and instead were just dinner foodstuffs, I apologize. It was the main thing I found when I searched ancient Greek cuisine.

· I also want to apologize for dragging on this whole "bad things are happening in Greece but we're not sure what or why" thing. I needed a setup.

· I did notice that in pretty much every adaptation of Greek myths – original myths, the Disneyverse, Voyage of the Basset – centaurs are monsters. EXCEPT CHIRON. Chiron is ALWAYS the one good centaur and he's brought up ALL THE TIME as the good centaur. So I wanted to play a little angle with the idea of prejudice against centaurs/Kentaurides.

· The design I'm using for Delphi comes from GoW Ascension.

· The priestess is my OC. She basically does Castor's job since Kratos offed him.

· So now you see why "Spring of Canathus" is SO VERY CANON. Because of that really weird Cassandra/Panic shiptease that I wanted to exploit. I was seriously on team Cassandra/Icarus until that episode, and then…I know it's very taboo, but I liked it. Now that Cassandra is as old as Hercules in film canon, though, it's not as taboo anymore. And I can play with it ALL I WANT!

· The oracle room is kind of my original design. I wanted minimalistic and creepy.

· I took some liberties in how Cassandra would change and what she would wear as she got older. And this is one of the times I REALLY wish I was a better artist because I would so love to make a pic of grown-up Cassandra and Panic as "Thanatocrates."

· In GoW, the Mists of Delphi allow you to see "life and death of all things." When Kratos breathes them, he sees the temple crumbling to dessication. I decided myself that such a sight would be what mortals would see with the Mist while Oracles could use the Mist to incur a vision that matched a question asked.

· WARNING: THE PLOTLINE WITH PANIC IS ABOUT TO SERIOUSLY RIP OFF THE "BERNARD" PLOTLINE FROM MEGAMIND. I am fully aware of this. But I have to try it anyway. I couldn't get it out of my head. Oh, you know this isn't the last we've seen of "Thanatocrates"…BTW, if I've done my research right, the name should mean "one who gains power through death."

· In real life, Chryse is East of Greece. Kirra is only accessible from the West side of Greece. MAYBE IF I THROW A BLANKET OVER THE PLOT HOLE, NO ONE WILL NOTICE IT.

· This version of Kirra is taken 100% from GoW. The backstory the harbor workers tell Twi and Fluttershy is pretty much canon. The only thing I embellished was that Kirrans would come back once the channel was fixed.

· And I thought immediately that the capture of the Laestrygonian and how he's just used as a boat slave is wrong. That allowed me to set up some more Establishing Character Moments. And actually, I'm hoping I can remember when the time comes that I wanted to use this as a Chekhov's Gun…but that's even further out than when I reveal what's up with the Fates.

· Just take a moment to imagine the HTAS Helen and the GoW Castor and Pollux as siblings. Just…take it. Because that's totally happening. In GoW, BTW, Castor and Pollux are conjoined twins. Castor does most of the talking, so Pollux tries to get out of the situation by claiming that Castor forced him into helping kill Aletheia through the way they were attached. We're never sure whether or not Pollux was lying because Kratos killed him before we could know.

· The twelve elements of the multiverse are actually from another really obscure source. 11/12 of them come from one of my favorite indie webgames, "Elements: The Card Game," which is basically a battle card game where every card has an elemental affiliation. Its choices of elements were so fitting and thorough, I decided to give EtCG a permanent fixture in this cosmology. The one difference I made was changing "gravity" to "space," which I felt made more sense. The spheres are also the colors associated with the elements in EtCG (which may have caused some confusion as to why the four elements of nature didn't have ATLA colors).

· Speaking of which, the four elements of nature were chosen partly because those are ALWAYS the four elements of nature and partly because of ATLA. Your mental picture of Hecate firebending might have lined up with ATLA firebending. I suck at describing it because I'm still an ATLA n00b (I will sit down and watch the entire series before I actually get to that world), but that's what it is. I do know, though, from random trivia, that firebending is based on Shaolin boxing. Though it would have been weird to reference that, as I'm not sure Mozenrath knows or Hecate cares what Shaolin boxing is. (YET, anyway…)


	50. The City of Athena

50. The City of Athena

SPARTA, OLYMPIC GREECE

The tall, muscle-bound man with skin of pale white and a telltale red mark snaking over his body prepared to approach the army to which his loyalty had been bound by Olympus. He stood between two statues in the city: one of a woman dressed in armor, with a sweep of fabric over one shoulder, and one of a man dressed in a battle tunic that stopped above the knees, with jewelry made of forged chains on his limbs and around his neck.

The female statue spoke: "Do not do this, Kratos."

Kratos was surprised – not that the statue was speaking, for this was how the gods communicated with him, but merely in her timing, which had startled him. "Athena!"

"The apple tree is not for Spartans or Athenians," Athena said. "No mortal should ever taste the flesh of those apples. You have seen what their very presence has done to Sparta! If either Spartan or Athenian tastes of that fruit, the chaos will only increase tenfold!"

"SILENCE, Athena!" the male statue snapped. "Do not listen to HER, Kratos. Your oath is to me, and your service is to Sparta! Athena lies so that she can keep the apples to herself and feed them to the Athenians! The SPARTANS deserve them more than she ever will! Lead the soldiers and bring back dominion of that tree!"

"He is right, Athena," Kratos growled. "My loyalty is to Ares foremost. I WILL lead Sparta to victory!"

"But do you really believe that winning the apple tree will bring anything but ruin?" Athena challenged.

"What I believe does not matter. Only that Ares has ordered it." Kratos said no more before leaving the two statues behind.

"Ares!" Athena scolded. "You would rather lead your own people to destruction than risk admitting that I know the truth?"

"You don't know anything!" Ares retorted. "I stand by what I said: you want that tree for yourself and Athens!"

"You are a fool!"

"And you are a jealous witch!"

"Then it remains to fate to tell us whether Athens or Sparta will win this battle," Athena resolved angrily.

"Fate will work in my favor," Ares concluded, and the two statues were silent after that.

* * *

ATHENS, OLYMPIC GREECE

The wagon from Delphi rolled into the midst of the great city-state of Athens, finding a path between its tall, square, white marble buildings. Athens was the center of wisdom, the city watched over by patron Athena, and renowned home of scholars, mathematicians, and mentors known all over the land.

Currently, everyone there was acting like a complete and total idiot.

One woman ran down the streets, beating another with a broom, yelling, "I SHOULD GET THE FIRST ONE BECAUSE I'M PRETTIER!" The other screamed back, "YOU'RE UGLIER THAN A CHIMERA THAT GOT ITS HEAD SQUASHED BY A BOULDER!" One man was seen throwing pottery out of the windows of his fairly tall house, hoping to hit the citizens below. "Idiots!" he chuckled. A customer ran away from a pita restaurant without paying, laughing all the way: "Look how smart I am! I deserve EVERYTHING!" The pita shop owner drew a crossbow and loaded it down with cutlery to fire at the thief; every shot missed.

"What is going ON?" Twilight asked.

The wagon pulled into the Athenian square, where several soldiers were lined up, armored in bronze. "Maybe we should ask them," Applejack suggested.

"Let's pull over," Hercules agreed.

The wagon halted, and the passengers disembarked. "Howdy!" Applejack said, walking up to the soldiers. "We were just wonderin' – "

The soldiers immediately turned their spears in Applejack's direction. "Get out of here, Kentauride!" one of them yelled.

"HEY!" Phil barked, hopping down from the wagon. "You wanna talk to my trainee like that? I'LL show you a thing or two!"

"You most certainly will not!" Rarity cried, and she and Megara leapt out of the wagon to drag Phil back as the satyr swung his fists in the air uselessly.

Cassandra made her way to the soldiers. "Okay, so basically, we just want to know why everyone's being stupid today."

"A divine tree bearing golden apples has appeared at the midpoint between Athens and Sparta!" a soldier answered. "The Athenian military intends to claim the fruit and bring it back to Athens! However, every citizen seems oddly convinced that they will be granted an apple after I bring them back on my own and take one as my cut."

"Why YOU?" another soldier questioned.

"Because I'm the best!" the first said.

"No, you're not!" the second argued. "I'm FAR superior to you in battle!"

"Then prove it!"

They drew bronze swords, ran a few paces away, and then began to duel.

"Oh, no," Phil broke in. "These apples. Not the GOLDEN ones, are they?"

"Yes!" a third soldier said. "They shine so brilliantly…I can't wait to eat one after I abandon the squadron and bring them back for a hero's welcome! Oh…did I say that out loud?"

The rest of the soldiers began yelling at this soldier.

"I figured out our problem," Phil said, a look of terror on his face. "The golden apples of discord somehow found their way to the mortal world. Oh, this is not good. This is REALLY not good."

"I think I remember reading something about that somewhere," Twilight recalled. "Don't they grant divine knowledge to those who eat them?"

"Yeah, but it's one of those 'go mad from the revelation' type things," Phil said. "Plus the apples have this kinda effect that wherever they turn up, people go nuts thinkin' they should deserve them and fight over them, when really, getting those apples would be the worst possible thing. You remember what I said about Atalanta back in training? She never lost a race until her opponent brought along those apples and threw 'em around. She had a mind sharper than a celestial bronze blade until she saw those apples, and then she just wanted to go get the shiny thing. There's one more side effect they have, and that's where Cassandra's vision comes in…this is not gonna be pretty."

"You better tell us before we find out the hard way," Applejack suggested.

"Those apples come from a tree that's…I don't know how to put it," Phil explained. "It's old. Older than ZEUS. When that gets mixed up with mortals, then things randomly start to go bad for wherever the apples turn up. It's like the odds of everything just get worse and worse. And you never know WHAT you're gonna get. If it's monsters or an invading army…"

"Or a giant cupcake?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No," Phil replied. "Not. A giant cupcake."

"But we DO know what we're going to get," Hercules realized.

"I JUST saw it back in Delphi," Cassandra groaned.

"The Spartan troops!" Twilight realized.

"What are the odds that those Spartans are just as…mixed up as the Athenian soldiers right now?" Applejack asked, motioning to the arguing military men.

"If the Spartans have their act together, they'll be a devastating force against Athens," Phil said. "That's a basic guarantee that they're a well-oiled machine."

"And the Athenian military isn't exactly in any shape to take them on," Meg observed.

"STOP HITTING YOURSELF!" a soldier cried while grasping the wrist of another and using the second soldier's hand to slap him in the face. "STOP HITTING YOURSELF!"

"They can barely take themselves on," Meg groaned.

"Well, we'll just have to fight Sparta for them!" Rainbow Dash resolved. "And we'll get them to surrender!"

"But this makes no sense," Twilight said. "If both polises are affected by the tree, then they should both be mixed up in the exact same way. And there's no way that something can just cause random disaster by EXISTING. There has to be a cause and effect! A sort of chain of events!"

"They're golden apples of discord!" Phil repeated. "They don't have to make sense!"

That shut Twilight up immediately. She, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack exchanged worried glances.

"You don't suppose…" Rarity brought up.

"This would be Discord's exact idea of a party!" Pinkie argued. "If I were him, I'd want to plant those apples all around!"

"If you were who?" Meg asked.

"Someone who loves to annoy us," Twilight said, "by messing things up for everyone."

"Well, 'annoy' might be rather an understatement," Rarity observed. "As he was directly responsible for Voldemort."

"But he'd've shown up to gloat by now if this was his work," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"Not necessarily," Twilight retorted. "He stayed out of sight for the last few adventures we were on, and he had some hand in each of them."

"I still think this is Hades' work," Hercules argued. "People are seriously getting hurt! There are probably deaths because of all this! And the Spartans might kill people in order to get that tree! And whenever people are dying, Hades' kingdom is getting bigger."

"THAT DOES IT!" one of the soldiers cried. "I don't need you! I don't need this troop! I can get to the tree on my own! I'll just FLY!" He ran into a nearby shop where a wooden sign was carved in the shape of a pair of wings. The other soldiers followed.

"Oh oh oh!" Pinkie theorized. "What if Hades and Discord are working together?"

"We just won't know until we get more information," Twilight said. "For now, we need to prepare for what we know is coming. Which direction will the Spartans be coming from?"

"Sparta's that way," Hercules answered, pointing.

"Right," Twilight said. "So we should make a plan of how to line up equidistantly along that border. I'm thinking we should start with – "

"Oh, no," Cassandra said suddenly. Her eyes had gone green.

"Did you use that green mist again?" Pinkie asked.

Cassandra shook her head, her eyes returning to normal. "No. This vision just came naturally on its own. And it was the worst disaster I could possibly think of! The Spartan invasion doesn't even compare to…THIS!"

"What did you see?" Hercules asked.

The soldiers rushed out of the shop, lugging several sets of what looked like angel wings carved from wax. "HEY!" the shop owner yelled, running after them. "THOSE WINGS ARE THIRTY DRACHMAS APIECE PLUS TAX! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER LEAVING A TIP!" When he saw the group gathered around the Delphi wagon, however, his attention was diverted from the thieves. He began charging toward them, or, to be more specific, one member in particular. As he ran, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "CASSAAAAAAANDRAAAAAAAA!"

Pegasus whinnied in shock as Hercules and Phil muttered, "It can't be…"

"I saw…HIM!" Cassandra cried in terror.

The shop owner, a short and slim man with light brown skin and dark, frizzy hair, wearing a long and flowing chiton of pale green, clamped his arms around Cassandra in a tight embrace. "YEARS OF WAITING!" he moaned dramatically. "SLAVING AWAY, MAKING WAX WINGS FOR MASS CONSUMPTION, WONDERING IF THE WOMAN WHO GAVE MY LIFE MEANING WOULD EVER RETURN TO ME, OR IF SHE WAS LOST FOREVER! BUT NOW THAT I'VE FOUND YOU, I DON'T EVER INTEND TO LET YOU GO AGAIN!"

"GET…OFF!" Cassandra growled, trying to pry the vice-grip of the short man off her.

"Icarus?" Hercules said in disbelief. It couldn't be anyone else than his other childhood friend. Though Icarus had gained some height and muscle, he was still tiny by most standards, and his hair had grown longer and wilder.

Icarus was distracted from Cassandra by this; he let go of her and she began brushing off her clothing as though he was some sort of contaminant. "HERC!" Icarus cried. "PHIL! PEGASUS! IT'S SO WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU AGAIN AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF LONELINESS!"

"Were…you really that lonely?" Hercules asked, feeling guilty.

"Nah," Icarus said. "Athens is full of cool people. And the store is swamped with clients daily!"

"But you just said – "

"You're questioning his logic?" Cassandra huffed.

"Another friend of yours?" Rarity inquired.

"Yeah!" Hercules said with a nod. "Everyone, this is Icarus! He and Cassandra and I were all best friends growing up!"

"Oh, right, I remember," Meg replied. "You were the one who flew too close to the sun and got his brain fried."

"THE ONE AND ONLY!" Icarus confirmed.

"You flew into the SUN?" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped.

"Didn't it hurt?" Pinkie asked.

"You made it. All the way. To the sun," Rainbow Dash recapitulated.

"Well, not to brag, but it was only the BEST THING EVER!" Icarus boasted. "Picture it! Teen wonder Icarus, outfitted only with a pair of wax wings, breaks the records and shatters the boundaries of the atmosphere, only to go down in a BLAZE OF GLORY!"

"You know," Meg mused, "I thought I remembered hearing somewhere that you died in that fall…"

"Oh, that's just a silly old rumor!" Icarus said with a wave of his hand.

"So what HAVE you been doing all these years?" Hercules asked.

"Well, Dad-alus and I went into business together selling the wings," Icarus answered.

"Have any of your customers flown into the sun?" Pinkie asked in awe.

"No," Icarus said, "but that just goes to show that I'm the only one brave enough."

"Or stupid enough," Cassandra huffed.

"So what happened to old Daedalus anyway?" Phil asked.

"Oh, he went back to the old Labyrinth project to 'gather his thoughts' and go through 'intense emotional meditation,'" Icarus said. "Whatever that means. Well, what I KNOW it means is that I AM NOW SOLE OWNER OF THE WAX WING BUSINESS! AND BUSINESS IS BOOMIN', BABY!"

"He doesn't seem to be affected by the apple tree," Twilight whispered to Phil.

"Some people are immune," Phil answered. "Back to that Atalanta story. Melanion, the guy who beat her, picked 'em up and threw 'em around without any trouble."

"It probably has something to do with his disconnect to reality," Cassandra added, having overheard.

"So…are we going to be corrupted?" Twilight asked.

"I…don't know," Phil admitted.

"Icarus," Hercules said, "we're here because Cassandra had a vision that a Spartan army is going to attack Athens for control of the apple tree that everyone's fighting over."

"SAY NO MORE!" Icarus cried. "You want me to be your lieutenant! It will be a grueling task, but one I am prepared to take on!"

"Actually, I was going to say you should probably get out of the city so you don't get hurt…" Hercules muttered.

"Awwww, let him fight with us!" Pinkie begged. "He's really really awesome!"

"Ya see?" Icarus said, putting an arm around Pinkie's shoulder. "Everyone agrees!"

Pinkie nodded. Pegasus rolled his eyes.

"All right," Hercules sighed. "But only if you promise to be careful."

"Careful is my middle name!" Icarus swore.

"Does he seriously not see the irony in that?" Meg asked.

"Um…if I can say something…" Fluttershy broke in. "Well…we kind of have this recurring lesson. Whenever friends are together, things just go better for us."

"Okay, fine," Phil sighed. "Icarus. You can help us fight off the brutal Spartan invasion. I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST SAID THOSE WORDS IN THAT ORDER!"

"Okay," Twilight said. "We need to figure out how to arrange ourselves to best fight the Spartans. And I have a few ideas…"

* * *

The Spartan army marched directly toward Athens, watching the great square buildings rise on the horizon. Despite having to pass the tree on the way, the soldiers found themselves feeling as though the apples would mean nothing unless Athens was conquered in order to get them. Such was the effect of their chaos.

When the soldiers were within view of Athens, they stopped and lined up, awaiting orders.

Kratos drew his twin blades, large and jagged swords he kept strapped to his back at all times. "Rush the city," he commanded, knowing it was exactly what Ares wanted. "SHOW NO MERCY!"

The Spartans raised their weapons, gave a roar, and ran as one, determined to cut down whatever and whoever they could find.

Then a lone Kentauride was visible, galloping toward them at full speed. Rainbow Dash had transformed, her clothing reflecting her witch state, and she raised her sword high. "TAKE THIS!" she yelled.

Lightning struck around her, several bolts forming a circle. A few Spartans halted, frightened by her power. Others kept charging.

Rainbow Dash called upon the wind; it whipped around her, faster and faster. Those who attempted to attack her were swept off their feet, brought to the ground, pushed away by the circling and howling winds.

"There's more where that came from!" Rainbow Dash boasted, calling off the wind. As clouds gathered over her head, shrouding her in shadow, she swung her sword; it clashed against the blade of an aggressive Spartan. They dueled until the soldier was knocked backward; Rainbow Dash swung the sword and dealt a shockwave that pushed three others back.

"IGNORE THE WITCH!" Kratos commanded. The army followed him on a path around Rainbow Dash, though a few couldn't pass up the temptation of conquering this first obstacle; Rainbow Dash was kept busy parrying the group that thronged around her, utilizing the winds to keep them at bay.

"NOW!" Hercules cried, and he, Applejack, and Fluttershy emerged, running at the frontlines. Applejack cracked her rope whip, sending it curling around the sword of an oncoming Spartan soldier, and when she brought it back, it had collected the weapon. She repeated the process, disarming many.

"STAY BACK!" Fluttershy growled. "You are NOT going to invade this city!" She drew her katana, engaging in a duel with two soldiers at once; blades flew, whirred, and clanged.

Hercules joined in the fray, punching out oncoming soldiers and eventually drawing his sword to match them.

"Don't you see?" Applejack yelled. "This is all a trick! You're bein' played by that apple tree!" However, her words fell upon deaf ears. She was forced to admit that the only thing to do was keep disarming.

The lines of soldiers began to fall back. Seeing this, Kratos crossed his twin swords before his own body, and they glowed an unsettling orange color. When he thrust the blades into the air, a hail of fire rained on the three warriors. Gasping in terror, Fluttershy, Hercules, and Applejack backed up hurriedly so as not to be engulfed in flame.

Those who still had weapons and were not dazed kept moving into the city. The others turned around and retreated.

"C'mon!" Hercules commanded. "We gotta follow them!"

He, Fluttershy, and Applejack ran into the city streets.

* * *

A man lay bruised and battered in the alley. Blood poured out of several wounds on his limbs. It was upon this scene that Meg and Cassandra came.

"Easy there," Meg said. "We're here to help."

"What was it all for?" the man groaned. "My brothers and I, we came to blows over who would be the first to taste of the golden apples…we had been such a close family before. Now look at what they have done to me…I tried to do this to them. Why did it come to this?"

"Because those apples are bad news?" Cassandra suggested. Meg knelt over the man, taking several cloth bandages out of a bag she had carried into the city as per Twilight's plan and Phil's designation of herself as a medic. She began wrapping the bandages over his wounds.

"You'll be all right," Meg reassured him. "You won't die. And your family will probably go back to normal after we take care of those apples."

"Of what apples dost thou speakest?"

Meg and Cassandra were startled by the voice. They turned to see another woman in the alley, lit by the sunlight that filtered in from behind and above. The light glinted off a bronze clip in her hair.

"It's those apples of discord," Cassandra said. "You know. The ones that make everyone act like pigs."

"I know of them," the woman said. "They are here? In Athens?"

"Close enough to make a scene," Meg answered. "Why?"

"I seek them," the woman replied. "To avoid great disaster."

"Listen, there already IS a disaster," Meg emphasized. "People who loved each other are getting hurt in these riots, and the Spartan army is lined up at the border. They'll be inside at any minute, and then no one is safe!"

"So basically, it's just another day in Greece," Cassandra summed up.

The woman thought this over. "Who is the leader of Athens? No doubt the Spartans will wish to kill him, if this is the doing of the apples."

"Pericles," Meg and Cassandra answered as one.

"Where does he reside?" the woman asked.

"Hang on," Cassandra said. "How do I know this isn't some kind of trick? Maybe YOU are trying to kill him for Sparta."

"His hall is that way," Meg said, pointing.

"I thank thee," the woman said with a nod. Then she set off at a run.

"What did you do that for?" Cassandra barked.

"Chill," Meg demanded. "She wasn't out to kill Pericles."

"And how do YOU know that?"

"Because I've learned to give people the benefit of the doubt…because the Spartans aren't smart enough to set up that kind of gambit…and because I've seen that look of desperation before."

Meg was in the right. Zoë, for it had been she who had asked, had no intent of killing Pericles. Quite the opposite.

* * *

A small company of ten Spartan soldiers barreled down the main street; all others, Kratos included, had taken side routes. They charged forth, spears pointed outward, thirsty for the blood of any Athenian they could kill.

Their path was blocked when the scrawny man dropped out of the sky, gliding down on wax wings he'd attached to his arms. "HA!" he yelled. "You thought you could thwart the great Icarus, did you? Well, you thought WRONG, losers!"

The Spartans took a moment to absorb the sight – Icarus having dropped in out of the sky, challenging them. Then they laughed.

"LAUGH AT ME, WILL YOU?" Icarus yelled. "WELL, LAUGH AT THIS!" He kicked one of the warriors in the kneecaps, which were uncovered.

"Ow!" The soldier staggered back.

"YA LIKE THAT?" Icarus flexed his nonexistent arm muscles, discarding the wings. "WELL, THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!" He elbowed another soldier in the stomach, causing him to lose balance and fall over.

"KILL HIM!" a third Spartan cried, and the eight who hadn't fallen to the ground pointed their weapons directly at Icarus, who was unfazed. He was convinced he could take them all on, no matter how they were armed. However, he didn't even have to try.

Pinkie Pie slid out from an alley, behind the Spartans. "SURPRISE!" she yelled, her front hoof on the party cannon and a pistol in each hand. The Spartans were all blown down by a massive explosion of confetti, glitter, and plasma.

When the ten men lay on the street groaning, Icarus remarked, "Well, it looks like these guys sure learned their lesson about tangling with Icarus."

"Awesome!" Pinkie Pie, not even concerned about getting credit for what she'd done, bounded toward Icarus, and the two of them bumped fists. "We should probably keep moving, though! There are a whole BUNCH of other soldiers who are gonna hurt people if we don't hurry! Quick! Stand on the party cannon!"

Icarus, being thin and light enough to do so, stood on the barrel of the cannon as Pinkie galloped forward, wheeling it along. They entered the main square of Athens, where a throng of Spartans were locked in combat with Hercules, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Pinkie and Icarus jumped right into the fray.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked Applejack as she shot a round of glitter into the face of a Spartan, making him lose his balance and decorating his helmet in the process.

"Holdin' off a bunch of troops out front!" Applejack answered, roping in a round shield and passing it to Fluttershy.

"DIE, KENTAURIDE!" a Spartan cried, leaping into the air as if to skewer Fluttershy; with a yelp, Fluttershy raised the shield just in time to deflect the oncoming sword, then retaliated with her katana, giving an energy-draining swipe.

"This is insane!" Hercules yelled as he socked three more in the face.

"Insane is that five of you can hold this many off!" one of the Spartans yelled in anxiety. "I'm retreating now! I'll see the rest of you back in Sparta!" He took off running.

"COWARD!" another yelled before Icarus punched his helmet, producing an absolutely distracting bell-like noise within the metal.

More soldiers rushed into the square, only for most of them to find their feet frozen to the ground and one of them to be hit with a bolt of something he couldn't see, but that caused him to feel far too weak to fight. Upon the rooftops, Twilight and Rarity sent projectiles from above. Twilight cast freezing charms, hoping to slow the invaders down, while Rarity delicately fired her crystal arrows.

"I'll focus on the East!" Twilight told Rarity. "You get the West!"

"Right!" Rarity loaded up another arrow, firing it. Then, as a spur-of-the-moment decision, she loaded and loosed another one. It hit its mark. She did have a good eye. Perhaps she could speed it up after all, she thought, without sacrificing accuracy.

The two of them managed to slow down the majority of the soldiers entering the square. They concentrated fully on their work until the laugh interrupted them.

A low chuckle, it was obviously female. Twilight and Rarity, startled, both turned to look across the rooftops. For a moment, they beheld a strange sight. A woman stood upon the rooftops. Her skin emitted a bright blue-violet glow, and she wore a dress of mauve, long and plain with no sleeves. Her ebony hair seemed to flow like wind around her body. She laughed again, grinning maliciously, before she leaned backward and dissolved, her image fading slowly into lines of color that were swept away by the wind.

"You…saw that too, right?" Twilight asked Rarity.

"Yes, I did," Rarity confirmed.

"OH NO!" Twilight turned her attention back to the square. It had filled with soldiers during that moment she and Rarity had been distracted. She began casting Flipendo jinxes hurriedly, and Rarity resumed firing crystal arrows.

* * *

On a side street, a woman was lying on the ground, shaking in the shadow of the soldier that stood over her. "Please!" she moaned. "Spare me!"

Kratos snorted. "I did not spare my own family," he told her, though those had been odd circumstances, and he knew it. "What makes you think I would spare you?" He raised his swords – the Blades of Chaos – high, intending to plunge them down into the unarmed Athenian, turn her into an example for all to see.

When he brought them down, they hit another pair of blades with a CLANG. The blades that held off the Blades of Chaos were thin and glowing gold; the hands that held them were young but strong. "Hey!" Pit snapped. "Not cool, man! What did she ever do to you?"

"She is an Athenian!" Kratos growled. "None of whom are to be spared, by order of Ares!"

"Well, Ares is a jerk!" Pit replied.

"What brings you here, servant of Palutena?" Kratos spat.

"I was just flying over when I saw that you and your guys were tearing the city to pieces!" Pit answered. "And I couldn't have that!"

The four blades unlocked; then Kratos began slashing outward at Pit, who expertly parried all his strikes. "Ha! Haha! Is that all you've got?" The winged boy danced away from the Athenian woman, into open space; the woman got up and ran to sanctuary.

With a roar, Kratos summoned the fire of Ares, letting loose a blast of flame. Pit soared above it, sheathing his blades and drawing his bow, letting loose an arrow of light. Kratos chopped the arrow out of the air; Pit drew his blades again, attaching the hilts and spinning them round and round. He descended upon Kratos this way, and Kratos responded by calling upon the powers he'd learned from Hades, plunging the Blades of Chaos toward the ground to summon a portal from which several wayward, angry souls were unleashed, grasping at Pit and dragging him to the ground. Pit fired a few more light arrows, and the souls were scared away, rushing back to their portal. Kratos summoned the lightning of Zeus, sending a multi-forked bolt at Pit, but Pit deflected it, spinning the new staff he'd made of his conjoined blades. He attempted to rush Kratos at the same time that the Spartan called upon the ice of Poseidon; Pit was forced to change course and dodge several bolts of winter. Then the four blades clashed again, sparks flying as metal met metal again and again.

Then both warriors stood facing each other, forced to fight to catch breath. "You are lucky, servant of Palutena," Kratos spat. "You will not be so lucky next time."

"And you're an ugly brute," Pit countered. "Do me a favor and keep picking on guys your own size, will ya?"

Kratos turned his back on Pit, walking away, in the direction of the Athenian gates. Pit, realizing the invasion must have included more soldiers, ran deeper into Athens, eventually coming out into the square. He drew his golden blades, jumping into the fray, noticing that two humans and three Kentaurides seemed to also be fighting the Spartans off there.

* * *

Pericles dipped a quill in ink, setting down the rules he was making about the golden apples and how they should be divided according to the rules of his democracy. He kept feeling the odd temptation just to write a provision that he would be able to keep them all, but so far, he was winning against it.

Five Spartans burst into the room, pointing spears at Pericles; the famed democratic leader dropped his quill and put up his hands.

"You will die in the name of Sparta!" one of the soldiers threatened.

Then the spear was knocked out of his hand.

The Spartan soldiers weren't sure what was happening, at first. Zoë burst into the room like a gust of wind, using a large bronze sword to knock down that first spear. The other four soldiers turned their weapons toward her, but she parried them, disarming two more. The three unarmed soldiers ran at her with fists drawn back; Zoë ducked, and all three ended up punching each other in the head. Zoë then turned her attention to the remaining armed soldiers. One rushed at her; her blade clashed with his spear shaft several times until she kicked him in the stomach and grabbed the spear from his hand. She glared at the last armed soldier, and he yelled, "RETREAT!"

All five Spartans ran for the door. Pericles put his hands down gingerly. "Thank you," he said. "I owe you my – "

"No time." Zoë dropped the spear and exited the hall, leaving Pericles in a state of bewilderment.

* * *

Rainbow Dash soared over the rooftops of Athens until she dropped onto the roof next to Twilight and Rarity. "Okay, I got a bunch of guys to retreat out front," she announced. "How are we doing here?"

"Not good," Twilight said. "We're gonna have to try something drastic."

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"Just follow my lead," Twilight commanded. "Rainbow Dash, you get down there and get all our friends out of that square…wait! And him, with the wings. And her!" She just then noticed Zoë joining the fray. "With the bronze sword! Get them all out of the way. Rarity, you just hold fire."

"Got it!" Rainbow Dash saluted.

"Twilight," Rarity warned, "please don't do something that will harm yourself…"

"It won't hurt me too much," Twilight said.

"Oh, good – WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'TOO MUCH'?"

Rainbow Dash zipped down into the crowd, weaving her way between attacking Spartans and flying around Applejack, Hercules, Icarus, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, encircling them in a rainbow ring. "This way!" she said, buzzing toward an exit, drawing a rainbow path; the five followed it, and the rainbow confused the Spartans too much to allow them to give chase. Rainbow Dash then found Pit and Zoë, who had coincidentally ended up fighting near each other, and circled them as well. "Come on!"

"Who're you?" Pit asked.

"The hero who's saving your life!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "We've got a plan! Come on!"

Pit and Zoë agreed and followed her, though Zoë muttered, "This had better be good…"

Twilight watched Rainbow Dash, Pit, and Zoë leave the square. "Okay," she said under her breath. "Here goes…"

She initiated her Mahou Shoujo transformation, lifting her staff into the air. "ELEMENTAL FINALE!"

The comets of glimmering plasma began to fall upon the entire square. At first, the soldiers panicked, screaming; "WITCHCRAFT! WITCHCRAFT!" Then the meteors hit, taking effect; they felt lethargy strike them. Weapons fell from hands.

"The witchcraft is taking our energy!" one yelled.

"RETREAT!" another cried. "RETREAT!"

The entire square chorused the message: "RETREAT! RETREAT!" The Spartan soldiers scrambled to escape the falling magic. Then, all too suddenly, the square was empty, and Twilight's attack rained on inanimate cobblestones.

Twilight lowered the staff, reverting from her transformation.

"Twilight!" Rarity cried. "How could you do that? Your amulet!"

Twilight could guess that the gem looked a little cloudier. "I had to," she said. "We were losing, and if that army had won out against us…" She didn't have to finish the sentence.

"Well," Rarity said, "I won't disagree that it was certainly effective. We should probably discuss this on lower ground."

They jumped down onto the streets, hooves striking the cobblestones with a distinct thud. At that moment, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Icarus, and Hercules entered the square from one street, Meg and Cassandra entered from another, and Pericles appeared by a third route still.

"So what just happened?" Cassandra asked. "I just saw a whole battalion of Spartan elites run out of here crying like babies."

"Twilight unleashed her full power on them," Rarity explained. "They won't be hurt, but they won't be in any condition to fight for a while, either."

"GO TWILIGHT!" Pinkie Pie cried.

"You did that?" Hercules said in disbelief. "That…that's amazing!"

"Tell me you didn't use them Mahou Shoujo powers," Applejack said in concern.

"I didn't see another way," Twilight told her.

"She just saved Athens!" Hercules gushed. "What's wrong with – "

"Usin' up that power is bad for her," Applejack said sternly.

"It'll be okay if I balance it out," Twilight told Applejack. "Besides, it's only going to really overflow if I end up in a state of despair. I just have to think positive."

"I just hope you're right," Applejack sighed.

"So you were responsible for the Spartan retreat?" Pericles asked.

"Yeah!" Pinkie chirped, pointing to Cassandra and Meg. "And those two were responsible for healing the people in the streets!"

"Now that the battle is over," Fluttershy asked the two women, "can I help tend to the injured?"

"C'mon," Cassandra said, beckoning with a hand. "Still plenty of beat-up people to put bandages on."

"We could use the help," Meg added.

"I'll catch up with you later," Fluttershy said before she, Meg, and Cassandra set off into the tangle of city streets, looking for more of the wounded.

"But where is the woman who saved my life?" Pericles asked. "She had dark hair, and she wielded a bronze sword."

"We saw her!" Twilight announced.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said, turning to look behind her. "She's right…hey, where'd she go? And where's the winged kid?"

The others all realized that Pit and Zoë were conspicuously absent.

"Huh," Twilight remarked. "That's weird. Anyway, we should probably find Phil at the safe house we marked for him."

"Phil…" Pericles remembered the name. He looked at Hercules. "I thought I recognized you." He gave the demigod a smile. "So the famous Hercules and Philoctetes save the day again."

"Yeah," Hercules replied, "but it really wasn't – "

"That's right, baby!" Icarus chimed in. "But don't forget that they had a little help from the awesome Icarus."

"And Rainbow Dash," Rainbow Dash added.

"Okay, that's enough," Twilight interrupted. "Let's just go find Phil."

The entire group left the square, and Pericles was alone to contemplate events. "Certainly the heroes of Athens must be celebrated," he said to himself. "I'd never thought I'd see the day when a Kentauride fended off an invasion instead of leading one. I suppose that is the nature of things, to change…"

* * *

Pit and Zoë had seen the retreat. However, instead of staying to see the results, they had continued to make their way down the street Rainbow Dash had pointed out to them, looking to see if any soldiers were still attacking the city.

"So what's your name, anyway?" Pit asked.

"None of thy business," Zoë answered.

A door before them opened, and Phil stepped out of the designated safe house: a pottery shop. "Eh, it's been quiet enough," he said to himself.

"WHOA!" Pit halted before he walked right into the satyr. Zoë halted her steps gracefully and without remark.

Before anyone could say anything more, a fourth turned the corner: a tall, majestic centaur with dark skin, flowing dark hair, and a chiseled, muscular figure. "Strange things have just happened," he said. "It looks like someone just ran the Spartan invasion out of Athens. I even saw Kratos himself leaving in frustration to follow his troops. I don't suppose you're going to claim to have anything to do with this, Philoctetes?"

"Chiron," Phil spat. "As a matter of fact, my trainees were on the case. What you saw was more than likely a victory they won."

"And these are your trainees?" Chiron asked, eyeing Zoë and Pit. "They don't seem like much."

"Hey!" Pit retorted. "I'm one of Palutena's court from Olympus!"

"And I a Hesperide," Zoë added.

"Those are only labels," Chiron said dismissively. "Are you claiming that they fended off the Spartan soldiers? Had you given me more time, my trainees and I would have been able to eradicate the threat more efficiently and far more permanently."

"First of all, that's why I'm glad it WASN'T you," Phil growled. "The LAST thing this city needed was more dead bodies all over!" Though he'd chastised his students for their unwillingness to kill earlier, when it came to Chiron, he would always argue the opposite point. "Second, these ain't my trainees. I ain't claimin' they fended off the Spartans." He looked over his shoulder, and as expected, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Hercules, and Icarus were arriving. "I'm claimin' THEY fended off the Spartans."

Chiron's expression changed when he saw the five Kentaurides. "I see."

"Well?" Phil folded his arms. "What's your complaint this time? What sarcastic remark do you have planned?"

Chiron looked in the direction of the Equestrians instead of replying to Phil. "You have done well," he said. "You understand it is a hard road."

"We figured," Twilight replied.

"Are you kidding?" Rainbow Dash countered. "This is gonna be a breeze!"

"I have faith in what you will become," Chiron said solemnly. "Today, you've proven your greatness."

Phil's jaw dropped. "WHAT? After years of insults, you decide to get nice NOW?"

"I have walked in those horseshoes," Chiron explained. "I know what it means when they cry 'raid' because you've entered a city. I've made a living out of being better than others, but in this case, I have to say that if I could make it from being reviled to becoming a hero, you can too."

"Thanks," Applejack said with a nod.

"I look forward to seeing what you will do in the future," Chiron said with a smile, turning and exiting.

"That…that…" Phil stammered. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

"He seems nice," Pinkie Pie observed.

"He usually isn't," Hercules explained. "Chiron is kind of used to pointing out how great he is and that no one else will ever be as great. That's why he and Phil don't get along…because they both have huge egos."

"Hey!" Phil interrupted.

Hercules ignored him. "I guess he knows better than anyone else what it's like to be a centaur trying to become a hero among humans."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Phil muttered. "So where's Flutters?"

"She went along with Meg and Cassandra to heal more of the wounded," Twilight explained.

"But who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking to Pit and Zoë. "You two just came rushing in and started fighting next to us. That was pretty cool. You heroes or something?"

"Yeah!" Pit cried. "I'm actually one of Palutena's court, from Olympus! I helped save Palutena from Medusa and Orcos back in the day!"

"Wait," Hercules said, putting out his hands. "Medusa…attacked Palutena? That doesn't make sense. She was my friend too."

"Well, she was a Gorgon," Icarus pointed out.

"And we're Kentaurides," Rainbow Dash snapped. "What's the point?"

"She locked Palutena inside her own palace, took over her part of Olympus, and caused that three-day night when all the crops turned to stone," Pit explained.

"Are we talking about the same Medusa?" Hercules asked. "Green, wore purple, had snakes for hair? Did you even see her?"

"I fought her personally," Pit said, "and that's the one."

"That's…weird," Hercules muttered. "I mean…we did fall out of touch. I guess it's not that hard to believe she could have gone bad…she just didn't seem like the type."

"Trust me," Pit said, "she's bad. REAL bad. Anyway, just so you know, I was the one who fought off Kratos. That guy's a piece of work!"

"Understatement of the year," Phil muttered.

"Who's Kratos?" Twilight asked.

"The Spartan army general," Hercules answered. "They call him the Ghost of Sparta. He's apparently got both Athena and Ares as patrons. I'm not sure exactly what happened to connect him to Olympus, but it can't have been anything good, because he's kind of…well…"

"A psychopath," Phil suggested.

"Scarier than if the Hydra had babies with Charybdis," Icarus added.

"…Mean?" Hercules settled. "Anyway, if you fought him off, that's amazing!"

"Hey, I couldn't let innocent people get hurt!" Pit defended. "I'm on a little vacation from Olympus, and I noticed everything going nuts down here! So I decided to step in."

"Thank you," Rarity said. "That was quite chivalrous of you."

"So what're your stories?" Pit asked. "You all seem to be good friends."

"The Kentaurides are my trainees," Phil explained, "and the other two are friends. We've got three more out in the field acting as medics. Right now, we got Sparkle, AJ, Dash, Pie, Rarity, Herc – "

"THE Hercules?" Icarus said, stunned. Zoë raised an eyebrow in interest. "You were the one who stopped the Titan invasion!"

"Well…yeah!" Hercules confirmed.

"And Icarus," Phil finished.

"The one and only!" Icarus added.

"WHAT?" Pit was taken aback. "You…they said you died! When you flew too close to the sun!"

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Icarus said dramatically.

"No, no, no…" Pit's eyes widened. "You don't get it. After I saved Palutena, they gave me a nickname. The 'Kid Icarus.' You're THE one who flew all the way to the sun on wax wings. You're a legend! Actually, you're kind of my hero!"

"Excuse me?" Applejack interrupted. "Hercules was the one who saved Olympus. All Icarus did was fly to the sun. You're sure you – "

"Shh," Pinkie hissed. "Don't ruin it for him!"

"Mortals were all told they weren't supposed to fly," Pit continued to rave. "But you just threw away the rules! That must have been really brave!"

"It sure was!" Icarus agreed. "Oh, yes, I was terrified, but I overcame it!"

"He wasn't terrified," Hercules whispered to Rainbow Dash. "It was kind of an accident…"

"This is so cool!" Pit nearly squealed. "So are you on a real quest?"

"More or less," Hercules answered.

"Actually, we're absolutely on a quest," Twilight said. "The golden apples of discord have turned up, and from the sound of it, they're affecting more than just Sparta and Athens. We're trying to make sure that whatever big disasters come are mostly contained before too many people get hurt."

"So you're like vigilantes going all over Greece?" Pit asked. "Hey…mind if I tag along with you guys? After all, I did vanquish Kratos. I could lend you a helping hand."

"AWESOME!" Pinkie cried before Phil could voice his displeasure. "The more the merrier! It'll be like a big party!"

"Hey, if you and I could each save Olympus alone," Hercules added, "we can probably save Greece in record time if we work together."

"It's always lovely to meet another fan!" Icarus chimed in.

"You ever had a fan before?" Applejack asked skeptically.

"Well, no vocal ones," Icarus admitted, "but I'm sure there are throngs of people worshiping me somewhere. I just try to keep it on the down-low so Olympus doesn't mistake me for impersonating a god and send their watchdog goddess of vengeance down on me."

"Welcome to the team!" Rarity said warmly.

"COOL!" Pit cried.

"Oy," Phil sighed. "All right, I guess there's room in the cart for…" He then was struck with realization, turning to Icarus. "WHO EVEN SAID YOU COULD COME ALONG?"

"But Phil!" Pinkie argued. "He was Hercules' best friend for soooooo long and they're still friends today so why should we break them up, especially when he's so cool and really fun and he helped out a lot with the Spartans and I just know he can help us save all of Greece!"

"What she said!" Icarus whined. "PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME GO WITH YOU! IT'S THE LEAST YOU COULD DO!"

"All right," Phil groaned. "Icarus. Kid Icarus. You're in."

"Pardon me," Zoë spoke up. "Thou mentioned the golden apples of discord."

"Yeah," Phil said, turning to look at her clearly for the first time. "What's it to ya – WHOA."

"Oh, not THIS again," Rarity sighed.

"What is a beautiful girl like you doin' in a war-torn polis like this?" Phil asked with a wink.

"I do not care for thy romantic advances," Zoë said in disgust. "I am Zoë, youngest of the Hesperides. I live in the garden from which the golden apples come. I was alerted to the fact that several had been stolen, and I made it my mission to discover who had done such a horrible deed. Now that the apples have already taken root, I suppose it is only my duty to find and contain them before innocents are harmed."

"Then you should come with us," Twilight said. "I mean, we're going to be passing pretty much all the places that chaos starts. And that means all the trees. Maybe we can find out who the thief is on the way!"

"I LOVE solving mysteries!" Pinkie chimed in.

"Perhaps I shall take thee up on thy offer," Zoë said.

"Do it," Pit cajoled. "You cleaned UP out there!"

"I am still considering," Zoë said, "though…I am pleased thou art all so welcoming already." She smiled slightly.

"Y'know," Phil said, "they say the Hesperides are unbelievably beautiful. But lookin' at you? I just KNOW you're the pretty one."

Zoë slapped Phil across the face. No one else could find the will to contain laughter.

"I'd been rather hoping someone would do that," Rarity confessed. "I'm far too much of a lady to do it myself, of course."

The laughter was interrupted when a young messenger dressed in the robes of the advisors of Pericles rushed toward the group. "There you are!" he panted. "You're the ones who fought off the invasion! Pericles is about to publicly declare your heroism in the amphitheater!"

"Ya hear that?" Phil said excitedly. "They're noticin' ya! This is our big chance!"

"Let's go!" Pinkie Pie squealed before bounding ahead; the others followed her with excitement.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Pillars of crystal shot upward from the floor, creating a tall construct. Around it, rings of fire were drawn; they burned until they were replaced entirely by water, which froze and shattered, giving way to wind. The wind died down, and a fork of lightning was sent from the top of the crystal construct, where the bender of all these elements stood, to the ground. Finished with his display, Mozenrath leapt down from the crystal pillars and landed gracefully on the main floor.

"Well done," Hecate said, applauding. "You're a fast learner. That's going to be good for both of us."

"I just wanted to make sure you knew you weren't wrong in your choice," Mozenrath said with a bow. "Now, if you'll show me where I'm staying – "

"Hold on," Hecate retorted. "Who said we were done?"

"I mastered your elements, right down to freezing and lightning."

Hecate nodded. She was impressed that he'd managed all that. Not many could. The Morrigan and Ahriman hadn't been exaggerating about him. Still, she wasn't about to let him get off easy. "You're done when I say you're done. And you're not done."

"Fine," Mozenrath huffed. He was exhausted, but felt it best not to let on to Hecate about that. "What do you want me to do next?"

"I want you to move on to another of the elements of the cosmos," Hecate said. "Time. At the very least, I want you to master entering hypertime."

"And that is…?"

Hecate strode toward Mozenrath gracefully. Then, in the span of a second, she had crossed the entire hall and was staring him down from a foot away. She hadn't Apparated. "Moving through time more quickly than anything else around you."

"I'd like to raise a complaint," Mozenrath pointed out. "Wouldn't that accelerate the aging rate of whoever did it? Since they're going through so much more time than anything else."

"If you do it wrong," Hecate replied. "If you do it right, that won't matter. It can't be explained any further than that it's magic. That's how magic works."

"Point taken."

"Now do what I say," Hecate commanded. "Walk around me. Keep your pace normal, but be faster than everything else."

"Well, that's specific."

"If you will it, and if you've got the power," Hecate insisted, "you'll do it."

Feeling foolish, Mozenrath walked in a circle around Hecate.

"You're not even trying," she criticized.

"And you didn't give me anywhere to begin with it," he retorted.

"There's a method that can be used to kickstart sorcerers into figuring out hypertime," Hecate said. "I've heard that it's cruel. Luckily, I don't care. You have two assignments: will yourself into another level of time and don't get hit."

"I don't see wh – "

She socked him in the jaw. "I SAID don't get hit!" Hecate snapped.

Mozenrath touched his jaw in surprise. Hecate hadn't been lying about the cruelty of the method. "All right. Next time, I won't."

He was ready for her to swing the moment he finished that sentence, and he ducked it, at the same time grasping at empty air with his right hand, looking for that elusive way between levels of time. For just a moment, everything seemed to slow down; Hecate returned to her original position sluggishly, and her outline blurred. Then everything was as normal.

She grinned. "You had it."

"Barely," Mozenrath admitted. "It's as difficult as – "

He knew she would swing midsentence. This time, when he dodged the blow, everything slowed down again and stayed that way. In the time it took Hecate to draw her fist back and stand up straight, Mozenrath walked behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. Then everything reverted.

"NOW I have it," he boasted.

"You had it for three seconds," Hecate countered. She spun around.

This time, he barely had time to move before he had to put up his hand and catch her wrist. She hadn't slowed down. Mozenrath looked around. The crystals all seemed blurrier. In a corner, Xerxes floated in slow motion.

"Attacking me in hypertime?" Mozenrath asked Hecate. "That's a dirty trick."

"Do you really care about playing fair?"

"No."

Time caught up to him first; she was able to snap her wrist out of his grip and step backward two paces within a blink. "That was a slight improvement," she remarked offhandedly.

"What are you looking for, ideally?" Mozenrath asked.

"For a beginner?" Hecate replied. "Hold it for two solid minutes – "

In hypertime, they clashed; she moved right past him, and he stepped forward so they were back-to-back. "And maybe in a couple years, you can hold it for two hours," Hecate finished.

* * *

ATHENS, OLYMPIC GREECE

The amphitheater audience was filled with civilians, and most of them looked slightly worse for wear, sporting bruises and bandages. Pericles stood upon the stage; his counsel had escorted Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Hercules, Icarus, Pit, Zoë, and Phil to the stage. On the way, Pinkie had noticed Fluttershy, Meg, and Cassandra, and she waved them up to the stage.

"Heroes are not born," Pericles began. "They are made."

This was met with applause and the scramble of tablets to take down this wisdom in writing.

"These are the heroes who have saved us from certain doom at the hands of Sparta," Pericles went on. "Each of them played a part."

The Athenians whispered amongst themselves. Twilight could guess the subject of discussion all too well: how had Kentaurides been the ones to save them?

"I wish to publicly recognize them," Pericles said. "Please – "

He was interrupted by a brilliant light. In front of him, a figure materialized on the stage. It was the female figure depicted in the statue that had spoken to Kratos back in Sparta, though in living color – the cloth of her ensemble bright white, her breastplate bronze as the form-fitting wires that framed her face, her skin and hair bright blue.

The Athenians gasped, for they recognized her immediately. Twilight could tell she was a goddess, and Hercules knew that she was the very one for which this city was named.

"Hail these heroes with your highest praise," Athena commanded, "for they have defended Athens! They selflessly joined the fight to prevent our destruction!"

The Athenians went wild with applause.

"The golden apples of discord have found their way into the mortal world," Athena went on, "and because of that, the Spartans attacked, hoping to gain possession of the apples, which no mortal should have." She turned to face the heroes on the stage. "Thank you for saving my city from them."

Most were struck speechless by the appearance of the goddess. It was up to Hercules to say, "Heh…no problem…"

Athena turned back to the audience. "As I have said, no mortal should ever taste the golden apples. It will bring you only ruin. They are only fit for the gods to handle. That is why we are going to retaliate! We shall invade Sparta, using our wits rather than raw power, and claim the tree so that it may safely be returned to me!"

"WAIT!" Twilight cried. "That isn't right!"

The audience was thrown into fervent whispers. How dare, they asked, someone interrupt the patron goddess of Athens?

Athena turned to eye Twilight with suspicion. "You have a problem with my methods?"

"Yes!" Twilight insisted. "We want the fighting to STOP, not turn in the other direction!"

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ATHENA, KENTAURIDE!" someone yelled from the audience.

"HUSH," Athena commanded the offender. She then turned back to Twilight. "It is the only way! Sparta has committed a grave offense, and if we do not put them in their place, they will not learn, and the apples will not be returned to their rightful owner!"

"Thou art not the rightful owner," Zoë pointed out. "Were I to guess, Lady Athena, I would say that thou hast been corrupted by the apples' allure as well!"

"That is daft!" Athena bellowed; her voice echoed against the sky. "As an Olympian, I am not thwarted by such simple deception!"

"Even the Hesperides are not inherently immune," Zoë countered. "Immunity comes either with luck or with the recognition that the apples are the root of temptation."

"That's why we don't want 'em!" Applejack whispered in revelation. "'Cause we know!"

"I would not normally stand for such accusations," Athena said, "but because of the service you all have done for Athens, I will not see you punished."

Rarity let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.

"However," Athena said, "I will see you escorted out of the city walls. If you stand against us, I will not have you carrying knowledge of our plan to Sparta!"

Then it seemed everyone in the audience suddenly had a weapon: concealed daggers were brought out in droves.

"But – " Twilight tried to argue.

"Kid," Phil advised, "don't. Not now. Let's just focus on getting out alive!"

"Don't worry!" Pinkie cried nervously. "We were just leaving anyway! Let's go, everypony! We don't wanna keep our quest waiting! Thanks for declaring us heroes, Athena! See you later! Ooh, maybe we can – "

"That'll be enough outta you," Applejack muttered, dragging Pinkie along, and the group moved off the stage, out of the amphitheater, and out of the city walls, pointed all the way by blades of all sorts.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

The room Hecate had provided for Mozenrath was, like the rest of the palace, made of blue crystal. It was of medium size, containing a soft bed, a desk, and an empty shelf.

The sorcerer practically stumbled over the threshold, exhausted from the day's training. Xerxes hovered over him in concern.

"I'm fine," Mozenrath snapped to his familiar. "It's worth it."

"You always say worth it for bad things," Xerxes pointed out.

"And I haven't been wrong yet, have I?"

Mozenrath moved to the desk, where his sketchbook had been placed. He opened it to the next blank page, taking one of the quills provided him at the desk; being made of divine magic, it didn't require ink. He began to put down notes on everything he'd been taught. There was a lot to record.

* * *

ATHENS, OLYMPIC GREECE

During the Spartan invasion, Pegasus had been given the honor of guarding the wagon. He'd had his chance to kick a couple invading soldiers away, but for the most part, none had been that interested in destroying a simple wagon from Delphi, so Pegasus instead spent his time nonverbally communicating his boredom to the other two horses.

He perked up at the sight of the party coming back to the wagon to greet him, albeit with some additions. However, noticing the looks on their faces, it didn't take Pegasus long to deduce that things had gone wrong.

"That was messed up," Pit complained.

"You're telling me!" Rainbow Dash whined. "We put so much work into saving their flanks, and they do THIS?"

"I keep telling thee, it is the work of the apples upon Athena!" Zoë insisted. "She believeth they are safe with her; she knoweth not that she dost merely want them for herself!"

"So what do we do now?" Meg asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rainbow Dash replied. "We go to Sparta and stop the Athenian invasion."

"Oh, like they'll welcome us with open arms after the pounding we gave their army," Phil grunted.

"We have to try something!" Twilight insisted. "If we knew the Athenians' plan! Then we might be able to come up with a…counter-plan! But we have no way of knowing how they're going to attack."

"Oh, right," Cassandra huffed. "Let's just forget about the seer on the team."

"Cassandra!" Twilight replied in realization. "Can you look and see what's going to happen to Sparta? Please?"

"I guess…" Cassandra took the bottled mists from the wagon, taking out the stopper and inhaling only the smallest breath of mist so that more remained for later. Her eyes flushed bright green.

"I love it when she does that," Icarus told Pinkie Pie. "You won't find a prettier shade of green in anything Demeter makes!"

"I see Athenians in Spartan armor," Cassandra said in the monotone of her trance. "They're let in because of their disguise. They enter the palace and capture Helen." Then the trance ended.

"We know their plan now!" Twilight cried happily.

"Now we can help Sparta fight 'em off!" Pit added.

"We have to be smart about it, though," Twilight insisted. "If they're not fighting on muscle power alone, we can't either. If I just had an idea for a plan…"

"We'll have the entire road to Sparta to think up a plan," Applejack reminded her. "And we'd best get goin' sooner rather than later, or…who knows what could happen?"

"You're right." Twilight nodded. "Everypony ready?"

Hercules nodded, climbing into the wagon. "Let's go."

The others all followed suit, with the exception of Zoë, who stared at the wagon, slightly confused. She wasn't sure, still, how she'd managed to get herself on an actual team.

"You coming…Pretty One?" Pit teased.

Zoë cracked a smile. "I am with thee." She hoisted herself into the wagon. Then it began to roll.

"So," Icarus asked Cassandra, seated next to her, "still single, are we? I knew you would still carry a torch for old Icarus."

"This is going to be the worst road trip ever," Cassandra moaned.

"This is going to be the BEST road trip EVER!" Pinkie squealed, sitting on the other side of Icarus. "So…how long until we get there? Ooh, are we there yet?"

* * *

Chapter 50

· 50TH CHAPTER ANNIVERSARY WOOOOOOOO

· You'll notice the physical designs I used for Ares and Athena are GoW, though Athena is blue, which is HTAS. As for their personalities? Honestly, the HTAS ones are basically Flanderized versions of the GoW ones. I can see either incarnation saying the other's lines, albeit with less talk about pranking by owlnapping among the GoW versions. I guess there's a collective unconscious about how Ares and Athena should be. So you can give them whatever voice you want.

· I BS'd a LOT about how the golden apples work. I couldn't decide whether they cause chaos in general or by temptation, so I tried to go with a mix of both. And never mind that a lot of the chaos is going to be sent by Hades anyway. So were the apples even necessary? Can we pretend "yes" for the sake of the story? Because I need those apples to be a plot device. Also, the "immunity" is something else I had to BS in order for the heroes to remain sensible enough to solve problems without getting tangled up in the apples' allure. Don't get me wrong – I may want to play with some characters and the idea of temptation (I know who in particular), but not ALL of them.

· ICARUS RETURNS! Athens was pretty much the chapter where the hero team came together. The HTAS ep "Yearbook" designates that Icarus did go into business selling wax wings, so I ran with it. I didn't make that many changes to his general design, though his chiton is a little less skimpy. (Trust me. We'll get into skimpy chitons later.)

· This is my way of getting Daedalus out of the way to start building the labyrinth for the Percy Jackson era. The Perdix thing…we'll get to when we absolutely have to. I didn't feel like it needed extra explanation here.

· Who is the woman in mauve? If you have a solid guess, you're probably right. All I'll say is that she's a Greek mythical figure, but from a piece of media that I didn't mention in-story yet. (And which I considered making part of this world, but that just made it a confusing clusterfuck even more than it was, so it's going to be its own thing.)

· Kratos could actually probably WASTE Pit in a fight, but the heroes need an edge and I needed to intro Pit. Also, watch me stuff all of Kratos' magical abilities from Ascension into one paragraph.

· I debated whether Athens should be ruled by Theseus or Pericles. If Pericles, I would have to deal with the fact that Athens is a democracy while Sparta, Mycenae, and Thrace are all monarchies, and not really get a chance to mention Theseus at all. If Theseus, though, I would not only have to retcon "Assassin" (one of my favorite eps), but also deal with the fact that Theseus ALSO knew Hercules growing up as of "Grim Avenger" and therefore have to spend extra time detailing their relationship when I'm just going to leave the Athenian leader behind anyway and the real development needs to be saved for Helen of Sparta and…so I just defaulted to Pericles. I realize I didn't make him JUST spout clichés like in HTAS, but I needed him to be able to say plot relevant stuff. I ended up actually being able to run with the democracy "inconsistency" for a greater plot point later.

· You'll notice Zoë fighting with Anaklusmos and again, your stomach has probably dropped a mile because you know where that's going.

· I wanted to not only reinforce the whole "centaurs vs. the world" thing with Chiron, but also show him as having a soft side…starting a transition from his egomaniac HTAS personality to the more caring Mr. Brunner a couple millennia later. Also, he was…fighting more Spartans in another part of town. I guess.

· Enter the significance of calling Pit the "Kid Icarus." Having him hero-worship crazy Icarus without knowing what he was really like was just an idea I HAD to run with.

· Nicknaming Zoë "Pretty One" is more Percy Jackson setup, as the one flashback we see is of Hercules calling her "Pretty One."

· So there's a point at which I start stealing the definition of dark magic directly from Bayonetta. Right down to "witch time" (hypertime) being activated by dodging something at the last possible second. This gets even more obvious in the next training session I have planned. Basically, Moz is gonna learn everything but the Wicked Weave (because giving him prehensile hair would just be RIDICULOUS, no? Well…maybe not that ridiculous. You can judge).

· Of course gods and goddesses are affected by the apples. Judgment of Paris, y'know.

· Friendship is magic, but you know that feeling when you're so moral that you end up having to go save the ass of the city-state you just humiliated from the horrors of the poor city-state you just defended from them? Yeah. That feeling. This was the plan from the beginning.

· One last note: deaths. You decide for yourself if any happened in the riots or the Spartan invasion. Because Hades' intent was to have people killed in the tumult, but our heroes wanted to prevent that as much as possible. You decide how much death happened offscreen or how much was prevented.


	51. Team Strategist

51. Team Strategist

THE ROADS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Somewhere along the journey, Pinkie Pie's incessant question of "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" changed into "So do you have a plan yet? Do you have a plan yet?" directed at Twilight, who was thinking her hardest.

"I'm trying," Twilight muttered. "Hang on…what about the apple tree? Shouldn't we do something about that?"

"I say we cut it down!" Pit suggested.

"NO!" Fluttershy insisted. "I will not have you hurt an innocent tree that can't defend itself!"

"How was that tree INNOCENT?" Pit asked in exasperation.

"I agree with Fluttershy," Zoë said. "That tree belongs to the eternal garden of paradise. It should not be destroyed. If it has only had one night to grow, it should yet be a sapling. Thou shouldst keep moving towards Sparta to beat the Athenian invasion. I shall depart to contain the tree and meet you there."

"You are coming back, right?" Pinkie asked. "You can't leave now that things are getting good!"

"Pinkie," Applejack cautioned, "we just met her. She can leave if she wants…"

"No, I shall return," Zoë confirmed. "You all…intrigue me." She smiled warmly.

"Good luck," Hercules said. Then, as Zoë vaulted one leg out of the moving wagon, he added, "…Pretty One."

Everyone else in the wagon chuckled. "Humorous," Zoë said, bemused, before leaping out of the wagon, hitting the ground, and beginning her own path.

"So…plan?" Pinkie asked Twilight.

"Still working on it," Twilight grunted.

* * *

SPARTA, OLYMPIC GREECE

The city of Ares was surrounded by a circular wall, and most of the stone that made it up seemed to be of a reddish hue. As the gates of Sparta were parted to admit the wagon, braziers full of fire were visible lighting every corner, contributing to the red effect.

The wagon rolled through the streets into the main square, and every civilian the wagon passed stopped to glare at it. Finally, the wagon was halted by a throng of people. "Why are YOU here?" someone asked.

"The Kentaurides are probably here to run a raid!" another cried. "What idiot let them in the gate?"

As in the amphitheater at Athens, hidden blades were drawn a hundredfold.

"Hang on!" Rainbow Dash raised her hands. "We're not raiders!"

"She is right!" a gruff voice bellowed from a side street. Everyone turned to see Kratos, along with a company of soldiers.

"THANK you," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Actually, we're – "

"THEY are the ones that humiliated Sparta in the Athens invasion!" Kratos roared, pointing at the wagon.

Fluttershy shrieked and ducked out of sight as the Spartan soldiers rushed the wagon, pointing spears at those inside.

"Hey, we can explain!" Hercules defended. "I swear!"

"This ain't lookin' good," Phil said.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Pit drew both his blades.

"PIT, NO!" Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack cried as one.

"HOLD ON!" another voice cried, and a slim, blonde female figure clothed in an elaborate purple gown with blue accents pushed her way through the crowd. "Excuse me! Pardon me!"

"Queen Helen!" several soldiers whispered, standing aside to let Helen through.

"Sorry, everyone," Helen said, "but there seems to be a little misunderstanding. These are my friends! Hercules, Icarus, and Cassandra!" She looked up at the wagon. "And a few more."

"But they forced us to give up Athens!" a soldier protested.

"Well, I'm sure they had very good reasons for that," Helen said. She turned and looked up to Hercules. "You did have good reasons, right?"

"YES!" Hercules cried. "Sparta and Athens are BOTH under the influence of the golden apples of discord!"

There was no reaction from the crowd until someone said, "The what?"

"They're some kind of force of chaos," Meg picked up.

"Pretty much your doom," Cassandra added.

"They make everypony act all irrational and everything go wrong," Applejack continued. "You guys only invaded Athens in the first place because of them!"

"We did that of our own free will!" a soldier argued. "Right, Kratos?"

Kratos said nothing, and suspicion began to permeate the crowd.

"He gets his orders from Ares," Helen explained.

"And Ares would have wanted to take those apples!" Rainbow Dash confirmed. "Even the gods are going nuts over them! Athena wants them now, and she's sending an invasion right back at you!"

"Why would you betray Athens to help us?" Kratos asked in disgust. "How do we know that you are not traitors?"

"We only have your best interests in mind!" Rarity announced. "We don't want anyone in Greece to be hurt, you see!"

"That's why Twilight's last attack, the one that forced all y'all outta Athens, didn't actually hurt any of y'all," Applejack said. "Right, Twilight?"

"Huh?" Twilight was jerked out of concentration. "Sorry. Still thinking of a plan."

"We want to protect Sparta just as much as we protected Athens!" Rainbow Dash insisted.

"Well, we did notice that our soldiers did come home with minimal injuries, and there were no casualties…" Helen thought out loud. "Several of them were strangely fatigued, but that wore off."

"Look, we're just trying to keep people dying to a minimum," Meg stated. "We know how the Athenians are going to try to invade."

"How do you know that?" Helen asked.

Cassandra raised her hand. "Right here."

"Oh! Right. The whole 'seer' thing," Helen remembered.

"Our strategist is workin' on a counter-plan," Phil continued.

"Wait," Twilight said, again brought out of her reverie. "I'm the what?"

"You strategized the Athenian defense, didn't ya?" Phil asked her.

"Well…yeah," Twilight admitted.

"Congrats," Phil said. "You're promoted to strategist. Now strategize us a plan."

"I'M TRYING," Twilight growled.

"Do you believe their lies?" Kratos growled.

"They're not liars!" Helen argued. "I trust them! I know my friends have good hearts. They'd want to protect Sparta AND Athens! Now, as queen of Sparta, I order you all to put away your weapons and welcome them into the city!"

Grumbling, the citizens sheathed their knives and the soldiers lowered their spears. Kratos rolled his eyes in disgust at the whole display.

"Don't worry," Helen said. "You all know Hercules, don't you? He doesn't take sides! And if everyone else here is with him, they must be all right!"

"But more importantly…" Icarus leapt down from the wagon, standing tall. "ICARUS IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!" He snapped his fingers, pointing to Pinkie Pie with both hands. "HIT IT!"

Pinkie Pie leapt down from the wagon, standing beside Icarus and singing:

"Who soars like an eagle in flight?

ICARUS!

Who fights for the right with his mi-ight?

ICARUS!

Who thwarts any threat without breaking a sweat?

And looks pretty good in his tights?

That's him!

Icarus, Icarus, ICARUUUUUS!"

Icarus bowed when Pinkie was finished, and Pit applauded heartily. Cassandra merely placed her hand over her eyes. "He taught her THAT SONG. When did he even have time to teach her that song?"

"Well, we should probably move somewhere…less crowded," Helen suggested with a nervous smile. "Why don't you all follow me to the palace? We can talk there."

"The palace!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "Royalriffic!"

"Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash sighed, "we've already seen TONS of palaces and castles. It's not gonna be that special."

"But none of the ones we've seen were the SPARTAN palace!" Pinkie pointed out as the group got down from the wagon and followed Helen down the streets.

"You can come too, Horsefeathers," Meg told Pegasus, who gladly trotted along.

As the group moved out of the square, none could ignore the way Kratos stared them all down as though with murderous intent. "Helen, your highness," he said as the queen passed. "Is this really necessary? The Spartan military is more than equipped to destroy the Athenians!"

"Well," Helen said, "they are the Athenians, though. Our guests have a point when they say that the Athenian military probably has schemes in place. Brute force isn't going to be enough."

"It MIGHT be," Pit muttered. "If they'd just let me get a few arrows in at them – "

"Pit!" Hercules chided. "We're trying to get out of this with MINIMAL damage!"

"If Little Miss Strategist would actually give us something to work with," Phil grunted.

"HEY!" Twilight snapped. "You were the one who appointed me strategist! And I've almost got it! I just…need to put some pieces together!"

"This is madness," Kratos muttered.

"And this is Sparta," Helen countered. "As the Spartan queen, I demand the right to hear our guests out and consider their plan! You can go off duty until I say otherwise."

Kratos silently turned and moved down the street; Helen took the group in an opposite direction.

"Is it just me," Icarus said, "or is that guy…bad news?"

"Don't mind Kratos," Helen said. "He's…very troubled. He is the best general our army has ever had, though, and he's a protégé of Ares himself!"

"So I might not exactly be what you call…'in the loop' about everything that's happened in Greece since we all grew up," Icarus admitted. "Please! PLEASE tell me the king of this place isn't that terrible Adonis!"

"Who's Adonis?" Pinkie asked.

"Back when we were growing up," Hercules explained, "he was a bully and a ladies' man. He thought of himself as Mr. Perfect. He and Helen were a bit of an item."

"Adonis was perfect," Helen confirmed. "Perfectly AWFUL. I would never have married him! He inherited the throne of Thrace, and as far as I know, he doesn't have a wife yet. I'm not sure what woman with an ounce of good sense would want him!"

"Sooooo?" Rarity asked. "Who IS the lucky man, then?"

"Oh, I'm married to King Menelaus," Helen said cheerfully. "He's everything I could have asked for. He isn't like Adonis at all. He's kind and respectful and intelligent. He's incredibly loyal to me and to Sparta." As she went on, it began to sound more like a prepared monologue.

"Things okay in paradise?" Meg asked.

"Oh, why wouldn't they be?" Helen replied. "What more…could I possibly ask for?" Her face fell.

"I dunno," Meg answered. "Love."

"Oh, of course I love Menelaus," Helen said quickly.

"All right," Meg said. "Just makin' sure." She slowed her pace, tapping Rarity on the shoulder; the two walked at the back of the group. "You pick up on romance vibes pretty well," Meg whispered. "Am I the only one getting a sense that there's something wrong with this?"

"Well," Rarity whispered in return, "not that I'm one to gossip, but something does seem rather odd about this. Now, I've no doubt Helen is telling the truth."

"And the catch is…?"

"Well, there's quite a difference, you see, between loving someone and being IN love with someone. She could very well admire Menelaus for his good qualities, but perhaps her heart isn't in it. After all, it does seem to be a political marriage, and those can get messy. But this is just between us, you understand?"

"Crystal clear."

They reached the gates of the Spartan palace, a low, reddish building. The doors were opened, and Helen led the group inside; the doors were shut behind them to give them all privacy.

"Helen!" A muscular, fair-haired man dressed in a red chiton embellished with gold entered the room.

"Menelaus!" Helen replied, and the pair embraced, then kissed. "If you'll forgive me. A group of traveling heroes including some of my old friends has come to Sparta to warn us of an Athenian invasion as retaliation to the one we just launched. I hope you don't mind…they did help the Athenians ward our armies off, but they're merely concerned with making sure no one gets hurt at all. Oh, you do remember Hercules, don't you?"

"The hero of the Olympian invasion?" Menelaus said, stepping towards Hercules to shake his hand. "Pleasure to meet you!"

"So you're not mad that we kinda humiliated your army?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Menelaus scowled, briefly. "I was not happy with the outcome at Athens. However, our army did come back without major injuries or casualties. And I suppose if Helen believes you're trustworthy…"

"There're extenuating circumstances," Phil pointed out. "Golden apples of discord and all."

"I've heard of those in legend." Menelaus turned to Helen. "Have they suggested…"

"That these conflicts are being spurred by the apples," Helen confirmed.

"Can we prove that it's true?" Menelaus asked.

"No, not really," Helen said, "but I know Hercules, Icarus, and Cassandra well, and none of them would purposely attack a city full of innocents in the name of vengeance. And I know they care about all the polises, not just Athens. The worst that any of them would do is Cassandra seeing a vision of destruction and not informing anyone of it."

"Sometimes I gotta prioritize," Cassandra said with a shrug.

"And…of the…" Menelaus lowered his voice. "Kentaurides?"

"Oh, I don't think they've come with ill intent," Helen said.

"But, Helen – "

"But nothing, Menelaus! They didn't do us any harm, and I do not believe they are going to!"

"Well, then." Menelaus turned to the group at large. "Welcome to Sparta. Now, what do you have to say about this Athenian invasion?"

"They're gonna come in dressed as Spartans," Applejack said. "Probably with the military helmets on, so you're gonna mistake them for your soldiers and you can't see their faces. And then they're gonna try and storm the palace to capture Helen."

"Don't they know that would be suicide?" Menelaus asked. "At Helen's and my engagement, Odysseus decided that those suitors who Helen did not choose should forge a pact that if anyone harmed Helen, the other suitors would ally with me to take revenge."

"Suicide, revenge, violence, that's what all this is leading up to!" Rainbow Dash asserted. "It's all about those apples of discord! They just kinda make everything go wrong! And they were either put there by somepony who loves seeing everything go crazy or somepony who wants everypony else to die!"

"The strategist is coming up with a plan," Helen said.

"Um, Twilight?" Hercules asked in a hushed voice. "If you have anything, now's the time…"

"Okay, I've gotten this far," Twilight said. "We have to mark the real Spartan soldiers in some way so we can tell them apart from the Athenians. And Helen's going to have to hide somewhere. But beyond that…and then there's the fact that it was a vision of the future. It might have to come true no matter what. But how can I work around it if the Athenians ACTUALLY capture Helen? Anyway, that's what I have so far. Maybe you could mark the Spartan military on their hands so they could check everypony with a handshake and see who's an invader! And, Helen, you're going to have to find somewhere safe in the city to hide. Someplace no one would suspect, like a random civilian's house."

"That is a good start," Helen said with a nod. "What is your name?"

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight Sparkle! I trust you'll be able to come up with something."

"And if she doesn't," Pit asked, "THEN can we just switch to arrows?"

"Now, now!" Icarus said. "Obviously, this is too great of a mental challenge for the lesser minded."

"Twilight would be offended if she weren't deep in thought," Rarity snapped.

"Huh?" Twilight said, distracted.

"IN THE ABSENCE OF A LEGITIMATE PLAN FROM THE STRATEGIST, FEAR NOT!" Icarus yelled. "FOR I, ICARUS, HAVE A PLAN!"

"Oh, no," Cassandra sighed, placing her hand back over her face.

"We begin by building a catapult," Icarus said. "No! NO! A HUNDRED CATAPULTS! And THEN! WE FIRE THE CATAPULTS AT THE ATHENIANS!"

"Can the catapults be loaded with cake?" Pinkie asked.

"WE FIRE A HUNDRED CAKES AT THE ATHENIANS FROM THE CATAPULTS!" Icarus amended.

"I like this plan!" Pinkie approved.

"Pinkie Pie…" Rainbow Dash sighed. "Really? REALLY?"

"It's…very creative," Fluttershy offered.

Pit made a face of disgust.

"Icarus," Phil groaned, "can you just stick to the wax wings and not try with the whole 'plan' thing?"

"WAX WINGS!" Twilight cried suddenly. "That's IT! Cassandra! How did you know that the Athenian soldiers captured Helen?"

"I…saw it in a vision?" Cassandra reiterated. "You saw me see it."

"But did you literally SEE it?" Twilight asked. "Or do your visions let you know for sure who the identity of the person is?"

"It's generally a visual thing," Cassandra admitted.

"PERFECT!" Twilight cried. "I think you actually SAW our plan working! Icarus! Can you build ANYTHING out of wax?"

"YOU BETCHA, BABY!" Icarus cried.

"How about other contraptions?" Twilight asked. "I think you just mentioned something about catapults."

"I picked up a few tricks here and there from my Dad-alus!" Icarus bragged.

"Then you're actually the key to thwarting the invasion," Twilight said.

"I should've known!" Pit cried. "Icarus, that whole 'cake catapult' thing was just a joke you were making until this happened, right?"

"Oh…right!" Icarus replied. "All part of the plan!"

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Anyway, I'm going to need your help designing and building some machines in a short amount of time. Speaking of which, Helen, Menelaus, you should go mark the hands of the Spartan military NOW. Helen, get to somewhere safe. And actually, after we get done putting this together, we should hide too. If any of the Athenians recognize any of us, it will be a tip-off. That's why I'm going to need a little extra help from everypony here with wings."

"I know this will work!" Helen said joyfully as she grasped Menelaus' hand. "We do have to go!"

"We'll make you safe," Menelaus promised. "No matter what." He looked back at the group. "I hope you won't find me rude if I insist you continue making your plans outside the palace if it's going to be without our supervision."

"No problem," Hercules said. "You two just get somewhere you'll be okay."

The group spilled out of the palace; Menelaus and Helen set off running as the heroes huddled in a space near the palace gates. "Now," Twilight said, "I'm going to need Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pit to help me out with…"

* * *

The Athenian approached the gates with trepidation. Of all the troops, he'd been chosen to move through the front entry; the others had all snuck in through side routes, vaulting over the circular wall.

He slipped through the gates discreetly. His head was covered with a helmet, the sort the Spartan soldiers always wore, so he was mostly confident he wouldn't be discovered. Part of him was still paranoid that someone would find him out. Then again, the Spartans probably wouldn't be able to recognize him as an Athenian from face alone, which was a bonus.

Another helmeted soldier approached him from the opposite direction: a real Spartan, he assumed, though for all the Athenian knew, it COULD have been another Athenian. The other soldier put out his right hand for a shake. "Comrade!" he greeted gruffly. "There is a meeting to take place in the square. They say Helen has discovered an Athenian plot to invade."

The Spartan – for he was indeed a Spartan – stole a glance at the back of the newcomer's right hand. It was blank where the Spartan had an "omega" drawn on the back of his own hand. The Spartan soldiers had been relentlessly shaking each others' hands all day to find those who did not have the chosen mark. So far, no Athenians had noticed.

"Then we must prepare," the Athenian said, oblivious to the examination he'd been put under.

"Follow me," said the Spartan.

The two men walked down the main street until the Athenian's gaze was caught by something fleeting in his upper peripheral vision. He looked up into the sky. "What was that?"

"I see nothing," the Spartan said, also looking up.

"I must be hallucinating from the heat," the Athenian muttered, and the two men walked on.

* * *

"Did he see us?" Twilight asked.

She lay upon a fishing net suspended in the sky. Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pit each held up a corner of it.

"Nope," Pit said, craning his neck to look over the rooftops they'd dipped low to hide behind. "They're walking again."

"Good," Twilight said softly. "Now we need to get lower and as close as we can without being seen so I can keep the spell running."

* * *

A crowd of helmeted, armed soldiers gathered in the square, looking toward the steps of the palace, upon which Helen stood. The Athenian and his Spartan companion took their places at the back.

"Excuse me!" Helen said, raising an arm. "Now, I know this isn't something you want to hear, but…" She lowered her arm. "Unfortunately, word has reached us that Athens is planning an attack on Sparta as revenge for the invasion we made on them. Now, the Athenians are clever, but not quite as clever as they think they are. We should be able to repel them if we rely on our military might."

The Athenian nearly snickered to himself. He didn't notice the Spartan backing slowly away from him until he'd left the square.

"Still," Helen said, "it would be best if we had a counter-strategy planned. In order to avoid our plans falling upon Athenian ears, I'm going to have to ask you to come inside the palace."

How dumb, the Athenian thought, were the Spartans? Here the Athenians were planning on sneaking into the palace to abduct Helen, and she was inviting them right in!

"Come along now," Helen said, moving inside the palace. The hidden Athenians followed.

And only the hidden Athenians. The Spartans bowed out and walked away.

* * *

"Okay, they're in," Pit said.

"That means they're behind the walls," Twilight pointed out. "The spell's out of range. We better move NOW."

* * *

The Athenians closed the palace gates once all were inside. It was then that they noticed their number was small enough that it could only be them. One took off his helmet. The others did the same. They recognized each other.

"BAR THE DOOR!" one yelled; furniture was moved to keep the doors shut so Helen could not escape.

"You've fallen right into our trap, Helen of Sparta!" another bragged. "For all your talk of an Athenian invasion, you've failed to notice when one walked right into your own palace gates! What do you have to say to THAT?"

Helen didn't respond. She didn't speak. She didn't even move.

"We're TALKING to you!" another Athenian growled, closing the distance between himself and Helen and seizing the woman's arm. Then he cried out and let go as though she'd burned him. "It's WAX!"

"What?" The other Athenians gathered around the thing they'd thought was Helen. They then realized they hadn't seen the face move at all. It was a wax figure, molded to look like the queen, dressed in her robes.

Someone knocked it over. The wax split open, revealing a network of wooden joints molded into the limbs to make it mobile.

"But how?" one asked. "She moved! She talked!"

"Unless she was animated by witchcraft," another suggested. "Like what scared the Spartans away…"

Three Athenian men then pried all the furniture away from the doors, feeling it would be smart to escape as quickly as possible. Fruitless tries to open the door only revealed that it had been blocked from the other end.

* * *

Twilight, Pit, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pegasus finished moving the last of the heavy crates before the doors, which they'd also barred and chained for good measure.

"We've got 'em!" Rainbow Dash cried, and out of hiding crept the Spartan army, Helen and Menelaus dressed in rags, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Hercules, Meg, Cassandra, Icarus, and Phil.

"Nice job with the animation spell," Hercules complimented.

Twilight gave a short bow. "Thanks. I was afraid they'd figure out that it was my voice coming out of the wax puppet and not Helen's."

"Ya did good, team strategist," Phil replied.

"Now," Rainbow Dash said, "to add the finishing touch with that little EXTRA something we put together in the time we had left. Pinkie Pie, Icarus…you wanna help us do the honors?"

"YES!" Pinkie squealed. "YES, YES, YES!"

"YEAH, BABY!" Icarus screamed.

The group of heroes moved to where ropes lay around the immediate area. They all grasped the ropes, pulling first on those that would open wide the windows of the Spartan palace, giving a view into the atrium where the Athenians were trapped, then on those ropes that jerked the canvas coverings off the miniature catapults they'd built, and then on those ropes that activated the catapults, sending several expertly baked cakes through the windows to pelt the Athenians.

"WE SURRENDER!" one Athenian soldier cried out once he was completely covered in icing. "WE SURRENDER!"

* * *

The Athenians were stripped of their weapons and forced to turn in the Spartan armor, given plain chitons to return home in. None of them put up a fight after being thoroughly outfoxed.

"I think we humiliated them by beating them at their own game," Hercules pointed out.

"Awesome," Rainbow Dash and Pit chorused.

"I suppose I owe you my life," Helen said. "Or at least the fact that I'm not being held captive at all. How can we repay you?"

"Oh, we're not taking payment," Hercules said quickly. "We're just – "

"Actually, there is ONE thing," Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"WHAT?" Twilight snapped. "Rainbow Dash!"

"It's not big!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "It's something little! Something I need! Please?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Okaaaaay…"

"It isn't becoming to ask for a reward for our generosity," Rarity pointed out.

"Are you saying that because I beat you to asking for a payment in jewelry?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No comment," Rarity grumbled.

* * *

The statue of Ares came to life as Kratos exited the Spartan brothel, where he had spent ever more of his time and his money temporarily forgetting the memory called Lysandra that still murmured in the back of his mind between blood oaths and bloodstains.

"Do you have any idea what just happened?" Ares asked, gruffly and obviously rhetorically.

Even though he hadn't witnessed it, Kratos knew the answer. "The Kentaurides defeated the Athenian invasion in a humiliating way. The name of the Spartan military was sullied."

"The worst part is," Ares said, "they don't even know. They think it's a GOOD thing that they've outwitted Athens! At the very least, my sister won't have her revenge or control of the tree."

"Did you come here just to tell me what I already know?"

"Actually, I came here to give you fair warning," Ares replied. "The golden apples of discord don't fall to the mortal realm on their own. Conflict is coming to Olympus, and when it does, you had better be ready to fight on my side."

"You know I would rather be chained to the mountain where Prometheus was and suffer the same fate. But my word stands. I will put up a better fight for you than Sparta has today," Kratos vowed.

"You had better!" Ares snapped before leaving the statue.

* * *

The smith finished cooling the bronze breastplate. He took one good look at the finished product – a shine that was almost reflective, with a lightning bolt, strangely similar to the symbol of Zeus, carved into it. Then he handed it to its recipient.

Rainbow Dash eagerly strapped it on over her tunic. "Thanks," she said. "That's all I wanted."

"Well, it is practical," Hercules pointed out.

The group of heroes left the smithy only to see Zoë walking toward them at a fast clip. "There thou art," she snapped. "I sought thee over the whole polis. The citizenry informed me that thou hadst claimed a piece of armor as thy reward. I take it thou wert successful."

"As a matter of fact, we were!" Rarity boasted. "Well, all thanks to Twilight, really, but…well, we can discuss it on the road. How did things go with the tree?"

"Not well," Zoë answered. "It is worse than I expected. I need thy help."

"What happened?" Hercules asked with concern.

"Come with me," Zoë said before turning and leading the way out of the city.

"She doesn't tell us what's wrong, and we have to just follow her and see for ourselves," Cassandra muttered. "You don't have to be an Oracle to know THAT'S bad…"

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Moonlight filtered into the crystal hall. Of course, the actual moon was nowhere to be found in the Underworld; its light had been diverted in from the mortal realm. It formed a diagonal beam across the hallway, and it was on this beam of light that Mozenrath stood, suspended in air.

"I don't see the point of this," he sighed. "I could just levitate anywhere I wanted."

"Walking on moonlight is one of the darkest powers," Hecate replied. "Anyone can LEVITATE. It's about control."

"Control?"

"If you don't have a handle on dark powers, they'll get the better of you. Make them submit to you in the small ways first and they'll be your friends in the long run. Now get down from there."

Mozenrath landed gracefully on the floor, and Hecate dismissed the moonlight.

"Shiny gone," Xerxes bemoaned.

"So what's the next form of torture I have to endure for my studies?" Mozenrath asked.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Hecate replied, arms crossed. "You're going to learn animal transfiguration."

"That's…dark."

"If you find the Beast Within," Hecate clarified. "Find your darkest animal instinct and let it out. Now, you're just beginning, so you may not actually know your true form yet, but a panther seems to work out for everyone all around, so focus on that until you know better."

"You're saying eventually, I'll find an animal that represents me completely."

"Yes. And it had better not be an eel."

"What wrong with eel?" Xerxes asked dejectedly.

Mozenrath thought it over. He already had an idea of the animal that he would want to represent him, but the very concept just didn't seem like the sort of thing that Hecate was looking for in a warrior of darkness. He decided not to bring up to Hecate his conversation with Twilight, in which he'd heard of an equine creature that bore both wings and the horn of a unicorn. Even thinking about it, Mozenrath thought about how wings would suit him, and about how he already felt a sort of predilection for having hooves instead of claws. But it was a panther Hecate wanted, so a panther Hecate would get.

"So how does this work?" he asked.

"Find that instinct in you that wants what it wants," Hecate said. "Fuel that into a shapeshift. And take it from there."

"Doesn't sound too hard." Mozenrath closed his eyes, wanting to be in darkness while he searched his soul for his deepest instincts. He initiated the transformation.

He felt free for a moment. And angry. He lashed out with his claws, hissing. He then got the feeling that his mind had emptied, and he was forgetting many things. What were they?

As soon as he consciously recalled everything that had left when his mind went blank, he was human again, and only then did it register with him that for a few moments, he had not been. "Panther?" Mozenrath asked.

"Yes!" Hecate cried proudly. "Though…you're obviously not happy with me for this training."

"Are your feelings hurt?"

"No. It's just an observation. Now, most sorcerers have a backup form. Something that flies."

It crossed Mozenrath's mind again that an alicorn could fly, but he kept silent.

"Try a bird now," Hecate suggested. "Eagle, raven…your choice."

Mozenrath shut his eyes once more. This time, instead of anger, he was filled with a sort of giddiness. The sort that comes with being airborne and very light. He soared toward the ceiling, doing a loop before remembering that there were other thoughts he'd had in his head. When he landed, he was human.

"How was that?" he asked Hecate, still irrationally happy from the high of having flown.

Hecate scowled, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Mozenrath asked in exasperation.

"A PELICAN?" Hecate cried.

"It…was the first thing I thought of, all right?"

"What kind of magical bird is a PELICAN?"

"All right, I'll work on another bird!" Mozenrath sighed, then shut his eyes again. He knew Hecate wouldn't let him sleep until he'd perfected both transformations and learned to keep his mind blank during them.

* * *

THE ROADS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Hercules, Meg, Cassandra, Icarus, Pit, Phil, Pegasus, and Zoë looked up at the thick-trunked, many-branched tree that bore golden apples on its various branches.

"As thou seest," Zoë said, "it is not a sapling."

"I see your problem," Phil said. "You sure you don't wanna just destroy it?"

"DON'T HURT IT," Fluttershy practically growled.

"All right, all right, we won't hurt the tree!" Phil said quickly. "Team strategist. Ideas?"

"I'm thinking…" Twilight stated.

"Why don't we just use the Elements of Harmony on it?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, they're apples of discord, right? And our Elements work against the personification of Discord!"

"That's GENIUS!" Twilight cried.

"I think we're all curious to see what these Elements of yours do, anyway," Meg pointed out.

"Well, let's get to it," Applejack said. "Everypony huddle!"

The six Kentaurides moved into position. The sphere of light formed around them as their amulets glowed.

"Holy Hera…" Phil muttered.

"WHOA!" Pit flinched.

"Divine magic?" Zoë wondered.

The great rainbow plunged downward from the sphere, connecting to the roots of the tree. The colors were seen in flashes under the bark, traveling up to the very top of the tree, out to every branch until they enveloped the apples. When the shine subsided and the Kentaurides' hooves touched ground, the light of the Elements fading, the apples were no longer golden, but instead bore a skin that was striped in the colors of the rainbow.

"They're…zap-apples?" Applejack said in confusion.

"Huh?" Hercules replied.

Applejack turned around, bucking the tree with her hind legs. A rainbow apple fell into her outstretched hand. "A kinda apple that grows back home," she explained. "Just a really sweet kind."

"It is no longer an apple of discord," Zoë confirmed. "It is safe."

"Well, ain't no use in wastin' a good zap-apple," Applejack said, taking the apple with her as the group walked back to the wagon.

"Of course, this gets me no closer to knowing who planted the tree," Zoë said, "though I have my suspicions."

"I am still convinced this is Hades," Hercules replied immediately.

"The Lord of the Dead?" Zoë asked. "Why dost thou sayest that?"

"Because where there's chaos, there's probably accidental death," Hercules pointed out. "Or…not so accidental death. Hades would love it."

"And I'm still sure it's Discord," Applejack said. "He's a kinda chaotic god-type who – "

"I am well aware of who Discord is," Zoë said.

"But how?" Rarity asked.

"The tree from whence these apples came is quite old," Zoë said. "There has not been activity from Discord in a while, but if thou hast reason to suspect him, I cannot discard it. I myself was considering the Olympian goddess of discord, Eris. I knowest not how she would enter the garden, but of the Olympians, until I considered Hades, she had the most motive."

"There's a goddess of discord?" Pinkie asked.

"Eris takes pleasure in chaos," Zoë said. "Her favorite form of entertainment is to watch mortals struggle with important or nonsensical events. She has done awful things in that name."

"It sounds like she and Discord would get on especially well," Rarity observed.

"I have not heard of the two interacting," Zoë stated, "but I would not doubt it all the same."

"Hang on…" Something arose in Twilight's memory. "What does Eris look like?"

"Her favorite way to appear is as a woman with blue-violet skin and raven hair," Zoë answered. "She tends to like to wear the color purple."

"And is she kinda…floaty?" Twilight asked.

Rarity gasped, realizing what Twilight was talking about.

"I suppose thou couldst say…'floaty,'" Zoë confirmed. "Why?" She was suddenly alert, suspicious. "Didst thou see her?"

"Perhaps," Rarity replied. "When Twilight and I were doing our best to hold off the Spartan invasion from the rooftops, we caught a glimpse of someone of that description. She caught our attention and then simply disappeared. But that distracted us long enough to let even more Spartan soldiers into the square! Had you and Pit not shown up to stave them off, why, I don't know what would have happened!"

"Suspect number three in the Case of the Golden Apples," Icarus said dramatically. "ERIS."

"I love mysteries," Pinkie Pie broke in, "but I can't be a detective without my deerstalker hat!"

"That does pose a problem," Icarus agreed.

"There are two of them now and my life is Tartarus," Cassandra muttered, resting her forehead on Meg's shoulder in exasperation.

"At least it beats Pinkie askin' if we're there yet," Phil grumbled.

"Oh, you silly!" Pinkie Pie told him. "I haven't asked yet because we don't know where we're even going!"

The group fell into a silence as everyone collectively realized they hadn't scouted the next destination.

"All right, I'll do the thing." Cassandra uncorked the bottle of the Mists of Delphi. Her eyes shifted into deep green. "The kingdom of Thrace is in terror. The three Gorgon sisters turn people into stone at random." Her eyes reverted. "Okay, please tell me I didn't say THRACE."

"What's wrong with Thrace?" Rarity asked.

"Remember that Adonis guy that Helen said was awful…?" Hercules asked.

"Yes," Rarity said.

"Guess what he's the king of," Hercules told her.

"Oh, dear…" Rarity muttered. "If there's one thing that gets on my nerves, it's stuck-up princes, especially if they become stuck-up kings!"

"At least we finally get to put a smackdown on Medusa!" Pit said excitedly.

"I don't get it…" Hercules murmured. "Medusa ISN'T EVIL."

"She's totally evil!" Pit asserted.

"There has to be something more to this," Hercules stated.

"Another mystery?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm sure there's a rational explanation," Fluttershy said as the wagon pulled around to make way for Thrace. "We'll figure out what happened. I hope Hercules is right. At the very least, even if Medusa is evil, she might remember how she was his friend, and that could change things."

"And if not?" Pit challenged.

"Then…I don't know," Fluttershy admitted.

* * *

Chapter 51

· Twilight's frustration with the plan can be directly translated to me lying awake at night going "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR SPARTA." If the plan sucks, that's why. Deal with it.

· I WAS considering cutting down the trees as they come across them, but the way I'm having them deal with the trees now is actually going to become a Chekhov's Gun for later.

· Helen is another character from HTAS I was excited to see "two years later." I thought I would hate her because she's depicted as the "shallow popular girl," but actually, over the course of the series, she's proven to actually be just naïve and really rather pleasant. She's not a really strong character, but she is likeable.

· The Icarus song is totally HTAS canon and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

· Pinkie's comment on palaces is actually my justification for how they're not going to get tired of seeing all the fictional palaces they're going to be shown. Because a lot of fandomworthy pieces of media have at least one palace/castle/fortress/whatnot.

· To clarify: there's no abuse or anything happening with Helen and Menelaus. They're just kind of stuck in the loop of "We're good for each other, we're married, we're content…is this all there is?" At least on Helen's side. This is setup for, again, the Trojan War, which I will again remind you has not happened yet. Because Helen/Paris is one of my favorite mythical pairings and I love the idea that she went with him willingly, even if that wasn't the original intent. Also, gossiping about Helen's love life helped me solidify some Meg-Rarity friendship.

· This Menelaus is pretty much my OC. Partly inspired by the Margaret George version of him in her novel "Helen of Troy." Partly, anyway.

· I felt bad that Pegasus didn't get to do much in Athens, so he gets to carry Twilight around while she animates the wax Helen here.

· I wanted Kratos absent for this chapter because he would just ruin the plan like a bull in a china shop. He'll be more important later, as I foreshadow here.

· GoW has so much ridiculous random sex in it that I kinda started laughing at it. It never made sense to me why he gets with so many random women if he's acting out of memory of his dead wife. But then I wondered…not that I'm excusing the random sex in GoW…but what if instead of being incongruous to Kratos' memory of Lysandra, it's RELATED?

· I meant to give RD that breastplate back on Chryse.

· Let's play a game called "spot the parts where Dark magic is stolen directly from Bayonetta." If you answered "walking on moonlight," "transforming into the Beast Within," and "everything," you're right!

· The Beast Within was a tough concept to differentiate from animal transfiguration. And it's going to be even tougher once I get even deeper into what can be done during it so that I can actually use it as a plot device in later storylets. The "primal instinct" thing is going to be both focused on and subverted. Also, the alicorn as Moz's spirit animal is almost completely accidental foreshadowing. I literally couldn't think of anything better for him.

· The pelican? That's based on a joke I have with a fan community I'm in (including several readers of this fic) about the Spellican from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance and how ridiculous it is. One thing led to another, and now we all think the Spellican is a badly transformed Mozenrath. Of course, literally transforming him into the Spellican would have NOT WORKED on fifty different levels.

· So yes, the woman on the rooftops was Eris from Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. No, the world of Sinbad is not part of this (I tried…things got more complicated). It's a separate world. But there's only one version of each Olympian. She hops worlds to do what she wants. Thankfully, neither HTAS nor GoW has an Eris, so she just slipped right in! Now, how much is she responsible for this, and how far is she involved with Hades…?


	52. Medusa

52. Medusa

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno had been given roomy quarters in Hades' palace. Medusa was still in wonder that everything and everyone in Hades' realm seemed to be Gorgon-proofed; not only had she not petrified anyone by gaze alone, but her room actually contained mirrors in which she could see herself. She was a little surprised, actually. She hadn't expected herself to be beautiful.

Stheno obviously had; from her room, at almost hourly increments, cries of "Wow, I am HOT!" and "Ooooh, bea-U-tiful!" were heard. After this had gone on for a while, Euryale had eventually pounded on the wall loudly and yelled, "SHUT UP!"

That day, Medusa awoke to find a note attached to the mirror. It was written on grayish parchment that seemed to be actively smoking at the edges, and when Medusa took the parchment in her hand, it smelled faintly of brimstone.

"See you in the throne room! –H." the notice read simply.

Medusa left her room to find Euryale and Stheno exiting at the same time. "All RIGHT!" Stheno cried, nearly leaping with joy. "Hades wants US for a real mission!"

"You are way too happy about this," Euryale grumped.

The trio made their way into the throne room to find Hades there, standing over the table that served as his world map, moving pieces around. "Ladies!" he greeted, spreading his arms to welcome the sisters. "So who's ready for the first day out on the job?"

"I AM!" Stheno cried.

"Way, WAY too happy," Euryale scoffed.

"Now that the golden apples have had some time to, how to put it, fester," Hades explained, "the timing is PERFECT for you to swoop in and destroy something. NOBODY is going to be prepared for you. Well, almost nobody. I'll brief you on the details in a minute. First things first, let's take a look at the basic assignment. C'mere. Check out the map."

The sisters gingerly strode toward the map table. They noticed that three small figurines, the size of chess pieces, had been placed over Thrace. Each bore the miniature likeness of one of the sisters.

"Thrace," Hades said. "Lovely port kingdom. Infamously insufferable royal family. And home to a brand-new tree of golden apples! The perfect target for you ladies to wreak some HAVOC."

"I always wanted a little seaside vacation," Stheno mused.

"We live on an ISLAND!" Euryale snapped.

"We're in," Stheno told Hades.

"Now, Fury, I knew I could count on you!" Hades replied happily. "Euryale? Medusa?"

"I guess," Euryale huffed.

Medusa just nodded.

"Perfect," Hades said. "Now, there's bad news and good news. For the sake of ripping off the proverbial bandage, I'm gonna give you the bad news first. Take a look around the area of Sparta."

There, several chess-piece-like sculptures were set up, depicting five humans (or at least humanoids), one satyr, one winged humanoid, six Kentaurides, and one winged horse. "Over at Olympus, there's been some gossip. Ares has been blowing his top over the fact that some hero wannabes have come into town. Turns out, three of these wannabes ain't wannabes. Observe: the old thorn in my side known as Jerk-ules, one of Palutena's court, and one of the Hesperides. The others are mostly just companions of theirs. Civilians. No big deal. BUT."

Medusa had flinched upon hearing that Hercules was also on the playing field. Then it occurred to her just who the member of Palutena's court might be.

"These Kentaurides," Hades went on. "They might pose a little bit of a problem for us, if you know what I'm saying. They got near tree number one, and BOOM, suddenly, the apples of discord stop, well, discord-ing. Now, you're probably thinking, 'Hey, that's impossible by most of the laws of physics and magic.' And you'd be right. Which leads me to think we are unfortunately dealing with something I thought the universe had gotten RID of. There is a small chance that these six have a certain unexplainable magical power called the Elements of Harmony. If they do, your job is to get them and get them SOON, or we're going to be losing all our trees. Get the picture?"

"You seem to be taking this incredibly well," Euryale pointed out.

"Yeah, well," Hades admitted, "I learned about this a few hours ago when I had the room to myself. I had time to work out my feelings." His eyes flicked up to the wall behind the Gorgons. The sisters turned to look at the direction from which they'd come. The entire wall was scorched and still smoking.

"Anyway," Hades continued, "the GOOD news is, I'm giving you ladies an upgrade. That stone vision of yours is really useful, but it's kind of messy, don't ya think? You can't even look in mirrors aboveground. And there's NO control over the range you can get with it. To counter this problem, I've come up with some handy and fashionable devices. PAIN! PANIC! BRING 'EM IN!"

"You got it, boss!" Pain said, entering the room along with Panic; each imp held up a side of a pillow upon which three bronze bracelets forged in the shape of snakes lay.

"Now, I'm no Hephaestus," Hades went on, "but I was able to put these together on fairly short notice, and I don't think they look half bad. They're one of a kind designer pieces straight from the Underworld! You three are gonna make all the other girls jealous! But that's not even getting into what they're going to allow you to do on the magical side of things. Go on. Put 'em on."

Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa reached out, each taking a bracelet and sliding it onto her upper arm. The bracelets glowed briefly as they settled into place.

"Those bracelets give your stone vision an on/off switch," Hades explained. "Pick your target, take aim, and fire. Nothing else gets turned to stone unless you want it. No more of those pesky accidental petrifications from mirrors! That is, unless somebody puts one in your way while you're activating the stone power, but the odds of that are pretty low. You can also do a little more with the snakes. Fury. Give us a demo."

"Hmm…" Stheno discovered that she could extend the snakes upon her head at will; they spaced themselves out to prop their mistress up, holding her aloft in the air. "YES!" Stheno cried.

"And finally, there's a mind control enchantment installed so you can make your own mortal army, but that's one you'll have to test in the field. Now go kick some hero butt!" Hades commanded.

"WOO HOO!" Fury dropped to the floor and took off running. Euryale rolled her eyes and followed.

"Hey, Medusa," Hades said, "is it just me, or are you feeling less than stoked about this mission?"

"It's complicated," Medusa admitted.

"Ohhh, that's right," Hades went on. "You and Hercules were buddies back in the day. And you're technically only doing what I say because of our contract. I get it. Your heart's not in it. Fine. Perfectly fine. Oh, but there is that thing…you ever seen the Aegis?"

"Athena's shield?" Medusa asked.

"That's the one!" Hades confirmed. "You ever get up close and personal with it, you look into it and tell me what you see. In the meantime, I'm gonna leave you with some words of wisdom. History repeats itself. You really think you're the first Gorgon named Medusa to deal with the Olympians? Of course you do. You're a sheltered kid. It would take me WAY too long to explain how this works, but this isn't the first time you've done something like this. And the other time, you ended up not so much as alive as you happen to be now. That bracelet won't go nearly as well with your eyes if you don't have a head! So if you want to take your chances and get to your inevitable doom faster, be my guest."

"I don't understand a word you're saying!" Medusa snapped.

"What I'm saying," Hades threatened, "is that if you make me angry, you get a one-way trip back here on Charon's boat." He made a slicing motion across his throat. "Get the picture?"

"Yes," Medusa said with a nod. She then turned and left the throne room, following Stheno and Euryale's footsteps.

"Follow 'em," Hades commanded Pain and Panic as soon as she was gone. "Make sure Medusa in particular doesn't let me down. Bring me back a report. And pay attention to those Kentaurides."

"Right!" Pain said, saluting.

"YES!" Panic added enthusiastically. "Of course, your royal morbidness! Well, Pain, time's a-wasting!" He grabbed the arm of his partner in crime and practically dragged him after Medusa.

"Are you just excited to get up to the mortal world so you can find Cassandra again?" Pain accused once they were out of Hades' earshot.

"Well, after the outcome of Thrace, we don't have to come back RIGHT away…" Panic pointed out.

"Man, if you get us in trouble, I am so not covering for you," Pain sighed.

* * *

THRACE, OLYMPIC GREECE

The wagon had ridden all night, and its passengers had slept there. In the daytime, as it progressed to the beautiful seaside kingdom of Thrace, Hercules regaled his companions with stories of Adonis' shortcomings and slightly evil deeds.

"Then he moved the volcano project just enough off center that the lava melted my world map!" Hercules concluded. "I got an incomplete for the day, and Adonis just laughed it off!"

"Please tell me this guy got payback," Rainbow Dash groaned.

"Well, when he cheated on Helen with Circe, she did turn him into a peacock and give us the power to change him back when we wanted," Hercules recalled. "And we didn't want to for a LONG time."

"Meg, are you quite all right?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah," Meg said quickly, clearing her throat. "Just…Circe, y'know. Pretty infamous maneater. Probably deserved Adonis, actually."

"I'd agree to that," Hercules mused. "She REALLY knew how to hold a grudge!"

The wagon finally pulled up to the gates of Thrace. "Now, everyone be careful," Phil said. "The Gorgons might already be running mad in there, so don't be off your guard."

"I shall not." Zoë removed her bronze hair clip; in her hand, it glowed, then lengthened into the shape of a broadsword.

"WHOA!" Rainbow Dash was taken aback. "Awesome!"

Pegasus let out a whinny, signaling to the other two horses that the wagon stop until the gates – gilded double doors set in a great wall – were opened. After patient waiting, the passengers realized the gates weren't moving.

"Helloooooo!" Phil called out. "Anybody there!"

"Um…" Fluttershy squeaked, "I…found the guards…"

She pointed to either side of the gate. Two statues of fully armored Thracian soldiers stood there. It was rather clear they hadn't been carved.

"MEDUSA!" Pit cried, drawing his golden blades. "Let's get this over with!"

He leapt out of the wagon, and all the others followed him, weapons drawn. Hercules shoved the gates open, and they walked as one into Thrace, where a cacophony awaited them. Civilians ran screaming through the streets, knocking over white statues left and right.

"They're here, all right," Cassandra pointed out.

"But where ARE they?" Twilight asked.

"Up here, idiots!" a female voice called.

"DON'T LOOK!" Phil cried. Hercules, Pit, Zoë, Meg, Cassandra, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pegasus all quickly turned their heads away from the sound of the voice. Icarus instinctively swiveled to look at who'd spoken, but Pinkie Pie grabbed his head and turned his gaze away.

"Awww, that's cute," the voice continued. "Too bad we don't work that way anymore! LADIES! FIRE!"

Stheno pointed downward, and she, Medusa, and Euryale aimed their gazes. Their power channeled from their eyes as beams of golden light, striking three targets.

Fluttershy shrieked; the sound echoed against the sky. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie had all been hit by the beams, and their bodies changed from warm, living flesh to cold stone then and there.

"How'd they DO that?" Pit yelled, forgetting for a moment how he was supposed to face Gorgons and turning to literally face them. "Hey. Wait. I'm not stone."

"That's because we got an upgrade from Hades!" Stheno replied. "Now, we don't turn people into stone by eye contact!"

By this time, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Icarus, Cassandra, Pegasus, Zoë, Meg, and eventually Phil and Hercules looked up to see if it was true. They faced the trio of sisters, who stood upon a nearby rooftop, and beheld them in all their glory.

"We can turn people into stone whenever we want now," Stheno went on. "Like THIS!"

There was another blaze of light, and Cassandra was petrified before she could even say "Shoulda seen that one coming."

Stheno laughed raucously. "Now get 'em, girls!"

"RUN!" Twilight yelled, and the group hastened, running down the street into downtown Thrace. All but one.

When he realized who was missing, Hercules glanced backward and yelled, "ICARUS, NO!"

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY POOR, DEFENSELESS CASSANDRA!" Icarus screamed, charging toward the Gorgons. "I SWEAR, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT IF IT'S THE LAST THING I – "

A flash. Frozen in midstep, the marble statue of Icarus clattered to the ground.

"Too easy," Stheno remarked. She watched the others run into the streets, getting themselves lost out of sight among the buildings.

"Well, we got rid of three of the Kentaurides," Euryale pointed out.

"So let's go get the rest of them!" Stheno urged.

"Why?" Euryale asked. "We already saved the tree. Hercules is the only other important one."

"But imagine Hades' face when we present the complete set to him!" Stheno argued. "Besides, I haven't tried out the full powers of this new bracelet yet!"

Euryale rolled her eyes, and it was safe to say every snake on her head did the same. "Fine. We'll go after them."

"We should split up," Medusa suggested, not wanting to be completely silent in making decisions. She knew Hades would have eyes in the city. "Should we take a sledgehammer to the others first?"

"And have only unrecognizable stone chunks to prove to Hades what we did?" Stheno stuck her tongue out. "No way!" She reached out with the tendrils that were the snakes on her head, making them into stilts, leaping to the next rooftop. "I'm going up the center! Euryale, to the East, and Medusa, to the West!"

Euryale and Medusa met eyes. They shrugged. Then they too elongated their snakes into stilts, following Stheno's orders.

As soon as they were gone, Pain and Panic, donning the guises of humans, tread out into the deserted street from a side alley. "Can you BELIEVE her?" Panic fumed. "She didn't have to go and DO that!"

"Please tell me you're not – " Pain began.

But Panic had already grasped the Cassandra statue around the waist, lifting her. "Will you just help me get her somewhere safe?"

"Oh, fine…" Pain crouched to pick up Cassandra's feet. Panic took her shoulders, and the two moved her inside a nearby house. When she was set up safely in the kitchen, Panic began to shove furniture in front of the door.

"Let's see Medusa get at you with a sledgehammer through THIS…" he muttered.

"Now can we just go and watch 'em?" Pain asked.

"Yes," Panic agreed. "We will go WATCH the Gorgons finish the others off."

They separated, having agreed to survey different parts of Thrace.

* * *

Around a corner, in a side street, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Hercules, Phil, Pit, Zoë, Meg, and Pegasus gathered.

"I can't believe it," Hercules said, staring straight ahead at nothing. "Icarus…"

"I TOLD you Medusa was evil!" Pit insisted.

"But why…" Hercules murmured.

"Okay, obviously, the regular approach is not gonna work here," Phil stated.

"There's a 'regular approach'?" Meg replied.

"Team strategist," Phil said, pointing at Twilight. "Whatcha got?"

"EXCUSE ME?" Twilight shouted. "I CAN'T JUST COME UP WITH A PLAN ON COMMAND, YOU KNOW! I NEED TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT!" She took a moment, breathed in, breathed out, collected her thoughts. "However…I did come up with a contingency plan on the ride up here just in case. I was hoping we'd have…more people…but anyway. I knew the Gorgons would be petrifying people, and we'd need a cure for that. Luckily, back in Potions class, I read ahead. Please, PLEASE tell me there are Mandrakes on this world."

"Oy…" Phil rubbed his temples. "Don't know what Demeter was thinking when she came up with THAT one…"

"So they do!" Twilight cried. "Perfect! All I need is to get ahold of some, and I can make a counterspell for the petrification!"

"I thought that draught took a lot of time to make," Rainbow Dash broke in. "What? I heard Hermione complaining about memorizing it for the N.E.W.T.!"

"I can speed it up," Twilight said, tapping her amulet meaningfully. Before Rainbow Dash could protest, Twilight went on. "We need to split into four groups. That gives us the best chance so that multiple people can take on each Gorgon sister, but at any given time, only three groups can be occupied by Gorgons and one can reach…wherever Mandrakes are kept and the potion can be made. Where's the safest place in Thrace?"

"One place you're gonna find Mandrakes in storage AND safe haven," Phil said, pointing up towards the shore.

All eyes looked up to see the Thracian palace, glittering white in the early morning sun, situated on its hill so it was visible above all rooftops.

"If Pinkie Pie were here," Rainbow Dash lamented, "she'd have come up with some weird adjective that isn't even a real word to describe it by now."

"Does 'glitterlicious' work?" Fluttershy offered. "I know it isn't the same, coming from me…"

"It's fine," Twilight assured her. "Okay, so we break into four and head for the palace. I'm thinking…well…" She shrugged. "Who wants to pair up?"

"I'm takin' Dash," Phil said. "Kid, I'm countin' on ya to pull through on this mission."

"Oh, you can count on me, all right," Rainbow Dash insisted.

"I say Herc comes with me," Pit stated. "So he doesn't go soft on Medusa."

"Or I can prove to you she isn't what you think," Hercules retorted. "Pegasus, you're with me."

Pegasus nodded dutifully, glaring daggers at Pit.

"I will defend Fluttershy," Zoë volunteered.

"Thank you," Fluttershy replied. "I'll try my best to protect you too."

"Leaves you and me," Meg told Twilight.

"Good," Twilight said. She began pointing. "Phil, Rainbow Dash, you take that direction. Fluttershy, Zoë, try and get in from that direction. Pit, Hercules, go in from the air that way. And Meg, you come with me this way. Everypony clear?"

"CLEAR!" was the cry that rang from the entire group.

"Then let's GO!" Twilight cried.

They split up and began to run.

* * *

"If we run into a Gorgon," Zoë said to Fluttershy as they ran up the east road, "leave her to me. I can defeat her with no trouble."

"Oh, really?" Euryale appeared as though she had teleported, leaping down onto the road in front of the pair. Fluttershy shrieked in terror.

"DO NOT TEST ME!" Zoë cried, drawing her bronze sword and lashing out at Euryale with it.

Euryale ducked the sword, eyes glowing threateningly. Fluttershy stepped back, trying to shrink into the shadows, as she watched Zoë strike again and again. Euryale danced around the blade each time, her eyes bursting with light that Zoë found herself having to leap away to dodge.

"You know what?" Euryale said, grasping her bracelet. "You're good. Too good for stone." The light in her eyes took on an entirely new color; Fluttershy couldn't put a name on it – it still seemed like white light – but it was different all the same.

They kept dancing – Zoë slashing out, Euryale sending out burst after burst of light – until Zoë's left ankle hit the ground just wrong and she faltered, one knee hitting the ground. Euryale's light engulfed her.

Fluttershy screamed.

Slowly, Zoë got to her feet, rubbing her eyes with her hands. "Zoë!" Fluttershy cried. "You're okay – "

Zoë turned to face Fluttershy. It was instantly apparent that her eyes – iris, white, and pupil blended together – had changed to a bright red glow. "DIE," she growled, raising her blade and charging Fluttershy.

"MUCH better than stone," Euryale remarked.

With a scream, Fluttershy summoned her katana, and its blade clashed with Zoë's. Zoë kept pushing against the metal, hoping to overcome Fluttershy or her weapon, growling ferally.

"Please, Zoë, no!" Fluttershy begged. "This isn't you!"

"She can't hear you," Euryale taunted.

Fluttershy steeled herself for what she was about to do, then, with much force and great regret, she kicked Zoë in the stomach with her front hooves. Zoë was pushed away, stumbling before she regained balance. Fluttershy rushed forward, and the two blades clashed again. With a sidestep, Fluttershy caused Zoë to stumble yet again, and this time she lashed out with the katana, passing its energy drain over Zoë. Zoë turned to strike again, but Fluttershy was ready, hitting the ground and striking from below. When Fluttershy stood, Zoë had staggered forward, allowing a clear shot at her back. After the third strike, Zoë was sufficiently weak to the point of being unable to lift the bronze sword.

Fluttershy then stormed towards Euryale. "Change her back!" she demanded. "NOW!"

Euryale opened her mouth to protest.

Fluttershy STARED.

"Oh my gods," Euryale cried, "that's terrifying!"

As Euryale was temporarily stymied, Fluttershy, taking a guess based on her observation and holding her breath that she was right, sliced the bracelet in half with her katana. The bronze clattered to the ground.

"NO!" Euryale quickly covered her face with her hands.

Zoë blinked. "Fluttershy! What did you do?"

"I think I destroyed her power source," Fluttershy said, a little stunned herself.

"Then she can be destroyed by her reflection!" Zoë held her blade up before her eyes, and Fluttershy did the same.

"I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! I'M NOT GOING TO LOOK! AAAAGH!" Euryale scooped up the broken bracelet pieces from the ground, then ran away in a rage. "YOU BLINDED ME! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!"

"I'm sorry I had to fight you," Fluttershy told Zoë. "You'll feel better if you wait it out. You can lean on me. I'll help you get to the palace."

She approached Zoë, putting her arm around the Hesperide; Zoë slung an arm over Fluttershy's shoulder and the two walked. "Thou wert brave," Zoë admitted. "I do not fault thee for fighting me."

"It still felt wrong to fight a friend."

"But I was under Euryale's control! That is a remarkable weapon, come to think of it. How does it work?"

"Well, I got it from a strange place. It's connected to my soul, in a way," Fluttershy explained.

"I want to thank thee," Zoë said, "for breaking Euryale's hold. And I apologize for assuming thou needed protection. Thou art quite strong when the time comes. And was I mistaken, or didst thou cause Euryale to hesitate by staring at her?"

"It's kind of a talent I have," Fluttershy said. "I once made a cockatrice stop by giving it the stare. And cockatrices and Gorgons both turn things to stone, so I figured it couldn't be too different!"

Euryale staggered around a corner until she heard a male voice address her: "Wow, Euryale, you're not lookin' so good!"

"Pain," Euryale groaned. She held out the bracelet fragments. "Can you fix this?"

"Yeah, but it'll take me a day."

"Then take me back to the Underworld!"

"Sorry, Euryale. No can do. I've gotta watch your sisters and make sure they do their best for Hades."

"Fine!" Euryale contemplated opening her eyes and petrifying Pain, but she ultimately decided it wasn't worth it. She pushed past him, relying on her memory of the streets and her sense of direction to get her to the center. Who she needed was Stheno.

Pain shrugged and went on his way.

* * *

A throng of people with red eyes crowded in front of the palace gates. Each bore a knife or bared fists. "DIE IN THE NAME OF STHENO!" they shouted as a collective.

Meg turned to Twilight. "Well?" she asked. "You got anything?"

"Yeah…" Twilight murmured, "I got this." She drew her wand. "STUPEFY! STUPEFY!"

The people dropped, unconscious. When a few of their number was down, the rest charged as a collective; Twilight traded her wand for her staff and summoned a wall of flame between them and herself and Meg. "RUN!" she cried, darting straight toward the flames.

"Right at the FIRE?" Meg replied.

"TRUST ME!" Twilight called back, and Meg followed.

Twilight arranged the flames so that they encircled the pair, following them as they ran. The red-eyed minions backed away from the flames, unable to touch the two. Twilight and Meg reached the gates, a semicircle of flame protecting them as they pounded on the closed doors.

"LET US IN!" Twilight yelled. "WE'RE INNOCENTS!"

"WE CAN STOP THIS!" Meg added.

A Thracian guard peered over the top of the palace wall. "Why should I let you in?" he said. "The palace is on lockdown!"

"I can save everyone that turned into stone!" Twilight insisted.

"No one is allowed inside this palace by decree of the king, and that is final!" the guard said before disappearing.

"WHAT?" Twilight cried. "This is NOT happening!"

"Starting to believe in the power of Adonis yet?" Meg asked.

"Yeah," Twilight groaned.

* * *

Pegasus flew Hercules gracefully over the West part of town, while Pit kept pace. "She's probably going to try a sneak attack," he said, loading an arrow of light into his bow.

"Medusa wouldn't," Hercules said, shaking his head. "She – "

A blast of light hit Pegasus. The stone horse began to plummet.

"NO!" Hercules quickly leapt to the ground, hitting the street first – dislodging a few of the stones with his feet – and catching Pegasus so that he did not shatter. Pit fluttered down next to him.

"Is he okay?" Pit asked worriedly.

"Besides being petrified," Hercules breathed, setting Pegasus down, "he's all right." He looked up, trying to find who had dealt the blow. "MEDUSA! IS THAT YOU? COME OUT WHERE I CAN SEE YOU!"

Faint footsteps were audible then; she slid out of the shadows of the alley like a spectre. She made no move against either warrior. Pit raised his bow, but Hercules put a hand on Pit's arm, forcing him to lower it.

"Medusa," Hercules said, almost pleading.

"Hercules," Medusa replied.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why? You're not like this! I know you, Medusa! We were friends! You never wanted to hurt anyone!"

"Things changed," Medusa said sorrowfully.

"WHAT changed?" Hercules begged.

"I told you!" Pit growled. "She's just evil!"

"I'm doing Hades' work now," Medusa said. "It's my only choice, Hercules."

The realization pierced like an arrow. "The contract…" Hercules realized. "You were never freed from it…"

"Your friend knows what I am now," Medusa said. "I tried to attack Palutena. He stopped me and Orcos. And now, with Hades' help, I'm going to destroy Thrace."

"Isn't there another way?" Hercules asked.

Medusa shook her head. "You know what happens when you break a deal with Hades. I…I'm really sorry, but…"

"I know," Hercules said. "I know what happens. I just wish there was a way that…Medusa…Medusa, what are you looking at?"

Her eyes were turned up to the rooftops. Pain watched her from above. He glared. There was no way to escape. She would have to do what she'd been asked or be punished.

Her eyes glowed.

"NO!" Pit leapt between Hercules and Medusa, loosing the arrow from his bow. The light struck him, and when he hit ground, he was stone. Medusa quickly ducked, and the arrow of light grazed her right shoulder.

Hercules drew his sword, and Medusa, hissing, utilized her snakes to propel her upward and onto the rooftops, darting out of sight.

Hercules looked around, feeling wary. He knew she wasn't done with him. "I get it," he said. "I know why you have to do this. I don't blame you, okay? I just want you to know that."

Medusa crept to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at him; he faced away from her. She sprang, eyes glowing.

He heard the sound. He was ready. He spun to meet her, raising his sword to the level of her eyes. The blast was repelled.

Her statue clattered to the ground next to Pit and Pegasus.

"I'm sorry," Hercules told her, his eyes welling up with water. "I'm so sorry."

Then he ran toward the palace.

"Eh," Pain remarked, "she tried." In his mind, she hadn't held back. She obviously felt guilt, but she hadn't let that influence her actions, and Hades would be pleased.

The only one whose performance he hadn't seen was Stheno.

* * *

"Okay," Twilight said through gritted teeth. "We're going to have to go up the hard way."

"And what's the hard way?" Meg asked.

"It's not going to be hard for you." Twilight waved her staff, creating a crude stairway out of purple energy. "Go quickly! It won't hold long!"

Meg rushed up the stairs, and Twilight followed. The flames dissipated, and by the time Twilight reached the top of the wall, so had the stairs, forcing her to leap the rest of the way. Wooden ladders for the guards led down the other side of the wall; Meg and Twilight used these to reach ground.

"HEY!" a guard yelled. "The palace is on – "

"Lockdown, yeah, yeah, we know!" Meg grumbled. She and Twilight rushed to the palace doors, forcing them open, running into the atrium.

Servants were in the process of carrying food down the hallway, and Twilight and Meg passed them hurriedly, heading in their direction and knocking more than one bowl of fruit out of their hands. They passed through an archway into an enormous and elaborate throne room, white-walled with golden edging and tapestries on every wall. A golden throne encrusted with jewels of every color glimmered at the far end. Before it, a man paced.

He was tall, well-built, with golden brown skin and hair like sunshine. The tales of his beauty were no lies. He wore robes of pure white with gold embroidery. "Now, I'll just need about thirty pounds more of rations and then I can go underground into the bunker until this whole Gorgon thing blows over." He turned to Twilight and Meg, looking them dead on. "You two! Why aren't you working? Thrace is in a state of emergency, you know!" He then realized he had never employed either of them. "Wait a minute. You're not my servants!"

"Going somewhere, Adonis?" Meg asked.

"Like underground, while the rest of your citizens get petrified or hypnotized by Gorgons?" Twilight added.

"It's not what it looks like!" Adonis said hurriedly, putting up his hands. "I swear! The people depend on me, you see! Without me, there is no Thrace!"

"And there's no Thrace without THE REST OF THRACE!" Twilight growled. "Then again, maybe you're just acting under the influence of those apples…"

"Oh, the apples!" Adonis perked up. "I had almost forgotten. Servant number 23, would you please remember to gather a few of the golden apples of discord for me?"

"AAAAUUUUUGH!" Twilight moaned.

"I feel sorry for whoever got stuck with marrying you," Meg sighed.

"Actually, strangely enough, I'm single," Adonis mused. "I'm not quite sure why. And speaking of which, it's Megara, right?"

"How did you know that?" Meg snapped.

"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten," Adonis replied. It almost sounded like he was taunting her. "We had our day in the sun when we were younger. But you threw me away. I believe you said I was a 'jerk.' Such harsh words, Meg."

"You DON'T get to call me Meg!" Meg snapped. "Only. My friends. Call me that."

"And we're not friends?" Adonis replied. "Oh, right. You have no friends. You're incapable."

"STOP IT!" Twilight snapped. "Okay, Adonis, I've had just about enough. Whatever your problem is with Meg, stop TORMENTING her about it!" She bit her lip. She wondered if she should ask. She realized it would be wrong. She also realized she needed to do it anyway. "Meg…was he the one who…"

"I don't have any idea what he's talking about," Meg stated sharply. "I've never met him before in my life."

Twilight got a suspicion Meg was lying. But she didn't want to press it. "Okay. Adonis. Give us enough time, and we'll fix it so you don't even have to hide. But you have to help us save your subjects. All we need is any Mandrakes you have in store and enough time to make a potion from them."

"Mandrakes!" Adonis was taken aback. "But I need all those! What if I'm petrified?"

"It only takes a small dose to undo," Twilight explained. "There will be enough for EVERYPONY, including you!"

"I still refuse to give up my precious stores!" Adonis crossed his arms. "And that is final!"

"Well, team strategist?" Meg asked. "Got a plan for this one?"

"Admittedly, I didn't expect this," Twilight moaned.

* * *

In the center of the kingdom, the tree sprouted, its golden apples glittering. "Well, now we know where this thing is," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"And I know where YOU are!" Stheno emerged from her hiding place among the leaves, propping herself up by her snakes.

"Watch out, kid!" Phil cried.

"Already on it!" Rainbow Dash summoned her sword. Anticipating Stheno's blows, she swung it to deflect the light from the Gorgon's eyes; Stheno sidestepped it and tried again. Rainbow Dash deflected the light once more, and Stheno leapt in the other direction, barely missing being hit and petrified.

"That's it!" Stheno leapt at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash sent out a rainbow shockwave, which Stheno vaulted over. Coming down for a landing, Stheno's foot connected with Rainbow Dash's wrist, causing the sword to clatter to the street, away from her reach.

"KID!" Phil cried.

Stheno stood on her own two feet, sending her snakes to wrap around Rainbow Dash, binding her arms and her wings. "Say bye-bye!" Her eyes glowed brightly.

A rock hurtled at her from behind and smacked into the back of her head.

"OW!" Stheno flinched, closing her eyes.

Rainbow Dash took that moment to roll over, causing Stheno to reflexively let go of her. She grabbed her sword from the street, but instead of using it right away, she began to fly circles around Stheno, faster and faster, creating a cyclone of rainbows.

"WHAT?" Stheno screeched. "Stop that!"

Round and round Rainbow Dash went until Stheno saw nothing but spinning colors. Then she broke away from the circular pattern, leaving Stheno's head spinning. It was then that Rainbow Dash swung the sword, and a massive shockwave emitted from its wake.

Stheno was slammed into a nearby wall. She then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Rainbow Dash bowed.

"NICE!" Phil cheered. "What do we do with her now?"

"She'll be out for a while," Rainbow Dash assured him. "This sword is strong stuff. But we better take her as a prisoner anyway, just in case."

Phil helped Rainbow Dash hoist Stheno onto her back, and the two began walking toward the palace. "Oh, and by the way, thanks for throwing that rock," Rainbow Dash said. "I probably would have been petrified if you hadn't done that."

"Kid, I didn't do that," Phil told her.

"WHAT?"

"I have no idea where that rock came from. I was on the other side of the Gorgon the whole time. It just kinda came flying outta nowhere."

Rainbow Dash looked left, then right. "Huh. Who threw it?"

"Maybe we'll never know."

Panic watched Rainbow Dash and Phil carry their hostage toward the palace. He threw a rock into the air, catching it. "Oh, don't worry, Fury," he muttered maliciously, "I'll still give you a good report to Hades. It wasn't your fault someone threw a rock at you. But this is what happens when we pick on poor defenseless seers…"

* * *

"Okay," Twilight said, drawing her wand. "Adonis, I didn't want it to come to this, but you're either going to give me the Mandrakes or I'm going to do something drastic."

"Oh, what are you going to do to me?" Adonis mocked.

Twilight turned to the nearest tapestry. "DIFFINDO!" She flicked her wand, and the tapestry was slashed, rolling to the floor. She turned back to Adonis. "As you can see, I know a spell that cuts things."

"Twilight," Meg hissed, "he isn't worth it."

"I'm not going to hurt him," Twilight reassured her. "Though he probably thinks what I have in mind is worse. Adonis, you have to the count of five to agree with us, or…" She tugged at her hair with her free hand. "I'm going to cut your mane off."

"NO!" Adonis wailed as Meg chuckled. "NOT MY BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL HAIR! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

"One!" Twilight said, pointing her wand at Adonis' head. "Two!"

"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT!" Adonis broke down. "You're a monster! An absolute monster! I'll help you! Just please! Don't cut my hair!"

Twilight put away her wand. "Very good," she said with a smirk. Then she realized with a shock who she was reminding herself of, and the smirk faded.

* * *

When Hercules got to the palace gates, he saw Rainbow Dash and Phil arrive with the captive Stheno from one direction and Fluttershy propping up Zoë arriving from another, incidentally at the same time.

"Where's Pit?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Medusa petrified him," Hercules answered – it was still hard to think about, much less say – "but I reflected her gaze back at her and now she's petrified too. Is that…is that Stheno?"

"Yup!" Rainbow Dash bragged.

"And what happened to you?" Hercules asked Zoë in concern.

"We ran into Euryale," Zoë answered, "but we bested her. It was…a challenge."

"Um," Fluttershy said softly, "you're going to want to…"

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash pounded on the gates. "Let us in! We just got rid of the Gorgon problem!"

Fluttershy tried again: "You might want to listen to…"

The gates were pried open. "You know what?" the guard cried in frustration. "The other Kentauride and the brunette just ran right on in. Why don't we just let EVERYONE ELSE in? Obviously, this job is moot anyway." He glared at Rainbow Dash. "But LEAVE. THE GORGON. OUTSIDE."

"I'm just not sure that's the best – " Fluttershy tried, but Rainbow Dash dumped Stheno onto the ground. Everyone in the area recoiled from her body, making haste to get away from the palace gates, to leave them deserted but for the unconscious Stheno. The guests were then welcomed into the palace walls, the gate shut behind them.

"So what were you trying to say, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That Euryale's powers came from a bracelet she was wearing," Fluttershy said. "Stheno was wearing the same one. Maybe we should have taken it off her…"

"We have to go back!" Hercules insisted, but by now, more guards thronged them, pointing spears to urge them into the palace.

They were guided this way all the way to the throne room, where a great fire had been lit in the room's center. Meg stirred a green liquid boiling inside a cauldron suspended over it while Twilight barked orders at servants: "And under NO circumstances are you going to go outside and pick those apples for Adonis! When we get our three friends unpetrified, we'll take care of the tree." Twilight then noticed the entrance of Hercules, Rainbow Dash, Phil, Fluttershy, and Zoë. "Hey! How'd you do?"

"The Gorgon threat is pretty much under control," Hercules stated.

"Really?" Adonis asked. He'd been standing in the corner, out of sight, while Twilight and Meg had in a fashion he considered most insane corrupted his throne room into a kitchen for this potion. However, out of protection for his golden hair, he hadn't attempted to stop them. "Well, that's good to know, I suppose."

"I don't even want to deal with you," Hercules sighed.

"We found him trying to sneak into some bunker and hide out until the Gorgons had destroyed everything," Twilight explained.

"That is the cure thou art making?" Zoë asked.

"Yeah," Twilight replied, "but it usually takes a couple days to stew. Luckily, I think I can speed it up."

"Hang on." Rainbow Dash pointed at her. "You're in your Mahou Shoujo clothes."

It was true. She'd changed outfits. "Well," Twilight said, "that's how I plan to fix this. Meg, can I take over?"

"Be my guest." Meg stepped away from the cauldron.

Twilight approached the bubbling green substance, summoning her staff. She plunged the star-tipped end into the liquid, forcing energy through it. The liquid began to boil at twice the speed, and a green glow emanated from it.

"But that's dangerous!" Fluttershy argued.

"Do we have a choice?" Twilight asked. "Just trust me, okay? And in the meantime…how did you defeat the Gorgon sisters anyway?"

"Well…" Hercules began. "It turns out the situation with Medusa is more complicated than I thought…"

Adonis tuned them all out. He didn't want to hear their excruciatingly boring stories. However, he did still want those apples. Perhaps he didn't need to send a servant, now that the Gorgons were out of the way. Of course, that would mean he would have to leave the palace and do something close to manual labor. But at the same time, the mental vision of his own hand plucking the apple from the tree was far too enticing. He couldn't just hand that over to one of his servants!

So he slipped from the throne room. None of the invading "heroes" saw him leave. None of his servants questioned him, and the guards opened the gates wide for him.

* * *

"Ugh," Stheno murmured, sitting up and pressing a hand to the side of her head.

"THERE you are!" Euryale's voice called out. "I think, anyway. That's you, right?"

"Yeah," Stheno replied, getting to her feet and facing in the direction from which Euryale's voice came. "Holy Hades, what happened to you?"

"They BROKE my BRACELET!" Euryale seethed, eyes shut tight. "What happened to YOU? It took me FOREVER to find you!"

"Some jerk hit me in the back of the head with a rock when I was about to petrify the rainbow one," Stheno answered. "Then the rainbow one used her weird magic sword on me and now I guess I'm here!"

"Let's hope Medusa did better than us…"

"Sorry, ladies." Pain approached them. "She kinda got turned to stone."

"Did she at least put up a good fight," Stheno asked, "or did she go soft?"

"It's kinda funny," Pain mused, "that you say that, 'cause if she's stone, she can't be soft…"

"NO PUNS," Euryale growled.

"She took out the winged guy and the flying horse," Pain answered. "And Hercules just got lucky."

"Well, at least her mind's finally in the right place," Stheno sighed. "So what do we do now?"

"Get revenge!" Euryale snarled.

"I would," Stheno said, "but my head feels all light." She pointed to the snakes atop her scalp. "And THEIR heads feel all light too. I am NOT up for another rampage right now."

"Then we cut our losses, collect Medusa, return to the Underworld, and have Hades repair us," Euryale decided.

It was then that Adonis rushed out of the palace gates that had been opened for him. He stopped short when he saw the two Gorgons. "No, no, no, this can't be right!" he babbled. "They said you were taken care of!"

"Not quite," Stheno remarked. "Say. You look strong. Think you can escort three defenseless ladies back to the Underworld?"

Before Adonis could answer, he was blasted by light. His eyes filmed over red. "Anything for you, my lieges," he stated.

"Okay, minion," Stheno ordered. "Prop me up on one arm. Euryale, you take my other hand and follow us. Minion, find Medusa and pick her up with your other arm, then carry us back. NOW."

"Right away, my lieges!" Adonis said with a bow. He linked an arm with Stheno, who grasped Euryale's hand, and the three set out. "You coming?" Stheno yelled back at Pain.

"Yeah," he grumbled, traipsing after them. "I guess I am."

"Where's the other one?" Euryale asked. "Has he just been with you this whole time and not said anything? I HATE this blindness!"

"He's…kinda not here," Pain muttered. "He'll catch up."

* * *

The potion changed shades, lightening considerably to a rather pleasant light green, before Twilight removed her staff and reverted to her Greek style clothing. "There," she announced. "Done!"

"All right!" Hercules cheered.

"Okay," Twilight said, "I'm going to need everypony's help in taking this around town and putting it on the skin of everyone who was petrified. That will bring them all back to normal."

"You hear that?" Meg grinned. "You're all field medics now!"

"Everypony get a flask or a drinking glass or something," Twilight ordered, "and take some out there!"

She took a goblet from one of the trays the servants had brought in for rations, scooping a good amount of the liquid out of the cauldron. Meg did the same. The others divided up to find carrying containers of the same ilk.

"So you really don't remember anything about Adonis?" Twilight asked.

"As far as I know, I never met him," Meg confirmed.

"And…just out of curiosity, when you were betrayed…"

"I don't talk about that, Sparkle. Nothing against you. Just a personal policy."

"Okay," Twilight resigned, not entirely sure Meg was telling the truth about Adonis.

The others slowly returned, as did most of the servants, also carrying containers. They seemed, Twilight thought, strangely willing to take orders from her. Hercules knew this was because taking orders from anyone but Adonis seemed like a pleasure after enduring his ridiculous demands.

One of the guards rushed into the throne room, out of breath. "Everyone!" he cried. "I have heard word that Adonis left the palace walls, and the Gorgon sisters took control of him and led him away from Thrace, toward the Underworld! He may be as good as dead!"

There was a stunned silence. Then every single servant broke out into raucous cheering.

"Are they that much more glad to be rid of the Gorgons than they are dismayed that their leader has been taken?" Zoë asked.

"No…not exactly," Hercules replied. "I'm pretty sure they haven't even latched onto the fact that the Gorgons are gone."

"But what are we to do with Thrace?" a servant asked. "Adonis had no heir!"

"And he named no regent!" another pointed out.

"Well," a third brought up, "Pericles is doing pretty well with that 'democracy' he's founded in Athens…what if we put the throne to a vote?"

This was met with a chorus of replies.

"I know a teacher in town who could run this kingdom better than Adonis!"

"I know a farmer from the market who's actually a lot smarter than everyone thinks!"

"I want to give it a try!"

"Let's spread the idea and put a voting system in place!"

"Um…" Rainbow Dash stared at the scene unfolding before her. "I guess all's well that…ends well?"

"HEY!" Phil snapped. "You can all get on with your democracy whenever you want, but can we focus on reviving the petrified first?"

"Of course!" One blonde manservant rushed forward, filling a flask with the potion and running out of the room.

"Now that's what I call enthusiasm!" Phil cried. "Now let's go, go, go!"

The others followed the suit of the first volunteer. "Hang on," Meg said to Hercules. "That first servant. Did he look familiar to you?"

"Yeah," Hercules admitted, "but I have no idea where I've seen him before. Or why we would even know a Thracian servant."

"Huh."

On his way out of the palace, carrying the flask, Panic was actually amazed that he'd been able to pass in front of so many without them guessing at his identity. He was practically invisible. That would work in his favor.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

The panther was thinking.

As it turned out, while finding the Beast Within needed to be initiated with a wiping of the mind and a reversion to animal instinct, a successful caster of the spell could slowly bring his or her thoughts back into focus until he or she retained full mental capacity while holding a strong animal form.

"You've done well," Hecate congratulated.

"Thank you," the panther said with a slight bow. Hecate nearly lost it when he smirked. It seemed no matter what body he was in, Mozenrath would always be capable of that.

"Eventually, you're going to be able to cast magic while in that form, or whatever form your true Beast Inside turns out to be," Hecate explained as Mozenrath reverted to humanity. "But we're going to save that for a little later. I wouldn't want you to quit out of boredom, you know."

"It's good to know you have SOME concern in you," Mozenrath sighed.

"Right now, you're not carrying enough weaponry," Hecate pointed out. "Unfortunately, because you need that gauntlet to access greater Hammerspace, teaching you to use it won't be useful enough to give you a backup weapon when you find yourself without that thing."

"I am NEVER without this 'thing,'" Mozenrath snapped.

"And I suppose it was your plan to give it away to the sprites so they could bury it and you could dig it up for a year?" Hecate retorted.

"Mozenrath burned," Xerxes commented.

"I KNOW," Mozenrath hissed.

"Still, when you're in a magic duel, you're going to want to have something extra on hand," Hecate pointed out. "Do I have to explain the concept of Hammerspace to you?"

"No."

"Good. Now, currently, the most powerful darkness wielder in all the multiverse is using her Hammerspace to store the best torture devices known to humanity, iron maiden included."

"Maleficent has all that?"

"Maleficent is NOT the most powerful darkness wielder in all the universe," Hecate pointed out. "Trust me, I've heard about her reaction when you bring that fact up. It's hilarious. Do you see yourself needing to pull an iron maiden in the middle of battle?"

"At the moment, no," Mozenrath admitted, "though I'm sure you're going to force me to take one."

"Actually, we should start simple," Hecate stated. "Guns and swords. And actually, in a multiverse filled with magic, swords are technically more effective than guns, believe it or not."

"I believe it," Mozenrath stated. "Cannon fire can be manipulated by every spell in the book."

"Cannon fire…" Hecate almost laughed. "Your world doesn't know the first thing about guns. But no matter what, you're right. Ballistics are more vulnerable than blades, and blades are more easily enchanted."

"So what are you recommending I carry?"

Hecate clapped her hands twice. A long table covered in cloth appeared. She whipped the white cloth away, revealing the shimmering array upon the table. A gladius. A shamshir. An acinaces. At least seven more varieties of blade, all gleaming bronze with cobalt blue hilts.

"SHINY!" Xerxes cried.

"Celestial bronze," Hecate stated. "A divine standard. Sends most monsters reeling, and you can customize it magically however you want."

"And which one do I get?" Mozenrath asked, trying to keep from looking too happy. Or drooling.

"All of them," Hecate replied.

* * *

THRACE, OLYMPIC GREECE

A finger ran across Cassandra's forehead, leaving a trail of green liquid. The potion sank into the marble skin, and slowly, the seer reanimated, shifting from stone into flesh.

"Okay, who moved my statue?" she grumped as soon as she had vocal capacities. Then she turned to face the person who had revived her.

"Uh…hi," Panic said, putting up one hand.

"Hey, I know you," Cassandra stated. "You're that one guy from Delphi. Thanatocrates, right?"

"Yup! That's my name! Don't know why it would be anything else!"

"Did you just unpetrify me?"

"Well…I might've…"

"That's cool." Cassandra nodded. "Got any news on the whole Gorgon situation?"

"Well, I may not know exactly ALL of the details, but everyone on the street is saying that the Gorgons retreated. Say what you want about them, but they do good work…"

"Eh, mass petrification is pretty standard as far as doom goes," Cassandra agreed.

"And also, Thrace MAY have set up a democracy in the absence of Adonis, sho might have gone with them."

"Figures."

"So now we're in the process of healing everyone that was petrified. And, well, I saw you – "

"From outside the house?"

" – through the window, and I remembered you from Delphi, so…here we are."

"Thanks," Cassandra replied. "For, y'know. Unpetrifying me."

"Oh, it was nothing. I mean, I wasn't just going to leave you to a horrible fate."

"What, are you some kind of compulsive do-gooder?"

"Believe me, I'm in no way as much of a…do-gooder…as you're probably thinking right now. Why don't we go outside? See if there's anyone else who needs to be rescued or anything?"

"Sure," Cassandra agreed.

She led the way out of the house. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Icarus still all stood directly outside it.

"I notice you didn't stop to save the four obvious statues first," Cassandra pointed out.

"Well…I have a perfectly good reason for that…" Panic babbled.

Cassandra raised a hand. "Say no more. Even I'M not looking forward to reanimating him."

"Icarus really is an annoying little brat, isn't he?" Panic snapped.

"You just preached to the Greek chorus," Cassandra agreed. "Let's get this over with. Gimme the potion."

She dripped a little of it on each statue, and soon, all four were back to life. "CASSANDRA!" Icarus cried, jumping on his rescuer and embracing her tightly. "I knew my precious flower would be back to rescue me!"

"Ugh!" Cassandra groaned. "Will you give it a rest?"

"You heard her," Panic growled. "GET. OFF."

"Whoa!" Icarus let go of Cassandra, backing up. "Who's Mr. Cranky?"

"The guy who actually managed to save me while you, I'm assuming, went charging at the Gorgons like an idiot," Cassandra answered. "Actually, name's Thanatocrates. He was one of my last clients at Delphi before this whole road trip."

"Pleased to meet ya," Applejack said with a nod.

"EXCUSE me!" Rarity interrupted. "Haven't we got more important things to focus on? Like the Gorgons, for example!"

"Oh, they're gone," Cassandra informed the others. "Thanatocrates said so."

"The others must have come through and saved us!" Pinkie Pie cried, hopping up and down. She and Icarus then grabbed each other's hands, dancing around in a circle, chanting, "They saved us, they saved us!"

"Thanks again," Cassandra murmured towards Panic. "For telling Icky there to back off."

"No problem. He's really that annoying," Panic replied, voice steely.

"Guess I owe you two now."

"Oh, you don't owe me anything…"

"I'm sorry," Rarity said teasingly, "but am I detecting certain vibes between you and your new friend, Cassandra?"

Icarus dropped Pinkie Pie's hands. "Wait a minute…" He pointed at Panic. "ARE YOU TRYING TO STEAL MY WOMAN?"

"Oh, and I'm assuming she COMPLETELY agreed to be known as your property of her own free will," Panic retorted.

"I'M WATCHING YOU, MISTER!" Icarus roared. "NO FUNNY BUSINESS, OR I'LL – "

"Maaaaybe we should put this discussion aside and go find the others," Applejack suggested.

"LET'S GO!" Pinkie Pie led the group, bounding ahead.

"You should probably come with us," Cassandra told Panic. "Since you have the magic green stuff and all."

"Well…if you insist." By now, Panic was absolutely certain that no one would catch on to his illusion. He walked alongside the others. "So, how'd you end up down here anyway?"

"Long story," Cassandra said.

"Eh, I've got some time…"

"Well, if you wanna know, it started right after you left," Cassandra began.

She didn't mind relating her tale to "Thanatocrates." In fact, she didn't want to let on to the others, but she found him rather cute.

* * *

Hercules personally saw to the healing of Pegasus and Pit. Pegasus was still a little shaken, at first; the horse paced back and forth to make sure he still had motor skills. Then, when Pit reached consciousness, Hercules told him, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Pit asked.

"For letting that happen to you, first of all," Hercules said. "I'm supposed to be a hero. I protect people, not let them take the hit for me. I already had that happen to me once, with the worst possible person I could have lost."

"Yeah, well, I'm a hero too," Pit replied, grinning. "Taking the hit for other people is something I do."

"And second, I'm sorry I doubted what you said about Medusa," Hercules continued, his tone growing mournful. "I guess she's – "

"No," Pit insisted. "Don't. I'M the one who should be sorry for doubting your friend. If she had a contract with Hades this entire time, that explains EVERYTHING. Hades is a tough customer. It doesn't matter if you want to be a hero or a villain. He makes you do what he wants you to do. There's probably a lot more to ol' Medusa than I thought!"

Hercules couldn't deny that. "There is."

"I kinda feel bad for her. I mean, I'm still gonna fight her, but, y'know…who knows if her attack on Palutena was something she even wanted to do?" Pit shrugged. "Anyway, just 'cause I have a grudge with her doesn't mean you should hate her. I could tell stuff happened between you two."

"Thanks," Hercules replied. "I know that deep down, she's a good person. She practically said so. I'm not gonna give up on her just yet."

As they made their way back to the group, Pit brought up a different topic: "So what's up with Icarus? I always heard he was smart, but so far, all he's done is suggest…cake catapults…and launch himself at Gorgons. Is he playing or something?"

"Icarus isn't dumb," Hercules defended immediately. "But he is a little…spacey."

"Huh." Pit thought that over.

* * *

"Hey!" Twilight called out, rushing toward Icarus, Cassandra, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and…someone whose name she didn't know, though Icarus seemed to be glaring at him with murder in his eyes. Somewhat growling, too.

"And basically, that's why Sisyphus has my favorite Tartarus punishment," Cassandra had been saying.

"What, you don't like Ixion?" Panic retorted. "He's tied to a giant wheel of fire! How can you not love the wheel of fire?"

"It's just unnecessarily flashy," Cassandra argued. "Pyrotechnics does not a good punishment make. Sisyphus actually has to see his own victory crushed again and again. Makes you wonder why he doesn't just stop rolling the rock in the first place, actually."

"Well, the lesser demons do whip him with barbed wire if he stops. I mean, that's…that's always been my theory."

"New friend?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't say friend yet," Panic said hurriedly. "More just a casual acquaintance who happened to be in the right place at the right time completely coincidentally…"

"Name's Thanatocrates," Cassandra introduced. "He's pretty cool, even if he doesn't know the difference between a good eternal punishment and a flashy one."

"Heyyyy!" Panic whined.

"Don't I know you?" Twilight asked him. "You seem familiar."

"I…do?" Panic didn't even know that Twilight had ever seen him or Pain.

"Yeah!" Twilight realized. "You were the first one of Adonis' servants to grab the potion! You've been a big help to us! Thanks for that!"

"Oh, it was…it was nothing," Panic replied.

"You didn't tell me you worked for Adonis," Cassandra broke in.

"Well…" Panic answered, "you see, the thing is, as much as my boss had me running absolutely RAGGED, I could always find time to get away from him and have time to myself. And believe me, with a boss like mine, I deserve it. He's vain, short-tempered, and just plain scary sometimes! So I get away for as long as I can."

He hadn't lied.

"Actually, I was hoping I could ask Cassandra and Icarus about something," Twilight said. She held out the goblet. "Anyone wanna take this and run ahead to heal the other petrification victims?"

"OOH! OOH! I WILL!" Pinkie grabbed the goblet and hopped excitedly away.

"Careful!" Rarity cried, rushing after her. "Don't spill it!"

Applejack followed suit, and Panic gingerly increased his pace, ready to look for someone to pawn his flask and therefore his healing duty on.

"Is this about that creep that's hanging on Cassandra all the time now?" Icarus began.

"Yeah," Cassandra added, with a glare at Icarus. "Somebody should really do something about the creep that's stalking me."

"This is NOT about that," Twilight insisted. "You guys knew Hercules and Meg when you were younger, right?"

"Well, we knew Hercules," Icarus clarified.

"We only ever saw that Meg chick once," Cassandra added.

"So…" Twilight went on, "was she with Adonis? I know this is completely not my place, but I think he might have been the one that she had the…well, the incident with."

"There was an incident?" Icarus asked.

Twilight realized neither of them knew about the one who'd shattered Meg's trust and heart. "It was no big deal. And please don't tell Meg about any of this. I basically just want to know if they were together. She said she didn't remember him, but he seemed to think something happened between them."

"Actually, they were probably both right," Cassandra pointed out. "Word on the street was Meg was a little con woman back then, and she recruited Hercules in some mission to steal a jar of Lethe water."

"That's the water from the river in the Underworld that makes you forget everything!" Icarus explained.

"I know what Lethe water is," Twilight sighed.

"Anyway," Cassandra finished, "the two of them went running off, and when Hercules came back, it was like he had no idea who we were even talking about when we brought her up. Pretty sure they managed to pull off the Lethe water scheme, then both got drenched in it and lost a bunch of memories. Meg was probably with Adonis back then, and the Lethe made her forget. Whether this was before or after any incident you're talking about, I don't know."

"She does remember the incident," Twilight mused, "but maybe…maybe she doesn't remember WHO that person was! And that's why she won't talk about it! That MUST be it! Thanks, you two!"

"No problem!" Icarus cried. "Always happy to help!"

"You did nothing…" Cassandra sighed.

"You did listen," Twilight told him. "Anyway, we've got to finish up with the statues and get to the tree."

* * *

Once rumor reported that there were few statues left, the group reconvened, "Thanatocrates" included, and Rainbow Dash led them all to the tree.

The six Kentaurides cast upon it the power of the Elements, bathing it in rainbow light, transforming its apples. Panic didn't know exactly what had been done to the apples; he just knew it was unsettling.

"Well, I guess this is the part where we move on to the next city," Hercules stated.

"Cassandra?" Twilight asked.

"Already on it." Cassandra inhaled from the mists of Delphi. "A great monster attacks Corinth. He's almost as tall as the sky." When she reverted from her trance, she said, "That's all I got."

"But we know it's Corinth next," Twilight said. "So to Corinth we go!"

"You coming, Thanatocrates?" Cassandra asked Panic.

"Huh? Oh, right, me," Panic replied. "Actually, I'm thinking of taking a personal vacation. You know, I need time for myself and everything…plus, I'm not really the 'hero' type…but maybe I'll see you somewhere around Greece. I mean, Corinth is nice this time of year, and who am I to turn down witnessing a good monster attack? We'll just have to see if it's in the Tapestry of Fate."

"Well…see you around then, maybe," Cassandra told him.

"Bye, Thana…Thora…new friend!" Pinkie cried, waving. Panic took that as his cue to slip away quickly before anyone else on the enemy team could call him "friend."

"Does that guy seem shifty to anyone else?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Something is a little…unsettling about him," Rarity admitted. "But I suppose that's not a crime."

"And there's a monster that's definitely shifty over in Corinth," Applejack pointed out. "I say we get movin'."

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Facilier calculated the numbers for the day. The tally of souls in the Underworld was delivered to him by a variety of magical devices: crystals, spinning rings, self-propelled abacuses connected to quills that wrote on parchment. He relied on them to do his job.

He gathered the records, entering them into a ledger. His eyes skimmed the page.

Something wasn't right.

He checked a device that recorded new arrivals. It had been giving him the same number for days. There was no way the exact same amount of people could be dying every day. A device recording transfers had reported moves from Niflheim to Tartarus increasing by the same integer daily, and moves from the Styx to Valhalla had been decreasing by the same integer daily. That was too much of a coincidence.

Once he noticed the obvious ones, Facilier picked out more and more figures that just couldn't have been right. He glanced around the room at the devices, all humming away. "How long have they not been working…?"

He left in a haste to find the sources that could get him a manual count.

* * *

Chapter 52:

· Yeah, I denied you the actual scene of Hades freaking out over the Elements of Harmony. Just couldn't pull it off as well as I could retroactively. Don't worry. You'll get a HUGE tantrum later.

· The bracelets are inspired by American Dragon: Jake Long. Episode "Furious Jealousy." At the time, my memories of the ep were fuzzy, so these aren't exact matches. By the storylet's end, they get bracelets that jive more with ADJL canon. I used this to explain why the stone-sight goes from "anything they look at" to more controlled, and also give them the minion mind control power.

· I imported Mandrakes for the sake of plot device. There seemed to be no un-petrification in any of the canons I'm using for Olympic Greece in general.

· Zoë's sword CAN send the Gorgons to the Underworld immediately. Hence I had to take her out of play.

· I apologize, but Medusa has to play a tragic villain a while longer. She can't really ditch the chains of villainy until post-Kid Icarus: Uprising. (But given how much I love Monster High, you can make a bet that her good side is going to show through eventually…y'know, because Deuce is the son of Medusa and he's a good guy…)

· Referencing the HTAS ep "Aetolian Amphora" here. Meg enlisted Hercules on a mission to help her steal a jar of Lethe water so she could forget she ever went on a date with Adonis, but the jar broke over both of them and they forgot meeting each other. Meg would also have forgotten Adonis. Which, I'm just saying, would leave her susceptible to committing the same mistake twice…

· I SWEAR, THE ADONIS PLOT CAME OUT OF FREAKING NOWHERE. He was just going to be a cameo, and Stheno was going to call up some innocent civilians as minions to take her back to the Underworld, but then I thought…why not spare innocents and get Adonis, in some sense or another, on Team Hades? Because that's where he's going. And in the HTAS ep "Big Show," Hades did mention that Adonis had evil potential…

· That is probably the fastest a government has ever been established. But it not only allows me to reinforce that Adonis is a jerk; it allows me to reference the Age of Pericles and make my choice of having one democratic polis among a bunch of monarchies relevant.

· Beast Within needs to be able to have complete mental faculties, not a blank mind, because I'm using it later to…do a thing. Anyway, now we've indirectly referenced Bayonetta herself. Yes, in canon, Bayonetta can pull iron maidens (and that's not even the most painful torture device she has) out of Hammerspace and throw enemies into them.

· The shamshir is a Persian sword used most commonly in the Mamluk empire. Translation: it's a Mozenrath sword. Now, I realize celestial bronze can't hurt mortals, but most of the enemies Mozenrath would face wouldn't be mortals at all.


	53. Fallen Idol

53. Fallen Idol

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"Okay," Hades said, "so the last attack was…less than ideal. Can we all agree on that? Less than ideal?"

Euryale, Stheno, and Medusa nodded. Medusa had been reanimated, and the Underworld, as always, negated the automatic petrification that Euryale's bracelet had prevented.

"Note to self," Hades muttered. "Install a failsafe on those bracelets so breaking them doesn't invite everyone with a mirror to come play hero as soon as they're gone. Now, we lost ANOTHER tree, we lost ANOTHER polis to the heroes, and Jerk-ules AND the bearers of the Elements of Deus Ex Machina are all still alive and kicking. However, there IS a bright spot. You ladies did happen to bring back an absolutely PERFECT new recruit for the army."

He gestured to Adonis, eyes still blood red, who stood at attention in the corner. "Whatever you wish, my liege, it is my command!" The prince bowed.

"Y'know, I told that kid once he had a good future in the world domination field," Hades remarked. "Too bad it needed to come down to hypnotism to convince him of it, but whatever. If nothing else, he'll be good cannon fodder. So, no, maybe NOT worth losing face at Thrace, but it's something. Now, let's look over your performance reports." Hades turned toward the throne room entry and yelled, "PAIN! PANIC!"

Pain skidded into the room. "Pain, sir, reporting for duty!"

Hades rolled his eyes, then sighed deeply. "Do I even want to know where – "

"PANICREPORTINGFORDUTY!" Panic slid into the room next to his partner in crime.

"Status report," Hades said. "How did the Gorgon sisters do on their first outing?"

"Well, first I watched Euryale, and she did really good," Pain commented. "One of the warriors that turned up had a celestial bronze blade, y'know, the kind that non-mortals like Euryale are weak to, so Euryale made her into a minion like Adonis and had her fight her friend. That Kentauride just got in a lucky guess that she even knew Euryale's power was in her bracelet."

"Very nice!" Hades complimented.

"It would have been better if my bracelet hadn't been broken," Euryale snapped.

Stheno elbowed her hard. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Euryale! Especially from Lord Hades!"

"Then Medusa got confronted by Hercules, and they were talkin' about their friendship and all," Pain went on, "but she petrified the winged guy anyway, and she tried to petrify Hercules with a sneak attack, but he blocked her at the last minute and reflected her own vision back at her, and that's why we had to bring her down here as a statue."

"VERY nice!" Hades commended. "And here I was thinking I'd have to worry about you going soft, Medusa. Turns out, I bet on the right flying horse when it comes to you after all."

"Thank you," Medusa said coldly, not wanting to engage Hades any more.

"Er, I was in charge of observing Stheno," Panic picked up where Pain had left off. "She came very close to killing one of the Element bearers, even when the odds were pretty bad, but out of nowhere, someone threw a rock at the back of her head, and that gave the Kentauride the edge."

"I wasn't EXPECTING it!" Stheno growled. "If I ever find the person who threw that, I'll DESTROY them!"

"Hey, listen, Fury, babe," Hades assured her, "we're on the same page. Sounds like all three of you check out. And if I ever find your mysterious rock-thrower, they're earning a one-way pass to Tartarus. Though coming up with good punishments has been getting harder. Hey, when I was strapped for time with Ixion, I basically just thought up something I could cover up with flashy pyrotechnics."

"Hey!" Panic griped; Hades was unaware that he'd settled Cassandra's argument.

"So we'll work on the technicalities with the bracelet," Hades resolved, "you three will keep practicing your battle skills, and we'll regroup for the finale of eternal darkness. Sound fair? You three may go."

"What, no reward?" Stheno snapped.

"Don't push it," Medusa warned quietly.

"In due time," Hades answered. "Do as well as you did in Thrace or better during our finale – I'd prefer it if nobody got petrified, energy drained, or blinded this time – and you will get the domain of your dreams. I already have something picked out for you. Trust me, you're gonna love it. Now run along."

"I can't WAIT!" Stheno squealed as the three left the room.

"And now for the next act," Hades muttered as the one he'd sent a summons to entered the throne room.

"You called me," Orcos said plainly.

"That I did, Orcos, my friend!" Hades confirmed. "Have I got a mission for you! Today, you get all of Corinth to just do what you do best. Destroy things, I mean. Not keep blood oaths."

"Your orders disgust me," Orcos replied calmly.

"And you are in the palm of my hand," Hades reminded him. "Want me to make you wish for death? Eh? Or should I call your mom Alecto up and ask her what just grinds your gears?"

Orcos sighed. "Then I shall do your bidding."

"One more thing," Hades added. "When certain goody-two-shoes show up to combat you, aim for Hercules or the six Kentaurides with the glowy amulets. Capiche?"

"Understood," Orcos replied before turning to stride from the throne room.

"Keep an eye on him," Hades ordered Pain and Panic. "Make sure he's a good boy."

"Of course!" Panic said excitedly. "We won't let you down! Now, let's go, Pain! Time's a-wastin'!" He charged from the room, dragging Pain along.

"I do not even want to know," Hades muttered as he sat down and rubbed his brow with his fingertips. "I do not even want to know what it is with those two today."

"So, uh, Panic?" Pain asked as the two imps made their way to the surface. "That rock that got thrown at Stheno? I mean, you were pretty mad at her for petrifying Cassandra. Did you…?"

"I had my revenge on her," Panic confirmed. "She had it coming."

"Y'know, Hades would be really angry if somebody were to, I dunno, tell on you for – "

"I'll do your half of the Cerberus chores for a century if you keep your mouth shut."

"DEAL!"

* * *

CORINTH, OLYMPIC GREECE

As the wagon neared Corinth, Hercules told everyone, "This time, I handled the strategy part."

"Everybody brace yourselves," Phil warned. "This is probably gonna hurt."

"Phil!" Hercules chided. "Anyway, it's only one monster, right? And I'm an expert at taking down monsters. So I'm going to fight it while the rest of you look for the tree!"

"Thou art being very foolish," Zoë argued. "Let us assume that these attacks are the fault of Hades, Discord, or, most likely, Eris. All would know that thou hast had extensive training fighting ordinary monsters. They would not send any second-rate monster to fight you, especially when you are in the company of so many."

"I can handle it!" Hercules insisted. "I don't care what turns up. I've got this!"

It was as if he'd rehearsed it. As soon as Hercules completed his declaration, the earth trembled. With a mighty roar, the creature erupted upward from just within the gates of Corinth, reaching its claws upward to the sky.

When he had reached the full capacity of his gigantic form, Orcos began to destroy at random. He swept down tall buildings with his mighty claws, watching them clatter to the streets below. He crunched smaller houses beneath his feet, observing the residents running outside as fast as they could in order to avoid becoming jam, feeling that any other member of Hades' summoned army would probably be taking pleasure in this while he just shut off his emotions so that he wouldn't feel regret.

And on a rooftop at the city limits, Pain and Panic kicked back to watch the show.

"That…is a little bigger than I expected," Hercules said weakly. He steeled his confidence. "But I can handle it!" He drew his sword. "I'm going to run in and challenge it. The rest of you find the tree!"

"Hercules," Meg cautioned. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, okay? I kind of need you back in one piece."

"I've GOT this!" Hercules insisted. He leapt out of the wagon, unhitching Pegasus and leaping on the winged horse's back. Pegasus took off for the skies, and the duo flew toward Orcos.

Phil ordered the horses pulling the wagon to halt. "Better that we don't make ourselves a giant target while we're in there," he said. "Now let's go!"

The group disembarked in ensemble, running to the city gates. Once inside, Twilight led them down a street that turned sharply away from the radius of Orcos' destruction.

"Do you really think he can handle it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "We should help him!"

"We need all six of us to get rid of that tree," Applejack reminded her, "and the sooner we get rid of it, the better chance any of us will have against whatever that thing is!"

"But he will not survive it," Zoë stated. "That is no ordinary monster. That is Orcos. He is a demigod, and his other parent one of the Fury queens. He has demonic strength."

"Here's my plan," Pit stated. "You six with the Elements go get that tree taken care of, and Zoë and I will hang back and dramatically swoop in to save Hercules at the last minute. Since I'm an Olympian and she's a Hesperide, we should have this in the bag!" He looked at Zoë. "You in?"

"I am with you," Zoë said with a nod. She unclipped the bronze hair accessory, producing the sword from it. Pit took his bow off his back.

"Then let's DO this!" Pit cried, and he and Zoë turned back to make their way toward Orcos.

"Wait a minute!" Icarus realized. "I can't just leave one of my best buddies to get slaughtered by Orcos! I have to do something! HANG ON! I'M COMING!" He charged after Pit and Zoë.

"Not again!" Twilight and Cassandra moaned.

"Maybe we should focus on the tree," Applejack suggested, looking at the roads ahead.

"It can't be too hard to find," Rarity said. "We should probably look for the center of town."

"And we should probably have mentioned that Corinth is laid out like a maze," Meg pointed out.

She, Cassandra, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Phil looked at the twisting streets ahead with sinking hearts.

* * *

Orcos had cleared out a rather large radius of destruction; buildings were flattened, knocked over, smashed to bits. The people fled; the streets were cleared. Orcos turned to see where he could begin widening that radius, creating more destruction in the name of Hades.

Hercules arrived in this open space, charging Orcos' clawed foot. "YOUR TIME HERE IS DONE, MONSTER!" he yelled, swinging his blade.

The sword glanced off Orcos' skin as though it were stone or steel. Not even that. With all Hercules' strength behind it, that swing could usually have cracked stone or bent steel. On Orcos, it did nothing.

Orcos recognized his assailant as Hercules. Remembering Hades' words, he reached down with one great clawed hand.

Hercules wrapped his arms around Orcos' ankle, hoping to be able to pick him up and throw him the way he had done with the Titans, but Orcos proved too heavy. What kind of monster, Hercules wondered in horror, could weigh ten times as much as a Titan?

He then found himself in the monster's grip. His sword arm was free, and he took a swing at Orcos' wrist, but again, nothing happened. He wriggled; there was no breaking the grip. In fact, the more Hercules struggled, the tighter Orcos clenched his fist – like metal bands contracting. Hercules felt a deep fear run through him. The same sort of fear he'd felt when facing off against the many-headed Hydra…when he couldn't think of anything to try, a way out.

Orcos pitied him. The greatest hero that world had known, and he'd gotten himself captured helplessly in under a minute. He lifted Hercules up so that he could look him in the eye.

"I am sorry," he said. His voice was still smooth, resonant – the sort of voice you'd expect from a mortal or a god, not a monster. He didn't know where in town Pain and Panic were, but he could feel their piercing gazes upon him, judging him for Hades. "I do not want to do this," he concluded. "But I must."

He prepared to squeeze his fist closed. He would have crushed Olympic Greece's greatest demigod hero in one pulpy moment.

But a sharp pain entered his wrist, and he ended up dropping Hercules instead.

Hercules fell fast, but now he did not fear; he had planned for this. Pegasus swooped upward, catching him; Hercules and Pegasus turned their attentions toward Orcos. "Let's go," Hercules told his steed, and Pegasus charged the monster.

Orcos examined his wrist to see what had hit it. A light arrow. It dissipated into the air as Orcos beheld it. He barely had time to wonder who had fired it and from where before Hercules and Pegasus came barreling at him in midair.

He swiped outward to grab them; Pegasus expertly ducked. Horse and hero sailed past Orcos' chest, and Hercules dragged his sword uselessly across the skin. "Circle around!" Hercules suggested. "Maybe we can get him from behind!"

Orcos twisted and grasped again and again; the agile horse evaded him easily. Orcos bellowed to the sky: a roar more befitting of a great demonic entity. Pegasus then charged directly at Orcos' back; Hercules stood up on Pegasus' back, balancing perfectly, before leaping, fists directed at Orcos. He hoped to knock Orcos off balance, but when his fists connected with Orcos' skin, he felt the pain and Orcos did not even flinch. Falling again, Hercules was caught a second time by Pegasus.

"What's with this guy?" Hercules asked Pegasus worriedly. "I can't do a thing! He's invincible!"

And then, just to prove that Hercules' point of Orcos' invincibility was off the mark entirely, Orcos was hurt. Light arrows pierced his shoulders, his chest, his stomach.

"YEAH!" Pit cried, firing the arrows from midair. He circled Orcos, shooting more arrows, peppering him from all angles. Then he looked down. "It's all you, Zoë!"

While Orcos attempted to grab Pit out of the air – Hercules got the idea, and guided Pegasus to fly around as well, giving Orcos another moving target to distract him – Zoë charged from the streets, sword in hand, leaping at Orcos' ankle. She slashed out with her bronze blade; it left a gash, and instead of blood, a sparkling dust flowed out. Zoë then whirled to cut Orcos' other ankle, causing another fountain of sparkles.

Orcos soon tired. Whenever he turned his attention to Zoë, Pit's light arrows slammed into him. Whenever his attention was on Pit, Zoë's blade cut him. There was no more he could do.

To add insult to injury, Icarus chose that moment to show himself. "TAKE THIS, GIANT MONSTER THING!" he bellowed, aiming a flying kick at Orcos' leg. He missed completely, faceplanting onto the stone.

It was all too much. Orcos knew it. He knew Hades' spies would know it. So he vanished. After all, taking too many light arrows and too many strokes from a blade of Celestial Bronze…he could be incapacitated. Or he might die, but he hadn't yet judged if the benefits of returning to Hades in spirit form would outweigh the drawbacks.

So he left. He simply faded away. Icarus stood, approaching Zoë as she gazed upward, watching the colossus of a monster become as nothing. Pit touched ground beside them, and Pegasus landed as well, allowing Hercules to disembark.

"We did it!" Hercules cried, breathing the sighs of relief. "We destroyed him!"

"Not quite," Zoë clarified. "He vanished of his own accord. If our weapons had ended him, we would know." She glanced over at Hercules. "Thy weapon was useless against him – "

"I know," Hercules stated. He began to walk; the others followed him. "It's…weird. I've never met a monster like that before. Why did your sword hurt him?"

"My blade is forged of Celestial Bronze," Zoë explained. "The metal of the gods." With a shimmer, the sword returned to the form of a hair clip, which Zoë affixed to her head. "It is useless against mortals, but divine and demonic creatures are banished to the Underworld by it. I believe the creature we faced was Orcos, half god, half Fury. Of course he is stronger than any other creature we would have seen! My blade could not have felled him in one blow, but it was able to corrupt his essence. Pit's blades are also edged in Celestial Bronze, and his arrows are light from Palutena."

"Guess I better think about getting a weapon like that," Hercules mused.

"I would advise it," Zoë agreed as they made their way down the twisting streets of Corinth.

* * *

The rainbow enveloped the tree; the golden apples became multicolored. As the sphere of light dissipated from around Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, the footsteps sounded that heralded the arrival of Hercules, Zoë, Pit, Pegasus, and Icarus.

"You found the tree!" Pit cried.

"After a lot of getting lost, yeah, we did," Meg confirmed.

"And dodging rioters!" Rarity complained. "Someone threw a vase at me! And it was a lopsided vase with a low-quality painting! If you're going to throw something at me, at least have the decency to throw something of good taste!"

"Uh…sure," Hercules commented.

"Did you beat the monster?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"Well, it's gone, isn't it?" Cassandra replied, bored.

"Yeah, but HOW did you beat it?" Pinkie continued.

"Hercules attempted to charge it with mortal weapons," Zoë began, "but – "

"Oh MAN!" Icarus interrupted. "You shoulda SEEN it! Just as the monster had Herc, Pegasus, Pit, and Zoë in its clutches and was about to horribly mangle them, I dove in at the last minute and dealt the killing blow! The monster couldn't take it! It retreated back to the pits of Tartarus from whence it came!"

"Okay, that is IT!" Pit cried, stamping a foot and glaring at Icarus. "That is NOT what happened! You just charged at it like a total idiot and the rest of us took care of it!"

"'It' has a name," Zoë tried to remind everyone. "Orcos…"

"And you know something else?" Pit ranted. "Everything you've done has been stupid! Everyone says you're this big famous genius, but when we needed an actual plan, you wanted to throw cake at the Athenians!"

"We did actually end up throwing cake at the Athenians," Phil pointed out, rather resentfully.

"But that's not what STOPPED them!" Pit cried, exasperated. "It was Twilight's plan that did most of the work! And back in Thrace? You ran RIGHT AT a Gorgon! Everyone knew you were going to get turned to stone! Except apparently you! You're not that smart at all, are you? You're…" It was hard for him to admit. "You're an idiot."

"HEY!" Icarus growled resentfully. "I'm smart! I'm the wax wing king of Athens, are I not?"

"Am I not," Twilight corrected.

"No, you're not," Icarus told her. "I am."

"THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Pit cried. "And those wings were your dad's design in the first place! You know what? I get it now! The genius kid who was brave enough to fly into the sun was a great story, and that's why everyone keeps telling it! No one wants to admit it was just an idiot who didn't know better! I HATE that they nicknamed me after that dumb story, especially when I'M STARTING TO SEE WHY THEY KEEP SAYING YOU DIED IN THAT ACCIDENT!"

No one spoke for a long time.

Then Twilight opened her mouth to try and say something.

Icarus beat her to the punch. "I SEE HOW IT IS!" he cried. "You don't want me on the team anymore!"

"I don't think I do," Pit confirmed.

"Well, you can just…you can just…!" Icarus tried to form an argument, but everyone present could see the tears welling in his eyes.

"Icarus – " Hercules attempted.

"NO!" Icarus cried. "IF I'M JUST GONNA HOLD YOU BACK, THEN THIS IS WHERE I GET OFF THE WAGON!" He turned and ran into the mazelike streets of Corinth.

"Finally," Cassandra sighed.

"ICARUS!" Pinkie Pie took off after him. "ICARUS, WAIT!" Hercules followed her, and then Pegasus, Megara, Phil, Fluttershy, and Twilight.

"Who needs this?" Pit grumped, storming in the opposite direction.

"Pit!" Zoë followed him, and so did Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.

Cassandra shrugged and sat down at the base of the tree. "I'm not getting involved in this one…"

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY BEAT YOU?" Hades took a moment from his rage to turn to Pain, who stood by the throne near a pile of vases with Zeus painted on them. "Pull," he snarled.

Pain lobbed a vase into the air, and Hades blasted it into smithereens with a column of fire. "You're supposed to be UNSTOPPABLE!" he roared. "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LOSE TO THREE MEASLY WARRIORS!"

Orcos simply stood in place, against the wall, calmly watching Hades' rage. "Would you rather I did what I did, or die at their hands?" he asked.

"Well, you see, the thing is with that, if you die, I lose my hold on Medusa, and if I lose my hold on Medusa, then what you'll see will make it look like I'm positively OVERJOYED right now," Hades told him. He turned to Pain again. "Pull."

Pain threw another Zeus-dedicated piece of pottery into the air. It was reduced to dust in flames.

"What I WANTED," Hades emphasized, "was for you to CRUSH them!"

"I almost had Hercules dead in my hand," Orcos informed him. "His strength and his weaponry could not harm me. But he was defended by Pit, the servant of Palutena who thwarted Medusa and myself in the past. And there was another. I believe she was one of the Hesperides. She wielded a blade of Celestial Bronze, to which I and everyone in your army are weak. I was attacked by this blade and a barrage of light arrows. The opponents may have been smaller than me, but I was outmatched all the same. I fear, Hades, that you are prone to underestimating your opponents."

Hades' entire body glowed a bright orange at that statement. "WHAT…did you just say to me?"

"Take heed of my words," Orcos said, "or you will find yourself at another loss. You underestimate your opponents. I know of your past attempts to thwart Hercules. You sent him monster after monster, though monsters were exactly what he was trained to defeat. If you do not take your enemy into account, you will lose. Especially when there are so many warriors working together now. Hercules. The Kentaurides bearing the Elements. The Hesperide. Pit. And I believe there are others."

"I would put you through TARTARUS now," Hades growled, simmering back down to blue, "if it weren't for the fact that I have to stake my entire eventual claim to Olympus on whether or not I actually do underestimate the people I'm trying to kill. So you get off the hook for now. Watch it, though. Hey, wait a second." He turned back to Pain. "Where's – "

"Uh, Panic's watering your extra togas," Pain said. "I mean he's cooking your asphodel garden. I mean he's ironing the falafel!"

Hades sighed. "Actually, I don't care."

Maybe you should, Pain thought, but he knew better than to say anything. As much as he liked holding the threat of ratting Panic out over his partner in crime's head in order to reap the rewards – relief from Cerberus duty was a prize indeed – he would never intentionally put Panic in any danger. Their bond was too strong for that. Their "friendship," actually, though the word was anathema to Hades.

"Anyway, I'm making sure the NEXT takedown goes off without a hitch," Hades told Orcos.

"What member of your army are you sending to face them?" Orcos asked.

"Actually, I'm going to shake things up a little," Hades replied. "I've got some contacts in high places. Let's see how our goody-two-shoes, or goody-four-horseshoes or whatever, stand up against some OLYMPIAN-strength power." He removed a drachma from his pocket. "Pain, fetch me one of the bottled rainbows from the storeroom. I've got an Iris-message to make."

* * *

CORINTH, OLYMPIC GREECE

Pinkie, Hercules, Meg, Phil, Pegasus, Twilight, and Fluttershy found Icarus sitting on the curb of the street. "Icarus!" Pinkie Pie cried, bounding toward him. "Are you okay? Please don't be sad!"

"No," Icarus sighed, "I am not, in fact, 'okay.'"

"Don't let what Pit said to you get you down," Hercules attempted. "He's just…well…"

"Rude," Meg supplied.

"Actually, I think he's just going through a temporary anger from finding out that his idol has flaws," Twilight added. "He'll probably figure out he crossed the line and apologize."

"It's not just Pit," Icarus groaned. "Is this what I am to society? The idiot who flew too close to the sun, so everyone says I died in order to make me look like I'm actually competent? IS THIS ALL I AM?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Pinkie cried. "It's not like that! Sometimes, when ponies, or people, I guess, are quirky, and we get a little spacey, a lot of OTHER ponies, or people too, can think they're stupid or annoying or things like that! But what makes us different actually makes us way better! You're kinda like me! We're definitely both smart. Real smart!"

Twilight bit her lip.

"But actually, back home, Twilight's the one with all the book smarts," Pinkie went on, "and there are a lot of other talents I don't have that my other friends do! But I really really REALLY really really love all my friends, and I like making people smile! And I always like helping out, even if I'm not that helpful in the end! I've gotta try! You're like me, so YOU make people smile a lot! And you ALWAYS try to help out when there are monsters attacking because you don't want your friends to get hurt! And the ponies, or people too, who like you because of THAT are the ones that matter!"

"Huh…" Icarus mulled that over.

"You speakin' from personal experience?" Phil asked.

"Back home, Pinkie Pie is special," Twilight explained. "I mean, you've seen that she's very loud and random. And she turns everything into a joke. There are a lot of ponies back home who turn up their noses at that and think she's annoying, but that's all stuff that I and the rest of our friends really like about her. But where she really shines is making others happy. She always tries her best to do that."

"You know," Hercules contributed, "Icarus, one of the biggest reasons that you were my friend when we were younger is that you did always make me smile. You're just so enthusiastic about everything! Tell you the truth, I kinda missed that when we went separate ways."

"The more you hang around," Meg added, "the more I see what he sees in you."

"It shouldn't matter if everypony thinks you're better as a fake story where you die in the end," Fluttershy burst out angrily. "You just shouldn't give a flying feather about them!"

"You're a true friend," Hercules said, "and that's all I care about. You could be holding this entire mission back for all I care – "

"Like, for example, keeping us stranded in a town where we already vanquished the monster by having drama," Phil grunted, but Pegasus lightly kicked him in the shoulder.

" – and I'd still want you on our team," Hercules finished.

"Me too," Twilight confirmed.

"And me," Meg said.

Fluttershy nodded.

"And ESPECIALLY me!" Pinkie cried.

"You…really all think that?" Icarus asked. He brightened visibly, standing up and suddenly enveloping Pinkie Pie in a vice-grip embrace. "YOU DO LIKE ME! YOU REALLY LIKE ME!"

"Well, duh!" Pinkie confirmed. "Oh, and do you need a song before you can be happy again? Because I can sing a song if you need it!"

"I'VE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER IN MY LIFE!" Icarus cried, letting go of Pinkie and leaping to hug Hercules. "Well, except that one time at the comic scroll convention…" He then transferred his embrace to Meg. "And that one time they thought I defeated the Nemean Lion…" Then Twilight. "And that one time Cassandra kissed me, which was to wake me up from that curse, but STILL COUNTS, BABY!" To Fluttershy.

"Okay," Pinkie said with a nod. "I'll save the song for another time!"

"NOW can we get back to business?" Phil asked.

"Well, now I'm just mad at Pit for being ungrateful!" Icarus grumped.

"Like I said, I think that will blow over," Twilight said. "Or at least…I hope. I don't want us to have to split up over this…"

"He owes you an apology," Hercules said sternly. "So we're going to ask him for one."

"I'M GONNA MARCH RIGHT UP TO HIM AND GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND!" Icarus decided.

"YEAH!" Pinkie cheered.

"Then let's head back!" Twilight said, leading the group to the tree.

* * *

Cassandra shifted out of her trance. The least she could do with her free time, she thought, was check the next vision. The upcoming disaster surprised her. Not overwhelmingly – it had consisted of the usual formula, something terrible attacking a city-state – but it was the attacker who was unexpected. Cassandra wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She'd always gotten the impression that said attacker would rather die (though that was probably impossible, at least in the permanent sense) than ally with Hades, Eris, or anybody named Discord.

Her contemplations were interrupted by footsteps approaching the rainbow apple tree from behind, and a male voice stammering, "…H-hi."

"Huh?" Cassandra looked behind her, then stood up. "Oh, Thanatocrates!"

Panic, in his human disguise, replied, "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Same. Did you see that giant monster destroying everything? It was kind of epic."

"I know!" Panic grinned. "That was actually Orcos. Half-god, half-Fury."

"That explains a lot. So what are you doing in Corinth?"

"Oh, you know…sightseeing…" Panic answered. "Geez, did they build this city to confuse the minotaur?"

"I know," Cassandra replied. "I'd love to invite you to go see the damage, but I'm waiting on the rest of my friends to get over some needless drama, and if they don't find me here, they're just going to get all sorts of lost looking."

"Why aren't you with them?"

"I repeat: needless drama. Why should I have to suffer because one of my friends is rude and the other is overly sensitive?" Cassandra groaned.

"This is probably not my place to ask," Panic inquired, "but if they're causing you that much trouble, why even have them around at all? Why not break away on your own? Or join another team? I bet you'd make a great villain, you know!"

"I KNOW I'd make a great villain," Cassandra agreed. "But I kinda, you know, LIKE my friends. My life's pretty much gloom and doom, and I love it, I'm not complaining, but a break in the monotony is nice. They balance it out, you know?"

"I see your point," Panic said with a shudder. "It's nice underground, but sometimes you've got to see the sunlight…get away from all the threats of eternal torment…I mean, it's fun when it's happening to someone ELSE, but to me or my friend? No way!"

"Where do you get threatened with eternal torment?"

"It's a…metaphor…"

"So you have at least one friend," Cassandra pointed out.

"Yeah, we're pretty close," Panic confirmed. "Almost like brothers. We've known each other since childhood! So I get it, about you and your friends."

"You know, you're kinda like another break in the monotony when you turn up," Cassandra pointed out.

"R-really?" Panic blushed.

"Yeah," Cassandra confirmed. "The way you're all shy and stuff. It's different. In a good way."

"Th…thanks." Panic was honestly stunned. He hadn't expected that. "Your different isn't bad either. In fact, it's really really good."

"Eh, I know." Cassandra winked.

* * *

Pit kicked a rock along the side of the street, silently fuming until Rainbow Dash galloped up alongside him. "Hey," she snapped, "that was NOT cool."

"I should've seen this coming," Pit sighed. "Look, I – "

"Don't give me any excuses!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "You just told somebody he was so stupid, you liked it better when you thought he was dead! How is THAT okay?"

"I must admit that was INCREDIBLY rude," Rarity added.

"But…!" Pit tried to defend.

"But nothin'," Applejack told him. "That was over the line."

"SILENCE!" Zoë shouted, and Pit, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all fell quiet. "Please, let Pit say what he has to say before we continue. I too agree that your words were harsh, Pit, but I do not intend to let you go unheard."

"THANK you!" Pit sighed. "It's just…I know that was bad, okay? I know! But all my life, I've been told that Icarus was an amazing hero and a brilliant inventor! He's been my hero ever since I saved Palutena's court! I DREAMED of meeting him for years! I thought when I did, he'd be awesome! But he's nothing like what everyone let me believe. This is the guy I've spent a lot of my life trying to be like…and he's not even like that!"

Applejack sighed, then nodded. "I get it, Pit. It ain't easy to find out your idol ain't what ya thought."

"But at least Icarus is kind," Rarity pointed out. "He appreciated you as a fan!"

"Yeah," Pit snorted, "back when I was a fan of an Icarus that didn't really exist."

"You could have found out that your idol was a stuck-up brute," Rarity continued.

"I guess everypony probably did make a mistake, the way they talked about him," Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Thou wert misled by a great many people who wanted him dead more than thou ever didst," Zoë affirmed.

"But why do you even need to be like Icarus to be awesome?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You ARE awesome!"

"And if you didn't actually build your life to be like the real Icarus," Rarity added, "that means you built your life to be something all your own."

"Basically, you're cool enough just bein' Pit," Applejack said with a smile.

"Thanks," Pit replied, brightening.

"But if you're gonna be cool just bein' Pit," Applejack went on, "then you GOTTA be okay with Icarus bein' Icarus."

"It's not my fault everyone else in Greece and on Olympus is a jerk to him," Pit argued.

"But thou art responsible for thy direct actions toward him, no matter what others told thee or let thee believe," Zoë pointed out. "Had thou not thought of him as the hero thou didst, would thou wish to be his friend?"

Pit took a moment to think it over. He realized he had to think through his biases, his impulses, his emotions, to what he would really think of the man had he not known him as the fabled Icarus. "Yeah," Pit admitted. "Even when he's stupid, he's a great guy."

"So tell him that!" Rarity encouraged. "Just…leave out the 'even when he's stupid' part."

"I feel like the idiot now," Pit admitted.

"Do not," Zoë encouraged. "It was a misunderstanding. Yes, a grave one, but it can be repaired."

"Then let's go." Pit turned and began to walk back toward the tree.

* * *

Icarus, Hercules, Meg, Pegasus, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Phil arrived at the tree first. For a moment, all thoughts of Pit and self-worth and reputation were wiped from Icarus' mind when he saw Cassandra there, speaking with a familiar blonde man. "YOU!" he roared, pointing at Panic.

"YIPE!" Panic leapt behind the tree as though it was necessary to use as a shield.

"Do we have to go through this every time?" Cassandra groaned. "Down, boy."

"Why does HE have to turn up everywhere we go?" Icarus accused. "Isn't that a little SUSPICIOUS?"

"He's only turned up two places we've been," Cassandra pointed out, "and he SAID he was going to be touring Greece."

All the same, Panic made a mental note to NOT reveal himself, at least in the guise of Thanatocrates, at the site of the next attack.

"Maybe we should focus on the issue at hand," Twilight suggested. "Look! Here comes Pit right now!"

Pit, Zoë, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack approached the tree, and Icarus remembered his prime directive. He stormed towards Pit, shaking a finger at his face. "LISTEN UP, MISTER!" he cried. "I've been thinking about what you said, and I think YOU owe me an APOLOGY!"

"Yeah," Pit agreed. "I kinda do."

"SAVE IT!" Icarus cried, sweeping his arm dramatically across the air. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES FOR – wait, did you say you agree with me?"

"Yeah," Pit reiterated. "I'm sorry I said that stuff. I do have a list of excuses, but they're all really bad. You're cool the way you are. You're not better off as a legend." He paused. "Or dead."

"So…you really do like me?" Icarus asked hopefully.

"Yeah!" Pit answered. "Somebody's gotta help me keep up the team spirit!"

"I'M SO GLAD TO HAVE MY BIGGEST FAN BACK!" Icarus cried, hugging Pit tightly. "I FORGIVE YOU FOR EVERYTHING!"

"Wait," Pit muttered, "I didn't say I'd be your…okay, whatever. Thanks, man. Glad we're cool."

"So that's it?" Phil asked. "We're done? We can get moving? Or does anybody have any more baggage to take care of?"

"I think we can get movin'," Applejack said. "Back to the wagon, everypony!"

"So I…I guess this is where we split up again," Panic told Cassandra. "See you around sometime, maybe?"

"Yeah," Cassandra replied, smiling. "I could always use a break in the monotony. Have fun on your tour."

"Tour…right…well…have fun saving Greece!" Panic replied.

He watched the others walk away from him. Then, once they were out of sight, he began the short trip back to the Underworld. He was starting to think that he wouldn't be satisfied with only seeing Cassandra the few times he'd promised to Pain. Speaking with her made him happy. And speaking with him seemed to make HER happy, which surprised him more than anything else could have. He didn't want that to end.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"So what's my lesson today?" Mozenrath asked Hecate as he strode into the crystal hall.

"Tough lesson?" Xerxes asked, trailing after him.

"Oh." Hecate clasped her hands in anticipation. "Today's not going to be easy by ANY means. I should probably warn you that your next lesson is going to be painful."

"Try me," Mozenrath replied immediately.

"Today," Hecate said, "you're going to learn to – "

There was a shimmering; a ripple of color in the air. "GET BACK!" Hecate snapped.

"Why should I?" Mozenrath replied coldly.

"Because I'm getting an Iris-message from someone higher up on the food chain, and if they catch you in the field of vision, it's both our necks on the line," Hecate snapped.

"Three," Xerxes pointed out, "not both…"

Mozenrath nodded in understanding and moved against the wall, away from the shimmer of color. Xerxes hovered nearby.

Hecate looked directly into the shimmer. It shifted into a view of Dr. Facilier's face; he stood before the gates of the old palace of Persephone.

"There's something rotten going on in the Underworld," he said, "and I ain't talking about the corpses. I want to see all staff in this palace's Great Hall as soon as possible. And that means NOW!"

The Iris-message dissipated.

"I take it you have to be somewhere," Mozenrath stated.

"Unfortunately," Hecate sighed. "That was Hades' right-hand man."

"Another god?" Mozenrath asked.

"No," Hecate muttered. "A mortal. It's a long story, and even I don't understand it all. I'll tell you when I get back."

"And that would be…"

"Whenever I'm done running whatever errand Facilier's about to send us on," Hecate said simply. "You get a break for now. Entertain yourself. Just don't leave the palace and don't break anything."

She turned and stalked out of the room.

"Well," Mozenrath remarked, "I guess this means I don't have to undergo any painful lessons today." He shrugged and made his way to explore the crystal palace.

* * *

The crimson-walled Great Hall of Persephone's palace was packed. Hecate had to file into the back. She looked around to see who she could see. Near her was Hel, dressed in skin-tight black and green. Against a far wall, Anubis stood tall and proud, sporting golden bangles and adornments, and at his side was green-skinned Osiris in snow-white robes. At the opposite wall, Nergal leaned, ebony black with olive green eyes and dressed in a dapper suit, grin oily as usual. Some feet away from him was Sedna, she of luxurious dark hair but no fingers on her hands, the joints of her fingers having been severed and turned into the sea life of her home world.

Even the shinigami were there. Hecate was surprised. Generally, the official Underworld workers didn't acknowledge the shinigami, and vice versa. The shinigami usually answered up to Death himself while the gods maintained organizational hierarchy. Not to mention that while the gods of the Underworld adhered to Hades' system whether they liked it or not, the shinigami acted of their own free will, often routing Hades and his system, organizing rebellions, smuggling souls to afterlives they felt were more deserving than where Hades put them – usually out of the Styx or Tartarus and into Elysium or Valhalla, the lot of do-gooders. Well, that was mostly the goal of the Soul Society crowd dressed in black and white. The trendily dressed shinigami of the Netherworld (or as they liked to call it, the "Underground" or "UG") were more prone to bucking Hades' orders so they could play games with souls for their own amusement. Hecate wondered why any of them had come at all, then realized that given their ambiguous position within the Underworld and their shaky standings with Hades, if one of Hades' higher-ups gave them a direct order via Iris-message, failure to respond would probably capsize all their operations.

A raised platform, like a stage, was at the end of the Great Hall opposite where Hecate was crowded in (as those gathered filed in, her elbow accidentally jabbed Hel in the stomach and one of the shinigami nearly knocked off her headdress). Upon this stage, Facilier took his place. He slammed the end of his cane on the floor, and when he spoke, his voice was amplified to fill the Hall.

"My official records of all the soul counts and transfers were corrupted," he began. "All my devices were sabotaged! Now, I'm currently in no position to point fingers, but I'd like to take this time to remind you that if I did, whoever I pointed at WOULD suffer consequences whether they tampered with my records or not!"

Hecate rolled her eyes. It wasn't prudent, she thought, for him to make a threat against failure when no one even knew what the assignment was. Oh, she was sure there was a task to be assigned. He wouldn't have bothered calling this group unless he wanted them to do something.

"If we're going to have the Underworld run smoothly," Facilier continued, the anger fading from his voice, "we're going to need accurate numbers. That means manual collection. We'll need to track newcomers, resurrections, and transfers from ALL afterlives. I want all headcounts delivered to me by the end of the day. Now, from what I've seen, this Underworld works like a well oiled machine, so I've got no doubt that we can fix this little mix-up if everyone does their part. If not, well, then I might just get to pointing fingers. Any shinigami in the audience today will be particularly interested in how much non-syndicated action the system is willing to overlook if accurate initial records are delivered…and how much power the system actually has to take DOWN non-syndicated action if they're not. Now. Does everyone understand?"

There were murmurs, nods, general agreement that yes, they understood.

"Then let's put the records back in order," Facilier said with a tip of the hat. "For the good of all of us, of course. Y'all are dismissed."

The crowd turned to make for the exit in one convoluted rush. Hecate was jostled roughly before she finally had enough space to walk on her own. Inwardly, she fumed. Counting all the souls in the Underworld was possible to be done in a day, especially with the crowd gathered, but it would still be a tedious process. And there would be absolutely no sneaking back to continue training with Mozenrath until she'd secured and delivered her numbers.

She stopped to softly stamp a foot and clutch her fists in frustration.

"Something wrong, Hecate?" a deep, British male voice with strangely slimy undertones asked; Hecate turned to see who'd addressed her, though she recognized the voice right away.

"Not now, Nergal," she hissed.

"I don't understand why you wouldn't want to do your part to gain favor with Hades," Nergal taunted.

"And I understand that you want him to put up a plaque of your face labeled Employee of the Month," Hecate snapped. "Can you ever NOT turn everything into a giant plea for attention?"

"Oh, Hecate, that hurts," Nergal replied, though the sharp-toothed grin didn't fade from his face. "Maybe I just want to do a good job, that's all! That's why I plan to be the first to deliver my reports back to Facilier!"

"You know what I think would be just delicious?" Hecate asked. "If someone DID manage to drop off her records before you did. And if that someone earned praise and recognition while you got nothing!"

"And you think that's going to be you?" Nergal challenged. "With YOUR attitude problems?"

"It would be worth it just to knock that stupid smile off your face!" Hecate snapped.

"Now, Hecate – "

"Can't talk now. I've got records to collect!" Hecate took off running. She had always been annoyed by Nergal's constant need for attention. Beating him to the punch, even if it meant complying with Hades and Facilier, would be hilarious.

Besides, the sooner she delivered the proper reports, the sooner she could get back to Mozenrath and her own agenda.

* * *

CORINTH, OLYMPIC GREECE

The wagon rolled down the road, leaving Corinth behind.

"I feel a little bad just leaving the buildings in pieces," Hercules said.

"Tough," Phil reprimanded. "Buildings can be put back together. We've got bigger fish to fry in…where are we going, anyway?"

"Abacus Valley," Cassandra said. "What? I used the mist while you were having your pointless drama. Anyway, from what I saw, Nemesis is going to show up and start smiting anyone who tries to take the golden apples because they're forbidden fruit from mortals."

"Then we'll be there to stop her!" Rainbow Dash resolved.

"Right!" Hercules agreed. "After all, we can…wait. Did you say NEMESIS?"

* * *

Chapter 53:

· As I said, canonically in HTAS, Hades DID tell Adonis he'd have a great career in evil. I'm just helping fulfill that.

· Corinth is a twisted town because…I say so. I remember learning that it was a center for architecture and column styles, so I bet it was pretty convoluted.

· The fight against Orcos was quick. Maybe too quick. But I couldn't think of anything else to do in order to spice up the battle, and it did serve me the purposes of calling out Hades and focusing on the Pit and Icarus drama.

· So Hercules wants a sword like Zoë's and every Percy Jackson fan knows EXACTLY where this is going.

· The Pit and Icarus subplot was one I'd been meaning to do for a while and the opportunity just presented itself. It also added a neat little headcanon as to why Icarus is, in fact, alive when the myths say he's dead…it also gave me the chance to focus on emotions again as opposed to just battles and action.

· I seriously do think that one of Hades' fatal weaknesses is underestimating his opponents. If the whole montage during the song "Zero to Hero" is any indication at all.

· One of my favorite things about Pinkie Pie and characters similar to her are that even though they do "annoy" some, if they're good people, they do deserve friendship. Everyone in Ponyville could just shrug Pinkie Pie off for being too loud or too weird, but they accept her instead, and it works out best for everyone. I feel the concept is applicable to Icarus.

· All of Icarus' "That one time"s are canon from HTAS.

· Iris-messaging is a concept from Percy Jackson; Iris connects people to communicate if they throw a drachma to a rainbow. I actually do intend to explain this later on in the prose when it's relevant.

· I actually had planned less stuff for Mozenrath to learn than I had stops planned for the heroes, so this little diversion works out in my favor.

· ROLL CALL! Hel is the version from Marvel. Anubis is the version from Gargoyles. Osiris is kind of my own take on the traditional art. Nergal is the version from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Sedna is my own take on the traditional telling. "Soul Society" shinigami are from the anime Bleach. "Netherworld" shinigami are from the video game The World Ends With You.

· I kind of have shinigami and Hades' system of Chthonic gods at odds because it works out better for me and I don't actually see either Soul Society or the UG working under Hades' rule.

· I watched a couple eps of Grim Adventures so I could characterize Nergal correctly for his cameo, and I ended up realizing that he and Hecate made a GREAT rivalry. If I wasn't so concerned with keeping dialogue in character to the point of not having those who wouldn't swear say curse words, Hecate would have hurled a statement at him about "having to kiss Hades' ass all the time." From just the eps I originally saw, I deduced Nergal is a MAJOR attention whore. And then from there, I actually ended up watching the whole show and it's one of my favorite things and he's one of my favorite characters ever, so there.

· DUN DUN DUNNNN! NEMESIS! One of my absolute favorite HTAS characters!


	54. Anaklusmos

54. Anaklusmos

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

As the two Olympians strode into the throne room, Hades made a show of clapping slowly. "How 'bout a round of applause for our leading lady, ERIS!"

Eris laughed, with a light toss backward of her head. "Toying with them is just too much fun. I'm glad you enjoyed my ideas for the Gorgons' bracelets."

"As much as I LOVED your idea to plant the first tree BETWEEN Sparta and Athens," Hades replied. "And to think I was going to waste an apple trying to put one in each, eh? But let's get down to Celestial Bronze tacks. We're moving into the next phase, and I'm going to need you to get a little more directly involved than you have been."

"What do you need me to do?" Eris asked, a smile playing upon her lips, the sort of smile that gave the impression she knew something Hades didn't.

Hades shrugged off the creepy feeling that smile gave him. "Lately, I've been accused of underestimating my opponents. Now, I just don't know WHERE that statement could possibly have come from, but just in case, when things go down in Abacus Valley, I need you to make sure our star of the hour doesn't have any more than she can handle."

"You want me to split the party," Eris confirmed.

"Bingo!" Hades then turned his gaze to the second goddess who'd entered the room. "Which, in turn, makes YOUR job a whole lot easier. By the way, I can not thank you enough for agreeing to work with us on such short notice."

She had skin that glowed bright green. Her eyes were blood red, with no distinction between pupil, iris, or white. Her long raven hair was tamed by a golden helmet that matched the golden bands on her forearms. She sported a deep plum, midriff-bearing top with silver brooches fastening the short sleeves and sharp golden epaulets. It was complemented by baggy, plum-colored pants. Even without engaging any of her divine powers, Nemesis, goddess of revenge, cut an intimidating figure.

"I'm still not happy about working with you," she growled. "Either of you. Especially around those apples. But luckily for you, the end justifies the means. I'm looking forward to the outcome."

"Hey, Nemesis, all I'm askin' you to do is what you usually do," Hades reminded her. "Just on my terms, all right? You know mortals aren't supposed to possess the golden apples. So don't let any. In your particular way."

"It's letting you plant the tree at all that doesn't sit well with me," Nemesis replied coldly. "But as I said, the outcome will be worth it."

"Now you ladies run along," Hades said, "and have fun, okay?"

"My work is never about fun," Nemesis snarled, "but I will take pleasure in finally smiting Hercules for his crime."

She turned and stormed out of the room.

Eris laughed, a mellifluous sound. "She is wound up tight. Looks like it's up to me to have all the fun." She leaned backward, her entire form curling back until she was again a wisp of color, floating out the door on a wind that wasn't blowing.

* * *

ABACUS VALLEY, OLYMPIC GREECE

As the wagon hurtled toward the capital of technology, Hercules was still confused. "Nemesis is all about rules and punishing the people who break them. She HATES chaos. And after his last attempt to take over Olympus, she hates Hades!"

"Maybe Eris, Hades, and Nemesis all sat down and had a tea party and resolved their differences!" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"You forgot Discord," Rarity pointed out.

"Your biggest problem with that theory is that she forgot Discord?" Cassandra asked in amazement.

"But they could have struck some sort of agreement," Twilight suggested.

"You don't know Nemesis," Hercules reminded her.

"She does not strike agreements with those who commit infractions," Zoë emphasized.

"Well, maybe she came of her own accord because of the apples," Twilight guessed. "She isn't working for or with anypony. Just like the Spartans and the Athenians. The apples being here is breaking a rule, so she's going to stop it! And the apples being here is contributing to her ability to cause everypony harm, but she doesn't recognize it!"

"That's…actually a sound theory," Phil realized.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash looked out at the polis the wagon approached. "Is that it?"

Pinkie began to ask, "Are we there y – " but Rainbow Dash clamped a hand over her mouth.

The valley was lined with buildings in neat rows. Unlike Corinth, it was organized; unlike Sparta, it was linear; unlike Athens, it was small. Even from the distance at which the wagon approached, a large tree was visible at the opposite end of the valley.

"It's too easy," Applejack said. "The tree's right there where we can see it, and it's all of us against one goddess. There's gotta be some kinda catch to this."

"Well, we won't know what it is unless we go in," Twilight pointed out.

The wagon slowly eased down into the valley. It was clear that no one was out in the streets. Abacus Valley seemed a ghost town, with no activity.

"Where'd everypony go?" Pinkie asked.

Without warning, Eris materialized before the wagon, startling all passengers (and horses drawing the wagon). "Why, they're obeying the rules and staying indoors like Nemesis said," she explained. "They're all very attached to their limbs, and none of them really wanted one cut off."

"ERIS!" Zoë cried. "I should have known it was thee behind this!"

"That solves one mystery at least," Twilight muttered.

Eris chuckled. "You all think it's so simple. I never like to work in absolutes, though. Things are just a lit-tle bit more complicated than you think. But for now, we'll pretend you're on the mark. This is my game. But just because you figured it out…does that mean you can play?" She smirked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Applejack snapped.

Eris simply began to laugh. Then she levitated into the air, riding the wind in a circle around the wagon. She circled again and again, speeding up, and she grew in size so that soon, all that was visible from inside the wagon was a blur of blue and purple whirling round and round, as the laughter echoed, filled the air, filled their heads –

And then it cleared.

"What?" Twilight cried. "Where'd she go?" She sighed. "At least we're…okay…"

She realized where she was. She stood a good mile, at least, away from Abacus Valley, able to see it in the distance. And there she stood alone.

"Rarity?" she called out. "PINKIE PIE? RAINBOW DAAAASH!"

When nopony answered, Twilight charged toward Abacus Valley at top speed. She knew exactly what Eris' aim had been. She'd split up the group.

* * *

"Wha…where did everybody go?" Hercules nearly whimpered, looking around. He too had been deposited a fair distance from Abacus Valley, in a different direction than Twilight had been taken, all alone. "ERIS!"

He charged angrily toward the valley, sword drawn.

* * *

"ERIS!" Zoë cried from her solo space two miles from Abacus Valley. "Thou shalt PAY for thy trickery!"

* * *

"This is not good," Pit muttered from his new location.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOO!" Rarity moaned.

* * *

Fluttershy flinched with every step she took toward the valley; of all the fates she could have asked Eris to deal out, being separated from the others was the one she wanted least.

* * *

From a vantage point in the sky, Eris lay on a soft cloud, observing her work. She watched the scattered heroes all begin to make their way toward the valley. Of course, she'd placed Pit, Pegasus, and Rainbow Dash the farthest away – she didn't want them to have an advantage due to their wings. She nearly fell off the cloud laughing when Rainbow Dash, lost, took off at top speed in the opposite direction of Abacus Valley – she hadn't been able to see it from where she'd been placed and had guessed incorrectly.

She saw Pit flying straight upward, probably trying to get his own vantage point to locate the city-state. "Ah, ah," Eris giggled, waving a gust of wind toward him.

Pit was unable to see Eris, but he was taken by surprise when the gale force knocked him head over heels until he was forced to land back on the ground.

Eris smirked as Hercules reached the entry point to Abacus Valley once more. Exactly as she'd hoped. She'd set him the closest on purpose. She knew how much Nemesis wanted to see him. Speaking of which, it was time for Nemesis to make her debut. Eris' smile grew in anticipation.

* * *

Hercules barreled down the road to the tree at the end of the valley. There, he stopped to look around, get his bearings, hope against hope that someone else had made it there.

"Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud. "And…come to think of it…where's…?"

He turned to look back across the valley, and that was when the curved blade slipped around from behind, resting against his neck, just close enough not to cause any damage…but if it or he moved, his throat would be slit.

The blade melted into a wrist; Nemesis had transformed her hand into the blade that she held against Hercules' throat.

"I'm right here," she hissed into his ear, "and I've been waiting for this day ever since you set foot on Olympus."

* * *

Fluttershy was the second to make it into the valley. She entered with trepidation, hating that she was alone, fearing that something horrible would jump out at her from any alley. She had no idea what to expect of Nemesis. What did she look like? What were her powers? How strong was she?

As she wondered, Fluttershy trembled, and when it was too much, she grabbed the handle of the nearest door and threw it open. She ducked into the building – an abacus shop – slamming the door behind her.

Three men and two women cowered behind the sales counter; they all shrieked in fear when Fluttershy entered. This caused Fluttershy to scream in turn.

"Are you here to smite us?" one woman asked worriedly.

"No," Fluttershy answered, her voice shaking. "I'm trying to hide."

"Then join the club," one of the men said. "We're hiding too."

"From Nemesis?" Fluttershy asked.

"We all wanted those apples," the other woman wailed. "Just one apple! But she tried to cut us to pieces if we even looked at the tree!"

"Then she attacked everyone in the streets, even if they hadn't had anything to do with that tree," another man said. "She said she knew they were thinking about it!"

"The only thing we can do to be safe is hide," the third man said. "There's no way to fight her. She's too powerful!"

"My friends and I could fight her," Fluttershy said, "but we got separated. I can't take her on by myself! Is it all right with you if I wait here until the others show up? I just know they'll find me. Then we can fix this!"

"You can wait here," the second woman said, "but you and your friends aren't gonna be able to beat…her."

Fluttershy shuddered, moving away from the door.

* * *

In one fluid motion, Hercules twisted backward, ducked, drew his blade, stepped away from Nemesis, and spun, facing her. She swept her other arm through the air, creating a second sword, long and straight and sharp.

"Leave Abacus Valley alone!" Hercules snapped at her. "They didn't ask for the apples or even to be tempted by them! This was all a setup!"

"The rules are the rules," Nemesis said. "They desired that which mortals cannot have. They must pay the price."

"Not if I can help it!"

She swung each arm in succession; he parried each blow with his own sword. She kicked him in the stomach, sending him reeling backward – mortals couldn't do that to him; many had tried – and raised the broadsword blade above his head, preparing to bring it down hard. When he blocked it, she swept the curved blade in from the side, forcing him to roll away. He kicked out at her ankles, hoping to bring her down, but she jumped; he stood, and both her blades clashed against his.

"But punishing YOU will be even BETTER than giving the people of this valley what they deserve!" Nemesis growled. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people who claim to be gods when they aren't! Everyone reveres you! No one cares that you're a FAKE! A fake who stood on Olympus, THE REALM RESERVED FOR GODS ONLY!"

"I am a god," Hercules insisted, speaking over the crossed blades. "Just because I chose to live in the mortal world doesn't make me any less one! And I only ever walked on Olympus when I had my godhood back!"

The blades all separated. Nemesis transformed the curved blade into a mace, swinging it at Hercules' head; he backed away and it missed by a hair's breadth. She advanced, swinging it; he stepped back again and again. "You think – you were a GOD – when you walked – on Olympus? You still – believe – that LIE?"

Hercules caught Nemesis' wrist in his right hand, forcing the mace downward and holding it there. "As the son of Zeus and Hera, I do," he insisted.

"Son of Zeus and Hera," Nemesis spat. "That's what they told you. That's what they told EVERYONE. But any Olympian with an ounce of sense knows the truth. Your father was Zeus, but your mother was a mortal WRETCH!"

She forced the mace hand upward with such strength that Hercules staggered backward, nearly falling again. She drove the broadsword blade toward his heart, and he sidestepped quickly, striking at her with his own sword. "What are you TALKING about?" he asked midswing.

The mace caught the sword. Knocked it out of his hand. It hit the ground. Nemesis pounded the blade with the mace, and it shattered. Hercules gasped.

"I mean you were never a son of Hera," she said. "Never a full-blooded god. Zeus tried his best to make you one. To give you godlike powers when you'd 'earned' them. But his lies are more precious to him than his own son. When you challenged the Titans, you walked as a demigod and a mortal, with a thread of life strengthened by Zeus, on HOLY, SACRED GROUND!"

The blade bit into his shoulder, and he cried out; it echoed through the valley.

* * *

"THAT'S HERCULES!" Fluttershy cried.

"THE Hercules?" one of the men asked.

"It doesn't matter," the second said. "Even he can't match Nemesis. She's an Olympian, and she's been one longer than he has…"

"You mean to say Greece's greatest hero is about to DIE?" the second woman cried.

"You don't understand," Fluttershy wailed. "He's my friend!"

"I'm sorry for your loss," the first woman said. "I truly am."

"I haven't lost him," Fluttershy said, steel in her voice. "NOT YET!"

She threw the door open. She ran into the streets. No time to wait for anypony else. Not anymore.

* * *

"It's almost pathetic that you had to find out like this," Nemesis remarked, swinging the mace; Hercules was forced to hit the dirt to avoid it. She raised the mace and the broadsword blade high, and he had no weapon with which to counter.

"I still think you're lying," Hercules grunted. "This is just proof that you ARE working with someone like…like Hades, or Eris, or even Discord! Why else would you lie?"

"And why would I work with unruly scum?" Nemesis retorted. "Either way, you're going to die with the last thought in your head being that SOMEONE lied to you about your entire life. Huh. Almost makes me pity you. But only almost."

She swung the mace and the blade downward.

With a metallic CLANG, another blade intercepted them, impeding their path. Nemesis was taken aback; she wasn't sure what kind of weapon could have done that and not broken. She looked directly into the eyes of her new opponent.

Fluttershy, in full Mahou Shoujo garb, stood over Hercules, her katana blade poised between Nemesis' arms and Hercules' fallen body. "YOU LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!" Fluttershy roared, glaring at Nemesis with the best stare she could manage.

Nemesis threw back her head and laughed. "Ohhh, how adorable! I'm guessing that glare stopped a few monsters in their tracks." She stopped to consider the katana. It wasn't Celestial Bronze. It didn't seem divine. She was able to correctly identify the category of make when Phil could not; it was an Eldritch weapon, such as the type the Titans and the Primordials had used in their wars against the gods, though on a much smaller scale. She didn't have time to wonder where a tiny Kentauride with a Technicolor coat and fluffy pink hair had obtained an Eldritch katana. She merely knew she had to retaliate, and so both arms were transformed into broadsword blades, which she used to hammer at Fluttershy. Fluttershy parried every single blow, then leapt backward, planting her feet in the ground. Plasma flowers sprouted up between her hooves, around her, right in the street. They lifted into the air, spun, became hundreds of shuriken.

Fluttershy let them fly at Nemesis.

Nemesis quickly placed her wrists together, joining both her hands in forming a massive double-bladed axe. She swung it at the volley of shuriken, cutting them all in half; petals scattered the ground and then dissipated.

Fluttershy squeaked in fear. She had actually expected Nemesis to be able to counter her strongest attack…but she wasn't sure what else to try.

"I don't know your name," Nemesis said, "but I have grounds to smite you on OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE!" She ran at Fluttershy, swinging back the great axe.

And it would have been all over for Fluttershy and Hercules if not for the divine intervention.

* * *

Eris watched confusedly from above as the bright flash of light glowed near the tree, and as Athena herself stepped from it. "What does that little witch think she's doing?" Eris muttered.

The other heroes were starting to reach the borders of Abacus Valley as well, but that was a lesser concern.

* * *

"Nemesis!" Athena barked.

Nemesis froze. "I'm kind of in the middle of something," she growled.

"It's unimportant," Athena told her. "I need a revenge enacted!"

"NOW?" Nemesis moaned.

"Now," Athena insisted. "Leave Hercules and Fluttershy alone."

"But they - !" Nemesis tried to argue.

"Are you or are you not the one in charge of Olympian revenge?" Athena's tone increased in anger. "Ares has wronged me greatly!"

"I thought you sent an Athenian troop to raid his city," Nemesis sighed.

The mace was still held aloft. Fluttershy and Hercules slowly backed away, but didn't leave the scene; they were both curious to find out what was happening.

"The Spartans somehow outsmarted them," Athena replied. "I will not stand for this affront. The conflict must be fought on Olympian ground!"

"Technically, you're even," Nemesis sighed, "but smiting Ares WOULD be a lot more satisfying than these two." The weapons at her wrists melted back into flesh, into green hands. "Fine. We'll go."

"Athena, what are you doing?" Hercules asked in horror.

"Taking back my dignity," Athena answered as she and Nemesis shimmered out of view. When they were gone, one thing remained: an apple core. The fruit had golden skin.

"The apple…Athena must have eaten the apple!" Hercules groaned. "That's why she thinks it's a good idea to attack Ares on Olympus!"

"But Olympians can't fight each other!" Fluttershy realized. "What would happen to the mortal world if the gods are…?"

"I don't know," Hercules told her, "but it can't be good."

* * *

Eventually the others found their way back in. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Phil, Meg, Cassandra, Icarus, Pit, Zoë…even Rainbow Dash finally figured out what direction was correct.

Eris sighed in frustration as she watched the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony convert her glorious tree. Even the core that Athena had left behind was splashed with rainbow light. There was nothing more for Eris to do there, so she took her leave. Soon, she thought, she would have an even bigger and better chance.

"Gotta hand it to ya, kid," Phil told Fluttershy, "I didn't think you'd come through in crunch time. But it worked out just fine."

"So what happens if an Olympian eats one of the apples?" Twilight asked.

"To a mortal, the apples would grant divine knowledge…which would be too much for mere mortal minds," Zoë explained. "To a goddess…Athena shall retain her mind, but she will fall victim to chaotic impulses."

"Like mind control?" Pinkie asked.

Zoë shook her head. "They are all thoughts she would have had herself. However, we are often faced with the choice between order and chaos. When the gods choose order, they do what is best for Olympus and the mortal world. I fear that Athena will choose to ignore her duty and her desire to keep the peace in favor of her desire to best Ares. But there is nothing we can do to affect it from here. We have to wait and hope that once we finish these apples off, their effects will subside without too much disaster, and Athena and Ares' conflict shall not increase in scope."

"There was something else that Nemesis kept saying that bothered me," Hercules brought up. "She kept saying that she wanted to smite me because I was never a real god."

"Huh?" Phil shook his head in confusion. "What was that s'posed to mean?"

"Tell us more," Zoë commanded, curious.

"Well," Hercules explained, "she said…"

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

The stack of scrolls was dumped on Facilier's desk; looking at Facilier over them, Nergal beamed proudly, showing every pointed tooth. "You'll find the records are all in order here!" he announced.

"Good," Facilier said simply.

"I suppose you'll want to make an example of me to the others, since I was the first to bring back reports," Nergal prompted. "In fact, I'm sure you've gained a new respect for me because of this! So, what do you say? Friends-friends-friends?"

"For your information, you were the second to come back with reports," Facilier sighed. "Hecate showed up here an hour ago with her share filed alphabetically and by date."

Facilier was sure that Hecate would be disappointed that she didn't get to see the look on Nergal's face. In fact, he was relieved that the two of them were competing. When Hecate had first shown up so promptly – following a directive that led to HADES, no less – he'd thought for the slightest moment that she'd been so eager to get her job done so she could get back to some sort of secret project. Such thoughts were gone now.

"You can go now," Facilier dismissed.

Nergal stormed from the room to find Hecate leaning on the wall in the outer hallway – had she been there since he'd entered? – headdress off and tucked under one arm.

"You just HAD to," Nergal growled.

Hecate responded by laughing with all three mouths, loud and long. When she'd finished her laughter, she taunted, "What are you going to do now, go play horseshoes with cardboard cutouts of Hades and Facilier?"

"Yes," Nergal sighed before plodding out of the hallway.

"Wait," Hecate sputtered. "You actually HAVE cardb – oh, never mind!"

She flew out of Facilier's domain as quickly as she could, hoping Mozenrath hadn't gotten himself into trouble while she was gone.

* * *

When Hecate ran into the crystal hall, she halted immediately so as not to tread on an intricate, glowing design. At her feet was a miniature palace, a three-dimensional model, made of blue fire. She looked around the hall. Similar structures were strewn across the floor, with roads and rivers made of lightning in between them. At the far end, Mozenrath put finishing touches on what looked like a paradise garden, all made of fire. Hecate stepped closer to him, careful not to touch any of the glowing structures. She could see that he was exhausted; his eyelids drooped.

"How was your mission?" he asked, lackluster. Xerxes hovered overhead, much more visibly awake.

"Tolerable," Hecate replied. "There's some sort of mix-up going on with the soul documentation. At least I got to stick it to an annoying rival, though I didn't get to see the look on his face when he figured it out. I see you've been busy. What's all this?"

"Just a map of the Seven Deserts," Mozenrath answered. "I didn't know how long you'd be gone, so I took on a bit of an ambitious project."

"Isn't it tiring to keep that much fire up for that long?"

"Yes."

Hecate looked around at the various palaces and cities and other landmarks drawn out. "So this is your home world."

"Yes."

"Where's your citadel?"

Mozenrath pointed to a far wall, where a miniaturized, blue model of the Black Sands citadel rested on a shimmering blue pillar and a road of lightning led down through the ever so tiny buildings.

"And what's that?" Hecate continued.

"Actually, something dead," Mozenrath replied, adding more trees to the garden. "There was a plant sorcerer who used to live in these gardens, but my idiot brother killed him. He was an artist, actually. He never dished anything out to anyone who didn't deserve it, and he never hurt anyone. And Aladdin killed him. They say I'M the heartless one. Well, they're right, but he's not perfect either."

"You…can go to bed now," Hecate told Mozenrath.

They both knew that as soon as he got up and left, as soon as he relinquished the hold he had on this elemental illusion in order to go to sleep, all this work would vanish, all the beauty dissipate. So he hesitated a moment, continuing to sculpt Arbutus' sanctuary as it had looked in its prime rather than how it looked in the present day. But exhaustion won out. He stood, and then it was all gone, the flaming map that had taken hours to draw upon the crystal floor.

"Night," he muttered as he shuffled toward his bedchambers. He hadn't realized how tired he really was; he was dazed.

Xerxes hung back, confused. "Mozenrath not MEAN good night," he said, still perplexed, before following his master toward blissful sleep.

Hecate knew what the eel meant. In his half-asleep state, Mozenrath had just bid Hecate good night. He probably never did that. It wasn't as if he cared, or thought he cared, about anyone's night but his own.

Maybe it was a sign that he wasn't so heartless, Hecate thought. Hades would hate that. He was always going on about how love was weakness, how love was anathema, how love would destroy the strong, and by extension, how all other feelings and whims of the heart would lead to ruin. Hecate thought a little differently. To be heartless was useful indeed, and on many, it worked. But emotions could also be used for strength. Capacity to love meant capacity to hate. Those who felt passion could feel rage. Oh, of course Hades knew what rage was, but if he'd ever had anything to REALLY care about, something more important than territory or a throne, he would be able to summon power like even he probably couldn't believe.

Or maybe he could. After all, Hecate remembered, there had been Persephone. And if the rumors were true, perhaps there was that other woman, the faerie spoken of in hushed tones.

But all this was far too much thought to give toward Hades. Hecate found herself disgusted at it. Obviously she, too, was tired. So she moved toward her own quarters.

The image of the Seven Deserts forged in fire remained an imprint on her brain. It truly had been a beautiful work of art.

* * *

ABACUS VALLEY, OLYMPIC GREECE

Beneath the shade of a newly transformed rainbow apple tree, the group of heroes waited for Cassandra's trance to fade. "Tomorrow at noon," she said, "the monsters invade Thebes. A horde of giant monsters. The children of Echidna." Her eyes cleared. "I guess Eris got tired of just throwing them at us one at a time."

"Well, if they're not going to be there until tomorrow afternoon," Twilight said, "I think we should get some rest here instead of trying to sleep in the wagon again."

"I'll see about getting us some arrangements at the local inn," Phil volunteered.

"Zoë?" Pit addressed the Hesperide. "What's up?"

"Nemesis' claim," Zoë said. "Obviously, it was some sort of lie to make Hercules doubt himself. We all concluded that when he finished his story. But why, then, would she smite him without a true reason? Surely Nemesis could find another minor infraction rather than lying. And it was an elaborate lie."

"You think there's something to it?" Pit asked.

"It couldn't possibly be true," Zoë snapped. "It is merely curious. In the meantime, there is a more pressing problem. Hercules is without a weapon…though that old sword of his would scarcely have done any good against monsters."

"What are you thinking?"

Zoë told him.

"Then what're YOU going to use?" he asked.

"I am a Hesperide," she said. "I shall manage."

"Hey, tell you what…" Pit removed his bow from his back, as well as his quiver. "I don't really need TWO weapons. I'd rather keep my blades, if it's all the same to you, but you can have this if you want."

Zoë was taken aback by the gift. "I thank thee. I don't know how to repay thee."

"Don't!" Pit insisted. "We're friends, right? You can keep it! Palutena can just get me a new one anyway."

Zoë smiled, then nodded.

"Okay, everypony!" Applejack called out. "We're stayin' at the inn on the corner! This way to food and someplace to sleep!"

Most of the crowd moved that way, but Zoë caught Hercules' attention. "Come with me," she commanded him.

"Okay," Hercules said, somewhat confused.

Twilight watched Zoë and Hercules move in the opposite direction. "Where are they going?" she asked.

"Zoë's planning on helping Hercules get ready to fight all the monsters that are going to be in Thebes," Pit explained. "She's still thinking about Nemesis, by the way. You don't really think anything Nemesis said was true, do you?"

"I worry about that," Twilight said. "It was a really elaborate story."

"Not you, too! It doesn't make any sense, okay?" Pit was exasperated. "Everyone knows that Hercules became a god when he saved Meg from Hades and Zeus gave him back his powers! And even before he had those powers, he's always technically BEEN a god!"

"And how long has everyone known that?" Twilight asked.

"About twenty years."

"Then I guess it's safe to say Nemesis is lying."

But Twilight still wasn't sure. After all, Celestia had kept the secret of her agelessness for quite a long time. Perhaps there were other secrets being kept on Olympus.

Perhaps they didn't know the whole story.

* * *

The sun had set, and the sky was lit with stars. Zoë took Hercules far outside the borders of the valley, through fields of multicolored flowers. Hercules wondered why she rushed so quickly. At one point, he found his hand in hers, and she practically dragged him along.

"Hurry!" she urged.

"What's the rush?" Hercules asked.

"We need to be far away from the others so no one will think to watch us."

"O…kay…"

"I know I cannot go so long without being noticed by the gods," Zoë said, "but if our enemies do not think to watch us…if they keep their eyes on the majority…perhaps they will not know about the advantage I am giving you."

"So you're doing all this so Eris can't spy on us?" Hercules asked.

"I am attempting to avoid being spied on by Eris."

"I'm not afraid of Eris. Or whoever."

"You should be!"

She decided it was time to stop when she found a large thorn bush, and she crouched behind it; Hercules joined her there.

"There was no need to run," he told her. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands…"

"Not like this," Zoë argued. "Especially if Echidna brings Ladon with her. Have you ever faced him?"

"He was a baby a couple years ago," Hercules answered. "That's when I saw him last."

"He grew up quickly," Zoë stated. "Ladon is too strong for thee to beat with thy bare hands. And that is to speak nothing of the others. Thou will not be able to get through this without a weapon like the one I received from my father."

"Who is your father, anyway?"

"The titan Atlas."

"I don't trust your father," Hercules snapped.

"Thou should not," Zoë agreed. "More than likely, one day, thou wilt have to trick him. But for now, we must focus on the problem at hand. If thou challengest Echidna's brood as thou art…thou cannot take the prize directly! Thou wilt die!"

Hercules laughed at the notion that he would die at the hands of monsters like the ones he'd faced a thousand times before. In fact, if these really were Echidna's, he'd literally faced them all before. Sarcastically, he said, "Then why don't you help me…Pretty One?"

She didn't get the sarcasm. "I…I am afraid. The monsters will try to stop me. My sisters, if they found out…they would disown me."

"Then there's nothing for it," Hercules concluded. "I'll be fine – " He stood.

"WAIT!" Zoë snapped. After a pause of deliberation, she reached to her brow, hands shaking. "If thou must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power." She plucked her hair clip from her head, bringing it to her lips, blowing on it gently. Then she held it out in her hand, offering it to Hercules. "Take it. And make of it a weapon."

Hercules had forgotten the connection between the hairpin and the Celestial Bronze blade. "A hairpin?" he asked, trying to hold back a smile. "How will THIS slay Echidna's children, Pretty One?"

"It may not. But it is all I can offer, if thou insistest on being stubborn."

Hercules recognized the gravity with which she spoke. He trusted her, and felt a sense of awe; whatever she was offering to him, it must have been quite important indeed. He took the hairpin in his hand, and it transformed; he held the hilt of the sword he'd seen her wield against Orcos.

"Your sword?" he said. "But I can't – "

"Thou art without one, and it would not have slain Echidna's children as easily as this will."

Hercules gave up arguing; Zoë was adamant. "Well balanced," he complimented. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands…" He laughed at his own joke. She didn't laugh; she'd missed the humor. "What shall I name this blade?"

"Anaklusmos," Zoë stated. "The current that takes one by surprise." At this, she began to sound wistful, thinking of something she'd lost, or perhaps was about to lose. "And before thou knowest it, thou hast been swept out…"

They made eye contact. It meant nothing to him. But she was stunned by the clarity of his eyes, the intensity with which he focused on her. In that moment, he seemed to be without pretense, despite his joking and sarcasm; he seemed as though he bared his entire self to the world, flaws and all. The curls of his fire-colored hair. His strong jawline. Meg was a lucky woman.

"…to sea," Zoë finished softly.

Before Hercules could thank her, she was startled suddenly. "It is too late!" she cried. "SOMEONE IS HERE!"

She stood in a panic, but when she and Hercules turned to see who had come – Hercules half expected Ladon himself, from the fuss Zoë had made – it was only a deer romping through the field.

"I apologize," Zoë said sheepishly.

"It's okay," Hercules told her. "We should probably get back to town. Everyone else will be wondering where we are."

"Yes," Zoë agreed.

This time he led her back.

She would misremember this moment in dreams – confuse it with events past, confuse it with events yet to come, events more directly involving Atlas for instance. The dialogue wouldn't be the same, not exactly, but she would remember most of it. But the details were unimportant. What she would remember was the night she had given Anaklusmos away. The night that had damned her. The night she fell in love. Though the memory would distort, it would never, ever fade.

* * *

MOUNT OLYMPUS

Ares lay panting on the floor of his own domicile. He bled from several wounds, though he was not at all close to death.

Satisfied with her work, Nemesis transformed the blades at the ends of her arms to hands. The battle had been long and difficult. He was, after all, the god of war. But revenge had prevailed. Nemesis was proud of her ability to bring Ares to his knees.

"My work is done," she told him, unable to keep back her smile.

"Wretch," Ares spat. "Athena will pay for this insult! And before you say a word, I will get my revenge WITHOUT your help!"

"Suit yourself," Nemesis said, turning to walk from Ares' chambers. It wasn't often she was called upon to smite an Olympian. She loved it.

And Hades would be pleased with this development, she realized. The blow of losing Abacus Valley would definitely be softened by the knowledge that there was a rift on Olympus, one that would weaken the gods when Hades struck against them. That night, Nemesis thought to herself, everyone had won.

* * *

Chapter 54

· Eris has been involved for that long. If you don't understand why Nemesis is here…you aren't supposed to. Her motivations are still under wraps.

· Nemesis really is one of my favorite HTAS characters, so this design is HTAS exclusive. What you need to know about her is that she looks for ANY excuse to smite people.

· Yes, Abacus Valley is a really bad pun on Silicon Valley. HTAS canon.

· Nemesis claims Hercules is somehow…not a god? What's with THIS story? Is it lies? Based in truth? What's going on? Form your theories now, because this is a PLOT POINT!

· I needed to set up Nemesis as someone INCREDIBLY powerful so what I have planned for later will work. Hence her ability to cut down Fluttershy's final attack.

· Literally, the only way I could get Nemesis to lose the fight was via deus ex machina. Er…deus ex wisdom. But actually, this gave me an excuse to further the Athena-Ares conflict, which will serve me better in the end.

· It was absolutely necessary to have Nergal say "Friends, friends, friends!" or some variation thereof at least once in this storylet. And you know it. Also, the cardboard cutout thing is a reference to how he has cardboard cutouts of Billy and Mandy that he plays games with until he kidnaps the real thing. This is actually set before the time period of GAoBaM, so he would have had cutouts of who he wanted attention of at the time.

· So Mozenrath's an artist now. I guess. Also, I don't know if that's technically something you can do with firebending, but I just had to make all that prettiness.

· Zoë gets the bow to prepare her for becoming a hunter of Artemis later, of course.

· And the infamous scene with the bestowing of Anaklusmos! You knew it had to happen! I literally read the scene from Titan's Curse while I wrote this, and all the dialogue is modified from what is said exactly in that scene. Some of the lines are word-for-word exact (credit where it's due to Rick Riordan). I added and adjusted lines here and there to make it flow better or fit context. The scene in PJ canon is supposed to be Zoë giving Hercules the sword to face off against Ladon and steal the golden apples from Atlas, but I'm explaining that away by saying that Zoë misremembers it after a few centuries. Tricking Atlas will happen later. Why do I say that instead of just letting us get there in writing? Trust me…it will all fall together. Anyway, it's plausible that Zoë misremembers, because in the flashback in PJ canon, she actually DOESN'T SAY "THOU" OR "THEE" IN THAT FLASHBACK. And one of her verbal tics is saying that in modern times and being confused by the term "you." Riordan's mistake is my chance to take the out.

· Of course I had to have Zoë fall for Hercules. It could have gone no other way. Thus begins…disaster.


	55. Children of Thebes

55: Children of Thebes

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Hades stood on the bank of the Styx to conference with Echidna, as she was far too large for the throne room to accommodate. "I'm counting on you to give me the best show yet," he said, plucking honeyed figs off a platter that he'd ordered the still hypnotized Adonis to bring out to him. "With your family working together, our little heroes will FINALLY meet their matches!"

"I'm just so glad to have the chance for a family reunion!" Echidna gushed, clapping her hands together. She cut a fearsome figure indeed, large and lumbering, built like a blubbery dragon with leathery wings and a horned head, all the off-putting green of a swamp. "After all, the family that slays together stays together! And Ladon is just SO excited that he's able to play with the big boys, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Hades said. "I have kids. I know how it works. You leave them with their mortal parent, they grow up, they start only praying at your altar when they want spare cash, pretty soon they stop leaving burnt offerings…anyway. Go knock 'em dead. And I mean that as literally as possible."

Echidna turned and lumbered away. As she did, Facilier approached Hades. "There you are. I've been looking for you all over. I've got good news and bad news."

"Oy…" Hades sighed. "Let's get this over with. Hit me with the bad news."

"Yesterday, I found a malfunction in every single device that recorded soul collections, losses, and transfers," Facilier explained. "I had the entire staff collect manual reports, and what I found wasn't at all reassuring."

"Don't tell me…" Hades rubbed his temples. "Okay, tell me. What happened?"

"There's a large amount of souls that've been unaccounted for," Facilier stated. "Everyone's best guess is unauthorized resurrections."

"That's ridiculous," Hades snapped. "A resurrection happens, we KNOW about it. The ritual it takes to bring somebody out of here always leaves a trace. You could even track the ones Maleficent took."

"I'm aware of that," Facilier went on. "I was thinking about how it didn't make any sense. And there's the key."

Hades flamed bright orange. "DON'T. Tell me. DISCORD."

"It looks like we ain't done with him yet," Facilier confirmed. "He's been takin' more from us than just a little potion. And the reports of the missing souls are all criminals, sorcerers, evildoers in general. Not a single one that wouldn't contribute to some sort of chaos. All signs point to Discord."

"GAAAAAAHHHH!" A column of orange flame shot straight up into the air, then vanished as Hades tried to regain emotional control. "When I get my hands on that little TWERP, I'm going to make him think that Tantalus, Sisyphus, and Ixion all got off LUCKY!" He took a few ragged breaths as his color faded back to blue. "Tell me. That's all."

"That's all the bad news."

"And the good news? And it had better be REALLY good news."

"I thought this might cheer you up." Facilier grinned. "The latest from Olympus is that Athena dispatched Nemesis to attack Ares as a continuation of the conflict we helped engineer between Athens and Sparta."

"Huh?" Hades was honestly stunned. "Did Nemesis talk her into it or something?"

"That's the thing. It was Athena's idea. All Nemesis had to report was that she'd gotten ahold of some of the apples before those Kentaurides had the chance to ruin whatever tree she raided. Hades, we've infected Olympus, and it's comin' apart at the seams!"

"YYYYYYYES!" Hades pumped his fists, blue fire engulfing him. "The more they fight each OTHER, the less organized they'll be when WE get to them in the final act! It couldn't have gone better if we'd actually planned it! Hey, that did cheer me up. A lot. Thanks for the news, Shadow Man."

"No problem." Facilier gave a tip of his hat and left. After all, he was a busy man, and Hades knew this.

"Okay, princey," Hades told Adonis. "I'm going back to the throne room to work on plans and figure out what to do about our little…Discord situation. Run along and get me some ambrosia, would ya?"

"Of course, my liege!" Adonis replied cheerfully, and he rushed to the kitchens as Hades made his way back to the palace to plan.

* * *

THEBES, OLYMPIC GREECE

When the wagon arrived, there were no monsters. The group was, of course, greeted with the usual chaos of the riots, but no monsters.

"Looks like we beat them," Twilight muttered.

"Huh?" everyone replied.

"I SAID," Twilight repeated over the sound of breaking glass from various items being thrown into the streets, "WE BEAT ECHIDNA'S CHILDREN HERE!"

"Is there anywhere we can go that's gonna be a little safer until they show up?" Applejack asked.

"My parents' house is here," Hercules answered. "I mean my mortal parents. Amphitryon and Alcmene. They moved in here after I had my big break!"

"I would like to meet them," Zoë said; her tone was just suspect enough that Twilight and Pit looked toward her with curiosity. But she did not elaborate.

"I'll get us there," Hercules said before giving directions to Pegasus.

* * *

Amphitryon and Alcmene's home was a far cry from the country shack they'd made most of their lives together in. Hercules had paid for them to move into an elaborate manor of white marble at the edge of Thebes. The wagon rolled down a rather long driveway to reach it.

"MOM!" Hercules called out. "DAD!"

A thin man with sun-tanned skin, clad in a canvas tunic and a wide-brimmed straw hat, looked up from where he'd been tending the lawn. "Hercules!" he cried, running toward the wagon.

Hercules leapt down from the wagon and rushed to meet the man, sweeping him up into a hug that looked quite forceful but was actually very gentle; the man returned the embrace in kind. When they parted, Hercules said, "Everyone, this is my dad, Amphitryon! Dad, you remember Icarus and Cassandra. We've also made some…well…some new friends."

"Are you all right?" Amphitryon asked in concern. "Things are rather rough in the streets."

"We're fine," Twilight said.

"Though…if you're offering someplace to stay out of the chaos for a while, we wouldn't refuse," Rarity added.

Amphitryon flinched. "Hercules…you do know that those friends of yours are…"

"Kentaurides," Hercules finished. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, they're NOT here to pillage ANYTHING."

"Unless you happen to have a Laestrygonian that your harbor depends on – OOF!" Phil was interrupted from his accusation when Rainbow Dash elbowed him in the stomach.

"They've actually helped me save most of the other polises around Greece," Hercules said. "It's a long story."

"Well, then, by all means, come in, all of you," Amphitryon invited. "The other horses can be hitched up in the stable around back. Alcmene will be glad to see so many houseguests!"

The group left the wagon, and Cassandra took the two horses from Delphi around to the stable; Pegasus was invited inside the house. As Amphitryon led the crowd in, Pinkie Pie asked, "So how come you're not going crazy trying to get the golden apples?"

"Alcmene and I never really understood what was so special about them," Amphitryon said. "Everyone says they're worth millions, but we already have everything we need. I also hear that they grant divine knowledge, but we don't need that either. We learn whatever we need to know from living our lives. There's nothing those apples could give us that we don't already have or don't need."

The atrium of the house was a high-ceilinged white marble hall. "Alcmene!" Amphitryon called out. "We've got company, and I think you'll like who it is."

A plump, gray-haired woman wearing a simple peplos ran down a curved stairway into the hall. "Hercules!" she gushed, embracing her son and kissing both his cheeks. "What brings you here?"

"Well, we're sort of on hero business," Hercules said. "But that doesn't mean I didn't want to visit my parents."

"Oh, who are all your friends?" Alcmene asked. Her gaze wavered over the Kentaurides; her expression soured.

"They're also heroes," Amphitryon said, reading Alcmene's mind. "Hercules trusts them."

"Any friends of his are friends of ours," Alcmene resolved, the sourness gone. "Come into the kitchen. I'll make tea."

* * *

"I'm glad this giant table is finally of some use," Alcmene remarked in the dining room; all were seated around it. "It was really Hercules' idea that we should have a giant table. He said we deserved that kind of luxury."

"This entire house is exquisite!" Rarity complimented. "I don't see at all why you aren't more proud of it!"

"We lived most of our lives in the country," Alcmene explained. "We never needed luxuries."

"So why did you move here?" Twilight asked.

"To be closer to our son, for one," Amphitryon said.

"And admittedly, living in the city has benefits," Alcmene added. "It isn't a day's walk to the agora any longer."

"So tell us about this quest you're on," Amphitryon said.

"Well, first things first, we're here to fix those golden apples," Twilight stated. "Any idea where the tree is?"

Alcmene and Amphitryon exchanged glances of confusion. "For all I've heard about it," Alcmene admitted, "I don't actually know where it is."

"And Thebes is even bigger and more twisted than Corinth," Phil sighed. "Looks like we got our work cut out for us."

"Yeah, well, the tree's the least of our problems," Cassandra groaned. "Apparently Echidna and her children are going to come into town and start stomping on things."

"Where did you hear that?" Alcmene cried in horror, nearly dropping her teacup.

"I saw it in a vision," Cassandra said casually.

"Don't you worry none," Applejack said. "We're gonna protect this city best we can."

"Dost thou even have a plan of attack?" Zoë asked.

"Team strategist?" Phil turned to Twilight.

"Uhhh…" Twilight's hands shook, and her tea spilled. "I…hadn't gotten that far."

"Well, I've got one," Rainbow Dash said. "But nopony's gonna like it. How many monsters does Echidna have for kids?"

"Tons," Cassandra said.

"Probably around ten," Hercules estimated.

"Nine to be exact, if thou countest by bodies," Zoë stated. "Many more by heads."

"There are fourteen of us," Rainbow Dash said, "and that's if we count Pegasus, who I doubt can hold a fight on his own – "

Pegasus snorted in displeasure.

" – Phil, who's more of an advisor than a fighter; Cassandra, who just sees visions; Meg, our field medic; and Icarus, who has a negative victory record," Rainbow Dash finished. "Bringing us down to nine fighters."

"One per monster!" Twilight realized. "Wait. No. That's just Echidna's children. What about Echidna herself? That's ten."

"Can I PLEASE be counted with the fighters?" Icarus begged. "Please please PLEASE?"

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Okay, fine, we have ten fighters. Basically, we split up. We each get a monster, and when we finish with our first fight, we go on and help whoever else needs it until all of them are gone."

"That…does sound like the best plan we have," Twilight said.

"I think I'd better team up with Icarus," Meg suggested. "I mean…you're sending ICARUS out to fight a monster on his own. That calls for a field medic."

"Can I join up with you two?" Cassandra asked.

"You want to see my daring deeds of bravery?" Icarus guessed.

"No," Cassandra sighed.

"You're afraid for my safety?"

"No."

"You're certain I'll die and you want it to be in your arms, with your beautiful face the last sight I have during my mortal lifetime?"

"I really just wanna see you get your butt kicked by one of Echidna's kids," Cassandra admitted.

"Pegasus is with me," Hercules said. "We're kind of an unstoppable team."

Pegasus whinnied in delight.

Pit coughed, though the words "Except against Orcos" were audible in between his fits.

"Hey, I'm not just gonna sit on the sidelines," Phil said. "This is a chance to evaluate how you've been doin'. Let's see…Flutters, you held up against Nemesis. Safe to say you're done with that coward phase. Rarity, you actually had decent arrow speed in Athens. Pie…I don't wanna know. Dash, you're good. That leaves Sparkle and AJ."

"You should come with me," Applejack suggested hastily; she looked toward Twilight, who let out a sigh of relief. Applejack knew quite well that Twilight's anxiety of being evaluated would compromise her ability to fight. "I can show ya that rope trick again. This time, I won't get tangled up in it."

"Just concentrate on tangling the monster in it," Phil ordered.

"Can do!"

"This is a little exciting," Alcmene admitted. "Our house is the headquarters for the plan!"

"You two should stay here," Hercules said sternly. "I mean it. I don't want either of you going out there and getting…well…hurt."

"You're letting your wife go," Amphitryon pointed out.

Without missing a beat, Hercules said "She's tough" as Meg said "I'm tough."

"Well…if you insist," Alcmene said.

"So…thou art the mortal parents of Hercules," Zoë stated. "I admit I see how your upbringing affected him. Though in light of recent events, I have a question."

"What is it?" Alcmene asked, curious.

"Were the circumstances of Hercules' birth strange in any way?" Zoë asked. "Did he merely fall into your arms?"

"He did arrive wearing the medallion with the symbol of the gods," Amphitryon recalled, "and he fought off two snakes with his bare hands."

Zoë nodded; she'd expected all this. "Zeus labeled him, and he fought off Hades' demons. But was there nothing else?"

"Nothing at all," Alcmene said.

"Were there children in this family before him?" Zoë asked.

"N-no," Alcmene stammered. "We tried for many years, but we were unable…"

"Art thou sure?" Zoë asked. "Was there never a case where – "

"ZOE!" Applejack snapped. "Will ya DROP IT?"

Alcmene looked thoroughly disturbed; the subject of her childlessness before Hercules was obviously painful. Amphitryon glared at the Hesperide with disapproval out of the desire to protect his wife.

"I apologize," Zoë said. "I spoke out of line. I was merely curious, given recent events. I wished to investigate a claim of Nemesis'. I see now…I am on the wrong track. I am sorry."

That was when the ground shook. Tea spilled from every cup.

"Three guesses who showed up," Phil groaned, "and the first two don't count."

* * *

On the shoreline, Echidna stood in the waters, looking in at the bustling city of Thebes. Those who'd already spotted her and the lineup beside her ran in a panic. She regarded this casually. To her left stood those known as Orthos, Cerberus, the Hydra (of only one head), and the Nemean Lion. To her right stood those known as the Chimaera, Ladon, Gegeines, and Geryon. Some ways back in the ocean, Cetus floated below the surface of the waves.

A familiar wisp of blue and purple materialized over Echidna's shoulder. Echidna brightened upon seeing her. "I still can't thank you enough for being my backup nanny for the kids, Eris," she gushed. "You're the only one they haven't been able to eat up."

"It was no trouble!" Eris laughed. "Your children are FUN. Especially when I taught them all I knew about chaos."

"I'm bored," the Nemean Lion yawned. "Can we just attack the city already?"

"I just wanted to take some time to savor the moment," Echidna replied. "Now…show 'em what you've got!"

The horde charged into the city, splitting up to attack its many corners and centers. The one exception was Cetus, who, being a creature of the water, remained in the harbor, lashing out to break apart ships.

Eris flew down to the ground, striding along the dock until she saw two familiar faces row a boat up to the shore. "I was afraid you two were going to miss the show," she told Pain and Panic, who wore their human disguises.

"Not for the world!" Pain replied.

"Then let's get the party started," Eris said.

* * *

"Sorry to drink tea and run," Hercules told his parents, "but – "

"Don't worry about it," Alcmene said. "The safety of civilians comes first."

"Go do us proud, son," Amphitryon added.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Phil, Hercules, Pegasus, Zoë, Pit, Icarus, Cassandra, and Meg ran back through the atrium of the house, bursting out through the door. "You know the plan!" Twilight barked. "Everypony, split up! Let's GO!"

Hercules leapt onto Pegasus' back. Phil kept pace with Applejack. Icarus, Meg, and Cassandra stayed close together. Beyond those small alliances, the group separated completely, each member getting lost within the streets of Thebes.

* * *

Cetus resembled a squid, with a great bulbous head and ten thick tentacles. Two yellow eyes, only able to be called "beady" by proportion, stared out from the midsection of his head. He was twice as big as the biggest ship in the Thebes harbor, and could easily crush the midsized ships with one or two tentacles alone. And it was this that he set to doing. He reached out, crushing any boat that happened to be sailing by, whether it was attempting to reach Thebes or simply to escape the monstrosity in the waters. Even those ships already docked weren't safe; Cetus didn't discriminate.

It was upon this scene that Twilight galloped, into the harbor at top speed. "Great," she muttered. "It HAD to be the water monster I found first!"

In a flash, she changed into her Mahou Shoujo clothing. She knew she would need the upgrade in power, though she hoped against hope that she wouldn't have to use the Elemental Finale. She wasn't sure she had it in her to perform that one more than once, and she had a sinking feeling that Cetus wasn't going to be her only battle.

Casting her staff out before her, she forged a bridge of ice across the sea that expanded in front of her hooves as she galloped down it. She twirled her staff in the air, and a great ball of crackling pink energy built there; it slammed down onto Cetus' head as Twilight neared where the monster was submerged.

Cetus was dazed, but not nearly as dazed as Twilight could have hoped for. He spied Twilight running toward him on the bridge of ice, and with one swipe of a tentacle, he destroyed the bridge behind her.

Twilight cried out in fear. The seawater splashed her, nearly knocking her over. Another tentacle rose up to attack her, and out of fear, she leapt.

She landed on top of Cetus' tentacle, running down the length of it toward his head. She cast several bursts of Verdimillious, which Cetus raised tentacles to deflect. Its individual tentacles were obviously a little worse for wear after Verdimillious worked its magic, but Cetus was still quite awake and ready for more. Another tentacle swiped at Twilight, and she ended up leaping atop this one.

In a burst of inspiration, Twilight called up a cyclone of wind to lift her into the air, above Cetus; he raised five tentacles to slap her out of the air. She avoided each one narrowly before casting Holy.

Cetus dove; he was down into the depths of the sea by the time the spell's white light struck the surface. Twilight cast an air bubble around her head and dove after him, following him down and down.

When the next tentacle swiped at her, she cast Glacius, and then it was immobilized in the ice that surrounded it. The breakthrough; she knew what to do. A combination of the cyclone and a manipulation of the current (what a toll this must have been taking on the amulet's gem, but that was something to worry about later) propelled Twilight on a circular path around the monster. She pointed her staff toward him, and a wall of ice formed, catching his skin at the edges, trapping him partially in ice. She moved to a position above him, casting more ice until the behemoth of the seas was encased in a great mass of it. His eyes flicked about, indicating he was alive and well below the layer of ice. That was somewhat of a relief. Twilight wasn't about to relinquish her standards for this foe.

When she cast Holy, it hit the mark. The ice shattered. Cetus went unconscious, falling away into the depths of the ocean in sleep.

"And I'll freeze you again if you come back," Twilight snapped before heading for the surface.

* * *

A triad of barks echoed against the Thebes sky. Cerberus, the giant hellhound with pitch black fur and three heads, including three sets of fanged and saliva-dripping jaws, snapped at the people in the streets. He'd been given time off from guarding the Underworld in order to join his siblings in attack.

The people were perhaps more afraid of him than they were of any other of Echidna's brood. They knew him from the Underworld; they knew him as a harbinger of death. As they ran away from him, they could barely comprehend why one woman walked directly toward him.

Zoë faced Cerberus directly. At first, even the hound was confused – why wasn't she running? Then he saw her load a bow with a light arrow and fire it directly at him.

The central head caught the arrow with a snap, and it dissipated, though it gave off a jolt that caused said head to reel slightly. Zoë loaded up another arrow; at the same time, Cerberus inhaled deeply in all three mouths and exhaled a volley of fireballs at Zoë.

She ran, firing her arrows as she did so; they lodged in Cerberus' hide, and she could see him flinch. The fire was hot on her heels – he kept on shooting it – and she was well aware that the buildings around her were catching flame. But there was no time to mourn the destruction around her, she felt. She had to keep her focus on the hound or else all was lost.

Cerberus eventually figured out that he wasn't going to be able to catch Zoë with mere fire. He inhaled again, and all three heads plunged toward the ground, breathing a mass of darkness into the street, where it was absorbed.

Zoë barely had time to wonder before it went off like a minefield. Pockets of dark magic exploded up from the street at random; one explosion barely grazed her. She knew the ground wasn't safe. She had to get up to safety, and there was only one place for that.

She charged directly at Cerberus, leaping with supernatural strength, and she landed gracefully on his back. Cerberus, however, had one more trick up his hypothetical sleeve. The skin on his back rippled, and snakes burst from it – hundreds of snakes, hissing and dripping venom.

Zoë fired into the crowd of snakes. The light arrow blasted a patch of snakes into golden dust; she leapt into the cleared area, making her way toward Cerberus' shoulder blades, careful to step where she was out of the reach of the snakes' snapping mouths. Another arrow cleared another place to stand. And then another, and she was on the shoulder blades, right behind the three heads.

"It is time for thee to return to the Underworld, where thou belongest," Zoë stated, loading up the bow with three arrows and turning it sideways. She let the arrows of light fly.

They hit their targets at the same time: the backs of all three heads. Cerberus gave a cry of pain; then the heads dissolved into golden dust, and the entire body followed, gradually dissolving from there down. Zoë tumbled through the air, but her landing was not too hard, especially since dissolving Cerberus had undone the darkness he'd infused the ground with.

She got up and dusted herself off; glimmering remnants of the hellhound made clouds from her garment. The arrows of light worked the same way as a Celestial Bronze blade when it came to monsters. Cerberus was sent back to the Underworld; not dead forever, but instead to do time there until Hades saw fit to send him back out again.

The wind carried away the last of the dust. Zoë walked out through the flames in search of her next target.

* * *

The Nemean Lion was one of Echidna's children blessed with the power of speech. Well, to him, it was a blessing. To others, it was a curse. He was only slightly smaller than Cerberus, golden as the sun, and incredibly talkative.

"Yeah," he remarked, knocking down a house. "Yeah, this is more like it! Oh, c'mon, why do you mortals always get worked up whenever there's good destruction going on? You're a bunch of ingrates. All of you."

"HEEEEEY YOU! YEAH! YOU KNOCKING THE BUILDINGS DOWN!"

The Nemean Lion turned to see who was screeching at him. He beheld the sight of Pinkie Pie, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You cut that out RIGHT NOW before I do something drastic!" she demanded.

"Really?" the Nemean Lion snorted. "You want to do something drastic? Okay. Fine." Not believing a tiny pink Kentauride could have much to offer in the way of defeating him, he reached out and punched another building casually.

"THAT DOES IT!" In a flash, Pinkie became a Mahou Shoujo. She fired her pistols at the Nemean Lion, again and again and again, bursts of glitter. Then came the finale; the shoulder-mounted launcher and its volley of energy and confetti, three times over.

When the confetti and glitter cleared, Pinkie had reverted back from her Mahou Shoujo state. The Nemean Lion was completely unaffected and unfazed.

"Okay, so, maybe no one explained this to you," he said, "but my skin is completely resistant to physical and magical attacks. I mean, that was a nice light show and all, but you kinda just made yourself look stupid."

"Oh…" Pinkie Pie's eyes widened in shock.

"I'm just gonna go back to destroying things now." The Nemean Lion did an about face.

And Pinkie was standing in front of him again. "HEY!" he barked. "How'd you do that?"

"Please don't knock over another building!" Pinkie pleaded. "You'll hurt people!"

"That's what I'm trying to do," the Lion said. He slammed a paw down onto Pinkie, or at least he thought he did – it felt strangely like he'd just swiped it through thin air. She must have gotten out of his grasp at the last second. He turned around again.

And there she was. "It is really cool that you're invincible, though!" she continued. "I mean, how many monsters can say that? Now, are you invincible to gods, or just to mortals?"

"Shut up!" The Lion turned away again, but there she was, on a rooftop.

"Actually, I wanna know more about you. Do you get along with Echidna's other children? Is Echidna a good mommy? How many heads DO you and your brothers and sisters have total? I hear it's a lot!"

"GO AWAY!"

No matter where he turned, there she was: "Actually, Cerberus got into Ponyville once! But he wasn't trying to attack anything. At least, we don't think. I had a spare rubber ball and we used that to distract him, and he REALLY wanted to play…"

"…I LOVE playing with dogs, actually! But my favorite is alligators! That's why I have my pet alligator named Gummy! But he doesn't have any teeth. That's why he's called Gummy! Do you have any pets? Or does your mom not let you keep them around…"

"…OH NO DON'T DESTROY THAT! Awwww, that was a perfectly nice…whatever that was! I wonder what it was. Do you think that was a doctor's office? Or a post office? Or another kind of office? Or maybe it was a bakery! Back home, I work in a bakery. I'm especially good at making cupcakes! I even wrote a song about it! All you gotta do is take a cup of flour, add it to the…"

No matter how the Lion tried to dress it up afterward, all eyewitness reports agreed: he'd run as fast as he could out of Thebes, of his own will, screaming, "MAKE IT STOP! JUST MAKE IT STOP!"

* * *

"Okay," Fluttershy said to herself as she galloped down the street. "A lot of these monsters sound big and scary, but they're probably not. One of them was a chimaera! And chimaeras ARE scary, but they're not very big! They're about the size of a lion! I can face something that's the size of a lion. Maybe the others are small too! I could…"

She entered the square in which the Chimaera, for if you speak of the devil he will most certainly come, was doing its work. Fluttershy was right. Chimaeras, in the traditional sense, were small. But this was the Chimaera, the king of chimaeras, the first and original, daughter of Echidna.

She was bigger than a house.

Her body was lion from the midsection forward and goat from the midsection back. A goat's head was situated on the midpoint of her body where the two halves joined. Her tail was a snake with its own hissing, fanged head.

Fluttershy screamed in terror. Then she steeled herself, drawing her katana and charging.

The snake tail spotted her first and struck. She leapt over it, spreading her wings and going airborne. The goat's head reared back, shooting a column of flame directly upward at Fluttershy and causing her to backpedal with her wings. She attempted to fly toward the front end of the Chimaera and slash at its chest with her katana, but the Chimaera turned again and again, the goat's head keeping Fluttershy in focus and breathing fire at her.

Fluttershy was forced to land on the ground. "I don't suppose you want to just talk this over?" she said.

The snake hissed, the goat bleated, and the lion roared. All signs pointed to "No."

Fluttershy struck at the snake head with the katana, dazing it. She then leapt, pumping her wings twice, onto the Chimaera's back, making her way to the goat head.

The snake head shook itself, getting her bearings, trying to see Fluttershy through the haze. Then she struck.

Fluttershy screamed – but the snake had missed. Her fangs sunk into the base of the goat head.

The goat looked stunned. The lion let out a mournful howl. Fluttershy knew that the Chimaera had accidentally poisoned itself, and she suddenly felt great pity for it.

"I'm sorry!" she wailed, close to tears. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean this to happen!"

She glided down to the street, landing on the stone. "You should go get help right now!" she insisted. "Do you know where you can find help?"

Now the Chimaera turned so the lion face looked directly at Fluttershy. She made eye contact and nodded.

"Then go!" Fluttershy begged. "Please!"

The Chimaera took off running.

"She's saved us all from the Chimaera!" a civilian cried, but Fluttershy took no notice.

"The poor thing!" Fluttershy moaned sincerely. "I hope the Chimaera makes it out okay! I really didn't mean for that to happen!"

"But weren't you trying to save us?" the civilian asked. "You had your sword drawn and – "

"This sword wouldn't have really hurt it," Fluttershy explained. "The Chimaera has feelings too!"

Before the stunned civilian could argue, several men and women carrying buckets of water came barreling by. "Cerberus set the upper district on fire!" one cried. "Make way for the fire brigade! NOW!"

"I have to help!" Fluttershy cried. She followed the fire brigade closely. Somewhere along the line, someone gave her a bucket, and she had enough time to stop at one of the public fountains and fill it so she could help to quench the flames that Cerberus had set.

* * *

Orthos was a bi-clops. He had only one eye per head, but two heads atop his teal-skinned body. He wasn't as big as your average Cyclops – his eye level at about the height of some of the taller rooftops – but his reputation was nonetheless terrifying.

He walked the narrower streets, swinging a club at the houses lined up in rows. "I just wonder if the club presents the best image," the left head, ever the thinker, said. "Cyclopes, giants, ogres, everyone expects them to use the club. It makes us look absolutely barbaric."

"But the club is better for SMASHING!" the right head argued; he had control of the hand with the weapon, and was swinging it wildly, with joy.

"Do you hear galloping hooves?" the left head asked.

"Should it matter?"

"Only in that they're distinct footsteps coming toward us from behind instead of running away, meaning someone is probably about to – "

Sure enough, Orthos felt the thud of an energy arrow in his back. He turned to see Rarity eyeing up her next shot.

"You're dead meat!" the right head called out, swinging the club at her. She had to abandon the act of loading the arrow in order to leap over it before it could smash her flat against the nearby wall.

"Excuse me!" Rarity griped. "Not even a greeting with some kind of banter? How rude!"

She had to duck another swipe from the club; the left hand adjusted the scrunchie that held the left head's topknot of hair in place.

"AH - !" Rarity clutched at her hair. The club passing overhead had grazed it, doing no harm other than putting the curls out of sorts. That, however, was unforgivable. "YOU! WILL! PAY! FOR THAT!"

She tried to raise her bow, but Orthos was quicker with the club, and Rarity found herself running from it, screaming. On the run, she fired an arrow; it hit Orthos' left shoulder, stopping his arm temporarily in the act of adjusting the topknot again, and her next attempt was batted away from the club. She bemoaned the conditions in which she had to load the arrows; she constantly was either ducking, jumping, or just running from the club.

She was surprised she hadn't noticed it earlier, the way Orthos kept fiddling with that topknot. "Might I say that is a fabulous hair accessory you have," she said as she ducked the club again and sidestepped the shrapnel that exploded from the wall it hit.

"Thank you," the left head said casually. "What's the point of destroying cities if you can't do it in style?"

"My sentiments exactly!" Rarity agreed. "Though right now, this makes things work far more in my favor."

"How so?" the left head asked.

The next arrow shot directly through the scrunchie, tearing it in two and letting Orthos' short hair fall over his left head. He dropped the club; both hands reached up to feel where the simple hairstyle had been undone. "MY SCRUNCHIE!" the left head moaned.

When the right head finally got it into his head to pick the club back up, he looked at Rarity and said, "Uh-oh."

"What is it, brother?" the left head asked before seeing for himself. "Oh."

Rarity, in full Mahou Shoujo garb, was surrounded by crystal arrows in the air. She drew back her bowstring, and all the arrows shifted back. Orthos couldn't even think of a good parting remark before they all slammed into him simultaneously.

He teetered, then fell backward into the street, knocking himself unconscious in both heads. "QUICKLY!" Rarity cried out. "EVERYPONY! TIE HIM DOWN! DON'T TELL ME NONE OF YOU HAVE A ROPE AROUND!"

The civilians reacted to her call, bringing ropes to bind the unconscious Orthos. "Now bring him somewhere he can be kept safely to think about what he's done," Rarity ordered, and when enough carts were strung together to carry his body, Orthos was taken to just such a prison.

* * *

Looking at her target from around the corner, Applejack asked Phil, "So, uh…what's his schtick?"

"That's Gegeines," Phil explained to describe the great white-furred ape that sat in the empty square. "Famous for luring sailors to his lair with the help of nymphs, and then eating them. The sailors, not the nymphs. Though he probably ate a few of the nymphs too."

"And…why's he just sittin' there doin' nothin'?"

"If I had to guess?" Phil replied. "Doin' nothing's what he's best at. He's used to people coming to him, not having to go after people."

"That don't make a real intimidatin' monster."

"Well…it makes more sense in context. You know, with the island and the nymphs."

"I bet." Applejack grinned. "Watch me take this one down in record time."

She galloped into the empty square. "Hey, Gegeines!"

Gegeines had just been thinking about what a mistake he'd made, trying to make a public display like his siblings. He really didn't like actively chasing people down – it was too tiring. He should have staked out a hideout away from Thebes, he thought, and hired a few nymphs to bring those who fled the scene to him. It wasn't as though prey was about to approach him. However, when he saw Applejack, he thought his luck was about to change. He rose to full height. "Finally," he grumbled.

Applejack shifted into her Mahou Shoujo form, twirling her rope whip. "Catch me if ya can!" she dared, twirling the rope into a giant loop.

Gegeines lurched forward, swiping out at her, but all he managed to do was walk into the loop of rope. Applejack also jumped through before tightening the loop, twisting it, binding Gegeines' arms to his sides. The rope lengthened, and she formed a second loop, leaping through it before winding it around Gegeines.

"This isn't fair!" Gegeines moaned as he became hopelessly tangled. "I didn't even get a chance to attack anything!"

"Ya snooze, ya lose!" Applejack gave the whip a crack; the rope broke off, leaving Gegeines bound in the multitude of loops. Then she bowed. Turning to Phil, she bragged, "Told ya I could do that trick without gettin' tangled."

"Yeah, well…" Phil replied. "Don't let it go to your head. Now let's focus on gettin' this guy locked up."

* * *

Cassandra and Meg were hot on Icarus' heels as he ran through the streets. "Okay," Meg said as she ran, "not that I'm doubting you or anything, but do you actually have a plan?"

"I'm just gonna wing it," Icarus replied. "HA! WING it! Because I make wings – "

"We get it," Cassandra sighed.

"I think we're getting close to something," Meg pointed out, hearing a scuffle ahead. "We should probably slow down and look at it."

She and Cassandra halted; they had to grab the back of Icarus' collar to get him to stop running. They made their way to the edge of the street, peering into the open square at the monster they were about to face.

Meg smirked. "I can't believe fate actually went that easy on us."

Twice as big as an ordinary man, Geryon, he of three torsos and three blonde heads all attached to a single lower body, swung three enormous blades through the air, obviously something forged just for him, causing civilians to run in terror.

"What?" Icarus asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't see how obvious it is, airhead?" Cassandra asked. "It's Geryon."

"Yeah, and he does not look happy," Icarus replied. "Sooooo…what's the big plan?"

"You really don't see it," Cassandra sighed. "Three heads? Three bodies? THREE OF US?"

"Yeah…he could totally take us!" Icarus moaned. "I'VE MADE A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE MIS – "

Cassandra clamped her hand over his mouth before his loud moaning could give away their position.

"I'll spell it out," Meg said. "Cassandra, I want you to get to that alley." She pointed across the way. "Icarus, I want you there." She pointed out another location. "When you get there…"

Geryon's attention was caught when he heard a voice call out, "Yo, Geryon." All three heads turned to see Cassandra. "I had a vision of exactly what you're going to do and how you can be beaten," she said. "And I'm gonna tell everyone I can find about it who can wield a weapon."

"She knows how we can be defeated!" one head cried.

"Let's GET HER!" another roared, and Geryon's one set of legs began to charge in that direction.

"HEEEEEEY SIX-EYES!" a new voice called; Geryon turned to see Icarus. "It is I! LEGENDARY HERO ICARUS, WHO FLEW TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN!"

"I thought that guy was dead," the second head said. "Better get rid of him all the same!"

"Geryon," Meg called out, stepping into view. "Remember me? Maybe you do. I am married to the most powerful hero in the world. But if you don't, it might be worth reminding you that I'm also the one who betrayed Hades during the Titan invasion."

"HER!" the third head screamed. "SHE HAS TO GO DOWN FIRST!"

"NO, THE SEER!" the first cried.

"NO, ICARUS!" the second yelled.

Geryon stumbled as each head fought for his priority of hero to challenge. He spun around in circles a few times, getting very dizzy.

Then there was a great explosion of confetti, and Geryon hit the ground, unconscious.

"WHOA!" Icarus cried. "Nice job, Meg! I didn't even know you planned that!"  
"I didn't," Meg said, stunned, as she, Icarus, and Cassandra converged.

"I did!" Pinkie Pie cried, wheeling the recently fired party cannon toward them. "I finished up with the Nemean Lion, so I came to find you! Except it was really weird because I was just talking with him and I didn't even figure out a way to get past his invincibility, and all of a sudden, during our nice conversation about what it was like to be one of Echidna's children and whether or not he'd just destroyed a bakery like the one I work in back home, he just took off and I don't know why!"

"Yeah…real big mystery," Cassandra snorted.

"Well, thanks," Meg told Pinkie with a smile. "Now let's get this guy locked up where he can't hurt anyone."

"Okie-dokie-Loki!" Pinkie chirped.

* * *

There was a valley at the edge of Thebes, formed in such a way that it created a natural amphitheater in the earth. Here, Pit remembered as he flew over it, was the site where Hercules had first beaten the Lernaean Hydra, earning him his reputation. He had a feeling that here was where something would turn up.

It slithered into view, a gargantuan purple reptile with forelegs but no back legs, plum-colored spines from its head to the tip of its whipping tail, one hinge-jawed head at the end of a long and writhing neck.

"Oh, come on," Pit groaned when he saw the Lernaean Hydra in the same place it had been beaten previously. "At least be a little original!"

He swooped down to attack the beast. When the Hydra spotted him, it struck out at him with a roar, intending to swallow him, but he flew faster than it could maneuver. He flew down along the base of its neck, readying his golden blades edged in Celestial Bronze. With a spin of the conjoined blades, the Hydra's neck was severed at the base.

Pit knew what would happen next and so altered his trajectory to go straight up and out of reach. From the bloodied stump of a neck, three more heads grew, emerging from a sac of skin. Now the Hydra was three times as strong as before. Pit had to fly above one to avoid its jaws, around another, and below the third before he got another chance to slash at the necks. Down went all three heads.

Nine heads grew, and Pit smiled to himself. This was the decisive moment. He had to plot his aerial course carefully – he found himself, at one moment, within one of the mouths, and barely managed to escape before it clamped down. But then he hovered some distance away, looking at the Hydra from the side, clamping his blades together into one double-edged weapon, and then he threw the blades so that they spun, a deadly wheel. Just as he'd planned, the course of the blades took them through all the necks at once, and nine Hydra heads hit the ground.

Pit flew after the blades to retrieve them. As he did so, he spotted a familiar figure galloping into the valley. "Twilight!" he called out.

"Pit!" she cried back. "I took care of a sea monster in the harbor. Was that a Lernaean Hydra?"

"Yeah," Pit said, "but I got it covered."

"You sure? I mean, you went for the heads, and everypony knows – "

"Everyone knows that Hydras only grow nine heads, and that's the limit," Pit stated proudly, picking up his fallen weapon. "Honestly, I don't see how Hercules had that much trouble with…Twilight? Twilight, stop kidding around. You're kidding, right?"

Twilight was trembling, pointing behind Pit.

"Seriously," Pit said, "there had BETTER not be something horrifying behind me…"

So he turned. And he saw all twenty-seven of the Hydra's heads poised to strike downward at him.

He was paralyzed with fear. Twilight surged forward, grabbing him around the waist and carrying him out of the way as twenty-seven sets of jaws snapped at the ground, biting empty air.

Twilight dragged Pit into the gaping mouth of a nearby cave – the Hydra's old den. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" she roared.

"I thought it was done after nine heads!" Pit wailed. "I didn't know this one had MORE! Everybody always says it's nine!"

"Well, it looks like this is the week when Pit finds out that all the rumors he hears aren't true," Twilight grumbled. "Shouldn't your Celestial Bronze blades send it back to the Underworld?"

"Only if I deal a kill shot with them!"

"And it didn't raise any flags when you cut off nine heads AND THE BODY DIDN'T DISAPPEAR? Okay, never mind. The light arrows work the same way, right? All you need to do is get above it and shoot it in the heart."

"Uhhh…yeah, about that," Pit said. "I don't have my light arrows."

"Why don't you have your light arrows?"

"Because I gave my bow to Zoë."

"Why did you give your bow to Zoë?"

"Because she doesn't have her sword?"

"AND WHY DOESN'T SHE HAVE HER SWORD?"

"Because she gave it to Hercules…"

Twilight needed a moment to process that information. "Okay," she muttered, "it's going to be okay…it's going to be fine…Zoë can handle a bow, she can take care of herself, and we can handle things here…" She took in a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay. I can weaken the Hydra for you. Do you think you can handle it if I drain its energy a little bit?"

"Hey, any bit helps at this point."

"Just making sure, it won't actually kill…"

"Just send it back to Bardo. Kinda like teleportation. One-way ticket to Hades!"

The Hydra, by that point, had located its quarry. She charged, full speed, toward the cavern; Twilight and Pit rushed out in order to avoid being cornered and split up, making their way to opposite directions. The Hydra decided to pursue Twilight.

"NonononoNONONONO!" Twilight cried as she ran at full speed. "PIT! I NEED YOU TO DISTRACT IT!"

"COMING UP!" Pit yelled. He charged the Hydra from behind, ripping into more necks. More heads sprouted. A small price to pay. "Come and get me!" he taunted.

The Hydra turned its attention toward Pit, and every head went for him at once. He found himself in a labyrinth of snaking necks, flying around every set of jaws.

"Get out of there," Twilight muttered as she halted her run. She wasn't about to unleash her attack while Pit was in the way.

At last she saw him burst from the tangle of Hydra heads, straight up into the air. Then he veered left, getting out of the target area. Twilight raised her staff before any more time was lost.

The bursts of pure magic fell from the sky, pummeling the confused Hydra and her many heads. She roared in disdain, but when the rain was over, she was completely dazed, staggering.

Pit detached the blades from each other, drawing one back in his hand before launching it directly at the Hydra's back; he threw it with such force that it pierced straight through her body, into her heart.

The Hydra dissolved into a great mass of dust, including those heads already cut off and lying on the ground, and Pit's blade landed with a "puff" sound upon the dust pile. Twilight wiped her brow, feeling probably as drained as the Hydra had been before she unleashed her attack. Pit flew down toward her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "That just took a lot of power. You?"

"Beat the Hydra. Can't complain."

"We have to keep going," Twilight said, attempting to run but feeling woozy. "There are still other monsters…"

"You wanna take it easy?" Pit suggested.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT EASY!" Twilight snapped. "THEBES IS STILL IN TROUBLE!"

"Yeah, but you don't look so…"

"What? I don't look so WHAT?"

"Never mind."

Twilight ended up having to walk, but she still pressed on into the city in search of Echidna's children. Pit hovered overhead in worry.

* * *

Hercules thought he was prepared for anything. Especially Ladon. Ladon was a baby, the last he'd seen the thing…a pudgy little pig-like reptile, a shade of pink, with this constant expression of stupidity on its piggish face.

When he arrived at the edge of the city, where Ladon had begun to attack from the outside and work his way in, Hercules realized that while there was no doubt at all that he was looking at Ladon, the creature was not the same one he'd seen before.

Over the span of just a couple years, Ladon had grown into a lean, magenta-colored dragon, the size of Cerberus. He had grown six extra heads, all of which breathed blasts of ice upon the territory before him.

It only then sank in that Zoë was right about underestimating the monster. Still, Hercules had to try and defeat it for the good of Thebes. He gripped his sword tightly, then bid Pegasus to fly toward Ladon at full speed.

When one of the heads spotted him, it looked almost amused. First it breathed a cyclone of wind, knocking Hercules from Pegasus, separating steed from rider. It then spat a patch of pure coldness at the ground, and Hercules found himself slipping on ice, sliding across the smooth, frozen ground. Three of Ladon's heads reared back to attack him; the other four kept on beleaguering the city.

Hercules raised the Celestial Bronze blade, ready to strike, but it occurred to him that he couldn't take down three heads at once. Then he realized they were adjusting their trajectory for where he was sliding on the ice. He drove the sword into the ground, gripping the hilt tightly as an anchor point.

Ladon's three attacking heads smacked into the ice. Hercules struggled to his feet, wrenching the sword out of the ice-covered ground, and leapt to the side, sliding to the edge of the patch of ice and ending up standing near Ladon's spiked tail. Ladon whipped the tail, and Hercules was knocked over, hitting the ground hard.

Ladon spun around, all seven heads looking at their attacker. Hercules quickly leapt back to a standing position, brandishing Anaklusmos; the seven heads ignored the gesture and inhaled deeply before seven jets of ice rocketed at Hercules. They solidified in midair, becoming great spikes of ice, sharp as knives and thick as the columns that supported many a Greek building.

Hercules slashed through two of the columns with Anaklusmos, reducing them to shards; this gave him enough room to avoid the other five, which planted in the ground.

Ladon's tail whipped again and this time Hercules was sent flying, hitting the patch of ice upon which he'd slid earlier quite hard. He felt the ice crack beneath him. When he got his bearings, he noticed seven more ice missiles headed toward him.

Another force slid across the ice, colliding with him, knocking him out of the way. When he hit ground that was not icy, Hercules stood, looking at who'd saved him; Zoë had thrown herself across the frozen ground at him to get him out of the way of the ice missiles, which all planted harmlessly into the ice layer.

Zoë took Hercules' arm and ran; he could have held back and broken her grip quite easily, but he chose to follow. She took him into the forest at the edge of Thebes, running faster and faster, getting them lost among the trees.

"What did I tell thee?" she growled.

"Yeah…Ladon," Hercules chuckled nervously. "Kind of a big deal. Hey, shouldn't we be running TOWARD Ladon? He's going to go back to attacking the city!"

"He will be pursuing us," Zoë assured Hercules, slowing down. "He will not want us, as prey, to have bested him. We have bought ourselves time to plan."

"How do we plan for this?"

"Either my arrows must strike Ladon in a critical place, or Anaklusmos must," Zoë thought out loud. "My arrows would actually be best spent as a diversion, or even a counter to Ladon's icy breath. I will hold him as best as I can with the arrows, but it must be thou who strikest him."

"I…think I can do that," Hercules said.

A great crashing was heard – trees being knocked over. Zoë and Hercules looked up; through the tree canopy, Ladon's towering heads were visible. "HE IS HERE!" Zoë cried.

Ladon swiped at the trees, bringing them down so that he had an unobstructed view of his quarry. Zoë immediately fired light arrows. Ladon's heads twisted about, avoiding them all, before shooting seven ice missiles.

Hercules ran at Ladon at full speed while Zoë shot seven light arrows in rapid succession, destroying the missiles one by one; they exploded in shimmering bursts of icy dust.

Hercules made his way around Ladon's body to the tail that had whipped him so many times. Prepared now, he gripped the tail, careful to avoid spines, and yanked it.

Ladon was flipped up, over, onto his back. He landed hard, crushing several trees; the earth shook. Hercules leapt onto Ladon's stomach, raising Anaklusmos before driving the sword down hard.

He fell into a shower of gold dust as Ladon vanished. It took him a few moments to register what he'd done.

"Art thou all right?" Zoë asked concernedly.

"Yeah," Hercules said, dusting himself off. "I'm fine."

He and Zoë crossed the distance between them; Zoë's skin seemed to undergo a rise in temperature and her heart thundered. "Thanks," Hercules said with a smile – what a smile, what beauty! "You really saved me."

"It was nothing," Zoë replied. "There…are other monsters to face."

"Right!" Hercules said. "Let's go!"

The pair raced back to the city. Hercules thought out loud, "Wait until Phil hears that I took down LADON!"

Zoë was happy for him; she truly was. But she had done more than simply provide the diversion. Anaklusmos was her blade. It was almost entirely her victory.

* * *

In the very center of the city, Echidna stomped the ground, bringing down buildings of all sorts. The people fled her en masse. She laughed; a deep, throaty laugh of absolute joy.

"HEY!" a voice called out. "I DON'T KNOW WHICH OF ECHIDNA'S KIDS YOU ARE, BUT YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE TAKEN DOWN BIG TIME!"

Echidna laughed as she turned to see who had spoken. A Kentauride, one blessed with wings, who was flying at Echidna's eye level in order to spout insults. Rainbow Dash was in full witch mode, brandishing her sword.

"I'm not one of Echidna's children," Echidna corrected. "I AM Echidna! Mother of all monsters!"

"Oh…" Rainbow Dash was suddenly stricken with fear. She shook it off. "Well, you're goin' down anyway!"

"Try me," Echidna dared.

Rainbow Dash took off, flying round and round Echidna, surrounding her with rainbow trails. When she had enough momentum, Rainbow Dash gave that final push forward with her wings, breaking the barrier. A Sonic Rainboom echoed through the air, its shockwave passing through Echidna. At that point, Rainbow Dash stopped to admire her work.

Echidna wasn't even fazed. "You're boring me," she yawned.

Rainbow Dash didn't have time to plan her next move. She was swept up by Echidna's hand, struggling, unable to move. Luckily, her sword was pressed to her side by the flat – Echidna could very well have squeezed in such a way that the blade would have cut its master right in half.

"This was anticlimactic," Echidna admitted. "And you don't look very filling. Then again, you will make a nice appetizer."

Rainbow Dash looked at the gaping maw before her. And, certain that she was about to meet doom, she thought about screaming. But instead, the voice she heard that broke through –

"NOOOOOOOO!"

It was Rarity's.

"GET! YOUR! HANDS! OFF! HER!" Rarity fired five arrows in succession at Echidna's hand. That stunned her enough to let Rainbow Dash go.

"And HERE'S so ya don't try that one again!" Applejack galloped toward Echidna, leaping into the air, cracking the rope whip. Its final attack activated, it tangled around Echidna, binding her arms to her sides.

"Thank youuuuu Applejack and Rarity!" Rainbow Dash remarked with relief. "As for you, Echidna, I never did see exactly what my big attack does. Wanna help me find out?"

"No!" Echidna grunted. "NOOOOO!"

Rainbow Dash raised her sword into the air, bidding the weather to it. And the weather came. Skies darkened. Clouds whirled above Rainbow Dash in a vortex. Lightning and waterspouts poured down from the clouds, all aimed at the blade; the metal simply ate it up. Rainbow Dash twirled the sword in her hand twice before swinging it at Echidna with all her might.

It sent out a rainbow shockwave upon which rode a tidal wave of water and a burst of electricity. Echidna herself was frightened to see such power moving toward her.

Then it hit.

Rarity and Applejack winced. Phil, who had caught up to Applejack by that time, muttered, "Whoa…didn't know the kid could do that."

When it was over, the clouds parted; the skies lightened. "You…have won…for now," Echidna muttered before turning to stagger away. "But one of my children will eat you sooner or later!"

Rainbow Dash readied to follow Echidna, but Phil yelled, "KID! STOP!"

Her attention caught, Rainbow Dash dove down to land before Phil. "Why won't you let me go after her?"

"She's beaten, kid! She's leavin' the city!"

And indeed, as fast as she could go, Echidna was leaving.

"We just beat Echidna," Rainbow Dash realized. "I just beat Echidna! I am SO AWESOME!" She looked to Rarity, then Applejack. "WE are awesome. Thanks for havin' my back!"

"No trouble!" Applejack gave a slight bow.

"Actually, I sort of stumbled upon you by accident," Rarity admitted. "I was heading toward one of the other districts. There are reports of a fire there!"

"A fire?" Rainbow Dash repeated. "Looks like a job for a weather witch! C'mon!"

* * *

The fire Cerberus started had spread, but it was being kept at bay. First there had been the brigades with their buckets. They assaulted the flames again and again with the water from the fountains.

Then had come Twilight and Pit, and Twilight cast massive bursts of Glacius to freeze the flames.

Then had come Pinkie, Cassandra, Icarus, and Meg; the former three joined the brigade, tag teaming Fluttershy, and Meg and Fluttershy set about bandaging and comforting the wounded.

Into this scene came Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Phil. "Don't worry, everypony!" Rainbow Dash called. She raised her sword into the air. "C'mon, rain! Let's have some rain!"

Where there had been clear skies marked only by the softest cirrus clouds, great gray rain clouds began to gather and puff up. They released their downpour, dousing the final flames.

Pegasus then flew in, depositing Zoë and Hercules. "I apologize," Zoë said immediately. "The fire was set during my battle with Cerberus, but I knew not how to contain it, and there were other matters at hand."

"Hey, nobody blames you," Pit reassured her. "The other monsters were priority. Hey, wait. We're all here now. Did we get all of them?"

The group of heroes gathered in the street; Rainbow Dash called off the clouds and let the weather return to its sunny state. They compared stories. Zoë ticked off the children of Echidna in a list. It was soon apparent that all were accounted for.

"We did it," Hercules stated. "We stopped the invasion!"

"Things aren't over quite yet," Twilight said. "Does anypony know where the tree is?"

There was silence. They'd covered the whole city and not found it at all.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Along the banks of the Styx, Echidna hustled back and forth between her children. "Are you okay, sweeties? Did they hurt you?"

She'd already administered the antivenom provided by Hades to the Chimaera. As far as she could tell, Cerberus, Ladon, and the Hydra had all suffered blows from divine weaponry, and none of them were too keen on going back outside Bardo for a while. The Nemean Lion was undamaged, but his pride seemed hurt – "You don't get it; she was REALLY annoying!"

Echidna took notice of the fact that Orthos, Gegeines, Geryon, and Cetus had not returned. When Hades approached her, she raged at him. "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN TO MY CHILDREN?" she roared. "FOR ALL I KNOW, THEY'RE DEAD!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hades put up his hands. "First of all, you knew what you were entering into when you signed the contract. Second, they're not dead. If they were, I would know. They're fine. They probably just got captured by the enemy."

"I blame you for this," Echidna growled.

"What did I do?" Hades asked, perplexed.

"You should have released TYPHON!" Echidna wailed. "My beloved husband! He would have turned the tide of the battle!"

"Listen, Echidna. I know how much Typhon would've helped. But honestly, I didn't think we'd need him yet, and I'm kind of saving him for when he can make a bigger impact," Hades explained. "He's a big card to play, you know."

"Is this nothing but a GAME to you?" Echidna moaned. "Is my family just PIECES FOR YOU TO PLAY WITH?"

"Maybe you didn't get the memo," Hades said, "but I'm not the sentimental type. You're either useful to me, or you're not. And if ANYone's playing a game around here, it's that no-good draconequus…" He clenched his fists; for a moment flashed orange.

He wasn't startled when Eris materialized next to him. "Don't worry, Echidna," she said. "Cetus is frozen at the bottom of the sea, but he's alive. And Orthos, Gegeines, and Geryon are all in custody of the Theban citizens. We can break them out at any time. I'll personally see them get back to you."

"Thank you, Eris," Echidna said, her eyes watering. "Finally, someone around here who cares…"

"Of course I care about your children," Eris stated with a smirk that Hades found unsettling. "I helped raise them, after all, didn't I?"

"You two can have a girl's night on your own time," Hades muttered, turning to march back to the palace. "Right now, I've got bigger things to deal with."

* * *

THEBES, OLYMPIC GREECE

The group of heroes set out on the quest to find the tree of the golden apples in the highways and byways of Thebes. The city stood before them like a great monster in itself, keeping the tree hidden somewhere in its bowels.

"We could search for forever and never find it," Twilight moaned.

"Forever and ever and ever and ever?" Pinkie Pie wailed.

"SAY IT AIN'T SO!" Icarus cried.

"Not literally forever," Twilight corrected. "But unless we get some kind of help, we won't find that tree. Not without some kind of miracle – "

"CASSANDRA!"

All heads turned to see "Thanatocrates" running at the party at full speed.

"Y'know, usually, when someone says we need a miracle, a miracle shows up," Icarus muttered. "Not a blonde creep who can't take a hint."

"Hey, Thanatocrates!" Cassandra ran toward Panic. Even she was surprised when the instinct overcame her. When she reached him, she embraced him.

His heart nearly beat out of his chest.

Cassandra let go, a little embarrassed. "Okay, so I don't know where THAT came from."

"It's okay." Panic blushed deeply. "I just wanted to let you know I found the tree with the golden apples. You were looking for that, right?"

Pain had been bribed with the reassignment of yet more chores to tell Hades that Pit had been the first one to spot the tree.

"See?" Pinkie told Icarus. "He IS our miracle! That kind of poetic justice still works!"

"Were we EVER looking for it," Twilight sighed.

"It's right this way!" Panic took the lead of the crowd.

"You know, you've helped us out a lot," Hercules told him. "Are you sure you don't wanna join up with – "

Meg cleared her throat loudly.

"What?" Hercules asked.

"Just thinking you might wanna give him and Cassandra some time to talk," she said with a wink.

Hercules understood. He fell back in line as Cassandra and Panic moved on.

"So was that a monster attack or was that a monster attack?" Panic gushed. "Echidna almost NEVER has family reunions, but when she does, it's a real sight!"

"She did some damage," Cassandra admitted. "Even some I didn't see coming. I mean, I only did see a little bit of it ahead of time. I had no idea the fire would happen."

"Yeah…that Cerberus. He's crazy. Can you imagine what it's like to have to take HIM for walkies?"

"Whoever does THAT has to be the absolute bravest person in existence."

Though he knew that Cassandra had no idea she was referring to him, Panic was flattered.

The group progressed this way until they found the glimmering tree. The six Equestrians worked their magic, and the apples lost their luster, taking on the rainbow stripes.

"Another one down," Twilight stated.

"Do you mind if we go back to my parents' house before we go to the next place?" Hercules asked. "I kinda wanna say goodbye."

"No problem!" Applejack answered.

The group began to maneuver that way. Twilight tapped Rarity on the shoulder, calling her aside. "Rarity?" she whispered.

"What is it, Twilight?" Rarity whispered back.

"I used my powers a lot today," Twilight said hushedly. "I'm a little afraid to look at how my amulet is. Is it bad?"

Rarity looked down to the gem at Twilight's neck. "Why, not at all! True, it's quite cloudy indeed, but a lot better than I was expecting. You won't have to worry about it for a long time."

"Thanks, Rarity," Twilight answered, relieved. "I was starting to be really afraid."

Perhaps, Rarity thought, Twilight should have asked Applejack, who bore honesty itself around her neck. But she stood by her decision. If Twilight had been given reason to worry, she might have risked the sort of despair that would poison the amulet even more.

It was almost black.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

The winged wolves chuckled as Mozenrath entered the crystal hall. "Is something funny?" he asked them.

"Nothing much," Lukos answered.

"Just that you're in for a nasty surprise with today's lesson," Aetos continued.

"Maybe you WON'T go insane from the pain," Lukos added.

"And maybe you won't suffer well-deserved vengeance at my right hand," Mozenrath replied, smirking, adjusting the edge of his gauntlet.

"Enough!" Hecate snapped, and Mozenrath continued to walk toward her. Xerxes snarled at Lukos and Aetos along the way.

"Today, you're going to learn how to Apparate at the speed of darkness," Hecate announced. "I know you know how to Apparate within the boundaries of a world. But to go cross-dimensional or over longer distances, you'll need to use the darkness. Now, there are three basic ways to travel the space between worlds. There's dark matter, which you're familiar with. There's stardust, which is unpredictable and takes you where it wants to go. And there are the Mists of Avalon, which always take you exactly where you need to be…but it's almost impossible to harness. If you're familiar enough with the darkness, though…you won't need ANY of it."

"And the catch is?" Mozenrath asked.

"For one, if your magic was predominantly light oriented, you would end up anywhere from swallowed up by nothingness to badly injured. Or you just wouldn't be able to initiate Apparition at all. But you don't have to worry about that. Your magic is almost…pitch…black."

She grinned toothily. Mozenrath shivered involuntarily. Why did she choose THOSE words?

"The other thing is, it stings a little on your first time through," Hecate continued. "Whenever you're ready…"

"I'm ready now," Mozenrath asserted.

"Then let's begin," Hecate said. "Inside of you, inside your soul, there is a citadel. It contains your emotions. Your memories. Your being. Find it. It helps to close your eyes."

Mozenrath shut his eyes, unsure how to begin searching his soul. It was easier than he thought. His mind's eye was soon looking at it, a citadel not unlike that of the Black Sands, filled with that which was purely Mozenrath.

"See the front door?" Hecate asked.

And he did. It was hard to make out at first, but then the outline of the door shimmered into view.

"Think of where you want to go," Hecate said. "Pick someplace far away. Another world, if you can manage it."

The light shining through the cracks of the door vanished. Mozenrath felt a wind (but how? It was impossible to feel wind coming from a construct of the imagination, was it not?) blowing from the fortress, and it carried a slight texture of grit – there was black sand on the wind. He knew what lay beyond the door exactly.

"I know where I want to go," he said. It was as if he was calling out from an abyss; it was difficult to remember that Hecate was standing not three feet away.

"Then open the door," Hecate said, "and go through."

Mozenrath had oft heard people speak of the mind's eye. He discovered that it seemed to be attached to a mind's hand, and mind's feet, because within himself completely, he was able to open the door. He looked at the portal. Beyond lay the desert expanse of the Black Sands, the real citadel visible in the distance. Home. He naïvely bolted through the passage toward it.

Then the pain struck him. Squeezing, burning, stabbing every part of his body. He thought at first he'd made a mistake, that he'd walked into a pit of fire. Venom ran through his veins. He was certain his heart would fail, or his lungs collapse.

His mind's eye went dark. His physical eyes opened –

* * *

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

- Mozenrath beheld for real the sight he'd seen in the citadel of his soul. He'd done it; he'd made it across the worlds through a simple Apparition. He stood out in the sands outside the city, looking up at the citadel.

Then he collapsed into the sands; a cloud of black was kicked up. He curled into a fetal position, possessed by the nearly unbearable hurt. His skin still seemed on fire; his joints seemed each pierced by a rusty knife.

No one was around. He let himself scream and he let his eyes water. He didn't have to worry about the humiliation when he was alone. Though for a brief moment, he wished he had –

Hecate?

Twilight?

- Xerxes to keep him company until the pain subsided.

At last, it all abated enough that he could stand, at least, and admire what he'd done. The agony had been a small price to pay for the ability to walk between worlds unaided by dark matter or other materials. The bigger price was probably the toll the gauntlet had extracted from his life force in order to accomplish such a feat, but he put it out of his mind to count that cost; if he spent his time doing that, he wouldn't be using any power at all out of blind fear.

It occurred to him that he had to go back. He could, he thought, just give in and go home. Home was right there, within sight. It would spare him the torture of going back. But at the same time, he'd not only left his trusted familiar stranded a world away, but he'd left an impatient Olympian mentor.

He remembered then – how had it taken him that long? – that the two worlds of the Seven Deserts and Olympic Greece were connected by a natural portal. He could just find traditional means of transportation to get to Greece, then find the entrance to the Underworld there and…

Drag himself on foot to Hecate like a pathetic failure too frightened to accept her teachings. He decided that wasn't going to happen.

He had to force himself to go back into his soul, to see the citadel again, to see the outline of the door; blue light now shone around the cracks, refracted from crystal, he knew. He just had to get it over with quickly, that was the key. He gasped in a breath, he plunged through the open door –

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Mozenrath reappeared before Hecate, biting his lip hard to suppress a scream. His knees trembled as he struggled to stay standing. This time there would be no collapsing, no crying, not with Hecate and Lukos and Aetos around to berate him.

Still, Hecate noticed that he trembled, and that sweat gathered across his bloodless brow. "I honestly wasn't sure if you'd come back," she admitted. "A lot of first-timers give up when they feel what it's like to travel that way. I admire your courage."

"I'm – " It took him a moment to form the second word, because for a moment he thought he would vomit if he opened his mouth again – "stronger than that," Mozenrath finished, plastering on a smirk.

"Don't worry," Hecate told him. "It gets easier with practice. And side-alongs don't feel it at all. Just the initiator. So if someone takes you along, you'll feel nothing. Whereas if you take someone else along, you'll have to put up with them feeling nothing while you take the worst of it. But after the first fifty times, it doesn't feel like anything anymore."

He was almost pitiable when he looked like that. "Go take a break," Hecate told him.

"Why?" Mozenrath snapped. "Do you think it's too MUCH for me?"

She did, but all the same, she'd humor him. "No. I just didn't plan this far ahead. I need time to think about what I'm going to have you do next."

"Well," Mozenrath said. Then he calmly strode away, toward his quarters. Xerxes, worried half to death, followed.

"Do you have a soft spot for him?" Lukos teased.

"I can't remember the last time I had a real protégé," Hecate admitted. "It's nice to be appreciated."

"So you do," Aetos taunted.

"Is there any shame in wanting the best for my student?" Hecate asked calmly.

That deprived Lukos and Aetos of all their fodder, and they were silent.

* * *

THEBES, OLYMPIC GREECE

Panic had departed from the group before they reached Amphitryon and Alcmene's manor proper; he suddenly declared that he had errands to run ("I have to…drop my laundry off at the bank!") and departed. Cassandra was momentarily noticeably disappointed, but soon was over it.

Alcmene and Amphitryon invited the entire group to one last dinner before they moved on. During the meal, Zoë rose to excuse herself and wash a spill out of her clothing.

When she left the washroom, she found Amphitryon in the hall, waiting for her. "It's…Zoë, right?"

"Yes," Zoë said.

"I…wanted to talk to you about earlier," Amphitryon said. "When you were asking Alcmene and me about children."

"I received my answer."

"It wasn't the true one," Amphitryon admitted. "There's a reason Alcmene doesn't like to talk about it. I don't know how much this will help you, but…something tells me that you need your question answered."

Zoë blinked in surprise.

"The truth is," Amphitryon said, "we had a child. Iphicles. He died after only one day. We never knew what he died of. It breaks Alcmene's heart to think about."

"Thou…" Zoë shook her head. She had to get her thoughts in order. "I am sorry for thy loss, truly."

"You don't need to be. Hercules was a blessing for us."

"Amphitryon, thou may not thinkest thy words are important to me," Zoë said quickly, "but truly, that information IS important. It confirms something I have been thinking ever since – "

She stopped. She could hear her name being called on the wind. "Zoë…"

"I am being called," Zoë told Amphitryon.

"Really?" Amphitryon was perplexed. "I don't hear anything…"

"It is a call for me and me alone," Zoë sighed, knowing full well the implications of such a thing. "I thank thee for thy honesty, and I do not blame thy wife for hiding such things out of pain. Once again, I am sorry. Now, I must answer the call."

She walked briskly toward the source.

* * *

Hesperia stood in the back yard of the manor; when Zoë approached her, the two were alone. "Hesperia," Zoë greeted. "Sister."

"Do not call me sister," Hesperia snapped. "I come to deliver a message from the Garden. I am certain thou knowest what it is."

Zoë hung her head.

"Thou hast given thy weapon away to a mortal," Hesperia accused. "Thou hast interfered with his affairs, fighting his battles for him. And there is talk that thou hast given him thy heart as well."

"It is true that I have given him my weapon and my victory," Zoë admitted.

"Such acts are not our place," Hesperia stated. "Thou hast interfered in matters best left alone. Your actions have made it quite clear that thou hast chosen the mortal world over our own."

Zoë wanted to argue that wasn't true, that she cared about both worlds but only called one home. But the argument would carry no weight. The ruling of the Hespirides was ironclad.

"Thou shalt not return to the Garden," Hesperia told Zoë. "Though thou shalt remain in thy ageless body, thou shalt not call thyself 'Hesperide.' Thou art not our sister. Thou art among mortals now, and that is how thou shalt make thy life, Zoë. That is thy destiny. And it shall never be otherwise."

"I understand." Zoë nodded. Stoic as she was, she couldn't stop a single tear from escaping.

Hesperia pretended not to notice Zoë's tears. "Hast thou at least come closer to discovering who stole our apples?"

"Perhaps Eris," Zoë said. "Perhaps Hades. Or perhaps Discord."

"Then thou knowest nothing. Thou hast wasted thy time, Zoë. With that, I bid thee farewell." Hesperia's expression softened slightly. "I wish thee luck with thy new life."

"I thank thee, sis…Hesperia."

In a shimmer of light, Hesperia was gone, leaving Zoë with herself. She knew she should have seen it coming, ever since she decided to give Anaklusmos to Hercules, but still she was devastated.

She made her way back to the manor, back to the dining room, hoping to borrow some cheer from the others.

* * *

When Zoë re-entered, she found the entirety of the room staring at her. "What?" she snapped.

"I used the Mists and had the next vision," Cassandra stated. "You're the only one who missed it."

"I apologize. What did thou seest?"

"I saw a man…no, not a man," Cassandra corrected. "He definitely looked dead. "I saw a ghost attacking, devastating everything."

"But how could a mere ghost…?"

"I dunno." Cassandra shrugged. "But that's not even the weird bit. Guess where we're going next."

"Marathon?"

"Amazon," Hercules corrected, still sounding stunned himself.

"We're going to have to leave the mainland and get out to the island," Twilight added, though Zoë knew that full well.

"Which means another BOAT RIDE!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"Can't wait," Phil sighed sarcastically as Pinkie and Icarus high-fived over his head.

"We're going out to the Thebes harbor as soon as everyone's ready," Meg announced. "You ready, Zoë?"

"I am ready," Zoë answered.

She knew she would eventually have to tell them all about her disgrace from the Garden. But that was a story that could wait for the naval trip to the island of Amazon.

* * *

Chapter 55

· I do have a weakness for getting my characters into battles. This is kind of the "battle royale" chapter…or one of them, anyway. As for Echidna's children, I used the official list as given on the Wikipedia page relating to Hercules characters, meaning actually more than were actually stated in the actual canon media to be her kids. The only ones stated that I didn't use were Furies, since I want Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera to be unrelated and I want the rest of the Furies to be…just a little bit different. That gave me a LOT of monsters and foes to use!

· The "nanny" thing is an HTAS gag. We only ever see Ladon as a little baby during the show, and Echidna complains that it's difficult to find a nanny who he won't eat. It's also a call back to how Eris uses Cetus as a minion in Sinbad.

· No, you are not allowed to ask why some of Echidna's children are sentient and others are animals.

· The Cetus design I used is the Sinbad design, since it's the most badass Cetus design anyone has EVER made. I kind of kicked the HTAS version to the curb (that one was actually called "Ceto").

· Cerberus got some power upgrades. The fire breath and the darkness mines were both Kingdom Hearts-inspired (those darkness mines made him simultaneously one of my favorite and least favorite bosses to battle). The snakes come from some ancient art depictions that draw him covered in snakes. I actually think he's the second most powerful of Echidna's brood because of this (the only reason he's not the most powerful is because I SPECIFICALLY wanted Ladon to be more of a badass).

· I want to apologize YET AGAIN if my Ye Olde English is off.

· I debated as to whether divine weaponry (Celestial Bronze and the like) smiting monsters to the Underworld counts as "killing." Ophira and I came to the conclusion that it's just an interdimensional transport/banishment and not a true death. This made it more convenient for me to exploit loopholes in the Mane Six's "no killing" philosophy, and also let me keep the monsters if I need them later.

· The Nemean Lion is impervious to magic because I said. The battle would have been boring otherwise. This way, I got to end it with the running gag that you can weaponize Pinkie's ability to annoy others.

· The HTAS Chimaera doesn't have the goat's head. I added that. However, HTAS did give me the idea to make the Chimaera large as opposed to lion-sized.

· Orthos being overly attached to his hair scrunchie? CANON. It's in that ep of HTAS with the poem. I forget the name. But a harpy steals it and he gets pissed.

· I thought it would be rather funny to portray Gegeines as lazy as I did, since his whole schtick is that he has nymphs lead victims TO him.

· You can tell Geryon is the HTAS incarnation because the traditional one is three full bodies to one head. But that wouldn't have allowed me to confuse him three ways.

· Most incarnations of the Lernaean Hydra refer to it as having nine heads. The Disney version, IMO, is far more badass for being able to have that many more. And thus was born the joke/plot device of Pit thinking nine was the limit.

· Ladon's adult design is pretty much completely my own. However, the idea of seven heads is from classic mythology, and the idea of him having ice breath came from Lotan, which was basically the mythological rough draft of Ladon. Lotan represents destruction by floods and blizzards.

· "HE IS HERE!" = another piece of that scene I ripped from The Titan's Curse and pulled out of context. Also, you'll note that Hercules took credit for Zoë's victory, which should also be relevant to Percy Jackson readers.

· That moment when I realize I never gave Rainbow Dash a final attack move. And realize I can make it AWESOME.

· "Why not release Typhon?" was a question I struggled with from the beginning. It just didn't seem right. It felt like doing that would make Echidna's side TOO overpowered. So…I hope the BS I made up for that was convincing.

· The process of Apparating at the speed of darkness I actually took from one of my favorite obscure trashy fantasy novels: "Shadow City" by Diana Pharaoh Francis. That method is how the protagonist Max finds the way to travel between worlds. And it's agonizingly painful. The line from Shadow City that I kept wanting to pull but knew I couldn't was "It was like pulling a house through the eye of a needle."

· I am a little creeped out at how well I can get into Mozenrath's head right about now. Just sayin'.

· I worry that I was offensive in my portrayal of "Alcmene had a baby. But he died." But it's plot relevant, I freaking swear. Also, the name "Iphicles" is taken from Hercules' twin brother in the original myth.

· You all know who the next disaster is. I don't know why I bothered not mentioning his name.

· Most incarnations of the myth of the Amazons actually say they weren't on an island. But I was taught in high school that they lived on an island. And HTAS puts them on an island. And I want them to be on an island. SO BE IT.


	56. The Amazon Rookie

56: The Amazon Rookie

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

When Hades reached his throne room, he found his general already waiting for him; he'd sent Adonis to summon him before Echidna returned. The ghost stood with his back to Hades, looking out the circular window.

"Dan my man!" Hades greeted, spreading his arms. "Are you ready for some wanton violence and destruction?"

Dark Danny chuckled, turning to face Hades. "Am I ever not? What did you have in mind for me?"

"Picture the toughest stronghold on the entire planet," Hades said. "An island full of warriors, trained from birth to be fighters and killers. Incidentally all women, but hey, who am I to judge? They're already a little below maximum efficiency due to the golden apples, but they're still a pretty big deal. What I want you to do is, to put it in the most simple way possible, get rid of them. ALL of them. Oh, and given recent patterns, a team of goody-two-shoes heroes is going to turn up to stop you. Kill them too."

"That sounds perfect," Dark Danny replied. "I assume you mean the island of Amazon?"

"BINGO!"

"Easy," Dark Danny boasted. "I'll sink the entire island. Compared to it, Atlantis will look fully repaired."

"Whoa there…" Hades put up his hands. "You don't exactly know the full story on Atlantis. There will NEVER be a sinking like Atlantis. But now we're just talking details. I trust you more than anyone else to put Amazon AND Jerk-ules AND my little ponies OFF the map."

"Even after what they did to Echidna?" It wasn't an expression of concern. Dark Danny grinned.

"Dan my man, let's not kid ourselves," Hades replied. "You and I both know that you pack a bigger punch than all of those monsters COMBINED."

"That we do. Are you going to send any of your imps to report on me?"

"No. You have a spotless record. I only send Pain and Panic to report on the ones I don't trust."

"You sent them after Echidna."

"Her priorities are the kids. Which, by the way, Eris is gonna be busy picking up from Thebes so Echidna doesn't pitch a massive hissy, so you won't get any help from her."

Dark Danny nodded in affirmation. He didn't feel as though he needed any help from Eris anyway.

"The point is, Echidna may WORK for me, but her agenda doesn't exactly match mine, and there might just come a day when she decides to duck out on me," Hades explained. "But you?"

"Doing your work is too satisfying," Dark Danny confirmed. "There's nowhere I'd be happier than carrying out executions for the Lord of the Dead."

"That's what I thought. Now go hit those Amazons with your best shot!"

"Consider it done." Dark Danny leapt upward, phasing through the roof, shooting upward, setting a course for the mortal plane of Olympic Greece.

Even if the ghost came crawling back the way all Hades' other warriors had, Hades would know that Dark Danny had given it his all. And there was still one last ace to play in case of that. But this was one mercenary he didn't expect to see lose. Within a matter of hours, the island of the Amazons would be below the sea, every Amazon drowned, and all that stood in Hades' way taking up residence in Tartarus. Of course, they would qualify for Elysium, but Hades knew how to sway the judges. How to put drachmas in Minos' pocket in the courts. How to slip rocks onto Osiris' scale. Then Hades would spend his time coming up with a unique punishment for every one.

And if all that didn't send a clear message to Olympus…what would?

* * *

THE SEAS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

The boat that took Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Hercules, Meg, Phil, Pegasus, Cassandra, Icarus, Pit, and Zoë across the sea towards the island of Amazon was far bigger than the small barge that had brought the Equestrian trainees and company from Chryse to Kirra. (Which Phil lamented he'd probably never get back, because walking back into the Kirran harbor would be like poking a hornet's nest.) Phil and Hercules traded off steering; the wheel was mounted abovedecks, so everyone milled about atop the ship to converse.

Zoë had finally decided to reveal the news of her expulsion from the Garden. She didn't mention what Amphitryon had said to her before Hesperia's call, and she did not even give the slightest inclination of her romantic feelings toward Hercules, but otherwise, she was perfectly frank:

"They rejected me because I gave Anaklusmos to a mortal, and, moreso, because I assisted a mortal in battle. I have cast my lot among mortals and it is among mortals I must remain."

Her news brought silence. Then Pit: "Man, that bites."

"I'm sorry," Twilight added.

"Me too," Hercules said from his place at the helm. "I can't believe it. I'm the reason you got kicked out. I shouldn't have – "

"Thou should not regret anything," Zoë snapped. "I made a choice. It was not as though I was unaware of the potential consequences. Thou art…thou art ALL important to me. If my lot is with thine, so be it. I will not have any further discussion if it is not of the practical sort."

"So let's get practical," Applejack countered. "Where d'you plan on livin'?"

"I will find a home when it becomes necessary," Zoë answered. "I have faith in my ability to provide for myself."

"So now that that's over with," Phil grunted, "anyone else got any big confessions to get off their chest? Huh? No? Good, then let's – "

"Actually," Cassandra interrupted, "I might have one."

"Oy…" Phil groaned. "I didn't mean LITERALLY."

"Even if it's important to our entire mission?" Cassandra raised a brow.

"What is it?" Rarity asked.

"So far, we've been focusing on each mission on its own," Cassandra stated. "I see what the next disaster is, we head towards it. But I never told you about the really BIG disaster that comes at the end."

"What comes at the END?" Twilight was suddenly rustled.

"Right before you came to see me about Athens," Cassandra confessed, "I had another client come in and ask if there was going to be a big disaster over Greece in general. Actually, come to think of it, it was Thanatocrates."

"HIM AGAIN?" Icarus groaned.

"It is a little weird that he turns up involved in everything about this…" Twilight muttered.

"What do you think?" Rarity asked her.

"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "There hasn't really been a pattern other than that he shows up. And he wasn't even at Abacus Valley. Just a weird coincidence, I guess."

"Anyway, as I was trying to say," Cassandra went on, "he asked if there was gonna be some kind of huge apocalypse type disaster, and I saw something and told him about it. And I haven't told you what it is yet."

"What did you see?" Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down in suspense.

"I saw the sun plunging out of the sky, and the land enveloped in total darkness," Cassandra recalled.

At that moment, three spoke in unison:

Twilight said, "So that's Discord's plan."

Zoë said, "So that's Eris' plan."

Hercules said, "So that's Hades' plan."

They stopped short, all looking at each other. "We KNOW it is Eris!" Zoë insisted. "We saw her in Abacus Valley!"

"And Hades is just idly sitting back and watching the show?" Hercules retorted. "No way."

"I guess we don't have any real evidence about Discord being involved," Twilight admitted. "I'm just convinced he's in this somewhere, somehow. Maybe I'm just used to thinking that ever since I found out that he was responsible for everything that happened to us since we left Equestria."

"Since you finished that Starswirl spell," Rainbow Dash corrected.

"Um…I'm sorry to interrupt…but…what about Maleficent?" Fluttershy brought up. "She's obviously trying to do bad things…things that involve chaos…what if she's involved?"

"Are we gonna keep naming suspects until we've decided we're the victim of a cosmic conspiracy a hundred strong?" Phil groaned. "We saw Eris. End of story. Eris is going to knock the sun out of the sky and make a big old stew of chaos out of it."

"So how do we stop that?" Twilight asked.

"You're the team strategist," Cassandra retorted.

"Well, I can't think of EVERYTHING!" Twilight moaned. "Especially not when it comes to a goddess messing with the sun! The last time I had to deal with that, it had already been stolen and we had to track down and deal with Nightmare Moon AFTERWARD!"

"The sun is usually kept up on Mount Olympus," Pit said. "Right now, only one of us will actually be let through the gates. Not to brag, but that's totally me. I could go up and monitor it."

"But we have no idea WHEN the sun is going down," Meg pointed out. "You could be on guard for years."

"What if Twilight's on to something?" Pinkie asked.

"I just said I had nothing," Twilight reiterated.

"No, you told us a plan!" Pinkie said. "We wait for the sun to get stolen, then we follow it and deal with Eris!"

"Or we could challenge Eris right away," Rainbow Dash offered.

"Because that worked out so well last time," Rarity huffed.

"Pinkie Pie did kind of remind me…" Hercules mused. "If we see the sun go down, we can see the fire trail from Apollo's chariot, and we'll know at least which direction to go!"

"Let's say Hades has it, though," Twilight countered. "The Underworld is on a different dimensional plane. How do we know if the sun crosses it?"

"The chariot will head in the direction of the portal to the Underworld on this world," Hercules stated. "And if nothing else, if we can't find it on this world, Hades IS a prime suspect. It's worth checking out anyway."

"So that's our plan," Twilight stated, sounding less than enthusiastic. "We…wait for a disaster to happen. Then we clean up the mess."

"But that plan's always worked for us before!" Pinkie Pie pointed out.

Twilight cracked a smile. "True."

"Hey, Pinkie Pie," Meg said, leaning over the ship railing. "Guess what?"

"What?" Pinkie zoomed beside her, looking out over the railing. The shores of Amazon were visible. Pinkie knew what that meant. She gave a great gasp and then cried out:

"WE'RE THEEEEEEEERE!"

* * *

AMAZON, THE BORDERS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

The "rookie," as everyone called her, looked out toward the horizon. She noticed the approaching ship.

"Told you an enemy ship was coming for our apples," she said. "Was I right, or was I right?"

"You were right, rookie," another private in the Amazon army said, putting down her spyglass.

"We apologize for accusing you of attempting to divert us from the tree so you could take it for yourself," another said.

"That's the advantage of being able to fly." The rookie spread her wings. "You SEE more. At this rate, I'll be promoted to general by sundown!"

"Prepare to fire at the enemy ship," the general ordered.

A cannonball was loaded.

The command was given: "FIRE!"

And the ball left the cannon in a blast of heat.

* * *

"Ooh, hey, look!" Pinkie Pie cried. "They're setting off a fanfare to welcome us!"

"That's no fanfare," Meg realized. "They just FIRED at us!"

Hercules leapt away from the wheel, intercepting the path of the cannonball. He caught it, carried backward only minimally by the force, then lobbed it over the side of the ship, where it hit the water with a splash and sank.

"ANOTHER!" Meg called out.

Hercules caught the next cannonball, dumping it over the edge.

"Why are they firing at us?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"Because the Amazons are hotheads!" Phil grunted. "Shoulda seen this coming…"

After Hercules dropped the third cannonball into the ocean, Rainbow Dash spread her wings. "That's it. I'm flying ahead and telling them to knock it off."

"CAREFUL, kid!" Phil warned.

"Don't worry," Rainbow Dash said. "I got this."

She sped toward the island, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake.

* * *

"Enemy approaching Amazon ground," one of the privates reported, looking at Rainbow Dash through her spyglass. "Flying Kentauride."

"Ready the spears!" the general called.

Fourteen spears were drawn back, though one with hesitation. Where, the rookie thought, would another flying Kentauride turn up?

When the target came into sight, the general ordered, "FIRE!"

Thirteen spears went up into the air.

The fourteenth was dropped.

"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash zigged and zagged to avoid the barrage of spears; she summoned her sword, ready for more projectiles.

"Ready second wave of spears!" the general commanded. "Is there a PROBLEM, rookie?"

"HOLD FIRE!" the rookie cried.

"You can't call hold fire!" The general seized the rookie's wrist. "Only I can call that!"

"I know her," the rookie seethed.

"Dangerous?"

"No. At least she wasn't when I saw her last time. We should at least see what she wants."

"Hmph…I should have known," the general huffed. "Winged Kentaurides aren't exactly common, you know. HOLD FIRE!"

Rainbow Dash saw the women lined up below her, each dressed in a blue tunic and a matching mask, lower their spears. She took that chance to land, but didn't dismiss her sword. "What gives?" she asked. "We're trying to come in peace here, and…and…"

She noticed the rookie, and was struck speechless.

"Rainbow Dash," the rookie addressed. "How the hay did YOU get here?"

"ME?" Rainbow Dash blurted. "What are YOU doing here?"

"Getting the respect I deserve."

"You had said your vessel was attempting to dock in peace," the general reminded Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash stated, still stunned.

The general glanced over at the rookie – a golden-haired Kentauride with a teal coat covering her lower half, a pair of wings to match Rainbow Dash's, and a lightning emblem on her flank. "Then we'll hold fire. You're in charge of interrogation, private Lightning Dust."

* * *

The ship docked, and the group disembarked onto the beach to find thirteen Amazon warriors waiting for them, spears lowered. "Uh…hi," Hercules said. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"Right here," Rainbow Dash said, emerging from the woods nearby, her hands chained behind her back and her wings chained down. She was followed by somepony the other Equestrians knew all too well.

"LIGHTNING DUST!" Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack screamed.

"Yep, that's me," Lightning Dust said with a grin.

"You KNOW her?" Phil was taken aback.

"She's from our country," Rarity stated, distaste in her tone. "And she was an absolute brute!"

"Excuse me?" Lightning Dust countered. "I think you're just sore 'cause I'm tougher than all of you. They know my story here. How I was ranked above my allies. How I made sacrifices to get where I am. In fact – " She turned to the general. "General Myrina, Rainbow Dash here was the one who injured herself on the same training course where I set records."

"Um, I remember it a little differently," Rainbow Dash growled. "You were tough, all right. They ranked you lead and made me wing because you pushed yourself. But we were supposed to be a team on that course, and you pushed me until I hurt my wing and then you didn't care! And those SACRIFICES you were talking about? Those were my friends' LIVES when you made that tornado to clear out the clouds before everypony else! THAT'S why back in our country, they put me at your rank and kicked you out!"

Myrina gave a slight huff. "It sounds to me as though Lightning Dust's strength was rejected because of your weaknesses."

"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash cried.

"Here in Amazon, if you are weak enough to be injured and not carry on, you are left behind," Myrina explained. "We work as a team, but a team is only as strong as its weakest member. And we also keep in mind that things have to be done in the name of the greater good. I knew that Lightning Dust put innocents at risk to complete her goal, but it was a goal worth completing, and the innocents in question were obviously never in any real danger, because they survived without any injury."

"I can't believe this," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Amazon is currently in a state of threat due to internal conflict," Myrina continued. "A certain object of value has appeared on this island, and while it remains to be seen who can take possession of it, we will not tolerate outside invaders taking what is rightfully the property of this island. Lightning Dust had you spared because she remembered this captive from her country of origin. But that doesn't mean you aren't here to take our treasure all the same."

"And you trusted LIGHTNING DUST not to take it?" Twilight retorted.

"She arrived before it came," Myrina explained. "She exemplified the Amazon way and made it clear that she wished to cast her fate with us."

"In other words, I finally belong somewhere," Lightning Dust stated, and it sounded more like a boast than a declaration of relief.

"Why HAVE you come to the island of Amazon?" Myrina asked.

Almost everyone put their heads together, trying to think of a way to phrase their presence there without mentioning that they did in fact want to deprive the Amazons of the apples. Applejack looked nervously at Pinkie and Icarus, who would be the ones, if anyone, to spill the beans.

And yet she was wrong. "We have come to bring peace by removing the golden apples," Zoë stated.

All others present gasped.

"Even I know that was bad," Icarus stated.

"So you ARE a threat," Myrina stated.

Every other Amazon but Myrina and Lightning Dust lifted her spear.

"Hang on!" Hercules protested. "It isn't as bad as it sounds, okay? The apples are causing you trouble! If you'd just let us talk to the queen, we could – "

"The QUEEN!" Myrina gave a few forced laughs. "She wouldn't bother."

"Oh, trust me," Hercules responded, "your queen and I know each other. We go back. She'll listen to me."

"The queen would be the best person to pass judgment on what to do with them," Lightning Dust pointed out.

Myrina gave a "hmph." "Then we shall take them to Queen Penthesileia," she stated, "and have her give a verdict."

"Great!" Twilight sighed. "I'm glad we could come to a compromise – "

"You will go as prisoners," Myrina commanded.

"WHAT?" Twilight barked.

"Don't argue," Phil hissed. "We're on thin ice already."

"But me, a prisoner?" Rarity moaned.

"Hey, if that's what it takes to convince ya we're not dangerous," Applejack told Myrina, "go right ahead. I won't be offended."

The others all nodded and mumbled.

"Chain them up," Myrina ordered.

* * *

Hands chained behind backs and wings chained down, the heroes made their way through the forest with the Amazons leading.

"So the Amazons are all mares?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I still don't GET that."

"There are stallions," Lightning Dust explained. "They just take care of the chores and the house stuff. The military is all mares. Just like in mainland Greece, every single military is just stallions. Same with the royals and the businessmares. Actually, coming from somepony who lived in a country ruled by two princesses and where mares ran most of the town, I would have thought you'd get it."

"That's true," Twilight recalled.

"And you're never going home again?" Rainbow Dash asked Lightning Dust.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Lightning Dust stated. "Zecora brought a bunch of this dark matter stuff into Ponyville, and I know when to take an opportunity. Of course I'm going back for visits. Sassy would blow her top if I didn't. And I've already got my vacation time approved with Queen Penthesileia."

Hercules held in a chuckle, but not very well.

"The point is, here, they actually care about strength and power and don't get caught up in the gushy stuff," Lightning Dust concluded. "I WANT to make a home here."

"It's not like anypony will miss you back home," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Awww, that was mean!" Pinkie Pie moaned.

Rainbow Dash grunted. "Fine. Sorry. So is this the entire military?"

"This is squad alpha," Lightning Dust explained. "There are several troops. Our general is Myrina. The other privates are Clonie, Polemusa, Derinoe, Evandre, Antandre, Bremusa, Hippothoe, Harmothoe, Alcibie, Derimacheia, Antibrote, and Thermodosa. I'm the team rookie, but I learn fast."

"Lightning Dust has shown incredible prowess over such a short time," Evandre confirmed. "Not to speak of her wings. Not something you often see on a centaur."

"That's how I spotted your ship," Lightning Dust said. "Makin' the rounds in the air. Before you know it, Queen Penthesileia is gonna make me a general and give me my own squadron."

Hercules giggled again.

"Do you think our queen is a JOKE?" Derimacheia asked, pointing her spear threateningly at Hercules.

"No," Hercules admitted. "It's just that when we were growing up, we didn't call her 'Penthesileia.' Even she thought that was too long!"

"And what did you call her?" Derimacheia asked, intrigued.

"Well, she just wanted to be called Tempest," Hercules answered.

* * *

The alpha squad led the captives to the Amazon palace, to the throne room where the queen sat on an austere throne raised above the floor before her so she could look down on whomever approached. Next to the throne was a jar that held an array of spears, in case she was attacked on the throne and needed to defend herself immediately. She was tall and muscular, with light brown skin, raven hair pulled into an immense and elegant ponytail, defined cheekbones, and a disapproving scowl. She wore a short-skirted gown of red, with maroon leggings beneath; brown leather sandals laced up her ankles and epaulets graced her shoulders while her calves and lower arms were also armored. From bust to waist she was enclosed in a glimmering golden corset – or perhaps "girdle" was the more accurate term.

"Queen Penthesileia," Myrina began. "We captured these prisoners on our shore. They have come to steal the golden apples from us."

Tempest stood, stamping the floor angrily, and Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Meg all flinched. Phil, Icarus, Cassandra, and Pegasus exchanged disdainful glances. Zoë held her gaze firmly, and Pit didn't seem to be afraid either. Hercules laughed nervously.

However, instead of unleashing her fury upon the prisoners, Tempest glowered at her alpha general. "Myrina! WHY did you bring my friends here in chains?"

"Friends?" Myrina was taken aback. "They admitted freely they were here to – "

"I don't care," Tempest snapped. "Alpha squad, you're going to take those chains off the prisoners."

"But, queen Pen – "

"NOW!"

All the women in the squad worked quickly and furiously to undo the chains; the linked metal hit the floor in a great clatter, to Tempest's satisfaction.

"Now, alpha squad, you're dismissed," Tempest ordered. "All of you. I want to speak to the captives ALONE."

Myrina looked thoroughly steamed while Lightning Dust appeared perplexed. In the end, all of the Amazon soldiers did as their queen commanded.

"That's better," Tempest growled. "Now, was Myrina right? Are you really here to steal our apples?"

"It's nice to see you too," Cassandra grunted.

"We weren't going to take them for ourselves," Twilight said hastily. "What we wanted was to fix it so the tree wouldn't be harmful anymore. We sort of have a magical way to take care of that."

"You'd better be telling the truth," Tempest snapped. Then she sighed, and her entire demeanor relaxed. "Because if you are, that would solve all my problems. Ever since that tree grew, I've had to constantly order the subjects of this island NOT to touch it until we can find a civilized way to decide who gets the apples! And that includes me. Until I can come up with a solution, I'm kept too busy stopping my soldiers from killing each other over them to focus on doing anything else!"

"But thou cannot give the apples to any of them," Zoë insisted. "It would only worsen the situation. Athena herself ate of one, and it is very possible that she has instigated civil war on Olympus itself by hiring Nemesis to do her dirty work!"

"I have tried forbidding it," Tempest admitted, "but then my soldiers try to steal apples and I have to post troops to guard the tree! My beta squad is guarding it as we speak, and my gamma squad is posted to catch any members of beta squad who try to take apples themselves! It's a nightmare!"

"Let us handle it," Applejack insisted. "When we're done with the tree, nopony will make a fuss."

"As a good queen, I must take all of Amazon into account and not take at face value recent information from outside, even if it is from trusted friends," Tempest stated. "In my mind, it is only fair that I find a compromise that works for everyone."

"But our way DOES work for everyone," Rarity growled.

"Rarity," Twilight said, "how would you feel if Celestia brought in something we didn't know about to deal with a situation we weren't fully aware of without involving any of us? I know it doesn't sound fair, but Tempest does have to think about her own people."

"And my own people are generally suspicious of words that come from Kentaurides," Tempest added. "Myrina refused to take Lightning Dust into alpha squadron until I absolutely decreed it. I take it you're from her country. You have the same characteristics."

"We know each other," Rainbow Dash said, "but we're NOT friends. She got us hurt a LOT. And speaking of that! Do you REALLY believe on this island that being strong is more important than looking out for your friends?"

Tempest sighed, then sat back down on the throne. "That was the Amazonian way for decades," she stated. "My mother Hippolyta enforced it, and she only abdicated the throne to me this year. The entire military – no, the POPULACE is still stuck in the age of my mother."

"And you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I believe strength is important," Tempest asserted. "I don't believe the weak should be soldiers. And I don't want my troops to be anything but the best. But at the same time, I don't believe the fallen should be left behind, I don't believe the weak are worthless, I don't believe soldiers should act in ways that harm their comrades…and I DON'T believe it's a sin to smile!" She seemed particularly vehement about that last statement, though she hadn't cracked a smile since the captives had entered the room. "What I want is a reasonable compromise between my mother's ways and the ways I learned on the mainland. Mainlanders are too soft…but mother was FAR too harsh. Lightning Dust is an interesting case. I don't like that she caused you harm, but she hasn't caused harm to my troops, and she has valuable skills. I get the sense she belongs here."

"She got that sense too," Fluttershy pointed out.

"So now you see what you've arrived into," Tempest concluded. "I'm sure my mother would want you thrown in the dungeon, and I'm sure Myrina would want me to cut off your heads, but I'm not going to punish you. Or ask you to leave. Just stay away from that tree until I've come up with something. You're free to go. And if anyone gives you trouble, refer them back to me."

"I knew I could count on you, Tempest," Hercules replied with a smile.

"Don't expect me to get all sentimental about our younger days," Tempest replied.

"Permission to speak?" Rarity asked.

"Go ahead…" Tempest allowed.

"Well, I just couldn't help but notice that MARVELOUS golden…is that a girdle?...you're wearing," Rarity pointed out. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"It's terrible armor," Tempest replied. "Gold is too soft to deflect the tougher blades. But it's royal tradition to wear. Potential Amazonian queens have to go through a challenge to earn it, and it's the highest honor known to Amazon. I nearly lost the honor because SOMEONE gave me assistance I didn't ask for on my quest to earn it." She glared daggers at Hercules.

Hercules just looked at the ground.

"Though that didn't end up having entirely horrible consequences," Tempest mused. "It's what got my mother thinking that maybe strength on its own wasn't enough to qualify for earning the golden girdle, and after a discussion with my father, I accepted the girdle under the conditions that I would try to rule with more compassion than my mother did. After all I've been through, I know that was the right choice. And I eventually would have made it on my own."

"What kind of challenge did you have to undergo to earn it?" Rarity questioned.

Tempest opened her mouth to answer. Then her eyes widened. She was silent.

"Uh…Tempest?" Hercules ventured.

"Well," Tempest said, half to herself, "it isn't the best solution, but it's the only one I have."

"Whaaaaaat is she talking about?" Icarus asked.

Tempest stood. "About the tree. If the women under my command want to win gold, they're going to have to do it the traditional way."

"That's a bit vague," Meg pointed out.

"I will explain it more in my public address," Tempest said. "I encourage you to attend it if you want at all to have a chance to do whatever it is you want to with the tree."

"When and where?" Meg asked.

"In the Amazon agora, as soon as possible," Tempest said. "I have to prepare for it. You can go wait there."

She made to leave through a side door before Hercules said, "It was really nice catching up with you!"

"Hmph…" Tempest sighed, rolling her eyes. "Your presence here isn't unwelcome. That's all I'll say." Then she disappeared through the door.

"We better hustle down to that agora if we want to know what her plan is," Applejack said, and the group turned to make tracks.

"She said it would give us a chance to do our work on the tree," Zoë pointed out.

"And I just KNOW it's not going to be simple," Rarity sighed.

* * *

The forest and the city on the island played a close game of territory, the trees coming right up to the edges of the city limits. Nature was visible everywhere, including the agora. This combined with the setting sun cast darkness across the stone of the streets.

Messengers carried the news out that all of Tempest's warriors were to gather in the agora, and they lined up in neat rows. The group of ragtag heroes ended up in the back of the crowd, and when Myrina noticed this, she glared at them, full of hate but knowing she could do nothing, as they would not be there had Tempest not decreed that they be shown mercy.

At last Tempest herself appeared, dressed in full regalia – golden earrings, golden bangles, and golden anklets were added to her dress, as well as armor for her upper arms and thighs. Her head was covered by a solid and shining helmet.

"Sisters!" she cried, raising her spear.

Hercules, Icarus, Pit, Phil, and Pegasus were suddenly quite aware that they were the only males in the entire agora.

A rousing cheer went up from all the troops.

"I've come to a conclusion about our apple problem," Tempest stated. "I believe that the most fair way is to ask you to earn gold the way I did: through the challenge of the girdle." She paused to let the crowd take that in. "Each squadron shall select one representative to take part in the challenge. It is not merely the one who survives the night who will receive the reward, for that would likely end in multiple winners. Instead, I will grant the apples to whomever reaches the tree first, as we all know it conveniently happened to grow on Girdle Rock. The winning squadron will divide the apples among themselves…or do whatever they wish with the tree, so long as a conclusion is reached. You may select your representatives now."

Most of the alpha squad looked to Myrina, but she knelt. "I wish to nominate Lightning Dust as our representative."

"REALLY?" Lightning Dust beamed.

All other Amazonian soldiers not in alpha squad set to whispering: Lightning Dust had obviously been chosen because she could bypass all the challenges by flying…

"In that case, to make it fair," Tempest said, "I will not disallow the use of wings, but if any representative, and I mean ANY representative is seen above the canopy of the trees, that squadron will be disqualified from the competition!"

"Then I accept!" Lightning Dust replied. She knew that even with the power of flight at her disposal, she would still have to face wildlife, and flying at top speed in thick forestation was no game. At the same time, she was still confident she could beat every other warrior to the tree.

One by one, the other representatives came forward. Beta squad nominated Aella, a muscular woman shouldering a massive double-bladed axe. Gamma squad nominated Glauce, a spear-bearing woman with fire in her eyes. Delta squad nominated Lyce, a tiny woman who shouldered an enormous javelin. Epsilon squad nominated Andromache, a heavily armored woman who drew a broadsword. Zeta squad nominated Thiba, who wore clothing that bore sheaths for daggers on her limbs, stomach, and back.

Lightning Dust, Aella, Glauce, Lyce, Andromache, and Thiba lined up before Tempest, each going down on one knee to pay respect. Other women, civilians, watched from the streets; even a few of the men watched from the doorways of homes.

"There will be one more competitor," Tempest declared. "The landing party that arrived on our shores this evening has convinced me that they are worthy of participation. Therefore, they too will be allowed to select a represent – "

"WHAT?" Myrina screeched, and the rest of the warriors, as well as most of the civilians, put up a great clatter at this.

"SILENCE!" Tempest ordered. "As your queen, I declare that they have the right to select a representative!" She fixed her gaze upon the group in the back. "Preferably a female representative."

Hercules, Icarus, Pit, Phil, and even Pegasus knew full well that if they selected a male representative, he would be killed on the spot.

They also knew, as did the rest of the team, who had to represent them. Everyone stepped back but for one. She'd hoped to be chosen, but still was slightly flattered when her teammates stepped back, wordlessly agreeing upon her nomination. So she approached Tempest.

"I will represent my friends," Rainbow Dash said. As she stood by Thiba, at the opposite end of the lineup from Lightning Dust, she shot a glance at her old rival. "And I'm going to win this thing for them."

"You wish," Lightning Dust retorted.

"Representatives will follow me to begin the challenge," Tempest stated. "For I am also competing to represent the royal court."

No one objected to this.

"Come morning," Tempest said, "we shall have our decision."

Tempest, Lightning Dust, Aella, Glauce, Lyce, Andromache, Thiba, and Rainbow Dash left the agora, and all eyes were upon them until they disappeared from view.

"Rainbow Dash is good for it," Applejack said. "She'll win this. I mean, she took down Echidna!"

"If you're so sure," Zoë objected, "why did you feel the need to say it out loud?"

"Because I know we're all a little bit worried about her," Applejack admitted, "and I know that what we all need to hear right now is that she's gonna be okay."

Not that she was going to win; not that she was going to save Amazon. What the friends of Rainbow Dash truly needed was the belief that she would, in fact, be okay.

* * *

Tempest led the representatives to the edge of the deepest, thickest forest on the entire island. "We shall spread out and begin at different points," she ordered. "Then, on my mark, we all enter."

The eight women split up, distancing themselves across the border.

Though Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash were still at opposite ends, they found a way to glare at each other.

Tempest, in the center, cried out, "BEGIN!"

Six humans ran into the forest; two Kentaurides spread their wings and began to attempt to fly between the trees.

* * *

Aella walked directly into a thicket of carnivorous plants, each bearing a toothy set of jaws, twice as tall as she was. The plants began to salivate, as incredulous as that would seem for a plant. Aella waited.

When the first one struck, she cut it down. They only attacked one at a time – they wouldn't risk colliding with each other or ending up with only half a meal by competing with each other – and in doing so made themselves the perfect targets, one at a time.

The chopped off stalks drooped to the ground. Aella trod over them as she moved forward.

* * *

A leopard snarled, pawing the ground. It gave a roar before it charged.

Glauce waited for it, then ducked it, jabbing her spear upward into its stomach. The leopard was caught in an expression of complete surprise before it departed from the realm of the living.

Glauce removed her spear, taking a rag from her pocket to wipe it clean. It wouldn't do to have the spear bloodied from the last conquest before moving to the next one.

* * *

Lyce observed the ground before her. It was covered in plants bearing almost neon green leaves in a distinctive shape. She recognized these plants. They were extremely venomous. Even one brush could lead to death.

She took several steps back, then rushed forward at full speed, holding her javelin as far back as she could grip it. She planted it into the ground just before the plants, hoisting herself into the air, and then let go, sailing over the poison leaves.

She landed on the other side of the patch proudly. The javelin would have to stay back on the other side, but she drew a shortsword from her belt; she was never without a backup plan.

* * *

Andromache waded through the river, which went up to her waist, feeling the rush of the cold water. She was vigilant. The water was slightly muddy, and in the darkness, it wouldn't be easy to figure out if something was approaching.

She was able to see the movement as it approached her. She drew her blade. When the crocodile lunged from the river, she cut it down immediately. The waters carried its lifeless body downstream.

* * *

At another point of the river, Thiba attempted to cross the rapids. She hopped deftly from rock to rock as the waters swirled violently below.

Her footing slipped on a wet surface. She found herself immersed in cold water, and for a moment, she panicked; then she came to her senses. She struggled to the surface, gasping in air. She drew a dagger from her back, jamming it into a crack in one of the rocks. To this dagger's handle she held tightly.

And not a moment too soon, for Andromache's kill floated downstream and knocked into her; it surely would have dragged her down had she not had an anchor point on the rocks. As it was, she only lost grip with one hand, keeping hold with the other. She regained her hold on the dagger handle, using that point to pull herself up, out of the water, back onto the rocks. She attempted to wrench the dagger from its anchor point, but the blade broke from the handle. She reflected upon her luck that such a thing hadn't happened while she was in the water.

She leapt over the final length of rocks and hit the opposite bank.

* * *

Tempest had run this route before, but that didn't mean it was easy. She slid down an incline of rock, careful not to lose her balance – in the past, she had slid down on her back, scraped up by gravel; older and wiser, she surfed down on the soles of her sandals, head held high. She made sure to come to a stop before she was dumped into a tar pit.

She plucked a large vine from a nearby tree, making a loop. She harnessed a tree branch overhead, gripping the vine and then pushing off, swinging over the tar.

She landed expertly on the other side, and then was distracted momentarily. A while ago, the sun had set completely, leaving the island under Morpheus' blanket of night. Utter blackness, that night had been, with no stars. But now, the sky seemed to be a different color entirely.

It was starting to turn murky green, the color seen before destructive storms.

* * *

Rainbow Dash sped between the trees, keeping on guard to avoid crashing into any of them. She entered into one clearing, where a horde of giant spiders immediately set upon her, but she spun in a circle, letting the aura waves of her sword push the creatures back long enough for her to continue.

She found and entered a cavern, dropping to her hooves momentarily. She took a few tentative steps.

The ground fell away from her.

Leaves and sticks had been arranged over a pit filled with writhing vipers. Rainbow Dash quickly flung out her wings, gliding over the pit. She thought about the implications. If the trap had been set up for the course, and had been fully covered when she had encountered it, then nopony had fallen into it and met an end with the snakes. Now that she'd uncovered the trap entry, nopony else would fall into it.

Moving onward through the cavern, Rainbow Dash passed beneath an elaborate face carved on a roof; a great crack ran down it. "Oh, no, don't mind me at all," it grumbled. "No, honey, don't pay any attention to the big old ex-booby-trap that hasn't been functional in years…"

"No offense," Rainbow Dash told the ceiling, "but I don't have time for this right now." She spotted a crude exit in the cavern, walking through it.

Her jaw dropped at the sight before her. A grand stairway led directly upward to the summit of a mountain. Atop it glimmered the golden tree with its destructive apples.

"YES!" Rainbow Dash cried, setting hoof on the stairway.

Another figure burst through the exit at top speed, slamming on the brakes when she saw Rainbow Dash. "YOU!" Lightning Dust snapped. "WHY do you have to get in my way EVERY SINGLE TIME? Can't you let me have ANYTHING?"

"Lightning Dust, you have to listen to me," Rainbow Dash said. "We didn't exactly make it clear earlier. We don't want the tree to HAVE it. If we don't use the Elements of Harmony on that tree, it's just going to bring all sorts of disaster. I mean, it's already got all of your troops fighting and competing, and…and…" She looked upward. "And I just got a reeeaaaally bad feeling about that green sky."

"It's just a storm," Lightning Dust insisted. "And I don't believe you, you liar. You just hate that someone's finally giving me respect after you thought I didn't deserve it."

"Okay, that bugged me a little," Rainbow Dash admitted. "But you know what? If you found a place that works for you, then good for you. That's not what this is about at ALL. If you let me win this, my friends and I can SAVE Amazon."

"Even if you are telling the truth," Lightning Dust said, spreading her wings, "then I KNOW I can save this island from whatever comes on my own, and better than you could have! And I will after I win!"

"So it's going to be like that." Rainbow Dash spread her own wings. "Then may the best pegasus win."

They didn't count down, but they launched at exactly the same time, one leaving a trail of rainbow, the other a trail of lightning. The stairs below them became a blur, the wind whipped faster and faster against their faces.

One second, Rainbow Dash was ahead, knowing she would reach the rock first. Then Lightning Dust was ahead, and Rainbow Dash feared. Then they were equal again, and what would happen if they reached it at the same time?

They wouldn't find out.

A ghastly noise sounded from afar, like a siren, and at first neither pegasus paid it mind until it became louder and closer. It wasn't like a siren at all, Rainbow Dash realized. It was more like a living being wailing. Not in pain, not in anguish…in some sort of sick joy, keening in falsetto.

With the wail came a punch of pure energy through the air. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were both knocked out of their flight, hitting the stairs roughly just below the summit. Once down, they could feel that the ground was, ever so slightly, shaking.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Rainbow Dash cried once it all subsided.

"I don't know and I don't care," Lightning Dust said with gritted teeth, getting up. "I was winning!"

"WINNING?" Rainbow Dash yelled. "That thing shook the whole island, Lightning Dust! I have to go see what it was! It could have hurt all my friends!"

"Like they haven't been through worse?"

"It…it shook the whole island!" Rainbow Dash scarcely wanted to admit how frightened she felt about that. "The whole island…Lightning Dust, the other Amazons might be in danger!"

She turned away from the tree, spreading her wings. "I'm going!"

Lightning Dust began to gloat, "You'll be disqualified for going above the – "

"I DON'T CARE!" Rainbow Dash screamed. "EVERYPONY'S IN TROUBLE, AND I'M GOING TO HELP THEM! I don't even LIVE here! This is your HOME! If I were you, I'd want to defend it, or at least see if it needed defending! But if you want to win those stupid apples, fine. Go ahead. I'm not going to stop you."

She took off, the rainbow in her wake making a great arc over the forest.

Lightning Dust turned her attention to the tree. She merely stared up at it, how it glittered, how it beckoned.

Rainbow Dash's words played over and over in her head.

"I hate you, Rainbow Dash," she muttered as she too turned away from the tree and took off into the air, speeding to see what had come upon her homeland.

* * *

Below, Lyce grinned as she saw the trails of rainbow and lightning sail overhead. She had little idea of why they were going in the opposite direction – yes, she'd felt the ground shake and she'd heard the wail, but she'd viewed it only as a temporary setback – but she was filled with glee that alpha squad and the newcomers were both losing their chances.

She rushed ahead to the entrance of the caverns, leaping over the booby trap that Rainbow Dash had uncovered, sliding through the hole in the wall, expecting to see the stairway to Girdle Rock before her.

She came face-to-face with Tempest, who put up her hand. "Halt."

"WHY?" Lyce moaned. "I'm almost there! YOU'RE almost there!"

One by one, Aella, Glauce, Andromache, and Thiba arrived as well, pushing and shoving. Tempest was glad to see that not one had perished on the course. "This competition is at an end," Tempest said.

"Do not tell me," Andromache growled, "that this is because the rainbow representative from your pet faction has been disqualified."

"Of course it isn't!" Tempest snapped. "You all felt the disturbance, didn't you? We're under attack from something!"

"A weather pattern," Glauce said.

"That was no weather pattern," Tempest insisted. "What storm sounds like that? That was the cry of a living…" For whatever reason, her instincts told her to change her choice of words. "Of a sentient being! Some monster has brought this green sky, and its attack shook the ground!"

"Only lightly," Thiba pointed out.

"On the outer reaches of the island!" Tempest growled. "What we felt was obviously the edge of an attack that hit hardest at the CENTER!"

The other five took this in, silent.

"Whatever has happened," Tempest said, "it needs our attention! We must go! NOW!"

"But…" Aella reached out toward the apples.

"If that's all you can think about at a time like this," Tempest barked, "it's only proof that those apples are dangerous magic. Hercules and his friends were right. I should never have even let you have the chance at them! Now let's GO!"

When she made an about face, running back the way she'd come, Aella, Glauce, Lyce, Andromache, and Thiba, after a moment's hesitation, followed her, drawing their weapons, trusting their queen.

* * *

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to expect, and Lightning Dust even less so. Rainbow Dash recalled the past attacks. There was no towering monster like Orcos in sight. She wondered about Gorgons, or about an invasion from the mainland. She even wondered about Nemesis and her quest to punish all who dared touch the apples.

Lightning Dust concentrated not on theorizing about what lay ahead but how she would face it. She still carried her spear, and ran through drills with it in her mind, how she could use it to her advantage.

The two Kentaurides touched down in the agora, and despite all Rainbow Dash's theorizing, despite all Lightning Dust's confidence, both were horrified.

"No," Rainbow Dash muttered. "No, it can't be…"

The buildings of the agora were all rubble. The Amazon women and their male consorts lay in the streets, unmoving, obviously battered, weapons at their sides. The street was cracked.

"What could do THIS?" Lightning Dust asked.

"I don't know," Rainbow Dash said. "We have to see if they're all just knocked out or if they're really…if they're really…"

"MMMMPH!" A muffled vocalization sounded from the edge of the square. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust rushed toward the sound.

They passed the prone forms of Cassandra, Meg, Phil, Pegasus, and Icarus. As for the others of that group, a strange sight awaited Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust: Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Pit, and Hercules were each tied up with a sort of ethereal green rope, and their mouths were covered with green plasma, making them unable to speak. Zoë was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow Dash noticed that the other five Kentaurides were all dressed as Mahou Shoujo. The implications horrified her. Whatever had struck, they had tried to take it on at their strongest…and it had bested them all.

Rainbow Dash noticed the panic in the eyes of her friends, as though they were trying to warn her of something. Before she or Lightning Dust could say or do anything, a deep male voice sounded from behind and above them:

"Are they dead? No. None of them. After all, the little ponies were missing one of their best friends, and the Amazons were missing their queen. As satisfying as it would have been to kill them all, it will be even more satisfying to kill the Amazons as their queen watches helplessly."

Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust turned to see the speaker. Lightning Dust screamed audibly.

He floated in the air, a neon green vision, arms folded. Dark Danny grinned maliciously.

"But now that you're here," he said, "I can get started on killing my little ponies."

* * *

Tempest, Aella, Lyce, Glauce, Andromache, and Thiba rushed through the forest together, cutting down whatever dared stand in their way, an easy feat for six Amazonian warriors. They would not stop, they vowed to themselves, until they reached the agora, until they could see what had happened.

But between them and the edge of the forest stood another woman. "HALT!" Zoë barked.

"You would give ORDERS to the queen of the Amazons?" Andromache practically roared, drawing her broadsword.

"STAND DOWN!" Tempest barked, and all six Amazons did as Zoë had originally demanded and halted. "Why do you stand between us and civilization?"

"Because thou art attempting to do battle in mortal ways with something that is not mortal," Zoë explained. "The monster that has attacked this island is no monster in the traditional sense. He is one of the undead."

"How is one of the undead so strong?" Tempest asked. "And how would he have escaped from Hades?"

"It has been considered ever since the apple trees sprouted," Zoë stated, "that Hades himself is involved. This spirit takes the form of a mighty warrior, but he is still a ghost. Mortal weapons will not harm him. All of thy squadrons attacked him after the first…wail subsided, and all fell. He became incorporeal at will, and their blades passed through him. They lie unconscious in the streets, and he waits for thy appearance so that thou mayst witness his slaughter of them all. Among my party were those with weapons that could harm him, but he knew of this and he subdued the threats. All but one. I knew thou wouldst return…I knew I could not take him on alone…and I saw the ghost discard the Celestial Bronze weapons he separated from Hercules and Pit so they could not harm him. He was not able to take the Kentaurides' Eldritch weapons, but he has forced them to dismiss them with this capture. I fear the same will happen to Rainbow Dash. Thou art our last hope."

"And what do you want us to do if our weapons can't hurt him?" Tempest asked.

"Didst thou not hear me?" Zoë snapped. "I recovered these blades from Hercules and Pit!"

Only then did the Amazons notice Pit's double blades, joined at the hilts, stuck in the ground near to Zoë. She held out her hand, showing a bronze hair clip within it. In a shimmer of light, Anaklusmos revealed itself in its true form.

"Take them," Zoë commanded. "Use them. Split Pit's blades and three of thee can attack. I will also have my arrows of light. Now, before the ghost destroys what is left!"

Tempest gripped Anaklusmos by the hilt. "Andromache," she commanded. "Thiba." She selected them based on their proven ability to work with blades. "Take the other blades."

Andromache drew the double blades from the ground, splitting them and giving one to Thiba. Zoë took her bow from over her shoulder and held it before her. Without any further discussion, Zoë, Tempest, Thiba, and Andromache plunged out of the woods.

* * *

"NO…WAY!"

That was Rainbow Dash's response to Dark Danny's threat as she swung her blade toward him. He dodged it, and she transformed quickly into the weather witch, calling upon lightning to infuse her blade. She sent it crackling toward him; green light emitted from his eyes, and the two powers cancelled each other out.

"MMM MMM MMMMHMMMM MMHMM!" Pinkie Pie tried to scream through her ectoplasmic gag.

A blast of green knocked into Rainbow Dash, sending her flying toward a wall; she put out her wings in time to figuratively put on the brakes and stop herself midair. Another blast overpowered that, and she smacked into the side of one of the buildings still standing.

Rainbow Dash immediately got back into the air, putting up her blade. The green clouds swirled, and lightning struck her sword. Dark Danny just chuckled.

When the wave of water, lightning, and rainbow colors came surging toward him, he let out another ghostly wail.

The wave that made up Rainbow Dash's attack shuddered, then broke apart and disappeared. The high keening noise pierced the ears of all still conscious; Rainbow Dash was knocked to the ground. The ground shook violently, and the walls that still stood began to come down, many toward hapless, unconscious innocents.

"NO!" Lightning Dust zipped to and fro, shoving everyone she could see out of the way. The walls did come down, but they hit the empty streets.

Rainbow Dash lay on the ground a moment; every bone in her body hurt. She began to stagger to her hooves. Her vision swam.

"I don't blame you," Dark Danny's voice pierced into her system. "You had no way of knowing you could not stop me. But you know it now. And your friends will die."

"No…NO…" Rainbow Dash's vision cleared enough that she saw Dark Danny hovering over her friends, saw the terror in the eyes of those still conscious but bound.

Dark Danny hesitated a moment. Then Lightning Dust phased right through him, spear first, in an attempt to attack from behind. She faceplanted on the street.

"You're not even alive!" she grunted, getting to her hooves.

"And your weapon is pitifully mortal," Dark Danny replied.

Lightning Dust could only watch in horror, not knowing what else to do, as the ghost prepared to strike the bound.

"ATTACK!" Zoë cried, running into view, bow loaded. She loosed an arrow of light; it pierced Dark Danny's shoulder, causing the ghost to howl. He ripped the arrow away, turning to face Zoë. As he rushed toward her through the air, Tempest approached from his left and Andromache from his right, each slashing with a blade. He was able to float out of range of Andromache's blow, but not out of Tempest's; Anaklusmos caught him on the upper arm. He then blasted both women with green, sending them through the air and toward the ground, but Thiba then approached from behind, leaping to plunge a blade into Dark Danny's back. He sensed her approach, turning to grapple with her and throw her aside; as he shoved her away, another light arrow punctured him, this time at the base of his spine. Zoë was on the move, shooting arrows as she ran; Tempest and Andromache were also back on their feet, and Thiba readied herself for more.

While Dark Danny struggled with his four challengers, Lightning Dust ran toward Rainbow Dash. "Your sword actually works on him!" she said in shock.

"It's a special sword," Rainbow Dash replied. "But…it wasn't enough…"

"Then give it to me!" Lightning Dust barked.

"It wouldn't WORK for you!"

"Then go help my queen and fellow warriors! Don't just stand there and do NOTHING! We need all the help we can get against this ghost!"

"All the help we can get…?" It clicked in Rainbow Dash's head. Her sword could, in fact, do what mortal weapons couldn't.

She ran towards Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Pit, and Hercules, slicing their bonds; the green bands melted away. Carefully, she used the tip of her blade to pierce the green ectoplasm that covered each mouth. "You've gotta get back in there!" she cried.

"But Meg…!" Hercules argued.

"You don't even have a SWORD anymore!" Pit reminded him. "Zoë picked up our weapons when they fell!"

"And that's what they're fighting him with," Rainbow Dash realized. "That's why their weapons work!"

"We can get Meg, Icarus, Phil, Pegasus, and Cassandra out of here," Pit said.

"But what about everyone else?" Fluttershy cried.

"We'll try to get everyone we can out of the area," Hercules said.

"I'll help," Lightning Dust volunteered.

"Little miss 'leave the weak to suffer' changed her mind, huh?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"I…I have to protect my home!" Lightning Dust sputtered. "They're like my family!"

Rainbow Dash understood. Lightning Dust had finally found something, someone worth protecting.

"Let's GO!" Twilight cried, and she, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy galloped toward Dark Danny.

Pinkie Pie hesitated. "You can't help them, Lightning Dust!" she insisted.

"What's wrong with it NOW?" Lightning Dust snapped; Hercules was already hoisting the bodies of several – starting with Meg and Icarus – over his shoulders while Pit picked up Phil and flew off with him so quickly as to be able to return within a minute and grab another survivor.

"It's what I was trying to say!" Pinkie asserted. "You have to use the narrative cliché! I kept saying that through the green stuff on my mouth! 'Use the narrative cliché!'"

"The WHAT?"

"The part of the story where you and Rainbow Dash set aside your differences, and then you can do things that nopony else could!"

"We'll call that a last resort plan!" Lightning Dust growled. "Right now, YOU need to get over there and help your friends!"

Despite the severity of the situation, Pinkie Pie saluted. "Okie-dokie-Loki!" She sprang after her friends.

Tempest was slammed into the ground by a beam of green; ectoplasmic bonds wrapped around her to keep her still. She struggled against them but could do nothing. Anaklusmos slipped from her hand and hit the ground before vanishing in a flash of light. To her left and right, Thiba and Andromache were also bound, though each still clutched her temporary weapon.

Dark Danny's eyes angrily sought Zoë out as she shot arrow after arrow. He batted them each away. Finally, thoroughly annoyed, he belted another ghostly wail, one meant only for Zoë. The full force slammed into her, and she dropped to the ground, unconscious. She was then bound by green ectoplasm for good measure.

Dark Danny, thinking he could rest on his laurels, turned around and saw Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity encompassed in a floating sphere of light, all transformed into Mahou Shoujo with weapons drawn – with the exception, of course, of full blown weather witch Rainbow Dash, still with weapon drawn – and all glaring at him intensely. Twilight shut her eyes briefly, and when they opened, they lacked distinction between iris and pupil, just glowing with bright light.

All Rainbow Dash could think was that they didn't have a good one-liner for before the rainbow light of the Elements struck the ghost.

The rainbow burst from the sphere. It arced through the air.

Dark Danny let loose another ghostly wail, an ongoing shockwave of energy.

The two collided, and just as the power of the Elements had with the Black Blood of Voldemort, they remained in collision, pushing against each other, neither getting the upper hand.

Until the energy of the wail slowly forced the rainbow of the Elements back upon its bearers.

As he set down the survivors he'd gathered outside the radius of destruction, Hercules was startled to find Anaklusmos materializing in his hand. After all, its true bearer could never really lose it, and Zoë had transferred her ownership of it to him; he realized that she or whoever had been holding it must have lost it somewhere during the struggle.

"Hey, you got the thing back!" Pit said, flying in another survivor. "Just in time, too! They're losing!"

"They're WHAT?" Hercules cried.

Lightning Dust flew in two survivors, a stranger in her arms and the general Myrina on her back. "Rainbow Dash and her friends are using some weird rainbow power, and it clashed with that energy that ghost was releasing. And he's winning."

"That sword can hurt him!" Pit said. "Get behind the ghost and stab him while he's distracted!"

"That's how I lost Anaklusmos in the first place!" Hercules moaned. "When he struck you down, I was trying to sneak attack him from behind, and he sensed me! I…I can't do it!"

"Yeah, well, it's that or we ALL die!" Pit insisted. "Who even COULD sneak up…on…"

They'd both seen who could do it. They both looked at her.

"Hey, he caught me last minute and I went right through him," Lightning Dust argued.

"So go faster," Pit advised.

* * *

Twilight had hoped that Dark Danny's voice would run out, but apparently lacking the need to breathe prevented that from happening. The rainbow she and her friends emitted and kept pushing was now almost completely obliterated; only a short stretch of bright color was visible before them. She noticed that it was even brighter than when they'd used it against Voldemort, augmented by Rainbow Dash's weather powers, no doubt. All things considered, that meant this ghost was far more powerful than Voldemort.

And Dark Danny knew it, too. In a few minutes, no, in a few seconds he'd have them overpowered. And from there, he would win.

The blade shot through him from behind, a burning sensation piercing past where his spine would be if he had one, through his chest. The ghostly wail dissipated as his cries turned to those of pain. He knew that he'd been struck with a weapon far more than mortal.

When he relinquished his energy, the Elements of Harmony rushed over him. Caught in the bright rainbow, he gasped, "What…is this…"

"The narrative cliché, I guess," Lightning Dust said proudly, hands still on the hilt of Anaklusmos, which was hilt deep in Dark Danny's back.

With one final cry of rage, Dark Danny dissolved into golden dust, which blew away. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony touched ground, reverting to ordinary clothing and powers. Above, the green of the sky faded away, leaving blackness studded with glimmering stars.

"You think he's…gone? Like, for real?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That was the same dust that the children of Echidna turned into," Twilight answered. "So probably not. But he's gone enough for now."

Lightning Dust landed as Hercules and Pit returned to the square. "This is yours," she said, handing Hercules Anaklusmos.

The ectoplasmic bonds Dark Danny had created vanished along with his form, and Tempest, Andromache, and Thiba all stood. "THE THREAT IS OVER!" Tempest called out, and Glauce, Lyce, and Aella came forth while Andromache and Thiba handed their own blades back to Pit.

All around, the unconscious stirred, coming back to perceptiveness, to wakefulness. They looked around, bemoaning the destruction, but it seemed no one was truly hurt.

"What happened?" Aella asked Tempest.

"I shall tell you all what happened," Tempest said to all who were in the agora. "The seven Kentaurides present banished the threat of that ghost from our shores. Andromache and Thiba also fought bravely, as did…" She noticed Zoë staggering to her feet. "As did she." She then nodded toward Hercules and Pit. "They helped evacuate the agora. We were truly blessed by the gods to receive a visit from such heroes at a time like this. However, there is one in particular whom I would like to commend. Even when the odds were stacked against us all, Lightning Dust gave her all to make sure none were hurt, and she did much work to evacuate the helpless as well. Because of her drive to make sure that her fellows were safe, I wish to promote her to lieutenant of alpha squad."

"Wh-what?" Lightning Dust stammered. "Really?"

A slightly bruised Myrina approached Lightning Dust, clapping her on the shoulder. "Congratulations."

"A wise decision," said another woman, older, emerging into view.

Tempest was taken aback. "Mother!"

"Queen Hippolyta!" Hercules gasped.

"Queen no more," Hippolyta barked. "Penthesileia – "

"Mother, please," Tempest sighed.

"Tempest," Hippolyta corrected. "In my day, the ones who would have earned a promotion would have been the ones who fought the hardest! You definitely chose NOT to do that."

"We need to be more caring towards each other as a whole," Tempest argued. "That is the only way we can learn to truly work as a team!"

"You see that. I didn't," Hippolyta admitted. She turned to where Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Hercules, Zoë, and Pit were gathered. "And I guess I have you to thank for getting rid of our little ghost problem."

"You know, you and your military remind me a lot of someone we met in another country on our travels," Twilight stated. "Another queen of warriors."

"You were friends?"

"Yeah," Applejack said. "An' I hope we can be friends too."

"To me, you are all friends of Amazon," Tempest declared.

"Then so be it," Hippolyta confirmed.

A great cheer went up through the streets.

"There is still the matter of that tree," Tempest remembered. "It was causing many of our problems. I have made my decision to award the tree to the landing party."

"We'll get rid of it so that none of us have to deal with it," Twilight promised. "Rainbow Dash, you know the fastest route to it, right?"

"Right," Rainbow Dash said. "Just a second first."

She approached Lightning Dust. "It's kinda funny. Back home, at the Wonderbolts Academy, I would have been really angry to see you get any kind of rank like that. But now I'm kinda happy for you. Weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Lightning Dust agreed. "And I woulda hated seeing you get all this attention."

"You think we coulda made that unstoppable team Spitfire said we were?"

"Not really," Lightning Dust admitted. "You and me, we're still pretty different. You're stronger than I thought, and I'm not sure how much that matters anymore…but you're still pretty soft. But it works for you. Me, I'm the kind of mare that belongs with the Amazons."

"I'm glad you found your place," Rainbow Dash agreed. "It works! So…good luck with the new position."

"And good luck with your vigilante heroism," Lightning Dust replied with a wink.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash said, "let's go!"

She led Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy towards the woods and the tree.

"We should check up on the others," Hercules told Tempest. "Since it's so late, mind if we stay here for the rest of the night?"

"I suppose we could put up with you for the night," Tempest answered.

"You mean put us up for the night."

"I said what I said."

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Mozenrath was slightly hesitant to enter the great hall. He couldn't say he'd enjoyed the last lesson, though he was determined to master the art of Apparition at the speed of darkness. He was well aware that the next lesson had to be a step up from that.

He approached Hecate with an air of confidence, not wanting to betray even the slightest hint of trepidation. "So what is it now?"

"I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle this one," Hecate began. "You know what Echthroi are?"

"I know the word means 'enemy.'"

"They're creatures of pure negativity and chaos," Hecate cleared up. "Most are pure darkness, but there are quite a few that are also pure light. Echthroi seem to come in flavors of absolutes. The beings that ran the cosmos during the time of the great chaos, even before the Olympians were born, controlled them and used them as minions. And now, as more and more sorcerers are pushing what can be done with dark magic, it turns out a fair amount of mortals can call on them too. Make nice with them, and they'll do a lot for you. But if they get the idea that you're not the boss…" Hecate made a slicing motion across her throat.

"So what do I do?"

"Connect with it through the darkness. I'm going to call one for you that's darkness, not light, so you won't have to worry about that barrier. Make it do what you want. Get creative. Have it climb the wall. Chase Lukos and Aetos around the hall."

"HEY!" both wolves barked in unison.

"I'm going to give you one of the weakest classes of Echthros there is," Hecate stated. "One so low that most of the mortals that deal with it are mere wizarding politicians."

"So I should have no trouble conquering it," Mozenrath inferred.

"I didn't say that," Hecate replied. "Now be ready."

"I am."

A shimmering of darkness, a portal, appeared in the air before Hecate; she fixed her eyes upon it, calling forth what she wanted. It shambled out, into the crystal hall: a tall being, with the appearance of a cloaked humanoid, far taller than Mozenrath or Hecate. No features were visible beneath its hood or even up its long sleeves.

As soon as it entered the hallway, the Dementor turned its hood toward Mozenrath. He couldn't see a face beneath it – some sort of magic prevented him.

He didn't remember when he hit the floor, lying on his back, struggling to look up at the thing. Mozenrath was practically paralyzed, first by the utter draining away of all his confidence, of all the little happinesses he'd had in the corners of his subconscious that he'd forgotten he was even proud of…it no longer mattered that he could Apparate at the speed of darkness, or that he had Xerxes as a loyal companion, or the fact that somewhere out there he had a confidante, or that he had any magical power at all. Then he was stricken by fear. Utter fear of…what exactly? He didn't know. Not the creature, not directly. He was just afraid. The closest he could come to defining it was the fear that he would completely implode on the spot, painfully and with no promise of afterlife.

The Dementor advanced upon him, sensing that its prey was down. It breathed in the rush of emotions coming from the target. It shambled forward until it stood over Mozenrath, hood tilted down to see him better.

Mozenrath did nothing but hyperventilate.

"TIME OUT!" Hecate snapped her fingers, and the Dementor disappeared. "WHAT was that? Were you even trying?"

"I didn't EXPECT that," Mozenrath growled, standing. His sanity, as he thought of it, was starting to come back. He remembered what happiness felt like, though he sure didn't feel it at the moment. He had to remember what anger felt like, and THAT came rushing back in full force.

"Are you afraid of a little fear?" Hecate asked. "That's what Dementors are. Lesser personifications of fear. I'd hate to see you go up against a Nightmare if you can't even handle a Dementor."

"I CAN HANDLE FEAR!" Mozenrath screamed. "Do you KNOW what I fought to get this?" He held up his right hand, clenched in a fist. "I fought my way past greater fears than that years ago!"

"Then, obviously, you forgot how to do it."

"Call it back."

"Are you just going to fall on the ground again?"

"CALL. IT. BACK."

"Fine. Your funeral." Hecate waved a hand, and the darkness appeared in the air. Another Dementor shambled into the hallway.

Fueled by rage, Mozenrath blasted the thing, again and again. With fire, with lightning, with gusts of wind. He drew a shamshir from Hammerspace and charged at it in hypertime, holding the blade to slash at its chest.

It ate his rage. He slipped into time as mortals knew it, shuddering, sword in hand.

"STOP!" Hecate waved a hand, dismissing this Dementor. "You can't just beat it into submission! I told you to connect with it!"

"I'm not going to let fear get the better of me," Mozenrath snarled.

"Well, your anger at it is just giving it more fuel," Hecate pointed out. "You're losing it because you're too busy nursing your wounded pride!"

"I can DO this!"

"Fine. Destroy it, then. If you can. But then you won't have it to work with. And then the lesson has no point, and I have no reason to actually be teaching you anything."

"You would dare claim that I'm not good enough because of one…of one…"

"Dementor," Hecate filled in. "So you do still think you're good enough?"

"I know I am."

"Then connect with this one." Hecate gave no further warning before the third Dementor entered the room.

Given no choice, Mozenrath sent the shamshir back into Hammerspace. He reached out toward the Dementor with his right hand. The fear washed over him. He just let it do so. He looked around his mind – past the blankness that had allowed him to become a panther, past the fortress containing the door to anywhere.

He found a sort of tendril, in his mind, tenuously linking him to darkness, a great sea of darkness. And when he really examined this, he found that a similar tendril was attached to the Dementor. He sent a thought rocketing down his end of the channel and into the Dementor's. Another opportunity, he pointed out. Not me, but something else you can have.

The Dementor halted. It stood perfectly still. As it and Mozenrath stared at each other, Mozenrath felt the fear lessen. The Dementor wasn't feeding upon his emotions anymore. When Mozenrath had his right mind in entirety, he gestured with his right hand.

The Dementor didn't change pose, but Mozenrath picked up a quizzical sense from it, as though it was asking: is this what you want? Really?

He affirmed that he did, gesturing again towards the winged wolves against the wall.

The Dementor turned slowly, then descended upon Lukos and Aetos. The wolves whined shrilly, charging away from the Dementor.

Hecate grinned. "Congratulations."

Mozenrath told the Dementor that it could rest, and he was able to send it back to the darkness.

"I knew you could do it," Hecate admitted. "But not without me testing your pride first."

"You're horrible," Mozenrath stated, though he was grinning madly.

"You want to quit?"

"No. Not now. What comes after this?"

"Tomorrow, the last step. For now, more practice with the Echthroi."

Five Dementors rose up behind Hecate, and in a matter of seconds, they had moved to stand behind Mozenrath, as he bid them.

* * *

AMAZON, THE BORDERS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

The "landing party," as Tempest referred to them, got to sleep in a cluster of rooms in one wing of the palace. Before they retired to bedchambers, they gathered in a common room, waiting for Cassandra to induce the next vision.

It took all but the very last of the mist. "The three Fury queens," she announced. "Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. They're going to attack Colchis. Alecto herself will sit on the throne." She shook her head; her consciousness returned. "Wait. Colchis? That's a place I've only seen in geography textscrolls."

"It's not on the mainland?" Rarity asked.

"It's across the sea," Meg said. "Kind of a tough voyage. But we can make it."

"So the Furies," Applejack added. "What are we lookin' at with them?"

"Trouble," Pit said. "They're three of the most powerful creatures in Greece! And they know how to hold a grudge."

"From what I hear," Phil said, "Megaera is a tough customer in a brawl. Tisiphone is more of a magic type, with a thing for illusions. And Alecto's the brains of the entire operation."

"We'll be ready," Hercules stated definitively.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed, not as definitively.

"We should get some sleep," Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Just so long as we don't need to poke you with an Amazonian spear to get you out of bed in the morning," Applejack joked. Then goodnights were said and most retired to bed.

Zoë waited for the others to go to sleep before leaving the wing, then leaving the palace entirely.

* * *

Zoë found the Amazonian temple to Hera upon a slight hill. She walked inside, beholding the great statue of the goddess. The temple was empty; her footsteps echoed. The road to the temple was also empty. Zoë felt as though she was the only one awake that night, though there obviously had to be Amazons on guard.

"Hera," she whispered at first. Then, realizing just how alone she was, she raised her voice. "I beseech thee."

Life rushed into the statue. "Why have you called me?" Hera asked.

"I have been going over events in my mind," Zoë said. "There is a mystery surrounding Hercules, and I believe thou knowest the answer. This is the only time I've had to speak to thee."

"What sort of mystery?" Hera sounded miffed.

"At Abacus Valley, Nemesis accused Hercules of a crime: of standing upon Olympian ground while he had mortal blood within him. There is no doubt that he is the son of Zeus, but Nemesis declared him to have a mortal mother. When I met Alcmene and Amphitryon, out of curiosity, I discovered that Alcmene had birthed a child, but lost him. Iphicles. It is my suspicion that Iphicles did not go to Hades that day, but to Zeus. Thou art the one who would know whether or not this is true. Although I suppose Zeus would know, but to speak to him is practically impossible, while I know thee to listen, my goddess."

For a while, there was silence, as Zoë's hypothesis hung in the air. Then Hera sighed. "It is true. Hercules is the son of Zeus. But he is not my son."

Zoë nodded.

"He was one of many demigods Zeus fathered," Hera went on. "He took on the form of Amphitryon to conceive him with Alcmene. The Fates bestowed upon him a prophecy of an invasion of Olympus for which we would need the greatest hero ever born, and he selected Alcmene as the ideal mother for the child. Alcmene never knew because of his disguise."

Zoë drew breath sharply at the description of Zeus' deceit. Of course, it wasn't beyond him, she knew that, but it was still a terrible thing to imagine, him taking the form of someone Alcmene trusted.

"Alcmene birthed the child we needed," Hera went on, "and we brought the boy to Olympus, making it appear as though he had died on the mortal plane. He was announced as the son of Zeus and of me. It was easier for the gods to accept that their great savior was not the product of another of Zeus' scandals. And much easier for Hercules to accept that his father was incapable of anything so…immoral. Even in the name of the greater good."

"Did thou bearest ill will toward him?" Zoë asked.

"Why would you ask?"

"Because thou hast borne ill will to the other children of Zeus by mortal women," Zoë stated.

It was something that had always perplexed her: why Hera took out her anger on the demigod children, who had not chosen their fate, instead of Zeus himself. But then again, what could she do to him? He was the king of the gods. Nearly omnipotent, nearly omniscient, unbelievably strong.

It took Hera a while to answer. "I was not happy with the arrangement. But I knew what had to be done. I welcomed the child with open arms. And then he was stolen from me. Stolen by Hades, and chance put him back in the arms of the very woman who had birthed him. Perhaps it was fitting."

"Wert thou angry with Zeus?"

"Incredibly. But what could I do?"

"I thank thee for telling me the truth, Hera," Zoë said.

"Do you intend to tell Hercules?"

"Time will tell whether or not it is the right thing to reveal, your highness."

"There have been rumors, Zoë. Rumors that you love him."

"Then let there be rumors." Zoë stood. "Thou hast answered me, and I have what I need."

"Then go and make your decision."

The statue was still, but Zoë eyed it even after it had stopped moving. Then she made her way out of the temple, her thoughts flying, piecing together into a new belief.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Dark Danny appeared on the banks of the Styx. The wounds on his ghostly skin were just healing over. He materialized there on his hands and knees, gasping for air.

Hades approached him, flinching. "That bad, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it."

The two made their way to the throne room to discuss what had happened. Dark Danny related the events: he'd had the entire island of Amazon on the cusp of destruction, but a chain of coincidences involving the trading of the Celestial Bronze weapons had led to his temporary end.

"Well, at least you did some damage," Eris said, giggling as she materialized on the sill of the circular window. "It was quite a show."

Dark Danny sighed. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I'm surprised Hades hasn't exploded," Eris admitted. "I was so looking forward to seeing his anger."

"It's really more of a 'disappointment' kind of feeling," Hades related. "I mean, this was Dan the man. He didn't screw up, but all the same, he was overpowered. That doesn't look good for us. Luckily, I have one last ace to play, and no offense, Dan, but she's even stronger than you. Plus she's got two sisters you do NOT want to cross. And the last tree is far enough away that it will distract our heroes long enough for us to knock the sun down over the Grecian mainland."

"So now we've diverted from trying to kill them to merely holding them off," Eris said with a mock pout. "I didn't realize you gave up so easily."

"I am NOT giving up!" Hades raged, flaring slightly orange. "I am trying to be REASONABLE about this for once! I'm still hitting them with everything I've got. It's just that after the last five times, I kinda figured that there's a pattern with them beating my warriors. I could waste time trying to figure out their weaknesses…OR I could focus on readying everything for the finale, and if they turn up there, they won't be able to have a LICK of influence."

The doors to the throne room opened. Eris, Dark Danny, and Hades all looked at the newcomer, expecting Facilier, expecting Medusa, expecting someone they'd seen before. They saw the hooded goddess, covered in her cloak of shadows.

"Now I thought," Dark Danny said with the air of one who'd been somehow betrayed, "that THAT…" He looked from the hooded goddess to Eris. "Was HER."

"It's complicated," Hades said. He hadn't expected her to turn up. He wasn't prepared at all. "Dan, go tell Alecto to get ready for the assault on Colchis tomorrow."

"Gladly." Dark Danny pushed past the hooded goddess and left the room.

"And you. Eris," Hades commanded. "Out."

"Oh, but this is where the fun really begins," Eris laughed. "With your little deception."

"I said OUT."

With a roll of her eyes, Eris floated up, out, backward, down, and was gone from view.

"So what's the story?" Hades asked. "Actually, I was just thinking. The Colchis thing? Might be a little too close to the mainland. So I was actually wondering, and this is a long shot, could you get another batch of apples from that tree of yours? We could plant them around the world and send the brats on a wild goose chase while the real action happens between Olympus and down here."

"No, Hades," the goddess said, pointing at him. "We cannot delay them further. We must prepare for the final stage. As soon as the Furies have done their business for you, you will call them back, and we will launch our attack, sun and all."

"And why the rush?" Hades asked.

Her hood had become slightly dislodged. It wasn't as though she even needed it, with only the two in the room. But Hades still caught a glimpse of the golden hair, of the pink skin.

"Because the Hesperide suspects," Hera stated.

* * *

Chapter 56:

· Rewatching "The Ultimate Enemy," I actually have to hand it to Dark Danny. He IS more powerful than any of Echidna's children. Just the range of stuff he can do, starting with the ubiquitous ghostly wail…I feel I made the right choice in saving him for now. (But just think what that says about ALECTO…)

· Lightning Dust as an Amazon is a concept I've been wanting to play with for a long time. What I didn't expect is for her to become more sympathetic than Trixie, because in canon, the opposite is actually true. Dusty doesn't learn her lesson while Trixie repents.

· The squadrons are based on Amazonian names as they appear in different writings. Admittedly I got this list from Wikipedia, so I may be wrong if it's wrong, but all the Amazonian names are apparently from recorded myth. (With the exception of Lightning Dust, of course.)

· I have actually kind of convinced myself that Tempest in HTAS is supposed to be Penthesileia. The names sound similar – one is just way easier to pronounce. Tempest is another character I was really looking forward to seeing a few years down the road, especially after her arc in HTAS with the golden girdle.

· Why men in Amazon? For a reason I actually didn't get to explore in writing here. Maybe later. In HTAS, the Amazonian women get all the roles of men while their husbands are effeminate housewife types. Pardon me, but I LOVE that. I pity I didn't get a chance to put Tempest's dad in a cameo talking about how bay leaf spices up common dishes.

· The carnivorous plants, crocodile, giant spiders, tar pit, and sassy ceiling-crushes-you trap are all HTAS canon. The rest of the obstacles on the challenge for the girdle, I made up.

· You will note a few examples of me pulling absolute bullshit. For example, I didn't feel like making a genocide of an entire island population, so Dark Danny waited for Tempest to watch her people die. And you knew how that would end. If it makes you feel better, you can imagine there were some offscreen deaths of nameless characters. Or not.

· Also bullshitting that Celestial Bronze can hurt incorporeal beings.

· The Echthroi and their treatment is something I struggled with a lot philosophy-wise. I wasn't sure how to portray them respectfully…and then realized that we're talking about Hecate and Mozenrath here, so respecting them wouldn't matter! So, will I explore whether or not all Echthroi are really pure evil? Yes. But not here, and not with these characters.

· I rank Dementors as low on the scale of Echthros power because, as Hecate said, the people who command them are mostly politicians. Echthroi will rank higher depending on who controls them. At least that's my plan.

· The idea of Hercules secretly having been a true demigod is a concept I've ALWAYS loved to play with. It not only puts the myth back where it was and adds a dark twist, but it gives Hera back some character as the nasty one. Speaking of which…

· You all either saw that last Wham Line coming from a mile off or you spat your drinks at the screen. Hera as a villain is another idea I LOVE. The particulars of her working with Hades, how long she's been involved, and why she's even willing to go against Olympus will all be discussed later. I will say this much: NOW you understand how they got Nemesis on the team.

· In the meantime, though I don't think I can play any of it here, this entire setup has gotten me liking any ship combo of Hades/Alecto/Dark Danny. No, that was not relevant to anything.


	57. Suffer a Witch to Live

57: Suffer a Witch to Live

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"Suspects?" Hades was taken slightly aback. "Like, what, suspects that you took the apples off her tree and brought them down here?"

Hera crossed to the window, looking out. "I'm sure she suspects that. But it's actually worse." She threw up her hands in frustration. "She asked me about Hercules' birth! About whether I held anger towards him!"

"Hoo boy…" Hades sighed. "So she's picking up on the fact that you've had it out for the kid since day one."

"It will only be a matter of time until she theorizes that it was I who told you the route to send your imps in order to steal the bastard child from my quarters!" Hera moaned.

"Or that you were the one who sent me to the Fates in the beginning to see how we could go about toppling the big guy," Hades realized. "Which, by the way, I would have thought of on my own."

"You wouldn't have."

"You have your version, I'll have mine. So what are we looking at? Rallying the troops as soon as possible?"

"Yes," Hera sighed. "And finally…the god who has been making both of our immortal lives into a Tartarus on Olympus will fall at our hands."

They'd each been scarred. Hera had begged and pleaded with Zeus to be faithful, but he refused, spending his time with mortal women. Hades, back when lots were drawn, had tried to complain to Zeus the downsides of having to make a kingdom in such a bleak place, away from the other Olympians and their benefits, but Zeus, high on the promise of ruling the realm of the skies (which Hades wasn't so sure Zeus hadn't rigged), had laughed him off with crude jokes, mostly involving puns about death. After Persephone's passing, Hera and Hades had come together to pool the sorrows brought upon them by the king of the gods and to define a plan to rid themselves of him and take Olympus for their own. When the Fates revealed that Hercules was a crucial part of the prophecy surrounding Olympus' doom, Hades found as much reason to hate him as Hera already had, and they put their heads together again.

"If anyone deserves to be king of the gods," Hera said at long last, "it is you. You have suffered so long."

"And if anyone deserves to be queen without being saddled with that jerk of a husband, it's you, babe," Hades consoled. "Trust me, as soon as we get the plan in motion, this is all gonna turn around. My army strikes the Olympians down except for you, Eris, and Nemesis, and once we put Zeus to rest, Kronos-style, we can rebuild exactly the way you want it."

"All the Olympians united under you and me," Hera said with a smile. "Perhaps then we can even put Hercules in his grave."

"Wouldn't that just be a dream come true? Anyway, you get back to Mount Olympus before anybody gets suspicious. I've got a trio of Furies to dispatch to Colchis."

"I am fortunate that you understand me, Hades," Hera said.

"No sweat," Hades replied.

He waited and watched as Hera left the room. Then he began to chuckle to himself. Softly at first. Then louder and louder.

The one thing he'd never revealed to Hera was that he never intended to let her rebuild the Olympus of her dreams after the uprising. He didn't even intend to let her walk free. When he took the throne, the position of the queen of the gods would be handed over to Maleficent, and the Overtakers would run Olympus. Then all would finally be as he wanted it.

* * *

THE SEAS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Zoë deliberated as to whether she should speak up. The pieces were fitting together in her mind, the wheels were turning…but she wasn't sure after all. Besides, on a voyage to Colchis, there was more to worry about.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity were caught staring off the helm. "What are you two so pensive about?" Meg asked.

"I was just thinking about the last person I met named Alecto," Rainbow Dash spat. "She was NOT fun to deal with. I'm guessing she was probably named after the Fury queen, huh?"

"Probably," Meg confirmed. "Somebody named after a Fury, though? That had to be one messed-up family."

"Trust me, it was," Rainbow Dash said, thinking of Flora and Hestia. "But it was the worst for some of the people actually in it."

"And what's on your mind?" Meg asked Rarity.

"I think we're veering just a stitch off course," Rarity admitted. "To the left."

"Great," Phil sighed from elsewhere on the deck. "Now little miss perfect has to find every tiny flaw in how we're steering the ship. You want us to go on course? You can drive the boat."

"Oh, me, pilot a ship?" Rarity laughed nervously. "Why, I couldn't! I mean, I could. I'm adept at a great many things! But all the same, it's…a rather big ship…and if I WERE the sort of pony who could potentially crash it, well, I wouldn't want to do that."

"It's not actually as scary as you'd think," Hercules told her. "If you want, you can give it a try! We've got open sea up till the Symplegades. And even then, they've stopped clashing anyway. It's just an open chasm. You can't screw up that badly."

"Well…could I try?" Rarity asked tentatively.

"Give it a shot," Meg said as Hercules backed away from the wheel.

Rarity took the wheel in her hands, steering it. "Why…why, it's not so bad at all! This is much simpler than I OH DEAR SWEET CELESTIA I'VE PUT US FAR TOO OFF COURSE! WE'RE GOING TO CRASH! WE'RE – "

Meg reached over and shifted the steering wheel just a bit in the opposite direction from where Rarity had accidentally turned too far. She stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, we're going to crash on COMPLETELY OPEN WATER," Phil huffed.

"Thank you," Rarity told Meg honestly. "I'd thought we were doomed!"

"We're on open water!" Phil reiterated.

"Oh, that reminds me," Hercules said suddenly. "I should get the beeswax!"

"Beeswax?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight was stricken with horror. "Oh, no," she guessed, "sirens?"

* * *

The Symplegades, the Clashing Rocks, had once been a chasm that opened and closed, threatening to crush any ship that didn't make it through in time. However, since Jason had sailed through it long ago, the Symplegades had stood as an open gate between Greece and Colchis.

Eris found that notion utterly boring. "What's the point of a journey without a few obstacles?" she said, clapping her hands.

The Symplegades began to move, to regain the old pattern of opening and closing that they had done for so long before Jason had passed through them.

"That's better," Eris said with a grin before vanishing. Not, however, unnoticed.

* * *

"To get to Colchis, we have to pass through the realm of the sirens," Hercules said, passing a pair of beeswax earplugs to everyone present.

"Can I get these in a more vibrant color?" Rarity, who'd surrendered the helm to Meg for the time being, asked. "Perhaps a lavender?" She was ignored.

"Sirens will sound like the most beautiful thing you've ever heard," Phil explained. "They'll call you to them, and then they'll kill you."

"That only works on men, though," Pit stated.

"Remember that time you thought Hydras could only grow nine heads?" Cassandra asked.

"Yeah…"

"And remember that time you thought Icarus was some kind of super-genius?"

"Yeah…"

"The women on this ship are wearin' earplugs," Applejack asserted.

Soon, all ears were closed, and the ship sailed in complete silence, which was disconcerting to Pinkie Pie. After quite some time, Zoë nodded to everyone to signal that the danger was past. All earplugs were removed.

Pinkie Pie took in a huge gasp of air. "That was the longest I've ever gone without talking when I wasn't sleeping! EVER! Unless you count some of the time I was singing. Does singing count as talking? I actually haven't sung a song in a while. I think we might need a sailing song!" She picked a tune and ran with it: "Oh, the water's blue and sparkling – "

Phil and Cassandra promptly put their earplugs back in.

" – The boat is not off course," Pinkie continued. "We're sailing over schools of fish and maybe a seahorse! Thanks to our beeswax earplugs, sirens' songs had no effect! And right now there is a stranger climbing up onto the deck!"

"WHAT?" everyone else said in unison.

All eyes turned to see the man who'd climbed up the side of the ship, out of the sea, and landed on the deck. His skin was the deep green of seaweed, his hair was a shade darker of green, fins were visible on his arms, and his face had a fishlike look to it. He wore a shimmering golden robe and a diminutive golden crown to match.

Zoë drew her bow and Pit brought out his blades; both aimed at the newcomer. The Equestrians held back, not knowing whether this was friend or foe. Hercules, however, ran toward the stranger, arms spread for a hug. "TRITON!"

"HERCULES!" The fish-man embraced Hercules tightly. "How've ya been?"

"Well, y'know, saving Greece and all," Hercules replied. "It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. With the help of the best friends and wife I could ask for, of course. You?"

"Me? Well, I'm kind of the prince of the sea now that I'm of age and all. Hence the crown. I'm STILL not allowed to mess with the trident, though. Dad will just not let that incident go…"

"Oh, I should introduce you!" Hercules turned back to the rest of the crew; Zoë and Pit put away their weapons. "Everyone, this is my cousin Triton, son of Poseidon! Triton, that over there is my wife, Meg, and you probably remember Phil, Pegasus, Icarus, and Cassandra. That's Zoë, Pit, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack."

"Hi!" Triton waved in earnest.

"So what brings you up here?" Hercules asked.

"And why did you climb up the side of the ship instead of waiting to dock it like a NORMAL person?" Icarus asked. "Are you UP to something? HMMMM?"

"Um…did Icarus just make a statement about normal people?" Triton asked.

"Yeah, he kinda did," Hercules admitted.

"I actually didn't know this was your ship," Triton explained. "I just saw the Symplegades start working again, and I had to come back and warn any ships that were headed toward them!"

"The Symplegades!" Zoë gasped. "It cannot be!"

"Yeah, well, it kinda is," Triton replied. "I'm actually pretty sure I saw Eris set them off."

"Of course it's Eris," Meg sighed.

"The bane of our journey," Zoë growled.

"Doesn't she ever quit?" Pit whined.

"Well, now that we know what's gone wrong," Applejack asked, frowning, "what do we do about it?"

"The rocks open and close in a set pattern," Triton said. "If you hit them at the right time, you'll have plenty of time to get the ship through!"

"And if we DON'T hit the rocks at the right time?" Twilight asked, twitching.

"Um…" Triton wasn't sure how to answer. "Crunch, I guess."

Everyone winced.

"But it's okay!" Triton followed up. "Because I can get you through those rocks! I can go down alongside the ship and tell you how much to slow down and how much to go ahead! Trust me, I know these currents!"

"Thank you!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

"Hey, I don't wanna see my cousin and his friends get crunched," Triton replied.

"Well, then, you should probably get on that," Rainbow Dash said, looking out over the helm. A great rock wall was coming into view on the horizon, and it was clear that the center of it was in motion.

"Want the helm, Rarity?" Meg asked.

"Goodness, no!" Rarity gasped.

"I'm gonna swim ahead and scope out what you've got to work with," Triton said. "Just remember, we can do this!" He turned and performed an elegant swan dive off the side of the ship, barely making a splash as he entered the water. Hercules, Icarus, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash hurried to the edge to watch for him.

Rarity and Twilight met Meg at the helm. "Well, the good news is, we're headed in an exact straight line," Rarity stated.

"Wait a minute," Twilight realized. "CAN EVERYPONY HEAR ME FROM HERE?" she yelled.

"YES!" a chorus of voices replied from the deck.

"GOOD!" Twilight called. "HERE'S WHAT I WANT US TO DO! IF WE CAN'T MAKE IT, WE CAN STILL FLY OUT! PEGASUS, YOU CAN TAKE HERCULES, MEG, AND ICARUS!"

Pegasus whinnied his approval. Three was a lot, but he could handle it.

"RAINBOW DASH, YOU TAKE PINKIE PIE AND PHIL!" Twilight continued. "FLUTTERSHY, TAKE CASSANDRA! PIT, TAKE APPLEJACK! I'LL LEVITATE RARITY OUT!" Twilight cried. "Rarity, you have to take Zoë."

"That leaves you on the ship," Meg pointed out worriedly.

"Then that's what's going to have to happen," Twilight stated.

"But Twilight!" Rarity gasped. "We can't just LEAVE you!"

"Yes, you can," Twilight argued. "There will be another Element of Magic someday. I mean, I got it after Celestia and Luna lost it, right?"

"Oh, but that's not the point!" Rarity moaned.

Twilight sighed. "I know. But it's better than all of us getting crushed."

"I've got a better plan," Meg said.

"What's that?" Twilight and Rarity asked as one.

"We don't get caught in the Symplegades," Meg stated firmly.

Triton surfaced next to the ship. "Slow down!" he commanded. "Take up the sail!"

"Right!" Rainbow Dash said with a nod. "Fluttershy, let's get that sail!"

The two winged Kentaurides fluttered upward, taking the corners of the sail and rolling it up.

Triton went back down to judge the currents again. When he came back, he ordered, "Let the sail down!"

"Right!" Fluttershy replied, and she and Rainbow Dash put the sail back in full position.

"We're getting pretty close," Meg pointed out.

"Just keep going at full speed!" Triton advised. "You'll make it!" He dove below the ship, hurrying ahead.

The ship entered the Symplegades just as they parted, careening over the water; everyone onboard held breath. The rocks reached their outer zenith and began to move back inward when the ship was not quite half through.

On the other side, Triton surfaced, watching the ship. Perhaps he'd misjudged the currents, or perhaps the wind had worked against them, but it seemed as if the ship just wasn't going to make it.

"We're going to have to fly out," Twilight said. "Rarity, go get – "

"We're almost there!" Rainbow Dash grunted from near the sail. "You know what? I'm helping this along!"

Her clothing transformed into that of the weather witch, and she raised her sword. When she slashed downward through the air, a gust of wind puffed into the sail, speeding up the ship. Rainbow Dash then landed on the deck for the rest of the ride.

The ship made it out just before the Symplegades crashed closed.

Twilight was immediately sheepish. "I…I guess I should have thought of that," she muttered.

"It is much better than sacrificing you," Rarity pointed out.

"Eh, it happens," Meg stated.

"YEAH!" Triton cried from down in the water. "You made it!"

"Thank you!" Fluttershy called down to him. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"No sweat. Anyway, I've gotta go back and warn everyone on the mainland that the Symplegades are working again," Triton said. "Catch ya later!" He dove downward, out of sight.

"Seems like a cool guy," Pit remarked.

"Erm, Meg?" Rarity asked. "Now that we've escaped certain doom and are back on open water…might I be able to try my hoof at the helm again?"

"Be my guest," Meg said, stepping aside.

* * *

Rarity was actually able to steer the ship into the harbor at Colchis. From what everyone could see, Colchis was a wealthy enough kingdom set on the seaside, with polished buildings and a white palace in the distance. People walked the streets happily, going about their daily business.

This struck Twilight as odd right away when the group disembarked. "I thought there would be an apple tree here because of Cassandra's vision," she said. "But no one's going crazy."

"Maybe everyone came to their senses," Hercules suggested.

"Or perhaps," Zoë posed, "there is no tree, and the Furies will come to take Colchis anyway."

"I just get this feeling that something isn't right," Twilight muttered.

The group began to walk toward the palace. Passersby smiled at them. Vendors called out from stalls to offer them merchandise.

"Something is DEFINITELY not right here," Twilight stated.

"Or we got off easy this time," Meg countered.

"You're right," Twilight sighed. "I should just lighten up. There's nothing to worry about yet."

She remained in that belief when a woman with dark curls and eyes heavily outlined in black liner stepped out before the group, staring them down. She wore a gown of black with a black hooded cape over it. "Go no further," she said.

Hercules, Meg, Icarus, Cassandra, Pegasus, Phil, and Pit all leapt back in shock. Anaklusmos was drawn, as were Pit's golden blades.

"What?" Rarity asked; the six Equestrians and finally Zoë followed suit and stopped. "Who is she?"

"BAD news," Phil said. "REAL bad news. The Furies might not actually be our biggest problem right about now!"

"It WAS too good to be true!" Icarus lamented. "She's going to destroy us all before the Furies even get here!"

"Typical," Cassandra sighed.

"Are you really…?" Hercules asked.

The woman nodded. "I am Medea. And I have come with a warning for you."

"Oh yeah?" Hercules countered. "Well, we'll just see about that?"  
"A warning," Medea repeated. "Not a threat. I suppose you're going to strike at me because of what you've heard about me."

"If you don't stand aside now," Pit threatened, "we'll make you!"

"If you challenge me," Medea replied, "I will have to defend myself." Her hands crackled with blue plasma.

"EVERYPONY STOP!" Fluttershy cried. "What's wrong with all of you? What happened with her?"

"That's Medea," Hercules stated. "And she's an evil witch! She sabotaged Jason after the quest of the Argonauts!"

"She killed the Corinthian princess Creusa with a cursed wedding dress that set her on fire!" Phil added.

"They say she murdered both the sons she had with Jason," Meg added coldly.

"And let's not forget that she tricked King Pelias' children into killing him too," Cassandra brought up.

"She is just ONE NASTY LADY!" Icarus affirmed.

Fluttershy turned toward Medea. "Is that true?"

"You're ASKING the witch to tell the truth?" Pit was stunned.

"I want to hear what she has to say," Fluttershy answered. "She hasn't attacked us yet!" She turned back to Medea. "Um, I'm sorry if this is out of line, but did you really do all that?"

"Yes," Medea answered. "But I had my reasons. And now I have reasons to protect Colchis. You can listen to me, or you can ignore me and walk into your doom."

"Protect Colchis!" Icarus snapped. "You're the one Colchis needs protection from, sister!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash summoned her sword.

"Not yet, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cautioned. "I don't think we know the whole story!"

"It isn't common for others to defend me," Medea stated, confused. "Why do you?"

"Because from what you say, it sounds like you're just trying to help," Fluttershy said. "And I feel a little bad that everypony just started attacking you…"

She realized: her wish. To be able to help everyone she felt bad for. She could use that power. She turned back to face Hercules and Pit. "You're going to put down your weapons NOW!"

They both did so without even thinking about why.

"Now," Fluttershy went on. "Have any of you ever met Medea before?"

"No," Pit admitted. "But the stories all say – "

"Your track record with what stories say is still awful," Cassandra pointed out.

"I've never met her either," Hercules admitted, "but she did just confess to everything!"

"I had my reasons," Medea reiterated.

"I think we need to hear her out on everything," Fluttershy said.

"That is not important," Medea stated coldly. "First, you have to see what is happening to this kingdom. It is not peaceful as it seems. It has already been attacked."

"But everything's fine!" Rarity protested.

"So it seems," Medea stated. "In truth…" She tensed up. "She's here. She knows."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

Medea raised her hands over her head, building up blue plasma in them. Pit and Hercules went for their weapons, thinking she was about to strike. When Medea threw her arms to her sides, the plasma rippled over the entire kingdom in a wave of blue, and everything changed.

Several intact buildings became rubble. The people roaming the streets dissolved, and others were visible hiding in alleys and behind debris, shuddering in fear. The smell of smoke permeated the air.

A blazing blue light stabbed at the peripheral vision of all who looked at Medea; Medea's gaze was fixed upon the source of the light. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Hercules, Meg, Cassandra, Icarus, Phil, Pegasus, Pit, and Zoë all turned to look as well, and recoiled in terror. Above them hung a great bird, like a phoenix, composed of blue fire. Riding the bird was a woman garbed in a green and gold gown, with slits up each side of the skirt to show her bare-footed legs while the upper half of her head was hidden by a low-slung hood.

"Why you little – !" this woman spat. "You weren't supposed to be able to do that!"

"I have learned a lot since I have been here last," Medea replied.

"Who is THAT?" Rarity cried.

"Tisiphone," Medea answered.

Twilight gasped. "I can't believe I didn't think of it…you said Tisiphone was a master of ILLUSION! That's why everything seemed okay!"

"My sisters and I have already made this kingdom our own!" Tisiphone bragged. "And I was just about to make sure you didn't get in our way. Until the witch got in the way! Let me guess, Medea. You're out of your timeline!"

"I remembered when I was away that you would come back to destroy Colchis, and that these heroes would stand against you," Medea replied. "I prepared myself to come back."

"Messing with the timeline is the worst crime a human can commit against the universe!" Tisiphone accused. "If Alecto hadn't thrown our regard for the law out the window when we took this assignment, I'd be legally obligated to kill you where you stand for that!"

"I'm not changing anything that didn't already happen," Medea said. "I didn't know what the outcome would be of the attack on Colchis. When I heard the Fury queens invaded it, I turned a deaf ear. For all I know, I did appear here to stop you, even when I was on the mainland in my younger years."

"Well, none of it matters," Tisiphone said, "because I was going to kill you anyway!" She stroked the neck of the bird. "You take care of the whelps, my lovely, while I strike the bitch dead!"

The bird gave a scream and dove downward in a wave of blue flame. Tisiphone shot through the air toward Medea.

Zoë was the first to draw a weapon, shooting arrows of light at the bird. It flinched as its wing was pierced. Pinkie Pie's pistols hit it next, shooting aura pellets that caused it to slow down. Rainbow Dash and Hercules leapt into the air in tandem, each slicing at the bird, one with rainbow aura and the other with Celestial Bronze. Rainbow Dash crossed under the path of Anaklusmos, and the result was an X that gleamed upon the belly of the bird. This gave Pit, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy enough time to draw their weapons. Applejack's whip formed a rope collar around the bird's neck; it tried to fly up and away from its myriad attackers, but she kept it reined in. Rarity's arrows peppered it.

Tisiphone attacked Medea directly, either unaware or not caring that her familiar was losing badly to its intended targets. She rained lethal blasts of plasma downward; Medea retaliated, firing her own plasma energies straight upward until the two forces collided and cancelled each other out. Medea then surrounded herself with a light blue translucent shield of magic, which Tisiphone's blasts bounced off harmlessly. "Why won't you just die?" Tisiphone taunted.

Medea said nothing. She merely dispelled the shield, taking advantage of Tisiphone's distraction to fire a plasma bolt at her. The Fury took it to the stomach, reeling backward – which, given her position, meant upward, into the sky.

Twilight cast a blast of Glacius at the bird; this sent a shudder through its fiery essence. It gave a cry of fright and broke through the rope collar at last. Tisiphone, seeing this, leapt aboard the back of the bird. "This isn't over!" she snapped, the bird carrying her away. "We WILL defeat you!" The bird sailed out of view.

"Am I the only one who has no idea what's going on?" Icarus asked.

"I think Medea did something with time that made Tisiphone angry," Pinkie Pie observed.

Medea nodded. "Very – "

"Are you a clockmaker?" Pinkie asked her.

"No, she's a time traveler," Twilight corrected sternly.

"There's obviously a LOT we need to get cleared up," Applejack pointed out. "But we're not exactly in a good place to do it. Can we get somewhere a little less…out in the open where the Furies can see us?"

Medea nodded. "I can take you."

"I'm not sure we can trust her," Hercules stated. "She's a murderer!"

"She helped save us from Tisiphone, and she showed us what the Furies really did to the kingdom," Fluttershy pointed out. "Maybe she just needs a second chance. We won't know whether or not we can trust her unless we try."

Hercules sighed "Okay. We'll follow you, Medea. But you do have a lot of explaining to do."

"Wait! NO!" Phil cried. "We are NOT trusting Medea! Of all the people you coulda picked! What next, you wanna have teatime with Circe?"

"No one wants to have teatime with Circe," Meg practically seethed. "But Fluttershy's right. Medea did just save our lives."

"And it seems to me there is more to Medea than you believe," Zoë argued. "Cassandra did not see her in a vision of destruction. I do not think she is the villain you think she is."

"Fine, fine," Phil huffed. "Medea. Get us out of here."

Medea nodded again. She spread out her hands. A great sphere of blue enveloped all of the present party, and they vanished.

* * *

They reappeared in what appeared to be a wine cellar, deserted. "Did…did you just perform a Side-Along Apparition without physically touching us?" Twilight asked Medea, her jaw practically on the floor.

"Yes," Medea said. "It is one of many powers I learned on my journey."

"What journey?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No, we're starting from the beginning," Pit said. "Medea, you say you have reasons for what you did. You're going to tell us why we should believe you."

"If we're starting from the beginning," Fluttershy suggested, "can somepony tell us what the story is about her in the first place?"

"Tell them what they say of Jason and me," Medea agreed.

"Well…" Hercules recounted the tale as best he could. "King Pelias told Jason, one of the greatest heroes, to go find the Golden Fleece. He looked for years, but couldn't find it. He never gave up, no matter what! Then he found it in the kingdom of Colchis, but the king, Aeëtes, refused to let him have it. Medea was the daughter of Aeëtes and…and…who was the queen?"

"There was no queen," Medea answered. "My mother was the goddess Hecate."

That caused a collective flinch among those native to Greece. "That doesn't do you any favors, you know," Pit pointed out.

"Who's Hecate?" Twilight asked.

"Goddess of magic," Phil answered. "Nasty piece of work. We've tangled with her more than once. She's too hot for even Hades to handle!"

Twilight began to wonder why they'd heard nothing from a goddess apparently so dangerous during such chaotic times.

"Anyway," Hercules went on, "Medea helped Jason beat all the challenges Aeëtes set for him and got him the golden fleece. Then she ran away from him. Aeëtes tried to stop him, but Medea distracted him by killing her brother Absyrtus. When Jason and Medea got home, Medea killed Pelias. Jason was horrified! So he left Medea to marry Princess Creusa, but Medea killed her too. And Jason and Medea already had two sons, who Medea killed." He looked at the subject of his story. "I'm sorry if any of that was…you know. Offensive."

"No," Medea answered. "It is good to know what they say of me."

"So is it true?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes," Medea said, closing her eyes. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. "But it is not the whole story. Absyrtus attempted to stop me by violence. I killed him in my own defense. I did not even know if I should return to defend my home because of how my family treated me, but I could not let Colchis fall."

"Was Absyrtus a son of Hecate?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"His mother was Neaera, a Nereid," Medea replied. "My father denied her marriage."

"Tell us more about what happened with Jason," Rarity encouraged.

"When we reached the mainland, we discovered that Pelias had been abusing his powers and attempting to conquer other polises," Medea went on.

"True," Phil recalled. "He gave Thessaly a run for its money. We almost had a full-scale war on our hands!"

"It was clear that Pelias was a tyrant king," Medea said. "Jason and I agreed that he should be killed, and so I did the deed. It caused the Corinthians to hate me. I turned a deaf ear. I would not allow them to make me feel as though I had done wrong. Even though it soon became clear that Pelias had told Jason about the fleece so that he would not be able to challenge and overthrow Pelias. Pelias' daughter Creusa was the most outspoken against me. Eventually, Jason stopped listening to my words and started listening to hers. Jason and I had two sons already, but Jason declared that he could no longer love a witch, and without officially divorcing me, became engaged to Creusa. He had sworn to be with me no matter what, and he left me alone to the people that hated me and wished me dead. That is why I wove the cursed wedding dress for Creusa. When she placed it on her skin, she burst into flame and died. It was then that those who hated me set out to attack me, with Jason leading them. I…" She stopped. Closed her eyes again. Swallowed hard. "I murdered our children because they had no fate remaining. Not when they came from the house of a pariah. They no longer had the protection of Jason. That is what I thought at the time, that death would serve them better. I…was wrong. I was wrong to kill Creusa as well. It was something I did in anger. While the deaths of Absyrtus and Pelias weigh on my conscience, I know I did right in committing them. Creusa and my children should never have died. This is the burden I live with each day. The hatred of others does not matter to me, but I am haunted by what I did in the heat of passions I did not understand."

It took a while for her words to settle in. Meg was the first to speak: "Believe me, Medea…people can do horrible things when their hearts are broken. Killing Creusa wasn't right, but there was a time when I…probably would have done the exact same thing."

"Besides, Jason sounds like an awful stallion!" Rarity said in disgust. "What he did to you was completely unfair!"

"I don't like what you did," Phil sighed, "but seein' how we're stuck together on this, I will give ya credit that after the Corinthian royal family was gone, Pericles was able to get the democracy bandwagon rollin' more easily. That is NOT sayin' I wanted any of them actually DEAD."

"I also do not think we can fault thee for what thou truly dost regret," Zoë concluded.

"I ask not for your pity or even your approval," Medea said. "What I ask for is enough of your trust to have your help. After I fled, I studied more powerful and darker magic than I had previously known. I learned spells that would allow me to move through time, as well as spells strong enough to counter Tisiphone's illusions. The blood of Circe and Hecate in my veins allowed me to learn quickly. I have since then been devoted to my studies, and I have tried to find a place in time where I may finally be at peace. A time before Jason met me. However, when I heard of the attack on my homeland during my time of exile, I did as I told Tisiphone. I avoided news of it so that I would not know whether my self from the future would go back to save Colchis. When my magic was strong enough, I prepared to return here at last. I only knew that I would be facing the Furies and that a band of heroes from the mainland would come for the same purpose. That is why I wish to ally. We all wish for Colchis to be saved. Together, we may just be able to oust the Furies. After that, you need never see me again. Will you help me?"

"I'M IN!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, bouncing up and down.

"So am I," Fluttershy said.

"And I," Rarity added.

"Count me in," Twilight said.

"I shall help you as well," Zoë agreed.

"I'm up for it," Applejack stated.

"And I'm game," Rainbow Dash added.

"I'm in," Meg stated.

"And so am I!" Hercules announced.

"Then sign me up, sister!" Icarus continued.

"Eh, why not?" Cassandra said with a shrug.

Phil sighed. "FINE. We'll help."

"Man, that leaves me…" Pit also let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. But no funny stuff, okay?"

"Agreed," Medea replied. She knelt on the floor, waving her arms over the stone. In a glimmer of blue, twenty bottles of a strange liquid appeared. "I did not know how many of you there would be. This is a specialty of mine, one of the first spells I learned. It grants invincibility, but only for twenty-four hours."

"Is it easy to make?" Twilight asked.

"It takes a year to create properly," Medea answered.

"Would you mind teaching me how anyway?" Twilight asked shyly. "I mean, when this is all over. I study magic a lot too, and it seems like this spell would come in real handy on our adventures."

"And how do we know this isn't more poison?" Pit said.

"Choose a bottle," Medea said.

Pit pointed. "That one."

Medea picked the bottle up and removed its stopper. "If there is anyone comfortable enough to observe me applying it," she said, "I would prefer privacy from most of the crowd, but you will have to see proof for yourself."

"Comfortable…?" Icarus was confused.

"The oil must be applied to every inch of skin," Medea clarified.

Icarus blushed deeply. "Oh."

Even Pit turned crimson at the thought.

"I work in fashion," Rarity told Medea. "I can observe you in a purely professional sense without all the silliness."

"Then follow me."

Medea and Rarity moved behind one of the wine racks for privacy. Pit shook his head to try and clear it.

"Thou findest the thought of thy hated enemy attractive when she is in a state of undress," Zoë observed.

"No!" Pit growled. "At least, I don't WANT to!"

"I suppose," Zoë conceded, "it is better than if thou acted as a pig about it."

"We actually need to start strategizing," Twilight said. "We've got three Furies, and I'm pretty sure they're not all going to be in the same place. We should split up again, but this time, because we actually want to find the Furies, we can do three teams. And we have more people this time around than we had against the Gorgons. The bad news is, if Megaera and Alecto are anything like Tisiphone, they're going to be a lot stronger than Gorgons."

"The Furies can be harmed by blades of Celestial Bronze," Medea said from behind the wine rack. "Twilight, I am not sure how powerful the Elements of Harmony are at this stage, but they will also be potent against the Furies."

"Hang on," Rarity said. "How did you know about us?"

There was a pause; Medea was putting her clothing back on. "Oh, and the spell seems to be legitimate," Rarity said as the pair walked back toward the others. "At least, she isn't dropping dead on the spot."

Medea rolled up a sleeve. "I beg someone attack me with a mortal weapon. I have not yet tested this spell against Celestial Bronze or Eldritch weaponry, but the Furies will only be using physical force and magic against you."

Twilight drew her wand. "Will this work? It's magical, but…"

"It will work," Medea affirmed.

"Diffindo," Twilight cast, pointing the wand at Medea's wrist. The spell flickered against her skin, but where it would have normally produced at least a scratch in the skin, nothing happened. "Wow," Twilight remarked.

"To answer your question," Medea said, rolling down her sleeve, "this is not the last time before the future I come from that you visit this world. And you will probably visit futures beyond mine. I know you quite well."

"Just how well DO you know us?" Meg asked with suspicion.

"Well enough to know that if I told you everything, Megara," Medea replied, "most of you would be more frightened of me than you already are."

"Okay…movin' on," Applejack said, "what we know is that we gotta have the Elements of Harmony in one faction, and Hercules and Pit in each of the others."

"If I may have a say," Medea replied, "I would like to accompany the bearers of the Elements to take on Alecto. Your magic combined with mine will be enough to overpower her."

"That sounds like a good plan," Twilight confirmed. "Okay, so the other groups. We know Alecto's in the palace, but we don't know where the other Furies are. So you might encounter either Megaera or Tisiphone first."

"If we're able to be invincible," Meg pointed out, "that makes Cassandra, Icarus, Phil, and me a lot less useless in the fighting department."

"YEAH!" Icarus agreed. "Wait, 'useless'?"

"She has a point," Cassandra said. "We might not be able to do much, but if we can't get hurt, we might as well try."

"So we'll have four invincible but untrained fighters," Twilight stated, "one experienced flying steed, and one warrior with a divine weapon to assign."

"I will go with Pit," Zoë volunteered immediately. As much as she wanted to be on the opposite team, she knew she had to quell her feelings for Hercules. They would only bring her tragedy in the end, she felt, if not tragedy to Hercules and Meg as well.

"And Wonder Boy and I are kind of a team," Meg teased as she and Hercules each put an arm around the other's shoulders. Yes, Zoë thought, she was making the right decision.

"I CALL YOUR TEAM!" Icarus gravitated to Hercules and Meg.

"Then I call the team he's not on," Cassandra said, moving toward Pit and Zoë.

Pegasus stepped toward Hercules, Meg, and Icarus, leaving Phil to choose Pit and Zoë's team for balance.

"Take the oil and use it," Medea commanded. "It must cover every inch of you."

"I suggest using the wine racks as changing screens," Rarity said.

Everyone picked up a bottle (Hercules taking two, one for Pegasus) and retreated to a different part of the cellar to make use of the invincibility ointment.

They all regrouped in the center. All eyes were now, instead of on Hercules or Twilight or even Rainbow Dash, on Medea. "Are we ready?" Fluttershy asked her.

Medea nodded. "It is time. Let us go."

* * *

Phil protested when Zoë and Pit picked their path. They had chosen it for a particular factor that he had wanted specifically to stay away from.

"I've always said we've gotta face the enemy head-on," he grumbled, "but I didn't think that meant we could just walk into the middle of a fire like idiots."

"We do not know there is a fire," Zoë reminded him. "It is simply the smell of smoke and burning."

"So basically, it's a fire," Phil reiterated.

"Calm down," Pit said. "We've handled fire before, right? And if we look for the biggest disaster, that's where we're going to find a Fury!"

"You're strangely calm about this," Phil said to Cassandra.

Cassandra shrugged. "I'm invincible. I've got nothing to worry about."

"We're all invincible," Zoë pointed out. "Fire will not hurt us."

"Yeah," Phil remembered. "Man, whatever Fury we get is gonna get one Tartarus of a surprise when she finds out she can't spear us!"

"Unless she battles us for a full day," Zoë pointed out.

"Like we won't have her taken down in two seconds," Pit bragged. "This'll be easy!"

"SHH!" Phil suddenly hushed the group. "Y'hear that?"

All four stopped, listening. They heard the sound of hooves, of a herd of many animals. Yet there was a strange metallic ring to them.

"Beasts of metal?" Zoë asked.

"Khalkotauri," Phil clarified. "This is bad."

"What now?" Cassandra asked half-heartedly.

"Bronze, fire-breathing bulls native to Colchis," Phil cleared up. "Man, you do NOT wanna tangle with one of those. And from the sounds of it, there are at least…more than ten, no, twenty – "

"Headed toward us," Zoë realized.

The sound of hooves grew louder and closer. The bulls were making their way through the streets toward the square where Zoë, Pit, Phil, and Cassandra had just entered.

"But how do they know where we are?" Pit asked.

"Perhaps they can smell us," Zoë suggested.

"Or perhaps I told them where to find you!" a female voice bellowed from the rooftops.

Clad in her breastplate and helm, Megaera stood from her vantage point, propped upon the insectoid legs that sprouted from her back. The four barely had enough time to register her presence before she leapt upon Pit, pinning him to the ground.

"NO!" Zoë screamed.

The Khalkotauri stampeded into the square.

The bulls, larger than ordinary bulls and made completely of bronze, snorted heat, red-eyed with anger. They crashed into Zoë, Phil, and Cassandra, knocking them about; had it not been for Medea's oils, they would have all been trampled to death immediately, but as it was, they were simply bounced around the square, separated from each other.

Megaera raised an insectoid appendage high in the air, then brought it down fast to pierce Pit's heart. She recoiled when it clanged against his chest as though he, like the bulls, were made of metal. "What is this magic?" she growled.

"You're never gonna believe this," Pit said, struggling to draw his blades from his lying position, "but it's Medea."

He slashed the blades up at Megaera, attempting to send her back to the Underworld, but she was faster than him. She sidestepped, then gripped his wrists in her own and squeezed. Even though Pit couldn't feel any pain and his bones were not shattered, the reflexes in his muscles were triggered and he dropped both blades. Megaera then picked him up, using his wrists as leverage, and flung him into the mass of bulls.

The Khalkotauri soon discovered that they could not gore their targets with their horns, and concentrated instead on fire. Zoë had felled bull after bull with her light arrows before noticing that her dress was aflame. Quickly she dropped to the ground, rolling. The many hooves that trampled over her helped to put out the flame.

Landing at the farthest edge of the square, Pit became boxed in by the bulls. They charged him head-on, and having no blade, all he could do was try to push them away with his hands. Eventually he just let them converge upon him, knowing he'd just have to wait for them to give up.

Megaera knew the course of action she wished to take. She leapt from the back of Khalkotaurus to Khalkotaurus until she found Zoë standing, her garments singed. The Fury took the Hesperide by the throat, pulling her upward. "You may be impervious to my attacks, but that does not mean you are safe!" she growled as Zoë struggled to break free, grasping at Megaera's hands with her own fingers that seemed weak in comparison. "I will personally see to it that you are all captured and escorted to the Prison of the Damned! And you will be sadly mistaken if you think that Hades or my sister Alecto will not find a way to kill you there!"

"Ha…des…" Zoë gasped, now having confirmation that the god of the Underworld was involved.

"HEY!" Phil snapped, having leapt upon the back of another Khalkotaurus. "Beetle brain! You wanna mess with friends of my trainees?"

"I suppose I do," Megaera replied, turning to face Phil with Zoë still in hand.

"Then you're gonna see what happens when I got nothin' to lose," Phil told her. He then bolted toward her, letting out a war cry that sounded like the bleat of an enraged goat.

Megaera did not expect the satyr's fists to land such heavy blows on her face. She dropped Zoë, who immediately began searching the ground for her bow. Megaera was knocked temporarily to the ground, where Phil landed five consecutive punches before the Fury was back on her feet and then her other appendages, throwing Phil into the seething mass of Khalkotauri.

"My Khalkotauri will keep you imprisoned until you can be transported!" she stated. "You WILL be imprisoned!"

During all the confusion, Cassandra had made her way to the outlet to the widest street. A nearby chiton boutique caught her attention. Not even bothering to feel sorry, she barged into the store, grabbed the most voluminous garment she could find, and ran back to the end of the street, looking in at the Khalkotauri.

"HEY!" she snapped, waving the fabric.

Every single bronze bull in the square stopped. All heads, all angry red eyes, turned to focus on Cassandra.

"You want it?" Cassandra waved the fabric tantalizingly. The bulls followed it with their eyes.

"Then come get it!" Cassandra began to run, trailing the fabric. The bulls followed her in one massive stampede.

"NO!" Megaera roared. "YOU WILL NOT – "

Before she could finish her sentence, Zoë, having found her bow, struck Megaera through the heart with a light arrow, and she disappeared in a shower of golden dust.

"We gotta help Cassandra!" Pit cried, taking to the air and following the stampede. Zoë took off on foot.

"You kids go," Phil panted, out of breath. "I'll catch up."

* * *

Hercules, Meg, Icarus, and Pegasus made their way in the opposite direction. Before they could begin to contemplate how they knew they were even going the right way, they heard a high-pitched laugh echo through the air.

"Tisiphone!" Hercules cried.

"Hang on," Meg said. "This could be another one of her illusions."

"Which is EXACTLY why we need to follow it!" Icarus cried. "It will lead us right to – "

"Our doom," Meg stated. "We need to be more careful about this." She turned to Pegasus. "All right, Horsefeathers. You can hold all three of us up, right?"

Pegasus nodded.

"Tisiphone was riding around on that bird of hers," Meg rationalized. "We'll have an advantage if we get in the air too."

"Good idea," Hercules agreed.

It took the three of them a while to become comfortably situated on Pegasus, but he was strong enough to handle all three of them, especially given that Meg and Icarus were quite light. With a couple pumps of his wings, Pegasus was in the air.

Turned away from where Megaera had done battle, the four didn't see the stampede of Khalkotauri that chased Cassandra down the streets. Instead, they saw where the urban streets of Colchis gave way to agrarian farmland. A glimmer of bright blue was visible in the open fields. The bird.

"You think it's a trap?" Hercules asked.

"I don't know," Meg said. "We'll have to be on our guard. There's nothing she can do to hurt us, but I still think we should watch out."

"CHART A COURSE FOR TISIPHONE!" Icarus commanded. Pegasus obeyed, diving toward the blue.

Tisiphone stood in the field beside her familiar, seething. Medea's dispelling of her illusion had a lasting effect. She was having trouble casting any other illusion that remained stable, and supposed she would until she could either reverse the effects or they wore off. She hadn't expected Medea to have grown so strong, but at the same time, held no belief that the witch could overpower Alecto. In the meantime, Tisiphone had to make do with her other spells and a secret weapon held in a bag tied at her sash.

Pegasus landed, and Hercules, Meg, and Icarus leapt onto the grassy ground to confront Tisiphone. "It's over!" Hercules threatened, drawing Anaklusmos.

"Is it?" Tisiphone asked. Throwing her hands out before herself, she let a barrage of bright white plasma fly.

Hercules, Meg, and Icarus all raised their arms to shield their eyes from the blinding lights. Pegasus covered his eyes with a wing. They felt an immense pressure as the magic washed over them, but it soon subsided. Medea's ointment had negated all of the effects of Tisiphone's attack.

"That witch thought of everything, didn't she?" Tisiphone snarled. "It doesn't matter. All I need to do is capture you long enough to take you to the Prison of the Damned!"

"The wherenow?" Icarus asked.

"The island prison formed from the Hecatonchires Aegaeon, an ancient being that broke a blood oath with Zeus. It now stands to contain all those who break blood oaths. But under our current command, it can be used to contain whoever gets in our way!" Tisiphone explained. "And once we get you there, you'll stay there until you die!"

"Nice try," Icarus scoffed, "but you'll never take us!"

"Not without some help," Tisiphone admitted, drawing the bag from her sash. She undid the drawstring that fastened it, removing several long, sharp fangs from it.

Had Phil been there, he would have known that these were the teeth of the dragon of Colchis. He would have been able to warn everyone what would happen if the teeth were planted in the soil. As it was, he wasn't there, and no one was prepared when Tisiphone cast the fangs before her into the soil; they landed in a semicircle due to her deft throw. They all pierced the ground, sinking into the dirt.

Then, from every place a tooth had hit the ground, a skeleton wearing armor erupted from the dirt, having grown from the tooth.

"Spartoi!" Tisiphone commanded. "TAKE THEM!"

One of the Spartoi seized Meg around the waist. Another grabbed Icarus, wrenching his wrists behind his back and holding them there to keep him still. Three Spartoi charged Hercules with rusty blades and swords, and Hercules found himself swinging Anaklusmos wildly to parry their blows.

Tisiphone rose into the air, laughing madly. Pegasus shot upward after her, but the great bird of blue fire rose between them like a curtain of blue fire. Pegasus recoiled in fright.

Hercules slashed the three Spartoi keeping him busy in half at the waist, and all crumbled to the ground as piles of bones. He turned to free Meg, but she had already kicked the skeleton hard, forcing it to let her go, and knocked it to the ground; all it needed was a final blow from Anaklusmos. After dealing that, Hercules slashed at the soldier holding Icarus captive.

Tisiphone threw dozens of dragon teeth toward the ground, and an army of Spartoi leapt up. Hercules, Meg, and Icarus charged the horde bravely.

In the meantime, Pegasus kept trying to get to Tisiphone. No matter which way he turned, the bird blocked him. So he barreled upward at his top speed, wings beating wildly; the bird gave chase, knowing Pegasus was trying to get around it. Pegasus led the bird on a course through the sky, trying to increase the distance between them both, to escape the bird. It seemed, however, as though the bird was gaining in distance rather than being lost. Still, Pegasus would take what he could get. With one sharp turn, he was headed toward Tisiphone, with the bird directly behind him.

He slammed into Tisiphone, sending her spinning head over heels. "You…filthy…ANIMAL!" she cried, launching a great projectile of white-hot energy that just bounced off Pegasus.

Pegasus skimmed low to the ground, and the bird, in pursuit, hovered over the Spartoi. Pegasus landed, joining in the battle, kicking as many skeletons as he could to be skewered upon Anaklusmos. The bird's flames transferred onto most of the remaining Spartoi, charring them into ash; their rusty armor and weapons thudded into the dirt uselessly.

"Get her!" Meg told Hercules. "We'll hold off the rest of them!"

"But without Anaklusmos – " Hercules began.

"Don't worry!" Icarus tried to reassure him. "I've GOT this."

It had to be good enough. Hercules leapt aboard Pegasus' back and the two took to the air.

The bird rose between them, but one stroke from Anaklusmos caused it to dissipate into nothing, leaving Tisiphone unguarded in the air. With a growl of anger, the Fury, throwing her hands out before her, created a shield of blue aura that stymied Hercules for a minute – Anaklusmos bounced off it – until the force of the blade striking the shield, which surrounded Tisiphone completely, sent the shield toward the ground as if it were some sort of giant ball. It crushed the remaining Spartoi. Tisiphone discarded the shield, rushing upward.

Hercules threw Anaklusmos directly downward.

The two, Fury and sword, met in midair, and when Anaklusmos hit the ground, it was covered in golden dust from the cloud that Tisiphone had left behind in one puff.

"Nice goin', Herc!" Icarus commended as Pegasus landed.

"Thanks," Hercules replied, dismounting. "Now we can go help…um…does anyone else hear that?"

Hercules, Icarus, Meg, and Pegasus turned their attention to the streets, where there seemed to be loud noise – some sort of stampede of hooved animals.

* * *

Cassandra was beginning to wonder if saving her friends from the clutches of Megaera had REALLY been worth it. She was running as fast as she could, but the Khalkotauri were gaining.

Mostly, she found it utterly stupid that if this was how she was going to die, she of all people should have been able to see it coming.

The screech of an eagle sounded through the sky. Talons grasped Cassandra's shoulders, lifting her up; her feet left the ground and running became pointless. The eagle, or whatever it was, flew Cassandra out of the path of the running bulls, setting her down on a rooftop.

When Cassandra turned to get a good look at the animal that had rescued her, she only caught a glimpse of the eagle disappearing into the clouds. Its feathers were a bright teal color that she found all too familiar.

The herd of Khalkotauri was thinning anyway. Zoë and Pit were still striking them down from behind. Only about five of them remained when Hercules entered from the other direction, taking them head on, cutting all of them down to dust with Anaklusmos.

"Nice timing," Pit remarked.

"But where is Cassandra?" Zoë asked.

"What about Cassandra?" Hercules responded.

"She distracted the Khalkotauri and took off runnin'," Phil explained, finally catching up.

"NOOOOOOO!" Icarus fell to his knees. "NOT MY DARLING! MY REASON TO LIVE! I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT HADES WILL BE SO KIND AS TO LET US REUNITE IN THE UNDERWORLD!"

"Geez…" Cassandra hopped down from her rooftop safety into the street. "Y'know, I considered the benefits of letting you think I was dead, but if you're going to talk about me like THAT, I'm going to have to look into becoming immortal."

"What happened?" Meg asked.

"Okay, you're gonna think I'm making things up, but some eagle just picked me up and dropped me off on the roof," Cassandra stated. "A teal one."

"Hmmm, teal, you say?" Icarus reiterated suspiciously. "Teal…LIKE THE CLOTHING WORN BY THAT WOMAN-STEALING THANATOCRATES?"

"Okay, NOW you're crossing from insanity into irreversible madness," Cassandra sighed. "But, yes, if you want to go there, it was the same color."

"Well, we're glad you're okay," Meg concluded.

"We should head for the palace and see how Medea and the others are doing," Hercules suggested. "I mean, can Alecto really be stronger than either of the Furies we just faced? I'm kind of assuming you met Megaera."

"And took her down!" Pit bragged.

"We got Tisiphone," Meg replied.

"And it was all thanks to me!" Icarus boasted while Meg shook her head and mouthed "No."

"Bad news," Phil said. "Alecto is stronger than both her sisters. COMBINED."

* * *

Medea halted outside the doors to the palace. "I must warn you of what we could face," she said. "My kingdom had three defenses my father used against those he wished dead. First were the Khalkotauri, the bronze bulls that breathed fire. Second the Spartoi, the undead warriors that grew from the teeth of the dragon of Colchis. Third and finally, there is the dragon of Colchis. It is invincible as we are now. It guarded the golden fleece. The only way I could allow Jason to take the fleece was to take him past the dragon as it slept. Alecto most certainly has control over that dragon."

Fluttershy shuddered involuntarily, a little fear left over from her old phobia of adult dragons. Rainbow Dash put a steadying hand on her shoulder.

"So what do we do?" Twilight asked.

"Whatever stops her," Medea answered before proceeding to the gate.

* * *

Medea, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie entered the spacious hall of the palace of Colchis together. At the opposite end of the room, Alecto sat tall and regally on the royal throne, her piercing eyes framed by her snow-white skin. The six Kentaurides all felt shivers of cold upon seeing her.

"Where is my father?" Medea asked, seemingly unfazed by Alecto's presence.

"Dead," Alecto replied simply. "Though I do not suppose that matters to you."

"There was no love lost between my father and myself," Medea said, taking down her hood to reveal her long black curls, cascading past her shoulders. "That does not change the fact that you have committed an unforgivable crime against my kingdom."

"I am the one who will judge what is an unforgivable crime!" Alecto snapped, rising to her feet. "NOT YOU! You are stained with crimes, Medea. Your soul is painted red with the blood of five! It is fortunate for me that you have decided simply to approach me, for now I can give you at last the punishment you should have received long ago!"

"NO!" Fluttershy cried, stepping forward. "Medea did a lot of bad things, but she regrets them! If you ask me, she's been punished enough!"

"I no longer care," Alecto stated. "Regardless of the witch's presence, I have been awaiting you so that I may destroy you."

"Tough luck," Rainbow Dash laughed. "We're invincible."

"One of our witch's tricks, no doubt," Alecto guessed.

Medea remained silent, staring Alecto dead in the eye.

"Your invulnerability will not matter," Alecto said. "There are many fates much worse than death or physical harm that you can suffer at the Prison of the Damned. It simply befalls to me to take you all there."

"A prison!" Rarity gasped.

"A prison crafted from one of the oldest beings to grace this world," Medea clarified. "An Old One, as you think of them." She turned to look at Twilight meaningfully. Twilight nodded. Somehow, she knew, this would be relevant later.

"I will make you suffer," Alecto vowed as the entire throne room began to shudder.

"I don't like this," Applejack said nervously.

The white tiles of the floor cracked and splintered into fragments. Something very large was making its way up through that floor into the throne room, breaking the central tiles into smithereens in order to do that. A sleek black dragon, studded with spines at every vertex of its body and spreading a pair of batlike wings, emerged from the pit it had just made, crawling up into the throne room. It lifted its head upon its snakelike neck and gave a hiss of warning toward Medea and the six Equestrians. Then it stood stock-still until Alecto levitated off the ground and landed on its back, sitting between two large spines. She took hold of a golden rein attached to a bridle slung around the dragon's neck, and she twisted the rein hard. The dragon reared its head back and then let a great blast of flame loose at Alecto's enemies.

Medea instinctively threw up her hands, creating a shield of blue aura that reflected the flame back toward the dragon. "Attack Alecto," she said before letting the shield down. The dragon had run out of breath.

Medea's hair twisted and writhed. It grew out longer than it had been, reaching her waist, then her ankles, twisting like vines. Then it whipped upward, fashioning itself into a hair-shaped beast head with a mouth that clamped on the dragon's neck, struggling with the beast. Alecto was thrown off the dragon's back as Medea's hair threw the dragon aside; Medea kept her hold on the dragon while the six Equestrians shifted into five Mahou Shoujo and one weather witch.

"A skilled trick of Dark magic," Alecto remarked, glancing at Medea and her monstrous hair. "It is no matter." Yet if it was truly no matter, Alecto probably would not have brought attention to it, nor looked so perturbed about it. She quickly regained composure, turning to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

The six had known as one to mobilize and initiate the power of the Elements; the sphere of light surrounded them and the rainbow burst forth. Alecto put out a hand, and from it emitted a column of darkness that took on the form of a shifting viscous black liquid. Alecto's darkness collided with the rainbow of the Equestrians, and Twilight was reminded of the struggle against Dark Danny; Alecto's magic was pushing back harder than Twilight and her friends could produce to counter it. This time, however, there was no Lightning Dust to stab her from behind. And the overtaking was happening more quickly than it had with Dark Danny.

The rainbow was engulfed in darkness. The black goo erupted over Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, throwing them against the wall and sticking them there, covering them.

"EEEEWWWW!" Rarity cried, writhing like mad to break free of the slime, but the bond held.

Hearing Rarity's cry, Medea whipped her hair to throw the dragon's head against the wall; it was dazed. Medea's hair retracted to its usual length and she rushed at Alecto, drawing a pair of broadswords from Hammerspace. She leapt into the air to bring the swords down upon Alecto.

Alecto surrounded herself in a protective shield of shadowy aura. "You have learned many Dark tricks," she remarked.

"I have had a lot of time to study," Medea retaliated, hammering at the shield. "Why does my father's dragon obey you?"

"Upon his death, it relinquished itself to me," Alecto answered. "Cease your attacks, witch! They are doing you no good!"

The swords vanished from Medea's hands, but were replaced by balls of orange flame. These were flung at Alecto's shield, where they crashed harmlessly into nothingness. Alecto, fed up, took down the shield long enough to sling a mass of black goo at Medea. Medea was caught in it, forced to a crouching position where she was stuck. The witch pulled at her bonds experimentally, but they didn't break.

"You all belong to me now," Alecto said.

"No," Medea answered.

Black fire enveloped Medea, catching on all the sticky darkness Alecto had used to tie her down. It all melted away into a pool of liquid the consistency of black water, and Medea stood, unharmed by the fire, which was dying down. Six more columns of fire enveloped Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash, burning their bonds away and freeing them from the wall.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Alecto muttered under her breath before reaching for Medea's throat. Medea blasted at Alecto with a bright blue bolt of plasma, which had no effect. Alecto retaliated with a bolt of red plasma, which similarly had no effect on Medea.

As the two exchanged fruitless blows, Twilight looked toward the dragon, which still seemed to just be standing in place, staring ahead with a confused look. "Why isn't it attacking us?" she wondered out loud.

"Who cares?" Applejack replied. "It's GONNA attack us, and soon!"

"Not if we can help it," Twilight said. "Our Elements didn't work on Alecto, but they can work on that dragon, and I have an idea how. Medea said she got Jason past it when it was asleep. So we're going to sing it a lullaby. Fluttershy, you remember that song you used to sing back in Ponyville?"

They decided on a plan. The sphere of light surrounded them once more; as the rainbow washed over the dragon, it carried upon it Fluttershy's voice: "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to rest your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed…"

The dragon heard her words. It was soothed. It wanted to close its eyes, to rest a while. After all, it wouldn't come to any harm with the singer of that song to watch over it…

"NO!" Alecto rushed away from Medea, planting her feet on the dragon's back, gripping the golden bridle tightly. "DO NOT LISTEN!"

The dragon shook its head. The rainbow dissipated. The dragon roared, looking at the Kentaurides with murder in its eyes.

Twilight put the pieces together just as soon as Medea figured it out. The only way the dragon could have resisted that was with assistance from Alecto, and the Fury's method was obvious. The two acted in tandem without even realizing it. A blue plasma bolt from Medea crossed with Twilight's casting of Diffindo, and the dragon's bridle, the famed Golden Bridle that would allow the rider control over any animal that wore it, was severed from both sides.

The dragon's head swiveled on its great neck, looking toward Alecto. It roared in anger at its false master. Its great spiked tail whipped upward, knocking Alecto off its back. The Fury was thrown against the very throne she'd sat upon proudly, in a great moment of poetic irony.

In the absence of King Aeëtes, the dragon turned to its rightful next commander, his daughter Medea. Medea pointed at Alecto, and the dragon approached the Fury as Medea drew her swords – not Celestial Bronze, but shining silver – from Hammerspace.

"The Elements," she commanded.

"NO!" Fluttershy cried in horror.

"The Elements, now, or she will kill us all!" Medea insisted.

"Not like this!" Fluttershy insisted. "If you kill her, it'll be another death on your hands! It won't just hurt her. You'll end up regretting it, and you'll be hurt too!"

"I hold no grief towards a Fury," Medea growled.

"I said," Fluttershy asserted, "DON'T."

Medea's hands trembled. Then the silver swords disappeared.

The doors to the throne room were thrown open. Zoë, Pit, Hercules, Icarus, Cassandra, Meg, Phil, and Pegasus barreled in, weapons drawn.

"I suppose you think you have me beaten," Alecto stated. Then she vanished in a cloud of darkness.

"She knows she was outmatched on land," Medea said.

"You think we should have killed her when we had the chance," Fluttershy guessed.

"Your words had a strange effect on me," Medea accused. "Were they magic?"

"I…I made a wish," Fluttershy admitted. "To be able to help everypony I felt bad for. I wanted Alecto to stay alive, and I also didn't want you to have guilt over killing her."

"Couldn't you have just used Celestial Bronze on her?" Twilight asked.

Medea shook her head. "The only weapons I carry with me are silver. I did not want any Fury to escape me alive. Silver is the most certain way to kill magical beings. But to your question…I do not think I should have killed her. Fluttershy…I am glad you stopped me."

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

"Good news," Hecate greeted Mozenrath. "Basic training ends today. After this, I get to turn you loose on the world."

"I'll almost miss this," Mozenrath admitted. "Learning to take on more power than I'd ever held before. But as lovely as this was, it won't measure up to getting to use it in the field."

"You'll be useless in the field if you aren't connected to the darkness itself," Hecate told him. "That's what we're doing today. Connecting you to the darkness of the cosmos. Making you a complete Dark wizard. There are just a few safety warnings I'm obligated to give you."

"Such as?"

"Weak minds and unprepared souls don't do well with this part," Hecate said. "I know far too many people that have tried to give themselves to the darkness and ended up with it overrunning them completely. Some of them get possessed by other sorcerers or demons. Some just die."

"Well, that's comforting."

"Do you think you're going to die this way?"

"Well, that's an interesting question." Mozenrath thought it over. "I'd like to think that I'm more than prepared. On the other hand, death is a fear I've had to live with ever since…" He looked down at his right hand, then clenched it. "But I have lived with it. I haven't let it rule me. I guess I'm not REALLY afraid to die anymore. On the other hand, losing my identity to something or someone else is a price I'm not willing to pay."

"I'm not asking you to pay it," Hecate said. "I'm just asking you to risk it in exchange for greater power."

"Well, you were the one who trained me," Mozenrath pointed out. "I think I'm ready. I FEEL ready. But if you've been building me up all this time, you're the one making the biggest investment in whether I'll fail. So you tell me. How much danger am I in?"

Hecate thought it over. "After what I've seen from you…almost none."

"Then tell me how."

"Remember when you connected with the Dementor?" Hecate asked. "Find the darkness down that road. You'll know it when you see it. Head straight for it and don't hold back."

Mozenrath nodded. "Oh, I won't hold back. And I'll come out of it better than ever."

He shut his eyes, searching. Searching for that link within him, that bond that connected his soul to the darkness. He located it easily; he'd found it time and time again when ordering the Dementors around. It led down into a great black oblivion…a place where everything was permeated with power, with magic.

He plunged. As his body stood still in the crystal hallway, his soul let itself fall, deeper and deeper, risking getting itself lost.

Hecate watched as he stood stock-still. For almost a moment too long, and she feared that all she'd done had been for naught, that he'd been lost to the darkness and would any minute be destroyed. Then his fist clenched harder. A burst of dark energy radiated from it before simmering to its usual blue. Then a column of darkness rose, surrounding Mozenrath, bathing him in shadow before it subsided.

He opened his eyes. He smiled.

"Are you still you?" Hecate asked.

"Yes," Mozenrath answered. "And I have to say…" He laughed. It was all within him, swirling like ocean tides. "I've never felt better!"

"Congratulations," Hecate said. "You passed my little class."

"WE PASSED!" Xerxes cheered.

"Oh, brother," Lukos groaned as he and Aetos rolled their eyes.

"I take it I've learned all the basics," Mozenrath said with a thoughtful nod. "How much more is there to learn?"

"There will always be stronger spells," Hecate told him. "Even now, I couldn't teach you to wield Sepulcaphs or speak the Deplorable Word. You wouldn't just die in the process. You'd probably be turned inside out first. And that wouldn't be pretty."

"I'd like to argue that I'm as pretty on the inside as on the outside…" Mozenrath smirked and winked.

Hecate sighed. "Humorous. Well, now that you've realized your true potential, what's the first thing you want to do?"

"Hmm." Mozenrath thought it over. "Well, there is one thing I've always wanted to do. Something I wanted back in the Seven Deserts and never got."

Hecate grinned. "I'm listening."

* * *

COLCHIS, THE BORDER OF OLYMPIC GREECE

In the aftermath of the battle against Alecto, everyone needed a while to get bearings. The refugees and survivors of Colchis were coaxed out of their safe houses. The group of heroes provided medical aid here and there, doing whatever they could to patch up what the Furies had broken. Meg and Fluttershy were especially kept on their feet and hooves, administering assistance to the wounded.

They didn't really begin to regroup until sunset. Most of the group ended up headed into town to stock up on provisions to last them the ship voyage back to the mainland. The only ones who held back were Meg, Fluttershy, Rarity, Medea, and Twilight. The former two, the medics, had found themselves tired and in need of just a few moments to rest before gearing up for another voyage; Rarity also declared herself tired and decided to stay and talk with Meg and Fluttershy for a while. Medea and Twilight had gone off somewhere to talk about magic.

While the majority of the group headed into town, Zoë realized that it was entirely possible she'd never find a better moment to bring up what she had to say. So, as they moved down the street, she blurted it:

"I know Hades is involved and I have reason to believe Hera is as well."

All others turned to look at her in shock.

"When did you get proof that Hades was in on it?" Hercules asked.

"Megaera said so when she attacked me," Zoë recounted.

"THAT?" Phil raged. "THAT IS WHAT YOU PICKED UP ON OUT OF THAT SENTENCE? SHE JUST ACCUSED HERA OF CAUSING THE MESS WE'RE DEALIN' WITH! Zoë, why would HERA go against Mount Olympus?"

"For revenge," Zoë said. "I have continued my investigation in secret. With Amphitryon, and I have spoken with Hera herself. I know something that…that may seem hard to believe. A secret kept even to Olympus. Thou shalt have to trust me enough to believe me, that I am telling the truth."

"I KNOW you wouldn't lie to me," Hercules said, and that was all Zoë needed. Her heart felt as though it had been tied to wax wings that lifted it ever higher into the sky, even though there was the all too terrible looming prospect that the sun would burn.

"We trust ya," Applejack added. "You ain't told us one lie since you got down here."

"Dost thou remember when Nemesis accused Hercules of having mortal parentage?" Zoë said. "Alcmene lost a son she called Iphicles shortly before finding Hercules. Hera has admitted to me that Zeus tricked Alcmene into bearing his son. Iphicles and Hercules were one and the same. Alcmene is Hercules' true mother, not Hera!"

"What?" Hercules breathed. "But…Hera is…and Alcmene was…!"

"That actually makes sense," Cassandra pointed out. "I mean, we all know a ton of other demigods Zeus fathered. He's had more kids with mortals than he has had with Hera. Actually, Hera being Herc's mom makes less sense than anything."

"THE PLOT THICKENS!" Icarus cried.

"DUN DUN DUNNNNN!" Pinkie added.

"Hera claims to bear no ill will toward Hercules," Zoë said. "And yet she was angered at his existence, and angry with Zeus for cheating on her with yet another mortal. What would make more sense but for her to join forces with the other god who had most reason to hate Zeus and kill Hercules? What would make more sense but for her to enable Hades to kidnap Hercules from her palace…" She suddenly stopped midsentence. "Her palace," she repeated. "The palace of Zeus and Hera, guarded by countless enchantments and divine devices."

"There would be no way for Hades just to break into it!" Hercules read Zoë's mind. "Hey, we only ever just guessed Hades was the one who took me off Olympus because he had it in for me."

"SHE STATED IT OUTRIGHT!" Zoë cried. "How would she have known it was Hades' doing, or even that of his minions, if it was only ever a guess?"

"These are some pretty hefty accusations," Phil pointed out. "You're sayin' the queen of the gods went traitor against Olympus."

"But she WAS really angry!" Pinkie pointed out. "It makes a whole lot of sense!"

"You're only sayin' that because you don't know her that well," Phil replied.

"And that's probably what Twilight would say if she was here," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "She knows all the Olympians by name. But we're just coming in from the outside. We're looking at the gods you've always trusted with our eyes. And Hera looks like she has a LOT of reasons to be in on this."

"So Hera, Hades, Eris, and Nemesis are together in a big conspiracy to overthrow Olympus?" Pit stated.

"As implausible as it seems," Zoë stated, "that is what seems to be happening."

"And it wouldn't be the first time we found a conspiracy of about fifty villains," Applejack pointed out. "Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, y'all remember when Gothel was workin' for Maleficent, the Stabbingtons were workin' for Mozenrath, and Discord was behind everything?"

"THAT still puzzles me the most," Rainbow Dash stated. "Discord. Where is he in all this?"

"Maybe nowhere," Applejack mused. "It's a big multiverse, after all. It's possible he found some chaos to create somewhere else, and the reason the mists brought us here was to deal with Hades, Hera, Eris, and Nemesis."

"I still say no way," Phil asserted. "Hera is NOT involved."

"There is only one way to know," Zoë stated. "To interrogate her."

"WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "If we find what she's doing when the sun's gone, she might be doing something really suspicious!"

"And how are we gonna get to Olympus?" Phil asked. "Most of us are mortals, one of us has been banned to the mortal plane – "

"And one of us is me," Pit concluded. "We can get as far as the gates, but if we need to go beyond, I'll handle that! I can get a confession out of her!"

"How exactly are you going to do that?" Cassandra asked.

"With my charm." Pit winked.

"Ugh." Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Well, we have our plan," Hercules said. "And without our team strategist. I wonder where Twilight is, anyway?"

* * *

Twilight was furiously copying notes onto a scroll as Medea told her the recipe for the invincibility ointment. The pair walked through the side streets. Many peered out at them, afraid of Medea because of her reputation but awed that their princess had come home.

"When the solution has turned clear," Medea concluded, "it is finished."

Twilight wrote the last information down, but didn't roll up the scroll just yet. "Thank you so much," she gushed. "You have no idea what this means to me."

Medea gave a small, almost imperceptible laugh. "To learn Dark secrets from a villain."

"No, to learn new magic from someone who's also interested in it. Listen, maybe I am giving you too much credit, but I just met you, and you don't seem that bad to me. Besides, I've already got worse for friends."

"Your friends all seem very kind."

"The one I'm talking about…isn't here," Twilight stated sheepishly. "He's probably killed a lot more than you and with a lot fewer good reasons. Long story short, you being a 'dark witch' and 'evil' doesn't scare me off as much as it could."

"Then I thank you."

"Medea…do you mind if I ask you a few more questions? You know so much more than me, and I'm still learning."

"Ask me whatever you wish. I will answer."

"Great!" Twilight broke into a great smile. She then had to decide what she wanted to ask about: Side-Along Apparition without touching, the dark fire, the hair…at last she settled: "Well, you're traveling through time. So are my friends and I. In fact, we're kind of writing history right now that we heard ourselves in on another…in another…somewhere else. What would you say is important for us to know?"

"Always know where you are in time," Medea advised. "Keep a record. It will allow you to more easily know what is going on."

"Huh." Twilight thought it over. She realized that some of the territories she'd tread were considerably forward or backward in time from others. She also knew that others had reached different points in their own timelines, but were still on the same place in the cosmic timeline. This was to say nothing of the people that traveled between them, few and far between as they seemed to be, and how their aging would be factored in. "I haven't really been keeping a good record of when we've been. Just where. I should start." A more pressing question occurred to her. "Back when we were fighting Alecto, she talked about a prison, and you said it was made out of an Old One. Then you looked at me. What was that about?"

"I know that the future rests on the conflict between the Old Ones with their chaos and the order of the cosmos as it stands," Medea stated. "Aegaeon, the Hecatonchires, is older than Greece. Older than this world. He fought a war against the Primordials, but when Zeus created this world, Aegaeon rebelled against him and was punished. He broke a blood oath to Zeus that had been forged in the age of Legend. Since then, his body has served as the prison for other breakers of blood oaths. He was killed, but as the conflict escalates, no Old One stays dead for long. The others will seek him out. So long as you are involved, it is important that you know."

"Thank you," Twilight replied, taking notes furiously on her scroll. "That definitely sounds like someone Discord would be interested in."

They both new that neither would have to explain Discord to the other.

The pair emerged from the alleys onto the coast of the city, where Meg, Rarity, and Fluttershy sat on a nearby bench, watching the ebb and flow of the sea. "How's your time off?" Twilight asked.

"It's going well," Fluttershy answered. "We were just talking about a lot of things."

"Mind if we join you?" Twilight asked.

"Go ahead," Meg replied. Twilight and Medea walked closer to the three.

Rarity sighed, looking out over the waves. Picking up from what must have been an earlier conversation, she groaned, "I know love will find me someday. Between the deal I made for my powers and the sheer odds given the time I've got to look, it has to happen. I just can't fathom why it hasn't already! I'm not repulsive, am I?"

"No," Meg reassured Rarity. "Love's a tricky thing. You've gotta go through a lot of bad apples before you find a sweet one."

"I haven't loved since Jason," Medea said. "He committed what was to me an ultimate betrayal. And yet I know that somewhere in time there exists for me someone to love."

"If it'll make you feel better," Meg added, "I can tell you my story. About the jerk that dumped me."

"Oh, but that's one of your most well-guarded secrets!" Rarity gasped. "I couldn't ask you to betray it! Not at all!"

"It was a long time ago." Meg shrugged. "When I really think about it, it doesn't matter."

"Well…if you wish," Rarity replied.

"Kinda funny, thinking about him now," Meg said, looking out at the sea. "He was a traveler. One of those types that's been to exotic lands and seen strange things. Charming, confident, had a real way with words…he swept me right off my feet. I really thought we were gonna be something after, what, maybe one date? You know first love. It's weird. He had this…problem, though. This curse. He got mixed up with some bad magic, and it was killing him." She paused. "Okay, Twilight, you're smiling."

"Just because it reminded me of someone," Twilight said. "Keep going."

"I don't really remember anymore if it was me who thought of it or if he asked me to do it," Meg went on, "but I wanted him to live. I guess I was a little bit selfish. I thought I could deal with anything as long as he was happy, but when it got down to it, I just wanted him to live longer so we could be together longer. Anyway. I got the idea to make a deal with Hades for his life. Hades would have me as his personal servant to do whatever his bidding was, and my man's thread of life would be spun out longer. Selling my soul didn't seem like such a big deal. It just seemed like one of those sacrifices you make for a great love. Not to mention that my man and I didn't exactly have the greatest moral compass. I was mixed up in trading Lethe water on the black market, and he was studying Dark magic. It wasn't a real big leap to start doing dirty work for Hades.

"Anyway, after the deal was done, I told my guy all about what I did to save him, and it made him happy. Way too happy. The next day, I hear he's run off with Circe. Turns out he just needed someone to buy him some more time. Wouldn't be surprised if that's the reason he picked me out in the first place. If he faked all of it just to get me to trade my soul for a few years for him. I've always kinda resented Circe for it, but I guess I can't really blame her. The only reason I can't blame him is 'cause he went missing. On another one of his travels, I guess. And that's where I was when Hercules found me."

"My aunt Circe." Medea gave a slight smile. "She has had many men. None to her liking. It is probable that your old love currently lives transfigured as a dog chained in her basement."

"Now, that's fun to picture," Meg said with a chuckle. "Though, thinking back on Gauntlet Boy, he'd probably prefer to be an eel or something weird."

"WHAT?"

Twilight nearly stumbled to the ground as she cried out. She felt absolutely chilled, inside and out. The realization had hit Rarity and Fluttershy at the same time, and they looked to Twilight with concern.

"Twilight?" Meg asked. "You…okay?"

"His name," Twilight said quickly. "What was his name?"

"The guy who dumped me?" Meg asked to clarify. "His name was – "

Twilight spoke it at the same time she did: "Mozenrath."

"Wait, you know this guy?" Meg asked, now stunned herself.

"I know him," Twilight said, shuddering. The words were difficult to get out, but once she began to speak, they kept on pouring. "We met when I first started this journey. We started out as enemies, but we kept getting closer. We kept on meeting in weird ways, and we talked all about everything, about magic, about the gauntlet and what it was doing to him, about my friends, about his past…and everypony knew it was a bad idea for me to even talk to him, and even I knew it was a bad idea, but so far, it hadn't actually turned out bad. I haven't seen him in a year, but I haven't been able to forget him that whole time. I keep thinking about him and if I'll ever see him again. But he's horrible."

"Your friend who worked with Dark magic," Medea inferred.

"Hey…" Meg said hastily, noticing that Twilight was growing ever more disturbed. "What happened to me doesn't have to mean anything about what happened to you." She couldn't see how any dealing with Mozenrath could, in fact, be good, given how he'd mercilessly used her as a pawn, but she would lie for Twilight's sake. "I mean, it's not like you did what I did."

"I did EXACTLY what you did," Twilight wailed. "I made a deal with a creature that just meant to kill me off and harvest my entropy. That's what gave me a lot of my new powers. That's what made this amulet go – "

"Black?" Meg and Medea said as one.

"IT'S BLACK?" Twilight screamed. "That means I'm almost done turning into a horrible creature! I'll lose my mind! I'll try to hurt everypony! And I did it all in exchange for a wish! I WISHED THAT MOZENRATH WOULDN'T DIE!"

Meg was struck speechless.

"I'm an idiot," Twilight went on.

"No, you're not," Fluttershy asserted.

"YES I AM," Twilight insisted, eyes wide, limbs trembling. "He probably had it planned out from the start! He KNEW I'd wish for that!"

"Now, Twilight, let's be reasonable!" Rarity cried, beginning to panic. "He was nowhere near, and we know Kyubey was sent by Discord! There was no possible way Mozenrath could have known that far in advance what would happen! It's all just a coincidence!"

"OR IS IT?" Twilight hissed. "He's got a twisted mind. He used Meg! He could figure out how to get me to do what he wanted! And I've just been stupider and stupider, getting close to him and listening to him…and I even called him my FRIEND!"

"But you are friends," Fluttershy stated.

"No," Twilight insisted. "I'm just another cheap way for him to escape dying. He'll be done with me, and he'll be laughing all the way. And to think I even…I even…!"

Meg realized it, but bit her lip.

Medea was less tactful. "You loved him."

"I LET ONE EPISODE OF STABLEHOLM SYNDROME TAKE OVER MY HEART, AND I HAD ACTUAL FEELINGS FOR HIM!" Twilight screamed. Then she took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm herself. "All this time. I was an idiot. You call me the team strategist for so long, and you say I'm so smart, but I fall for something as simple as that."

Rarity noticed Twilight's amulet pulsing. "Twilight, no! THE AMULET!"

"Who even cares?" Twilight responded. "If I go, there'll be another Element of Magic. One who won't get tricked so easily."

"It's affecting the way you think!" Fluttershy gasped.

It was then that Twilight's very presence in existence began to waver. The outline of a Kentauride was suddenly filled with flickers like static, blocking out her true appearance. Soon she was just a Kentauride-shaped ball of static.

"TWILIIIIIIIGHT!" Rarity shrieked.

What was left of Twilight's body turned its head toward Rarity. "I'm just an idiot," Twilight's voice said.

Everyone in Colchis heard the entropy explosion when it happened.

The rest of the group had been on the way to the beach to meet up with Meg, Fluttershy, Rarity, Meg, and Medea. The sound of the boom brought them more quickly. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie gave a simultaneous gasp when they saw the large, iridescent symbol of the six-pointed star hanging in midair.

"She…she didn't…" Applejack muttered.

"What happened?" Hercules asked.

Meg leapt to her feet. "Twilight was right there, and then she blew up!"

"She became that symbol?" Zoë asked.

"What symbol?" Meg and Hercules asked at once.

"The symbol that matches the star from her flank," Zoë answered. "It is right there in the air!"

"It is a portal," Medea stated in awe.

"She could still be alive!" Hercules cried. "WE HAVE TO GO AFTER HER!"

When he ran at the portal, both Meg and Zoë chased after him. They nearly touched the shimmering symbol before Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack all grasped at their arms, pulling them back.

"You can't go in there!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "If you get too close, you'll get a Witch's Kiss, and things will get even more messed up! It's me, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie that have to go in and get her out!"

"It was my fault," Meg lamented. "If I hadn't told her that story…"

"It would have happened sooner or later," Rarity told Meg. "It's the curse of our powers. We each made a wish that was supposed to backfire on us and send us into despair. If you hadn't triggered it, something else would have. Fluttershy, Applejack, and I are still in danger of the very same thing. Rainbow Dash already went through it, and Pinkie Pie…just defies the rules of pretty much everything anyway."

"Only our Elements can save her," Applejack said. "But we CAN save her."

"But what is she like?" Fluttershy asked. "She was already powerful and magical. What if she's a meaner witch than Rainbow Dash?"

"WE. CAN. SAVE. HER," Applejack repeated.

"I would like to go with you," Medea stated.

"Why do YOU want to come?" Rainbow Dash asked in suspicion.

"If you do have doubts about your ability to stand against what your friend has become," Medea said, "you should have assistance. I find it hard to believe there is dark magic in this universe that can still harm me."

"Well…you can see the portal," Applejack resolved.

"You should come with us!" Pinkie concluded. "It'll be like a field trip!"

"Yeah," Applejack sighed. "Just like…a field trip. But we have to go NOW." She turned and walked into the portal, entering the labyrinth.

"Applejack is quite right," Rarity said, following.

"Everypony else just stay out here!" Pinkie Pie ordered. "We'll be back in a jiffy!" She bounded through the portal.

"Come on, Medea," Fluttershy said gently, and she led the witch through the portal.

"Twilight," Rainbow Dash muttered, "you better not be any worse than I was." With gritted teeth, she charged into the portal.

* * *

The labyrinth was styled as a library. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Medea, and Rainbow Dash found themselves in between two bookshelves that were incredibly tall, stretching up into infinity. There was no ceiling or sky, only blackness. The carpet was a rather tranquil shade of blue. That was the only thing remotely comforting about the place. Whispers were heard between all the books. It took a moment for Twilight's friends to figure out that every single whisper was some perversion of Twilight's voice – made deeper, made higher, made faster or slower. "Clock is ticking," the whispers said. "If I can't find a friendship problem…I'll make one!" "I'm sorry I wasted your time."

"Is she close?" Rarity asked softly.

"I think those are just…echoes," Fluttershy offered.

"How do we find Twilight?" Medea asked.

"We start walkin'," Applejack said.

So they did. The bookshelves led them through twists and turns. Unlike Rainbow Dash's labyrinth, the surroundings seemed consistent, not throwing any surprises at its entrants.

Pinkie Pie glanced over at the books to see what was on Twilight's new shelves. "Huh," she remarked, taking one off the shelf. "That's a funny title." Thick black letters printed on a maroon cover declared the book to be called "FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC."

Pinkie Pie opened the book, leafing through the pages. It wasn't much of a book at all, she realized. It only seemed to say one thing over and over:

"FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC."

With a shudder, Pinkie put the book back. She looked down the row of books on the shelf. The spines varied in thickness and in color, but all of them were also entitled "FRIENDSHIP IS NOT MAGIC."

Eventually there was a clearing; the shelves opened out to a circular area. The blue carpet gave way to a glass floor, beneath which a great clock, all gears exposed, was ticking away. Every tick echoed loudly off the shelves. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy paused. Medea stopped only because they did. After nothing happened for a while, Applejack admitted, "I kinda thought this'd be the place. Kinda like how it opened up into a big area when we found Rainbow Dash."

"You mean when we found Regen…Reg…" Fluttershy struggled to come up with the name.

"Eh, Twilight's probably got some fancy witch name the Old Ones are gonna be talking about," Rainbow Dash remarked. "Let's keep going. This place isn't big enough to hold her anyway."

The group set out again, entering another path marked off by shelves. Then something faded into view, showing out of the darkness: a dark blue wall. A set of wooden double doors adorned it. The doors were brightly polished wood with a great golden snake embossed on each door.

"This is probably the place," Applejack said. "Everypony ready?"

"READY!" Pinkie Pie squealed as four Mahou Shoujo and one weather witch were transformed into being.

Medea stepped forth to pry open the doors.

The room beyond was brightly lit, and in fact looked like a giant version of the entry room of the Ponyville library. The shelves were lighter in tone. Great windows let shafts of light shine through. The ceiling was actually visible. Were the room not so giant, it might have been pleasant. There was also the matter of the books. The shelves were empty. All the books – in fact more than could have fit on the shelves – were piled on the floor. They sloped upward from where the six stood, creating a massive mountain, a layer of books that made a new floor.

"I don't like this," Applejack remarked.

"I wanna climb it!" Pinkie declared, hopping up the slope onto the book mountain.

The books shuddered. Something massive moved beneath them.

"PINKIE PIE, GET BACK!" Rarity rushed after Pinkie, pulling her away, back toward the double doors.

The creature burst from beneath the books. A giant dragon, snakelike, a sick shade of green, emerged and roared. Its neck was thicker than Ladon's and its head had more spikes protruding from it than the dragon of Colchis.

Büchenwyrm eyed her visitors with hatred, giving them another roar to show them just how much distaste she held for them and how soon she wanted to destroy them all.

"GO!" Applejack ordered, and the sphere of light surrounded the five remaining bearers of the Elements of Harmony. At the same time, fifty books rose from the great ocean of pages and covers, flying into the sphere, pelting the Kentaurides, breaking the spell. Büchenwyrm dove beneath the surface of the books, her snakelike body breaching the surface before the tail at long last flicked under.

"Find her," Medea said all to calmly before running atop the books. The others followed.

Büchenwyrm surfaced again, whipping her head about and using it to knock Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash toward opposite walls. Medea, she didn't seem to care about just yet. She dove down again. While her head was out of sight, Rarity loaded up an arrow, firing it at the slither of Büchenwyrm's body. Pinkie Pie got the same idea, firing her pistols.

Büchenwyrm was unaffected. When she was gone, the others attempted to run to each other and converge in the center, but then Büchenwyrm's head resurfaced, and clusters of books levitated alongside it. Six clusters broke off, building walls of books around Medea, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity, encasing each in a cylinder of books. Rainbow Dash found her sword couldn't cut the books, nor could Fluttershy's katana.

Medea's book prison was engulfed in black fire, burning the walls that tried to hold her. She quickly set fire to the other five cylinders of books as well, freeing the Kentaurides. The black fire traveled down into the mass of books that Büchenwyrm used to hide, beginning to spread.

Rainbow Dash called upon the wind to cycle round and round, hoping it would put out the fire, but instead, the fire was picked up on the wind, and a black flame maelstrom surrounded the room, cutting off the view of the glass windows and empty shelves.

Enraged, Büchenwyrm burst from the books, spreading a pair of almost transparent wings. As she climbed up into the air, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Medea grabbed ahold of her scales, pulled up with her. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew alongside.

Büchenwyrm breathed pure ice at the walls, putting out the fire. Now the shelves were covered in snow and ice, glistening and glittering. Medea took this time to climb closer to Büchenwyrm's head, forming a collar of blue plasma around her as well as a blue chain that led back to her hands. Büchenwyrm roared and twisted, but when Medea yanked the chain, it was clear that she was in control. Büchenwyrm was kept still.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, having free hands, each prepared her final attack: a rainbow shockwave permeated with lightning rushed at Büchenwyrm from one side while flower shuriken darted from another.

Upon the impact of the forces of energy, Büchenwyrm roared. Her wings ceased; she turned and fell towards the burned remains of the books scattered on the ground.

Medea formed a blue sphere around herself, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity, holding the four of them in midair. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy quickly rushed to the sides of the sphere.

"Do it," Medea said, letting herself fall from the sphere.

The unfinished rainbow of the Elements of Harmony shot from the sphere, striking Büchenwyrm just as she hit the pile of book debris. She sank down again, but not before a glowing light emanated from her and joined the rainbow. The rainbow glowed ever brighter.

Medea turned a flip in midair before landing on the book debris on her feet, crouching to absorb the shock.

The entire scene was engulfed in blinding white light. When it faded, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash stood on the Colchis beach in their plain clothes. Medea got to her feet nearby, dusting herself off. Twilight lay in the sand before them.

"TWILIGHT!" Her five friends rushed to her, crouching near her.

Twilight's eye blinked open.

"Are you all right?" Rarity asked concernedly.

"SPEAK TO ME!" Pinkie Pie yelled, grabbing Twilight by the shoulders and shaking her.

"GAAAAH!" Twilight cried in response to Pinkie's action. When Pinkie let her go, she smiled. "Thanks, everypony. I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry – " Fluttershy began.

"No," Twilight corrected. "I'm sorry for…well…for all that." She got to her hooves, and the others did the same.

"You don't still…believe you're an idiot, do you?" Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No. I mean, I still think maybe I could have done better, but I think a lot of what I was saying actually was being fueled by the amulet. I don't think I'm stupid. Not really." Then she scowled. "I'm just really, really angry at Mozenrath."

* * *

Chapter 57:

· Hera is 75% based on the GoW version. Pretty sure I can have her swear if I want.

· Basically, the rundown is that after Persephone died, Hera and Hades both hated Zeus, so they planned the next Titan invasion together and each got a reason to kill Hercules. And that continues into today. But as you can see, Hades plans to backstab Hera. Now, the question is…does she have her own agenda against him as well?

· I was originally going to put in more locations from the Argo adventure, but backtracking to Thrace would have been pointless…

· Triton is another one-ep HTAS character, a son of Poseidon who was kind of a geeky awkward kid. I wanted to catch up with him a few years down the road as well.

· I constantly love to make Medea sympathetic. Ever since I heard her myth, I felt bad for her. I don't consider her a villain. I consider her someone abused to the point of snapping. I REALLY wanted to make her prominent here.

· I searched for an already existing version of Medea to draw from. While I suppose given the fandoms I'm using, it might have made more sense to look into Caster from Fate/Stay Night (a friend of mine used to watch it all the time), the first place I saw Medea as a visual was in that corny Hallmark film adaptation of Jason and the Argonauts, so that's ultimately the one I saw in my mind, and I brought her stoicism into it as well as her particular invincibility ointment. And, as always, anything from "Heroes of Olympus" is OUT of the question.

· I adjusted the myth a little bit. I made Pelias the father of Creusa just to tidy things up.

· Also, you can see I kind of retconned the HTAS ep "Argonauts" out of existence, though I still kept the idea that Jason searched for a long time, and that's also where I got my design for Gegeines.

· It's well known mythological canon that Circe is the sister of Aeëtes. It's only speculation that Hecate is Medea's mother, but I thought…why not?

· Finally, Medea's time travel is going to be a reference to a time paradox in Greek myth itself. Medea is Theseus' stepmother, but he kills her in his youth. Then he joins the crew of the Argo, which sails to Colchis, where Jason…meets…Medea? Most likely the myth writers were just kind of using her as a stock villain and didn't care about chronology, but I decided it's time travel time. It also gives me an excuse to power up Medea through the idea that she's had several years to learn before she came back.

· Khalkotauri, Spartoi, and a giant dragon are all ripped directly from the Argo myth.

· Yes, the teal eagle is Panic. Couldn't resist!

· I explain the Prison of the Damned (the opening stage in GoW Ascension) a bunch of times because it's super important.

· I do believe Alecto is stronger than both Tisiphone and Megaera combined, seeing as when she first shows up in GoW, it's after Kratos has beaten Tisiphone and Megaera at the same time…and she just knocks him down in one shot.

· I hope I'm right in assuming that no one will miss Aeëtes. He was a jerk in the original myths anyway.

· The golden bridle is something that appears in myths, but more importantly in the HTAS ep about Bellerophon. The animal that wears it has to obey its owner completely.

· I just made up the stuff about the control of the Colchis dragon in order to add a layer to the battle, give Alecto and Medea each a chance to employ the dragon in combat, and set up how things work in Colchis.

· The hair attack Medea uses is ripped from "Bayonetta" while the fire should be recognized as Dark Firaga from KH.

· Sepulcaphs and the Deplorable Word are…shall we say…HIGH-level dark spells from Abarat and The Chronicles of Narnia respectively. Maybe we'll see those later.

· Yeah, I tried for a fakeout with Meg and Adonis. I've often played with the concept of Meg and Mozenrath having had a relationship, and Mozenrath being the one who betrayed Meg so that she would sell her soul and extend his life. The "babe" he dumped her for was Circe, leading directly to the flashback Hecate watched of Moz revealing to Circe that SHE was just a chance for him to conquer Aeaea. Of course, given Twilight's wish…it was the perfect catalyst.

· Suggested companion song: "Stupid" by Sarah McLachlan. I was listening to it while thinking about their relationship.

· And the labyrinth was inspired by the song "Hyperactivity" by Flutter Rex. Good ol' Flutter Rex…you can always count on FR for really dark and creepy pony-inspired music. I also listened to "Time is Running Out" by Omnipony a lot.

· The clock in the floor was admittedly kind of hijacked from American McGee's Alice (which is REALLY sad because I plan to incorporate AMA into this story). I thought it well reflected Twilight's obsession with "clock…is…ticking!"

· As for the doors, you'll notice the snakes on them as reminiscent of the snakes on the doors to Mozenrath's citadel.

· "Büchenwyrm" is a little pun. "Büchenwurm" is German for "bookworm" (and I SO lucked out that it still contained "wurm" in it). Whereas a "wyrm" is a general term for a dragon. She's a book-wyrm!


	58. You're Only Second Rate

A/N: For this next chapter, you're going to want to know the songs "At the Gala" from the MLPFIM S1 finale and "You're Only Second Rate" from "The Return of Jafar."

* * *

58: Only Second Rate

COLCHIS, THE BORDER OF OLYMPIC GREECE

As the sun dipped low over the horizon, indicating that Apollo was almost home to Olympus with his chariot, the group of heroes was finally ready to leave Colchis and make for the mainland.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"Yeah," Twilight answered. "I'm fine. In fact, I feel kind of…energized. I mean, I sort of exploded into a whole new power level."

"About this sorcerer," Medea said.

"Um," Fluttershy began, "maybe it's best if we don't talk about – "

"No," Twilight interrupted. "I want to talk about it. I don't want to be afraid to, anyway."

"Do you love him?" Medea asked.

"I…don't know," Twilight answered. "It's complicated. We haven't known each other really long enough for me to call it love. But I've been through a lot with him, and I feel like it's more than just a passing crush. He doesn't feel any of that way about me, that's for sure. I mean, besides the fact that I might have just been a way for him to put off dying, the first time we really called each other friends…someone else had broken his heart, and it's not the kind of person who's easy to forget, either. I guess I care about him a lot…or I thought I did…and I don't want him to get hurt. I still don't. And I wish I could see him again, but…well…if he did know about all this, there's a chance I won't. It's a big multiverse, anyway. We might never cross paths again."

"And if you do?" Medea pressed.

"Then I NEED to talk to him about this," Twilight resolved. "The fact that I made my wish and risked my soul for him isn't just going to go away. I'm still angry. But we're not going to get anywhere if I just lash out at him or give him a cold shoulder. If he shows up again, I'm giving him a piece of my mind, and he'd BETTER listen."

"I wish you luck," Medea said with a sincere nod.

"So, Medea," Hercules broke in. "You were a big help to us. Any interest in coming along with us?"

Medea shook her head. "My goal is still to find a place somewhere in time that I can have peace. But before that, there is something I must do. When Alecto killed my father, she left my people without a ruler. I am the last blood heir. I must protect this kingdom until I can name someone else heir."

"Good luck!" Pinkie Pie wished, grabbing Medea's hand in both her own and shaking it furiously. "And goodbye! Maybe we'll see you sometime!"

"Perhaps," Medea replied. "Though it will next be you who sees me, not me who sees you."

"What the hay…" Applejack started, but shook her head. "Never mind. Okay, we gotta get this show on the road."

"Next stop: Mount Olympus!" Pit declared as the group ascended the gangplank.

The ship drew up anchor and then left the harbors of Colchis. Medea watched it for a time before turning back to face the edge of her kingdom.

They watched her. The people, those who had been subjects of her father. They'd crawled out of their homes and the streets and everywhere else they'd been hidden during the Fury attack. They stood and stared at her. The witch they'd been told to abhor because she killed her brother the prince and fled her kingdom. The last hope for Colchis, who'd vanquished Alecto and whom the royal dragon answered to.

Then the first of them bowed. The rest followed suit until they all bent or knelt before Medea.

"Your highness," the first to bow said.

"I can only hope to earn the right to bear that title," Medea replied for all to hear.

* * *

THE SEAS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Seething, Alecto dove deep into the sea, down to where the light couldn't reach and the waters were black. They had forced her off the throne on land, threatened her with powerful weapons. But that was away from the sea. When Alecto had the sea at her disposal, her foes would be dealing with a very different beast indeed, one that could not merely be punctured by Celestial Bronze.

She began to transform, her body becoming impossibly large, jet black tentacles unfolding like tendrils.

* * *

"Rainbow Dash, we're going to need your help getting the ship back through the Symplegades," Twilight ordered. "And whoever's on helm, we should probably get that decided now!"

"Well…" Rarity thought it over. "Perhaps the Symplegades will be enough of a challenge that I can learn more quickly. Besides, with Rainbow Dash adjusting for the wind, there's really not much more danger we can be in at the time – "

"NOOOOOO!" Pinkie Pie screamed.

"What is it?" Zoë asked.

"You CAN'T say it can't get worse!" Pinkie wailed. "That's ALWAYS when it gets worse!"

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight said sternly. "Be rational. Nothing bad is going to happen just because Rarity said – "

The waters rippled violently. The whole ship shook.

"That was not my fault," Rarity insisted from the steering wheel.

The gigantic black tentacles, like that of a Kraken, burst from the water one by one, rising into the air.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Rainbow Dash cried. Weapons onboard were immediately drawn or summoned at once.

Zoë was almost too stunned to answer, but she was the only one that could provide it, so she forced herself to speak: "That is Alecto."

"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash, Hercules, Twilight, and Pit screamed in shock.

"Figures," Cassandra sighed.

Alecto's tentacles wrapped around the ship, threatening to crush it. Hercules, Pit, and Zoë readied their weapons. One tentacle was slashed by Anaklusmos, one scraped by the double blades, and one pierced by several light arrows. The divine weapons seemed to have no effect. The ship groaned beneath the strain Alecto put on it, threatening to snap.

"WE'RE ALL DONE FOR!" Icarus wailed. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DROWN!"

"No," Twilight realized. "RAINBOW DASH! PINKIE! APPLEJACK! RARITY! FLUTTERSHY!"

The other Kentaurides surrounded her. "What's your plan?" Applejack asked.

"We need to use the Elements of Harmony now, or the ship will break!" Twilight insisted.

"But the Elements couldn't stand against her when she wasn't a giant sea monster!" Rarity pointed out.

"What's so different this time?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm a lot stronger now," Twilight stated, and in a flash, she'd changed clothing. Her Mahou Shoujo ensemble had changed to reflect her newfound darkness; her belt was silver instead of gold, and her skirt was no longer black on blue, but blue on black. She raised her staff.

The others changed as well, creating the sphere of light that allowed them to channel their power. A great rainbow surged outward, momentarily covering the ship. As if shocked electrically, Alecto let go of the ship with all tentacles at once. Determined, she made to grab hold of the vessel again.

The rainbow shot directly upward before funneling into a rainbow-colored translucent sphere that surrounded the ship as it sailed. Alecto's tentacles pounded against it uselessly. The Fury kept at it again and again, enraged.

"SYMPLEGADES AHEAD!" Phil called out.

Hercules quickly ran to the ship's helm, grabbing the steering wheel.

"Twilight!" Meg ran towards the Kentaurides, who all hovered off the deck. "Are you all right?"

Eyes glowing brightly with white light, Twilight yelled, "I FEEL AWESOME!" She grinned broadly. "I HAVE SO MUCH MORE POWER NOW!"

Power Alecto could feel as she battered on the rainbow sphere that kept her from accessing the ship.

Hercules turned the helm to just the right position as the ship sailed through the Symplegades. Without Rainbow Dash being free to manipulate the winds, the ship couldn't speed through the clashing rocks, but the sphere did offer protection; the rocks couldn't bend or break it to the ship underneath. Anything on the outside was less lucky.

When Alecto felt the two halves of the rock coming together to smash against her, she quickly transformed, but not before her squidlike appendages were all quite scraped indeed from the rocks. She sped back into the direction from which she had come, now resembling a humanoid again. She knew she was leaving a trail of blood in the water. A few interested sharks came sniffing, but she swatted them away with blasts of Dark magic.

Behind the Symplegades, Alecto surfaced, levitating above the water. Her scraped skin dripped blood. She watched the ship slide through the Symplegades, the rainbow keeping the rocks at bay, and then saw the rocks close once the ship had passed.

She knew better than to follow. She had to get to Hades, to find healing for her injuries. However, she was pleased all the same. She hadn't had the pleasure of crushing the ship. But after what she'd managed to do by distracting the crew, she wouldn't need to, and perhaps had condemned them all to a worse fate.

* * *

The rainbow ceased when it was clear Alecto was no longer attached to the ship. It had begun to flicker anyway. The Kentaurides hit the deck, tired.

"Well, I'd be happy not casting spells of that level for quite a while," Rarity muttered.

"Are you KIDDING?" Twilight was hopping up and down. "That was such a rush! I've never felt anything like that before! All this power inside me just waiting to come out and do big things!"

"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash couldn't suppress a laugh. "You're acting like Pinkie Pie right now."

"WOOHOO!" Pinkie Pie cried, bounding up and down just because Twilight was doing so. Then she stopped. "Heyyyyy, wait a minute! There can only be ONE Pinkie Pie around here! Are you an impostor?"

Twilight settled herself into a standing position and laughed. "No, Pinkie. I'm not an impostor. Well, at least the worst is behind us."

"DON'T EVER SAY THAT EITHER!" Pinkie screeched.

"Calm down," Meg told her. "We already went through this once. What are the odds of bad luck happening because we called it twice in a row?"

"Really, really high!" Pinkie informed her.

A single voice was suddenly heard; it pierced the air, echoing against the sky.

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Fluttershy said.

"Me too," Pit agreed.

More voices joined the first in chorus, forming chords of note patterns that seemed too beautiful to be possible.

"It's…gorgeous," Twilight said.

"Wait…" Hercules realized what was going on. "NO! DON'T LISTEN! IT'S THE SIRENS!"

"Alecto distracted us!" Rarity wailed. "I'd completely forgotten about them!"

"It'll be okay," Twilight said, "so long as we don't listen! I'm going to get us something for our ears so we can't…hear…" She suddenly stared out toward the horizon, towards the source of the song. "Them…" Her eyes glazed over.

The sirens' chords mingled in the air, weaving around each other, knitting into a tapestry of sound, until it was all anyone could hear, just their music. And to certain onboard the ship, the tune became slightly familiar.

"On this island," the sirens began, "on this island…"

Fluttershy gazed out in wonder as the song spoke to her:

"On this island,

In our garden,

You're going to see them all.

All the creatures,

You'll befriend them on this island!

On this island.

From the phoenix

To chimaera

They'll love you big and small!

You'll become best friends forever, right here on this island!"

The sirens continued to sing to all who heard: "All your dreams will come true,

Right here on this island,

On this island!"

Applejack heard a tune just as enticing.

"On this island,

We will eat them,

All your appletastic treats!

Hungry sirens,

We will pay high,

Honeyed apples, apple sweets!

And we'll give you all our drachmas

For the apple family!"

To everyone, the sirens sang, "All your dreams and your hopes,

From now until hereafter!

All that you've been wishing for

Will happen on this island,

On this island!"

Rarity was positively starstruck as the song played to her ears:

"At the gala,

Your one true love,

I will meet my Rarity!

I will see you oh so regal

On this island,

On this island!

You will find me,

Your true soul mate,

And gallant I can be,

I will treat you like a lady

Forever on this island!"

To everyone, the sirens gave another chorus: "This is what you've waited for,

To live in peace forever!

You shall all swim in your dreams

Ever on this island,

On this island!"

Rainbow Dash heard a verse all her own in her head:

"You've been dreamin',

You've been waitin',

To fly with all the best!

Show off your skill,

Your daring tricks,

Spinning round and having kicks!

Perform for crowds of thousands.

We'll shower you with diamonds!

We'll see you as the best,

Right here on this island!"

The sirens chorused again: "All you've hoped for, all you've dreamed,

Your happy ever after!

Finally will all come true

Right here upon this island,

On this island!"

Twilight was entranced with a siren song spun just for her:

"On this island,

With your best friends,

Is where you're going to be!

We can teach you brand new magic,

New things to learn and see!

It is going to be so special,

Time just for you and we!"

Again, the sirens called out: "Happiness forever

On this island,

On this island!"

Then Pinkie Pie heard the call for her:

"Come here unto our island,

For it is the best party!

And the one thing we are missing

Is a pony named Pinkie!"

At that moment, midverse, Pinkie gave a great gasp upon hearing her name. She was so overjoyed, she couldn't help but burst out into song, completing the verse herself:

"Yes, I am the best at parties,

And my friends here will agree!

We'll be playing!

We'll be dancing!

WITH ME RIGHT ON YOUR ISLAAAAAAND!"

The veil suddenly lifted. The siren song was blocked out, driven from everyone's mind. The voices were still audible, but just as background noise. Fluttershy looked around to find that she'd dove overboard the ship and was treading water, trying to swim toward the sirens. She gasped in horror.

Similar gasps and outcries were heard. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie, Pit, Zoë, Hercules, Pegasus, Phil, Meg, Cassandra, and Icarus were also in the ocean, trying to swim in the same direction before they'd all woken up, so to speak.

"H-how did we get out here?" Fluttershy gasped.

"The sirens must have…taken control over us completely," Hercules guessed, looking back at the ship. "We dropped anchor and dove overboard!"

"Who KNOWS what kind of trouble we'd be in if Pie hadn't overloaded the system!" Phil pointed out; the entire group turned to swim back.

"Speaking of which," Pit said, "how did that even WORK?"

"I have no idea, and I don't care," Phil grumbled.

"Pinkie Pie…kinda breaks all the rules," Twilight suggested.

"Hmm…" Zoë muttered. "I have heard tell that some mortals possess voices of more perfection than the sirens. It is a rare gift, something to happen to one in a million."

"Ya do got a nice set of pipes," Applejack told Pinkie.

"PINKIE PIE SAVES THE DAY!" Icarus cried. "And, more importantly, she saved Cassandra from a horrible fate!"

"Wishing I could take my chances with the sirens right about now," Cassandra muttered.

When the group reached the ship, those with wings helped those without get back on board. Rarity was grumpy as she was soggy. "I'm all wet," she pouted. "My coiffure!"

"That's the least of our worries," Meg told her.

"So what did everyone hear?" Twilight asked. "I heard the sirens singing about learning magic and being with friends."

"That ain't what I heard," Applejack replied. "They were gonna buy all my apple treats and give me enough money to send back home to my family."

"My one true love was there on that island!" Rarity added. "Or so they said."

"They said they had animals for me to befriend and play with in the gardens of their island," Fluttershy said.

"And they told me they were gonna cheer for all my best air stunts," Rainbow Dash stated.

"They were telling me about a huuuuge party!" Pinkie said.

"They said I'd be hailed with fame and fortune, and everyone would love me," Hercules said.

"But don't you already have all that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," Hercules admitted sheepishly. "I guess I never really lost the taste for it."

"Kid, you're a lot of great things," Phil said, "but humble ain't one of them. As for me? They said I'd train a lot of great heroes…and be surrounded by hot forest nymphs."

"If you weren't part goat," Meg retorted, "you'd be part pig. Anyway, mine was…personal." The sirens had sang to her of love, that someone would await her who would be more trustworthy even than Hercules. She had everything she could ever have asked for in her current relationship, it was true, but sometimes old fears did gnaw at her. The sirens had been able to detect that. As much as she loved Hercules, the sirens had managed to come up with the song of someone who sounded even more honest and true.

"As was mine," Zoë said. The sirens had given her nearly the same song: a love who was greater than Hercules.

"I heard that I'd have a chance to slay a lot of monsters for glory," Pit said rather proudly. "And also that I'd get a weapon that could serve as a blade AND a bow. I only wish."

"As much as it pains me," Icarus said, "I heard tell of a love that would be greater and truer than even Cassandra's perfection. And because of the sirens' evil magic, my heart wavered!"

Pegasus gave an incomprehensible whinny. He'd heard the keenings of a seductive potential mate in the song of the sirens.

"And I heard them telling me…huh." Cassandra was taken aback. "Y'know, I thought the one thing I wanted the most was to get away from crazy people and just live in peace."

"What did they sing to you, sweetums?" Icarus asked.

"They oddly enough didn't sing about him dying, either," Cassandra sighed. "I guess I don't actually want that."

"What did you want?" Twilight asked.

"To have the Amulet of Ourobouros and the Eyes of Truth," Cassandra said, still somewhat surprised. "Basically, they promised me all the power of the Oracle of Delphi."

"Well, that's something you can probably actually get," Twilight said. "You are one of the best seers there."

"Yeah, well, I saw the sun going down for good," Cassandra reminded everyone. "So we should probably do something about that."

"Probably," Twilight agreed.

Rarity took the helm once more with Hercules and Meg observing. By that time, the sun had completely set, returning to Olympus, and the stars overhead provided perfect guidance back to the mainland, letting Rarity chart her way.

"Eh, we've still got time," Rainbow Dash remarked. "How can the sun fall out of the sky when it's nighttime anyway?"

* * *

MOUNT OLYMPUS

Apollo pulled the great chariot of the sun into the yard of his palace on Olympus. The chariot itself was a marvel, a great stone vehicle of gray marble tinted with lavender. Four majestic and muscular horses, manes and tails aflame, drew it; the sun trailed in its wake.

The chariot had belonged to the Titan Helios, one of the few Titans forgiven after the clash that had forged Olympic Greece. Helios had been allowed to stay on Olympus, and had even pulled the chariot for a while, but eventually, the honor was given to Apollo instead – an Olympian to do the job designated by an Olympian system. So it was Apollo who drew the Olympic sun to its nightly resting place, not to return until morning.

Apollo cut an imposing figure, tall and muscle-bound with plum-colored skin and even deeper plum-colored hair. He was dressed in crimson robes fastened with a sun-shaped brooch that matched the golden color of his helmet. A silver bow and a quiver were slung over his back. Even his countenance was weakened by fatigue after the end of a long day of piloting the sun chariot. So this majestic god made his way toward the palace only to find his way blocked.

At first, he couldn't comprehend that someone was standing before him. He knew this man wasn't one of the Olympians, but he thought him an Olympian servant, much like Palutena had her winged court. He struggled to place which god or goddess would dress his or her court in the attire he saw – a sky-blue chiton, extremely short to show off the man's shapely legs; a golden brooch fastening the fabric at one shoulder while leaving the opposite shoulder bare; black sandals that laced from his feet all the way to his knees. The man also had hair the color of blackest night, curls tied back into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. Perhaps strangest of all, he only wore one glove, brown, seemingly leather, on his right hand.

"Who goes there?" Apollo asked. "Whose court are you from?"

"No one's," the man remarked casually.

That's when Apollo figured out what was bothering him about this man. "You're a mortal!"

"Wow. You're observant."

"What are you doing here on Olympus?" Apollo asked angrily, drawing his bow. As soon as he drew back the string, an arrow of light appeared in it.

That was his mistake.

The mortal disappeared from view; when he next became visible, he had already punched Apollo in the stomach with his right fist – a feat of hypertime. The blow was magically charged, causing Apollo to reel back and loose the arrow. The arrow itself went wild and planted uselessly in the ground.

The mortal drew a pair of shamshirs – Celestial Bronze – from Hammerspace before disappearing again; Apollo slowed down his own vision enough to see the mortal attempting to charge him from behind. Apollo sidestepped to the mortal's left, grasping the mortal's uncovered wrist and twisting it so that he dropped the sword. The second sword was dismissed, and a column of flame burst toward Apollo's face from the mortal's right hand.

Apollo crouched to avoid the blast and was then surrounded by a whirlwind summoned by this powerful mortal. The cyclone blurred Apollo's vision, and it took him a moment to stand and figure out what exactly was going on.

The mortal was making a break for the chariots.

Apollo drew his bow again, hoping to rid himself of the mortal from afar. His aim was true and the arrow flew toward the mortal's back, where it would have pierced through his heart had the mortal not turned midstep and caught it in his right hand. He squeezed the arrow shaft, which broke, dissolving the arrow.

Apollo strung a cluster of arrows, shooting them all; there was no way this mere mortal could catch them.

The mortal was ready. He pointed at each arrow in succession, smirking as he did so. The light arrows all stopped inches before they would have pierced him. He made a spinning motion with his finger, and the arrows all turned completely around, pointing back at Apollo. As the final blow, he thrust out his right hand, palm toward Apollo, and a burst of dark fire roared forth from it, catching the arrows, giving them a ride on the flames.

The fire and the arrows overwhelmed Apollo. In pain, he dropped to the ground, clutching at each of his wounds. He wasn't hurt fatally, this he knew and thanked the workings of fate for. He gasped for breath.

When he looked up, the chariot was hovering above him, his fiery steeds galloping in midair. The mortal was at the helm, reining the horses in.

"Who are you?" Apollo gasped.

"I almost forgot to introduce myself," the mortal said, letting go of the reins with one hand to give a bow. "I am Mozenrath. And I am now the lord of the sun of this world."

He turned back to the reins and cracked them hard. The horses all reared up, keening loudly, before they charged up into the sky, away from Olympus.

Others had seen. Athena and Artemis rushed toward the fallen Apollo.

"What happened?" Athena asked. Slowly, the others found the scene: Hestia, Palutena, Ares, Zeus…Hera.

"The sun," Apollo gasped. "He's taken it."

"Who?" Hera barked. "WHO HAS TAKEN IT?"

"Mozenrath," Apollo answered.

It scarcely mattered who the culprit was. All the Olympians present, even Apollo, rushed to chariots, readying to follow the sun and get it back to where it belonged. No one questioned the absence of Nemesis. No one questioned that neither Hades nor Eris turned up from the Underworld to witness it.

And no one noticed when Hera steered her own chariot off course, headed in a completely different direction than the crowd.

* * *

The rush was incredible. It was even better than Mozenrath had imagined. He soared through the sky at heights probably impossible to survive outside the confines of the chariot. The wind blew coolly against his skin. And behind him, he could feel the heat radiating from the very sun itself. It was all his. No more mere imitations carved in stone. Now he had the most powerful source of light in all Olympic Greece at his disposal.

He was startled at first when Hecate materialized some ways behind him on the spacious chariot. "Is it everything you were hoping for?" she asked him.

"And more," Mozenrath affirmed.

"Not bad at all, I might add."

"Well. I did learn from the best."

"Now are you willing to admit I was right about you switching out of those overplayed robes to something more in vogue?" Hecate continued.

"I wouldn't go for 'overplayed,'" Mozenrath replied, "but I do like this look. I might keep it for a while."

"Good. It suits you. Now, where to?"

"Wherever I can take it and be able to use its powers to the greatest extent."

"Trust me, you've already got so much power just by dislodging it from that stuffy mountain," Hecate informed him. "The world's going to go as dark as the magic we deal in!"

* * *

THE ROADS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

The wagon from Delphi was headed toward the base of Mount Olympus when it happened. The dark and starry night was broken by a brilliant, searing flash; the sun rose at a speed almost inconceivable and then plunged out of the sky. What it left behind was a sky completely devoid of light, not even stars.

"IT HAPPENED!" Pinkie Pie screamed. "IT JUST HAPPENED! THE SUN JUST WENT DOWN! FOR THE SECOND TIME TONIGHT!"

"Where do you think it went?" Twilight asked.

Hercules stared off into the direction the sun had plummeted. "It almost looks like it was headed for…"

"The Land of Monsters," Zoë, Pit, and Phil said at once.

"Wh-where?" Fluttershy asked, her very voice quivering.

"The land where Echidna lives with all her children," Hercules said. "It's one of the most dangerous places known in the world."

"So do we go there," Meg asked, "or do we keep going to Olympus?"

"I…I have this feeling we should go to Olympus," Fluttershy said.

"We only have a guess as to where the sun is," Twilight added, "but we do know where Hera is, even if we don't know if she's involved. And if she is, maybe we can get something out of her about where the sun ended up!"

"Then let's go," Hercules decided. "We'll talk to my m…to Hera. And she'll tell us exactly what we need to know."

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

When Alecto stormed into Hades' throne room, bruised and bleeding still, Hades remarked, "Well, it's about time."

All the others had gathered. The Gorgon sisters. Tisiphone and Megaera. Orcos. Dark Danny and Facilier. Nemesis, arms folded in the corner. Adonis, armed with sword and shield. Eris, leaning in the curve of the circular window. Echidna, looking in through the window, her children gathered behind her on the banks of the Styx. Pain and Panic cowering near the throne.

"I threw the heroes to the sirens," Alecto told the group. "Hopefully there they will meet their end."

"They probably didn't," Hades said with a shrug, "but that doesn't matter anyway. This is the part where we march up to Olympus, we take the sun, and we – "

"Don't bother," Hera said, storming into the room uncloaked. Most recoiled in shock that the Queen of the Heavens herself was a part of their plan. Nemesis, having been under Hera's orders, just scoffed at the others' surprise. Eris laughed slightly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Hades said. "What do you mean, 'don't bother'? After all we've been working up to, you just wanna abandon the plan? What, did you grow a conscience or something?"

"Of COURSE not!" Hera roared, flinging her arms outward. "I want to see Zeus DEAD! But the sun is not an option for us. It has already been stolen."

"I'm sorry," Hades replied, "but the acoustics in this throne room are TERRIBLE. It sounded for a minute like you said the sun was already stolen from us."

"I did," Hera confirmed. "By a mere MORTAL, no less?"

"But that's not possible," Hades babbled. "The two idiots got a prophecy that – "

"Uhhhh, Lord Hades?" Pain said, realization dawning. "When we heard the prophecy, we just heard that the sun would fall out of the sky and plunge the world into darkness."

"We, uh…" Panic continued. "We kinda didn't actually hear that it was us that did it."

"So…from the beginning," Hades reiterated. "Our big blow to Olympus. The one that was going to knock Bolt Boy off his throne. That was never meant to be done by us. The whole time, we've been working based on a prophecy that some mortal Styx-stain would steal Apollo's chariot."

"Pretty much," Panic confirmed before hiding behind the throne.

All eyes were on Hades to see what he would do. "I…I think I need a minute," he said. "Excuse me for…for just a second, all right?"

He walked calmly out of the throne room. All the way out of the palace. Down the banks of the Styx, some ways away from where Echidna and her family were gathered, to a secluded area. Even from there, everyone who looked out the window of the throne room could both see the light and hear the scream from his anger:

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

When Hades finally re-entered the throne room, wisps of smoke were still curling off his skin. "I am NOT going to be shown up by some MORTAL!" he roared. "When I find out who this jerk is, I'm going to kill him, then resurrect him three times so I can KEEP ON KILLING HIM until I FINALLY decide Tartarus is good enough for him!"

"He gave a name," Hera informed Hades. "He boasted it before all of Olympus like an arrogant fool!"

"Don't hold out, babe," Hades snarled. "The name. Now. I need to know who it is I need to reserve that special corner of Tartarus for."

"His name is Mozenrath," Hera stated.

Hades was struck speechless. His jaw dropped. Then he started laughing.

"Um…are you okay?" Stheno asked.

"He's finally gone mad!" Tisiphone jeered.

"I'm sorry," Hades said between his laughs, "this is just…this is just too good, okay? The very kid that we had our eye on, and what does he do?" The jocosity was suddenly gone, and Hades burned bright orange. "HE SPITS! IN ALL! OUR FACES!"

"What are you talking about?" Hera hissed. "We did not have our eye on any Mozenrath!"

"We, as in you and me? No," Hades admitted. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go make a long-distance call. PRIVATELY. The rest of you, I dunno, play Twenty Questions or something until I get back. Hera, you do what you need to do. Everyone else, NOBODY leaves this room until I say so. Got that? And monsters on the bank, NOBODY leaves that bank."

"I will take my leave," Hera stated. "This offers me an unexpected opportunity to use the chains we forged." Without further explanation, she turned and walked out.

Hades marched down into the deepest bowels of the palace, to the darkest basements. Finally, he reached a room that was pitch dark when the door was closed, and the only light was the aura that his own body gave off. Here, he was sure he would be alone to make his call.

Usually, Hades had to resort to Iris-messaging to contact his various cohorts in Olympic Greece and the Underworld. But Maleficent had given him a special spell used to contact the Overtakers. All the Overtakers who could wield magic had learned it. He enacted it then, opening a window between his location and Maleficent's.

He found Maleficent and Jafar in the midst of a discussion in the Forbidden Mountain library. "Hey, Mal, Jaffie!" Hades greeted.

"Hades," Maleficent replied with a nod of the head.

"To what do we owe this surprise call?" Jafar asked.

"I feel you would not be contacting us," Maleficent added, "were it not a matter of grave importance."

"Y'know why you're better to work with than my idiot brother?" Hades replied. "Because you didn't make a pun out of 'grave importance' and fall over laughing. I'm just sayin'. So, y'know how I was gonna send a big message to Olympus and send them all spinning, maybe even knock a few gods out of commission? Even got Hera back on board? Made a whole big army? Yeah, so it turns out that we had this prophecy that the sun would get stolen. So, naturally, I assumed that meant my faction would be the ones doing it. But as it turns out, that prophecy was about someone else. Someone who just WALTZED IN and stole the sun right out from under my nose."

"Why should we care about your misinterpreted prophecies?" Maleficent asked, annoyed.

"Oh, you'll care when you hear who it was that took the flaming thing," Hades stated, glowing orange at the very memory. "Your boy Mozenrath."

Maleficent gasped. Jafar scowled.

"No," Maleficent said. "It can't be."

"If he's trying to prove his worth to you, he's doing a BANG-UP job of it!" Hades snarled.

"Perhaps that is all this is," Jafar pointed out.

"No," Maleficent said. "I doubt that is the case. I never was sure of Mozenrath's heart, and I do not trust his actions now. In the event that this is, however, an attempt to win our favor…"

Hades and Jafar both waited with bated breath, worrying that Maleficent was going to go soft on them.

"…he must be punished immediately for his accidental transgression," Maleficent finished, and both men in her company grinned. "Whether he acts in our name or not, we cannot have him interfering with our actions. Hades, I expect you to deal with him as soon as is possible, and as ruthlessly."

"Done, babe," Hades said.

"Not just yet," Jafar broke in. "I had hoped not to hear of that arrogant boy again. Now that the opportunity has presented itself, however, it suddenly appeals to me to see him again…"

Now Hades and Maleficent waited, expecting the worst.

"…so that I may finally deal him the killing blow I should have given him the moment he freed me," Jafar hissed.

"BADA BOOM!" Hades cried in joy. "So how fast can you get – "

Jafar was enveloped in a column of darkness, and then he was gone from Maleficent's side. Maleficent smiled as she watched Hades' end of the line; Hades was aware of a second figure materializing beside him in the dark.

" – here," Hades finished. "Y'know, Jaff, the least you could do is let me finish my sentences."

"I believe," Jafar told Hades, "we have an insolent pup to dispose of."

"With extreme prejudice!" Hades added.

Maleficent watched her two compatriots leave the room side by side; the sight brought her joy, to see them working in tandem to eliminate an annoyance. Satisfied, she closed the connection.

* * *

MOUNT OLYMPUS

When the wagon crossed the threshold of the base of the mountain, they all felt the change immediately. Twilight was the first to voice it:

"It's like we entered a different world entirely."

"You're not wrong," Phil said, but wouldn't elaborate.

The wagon continued up the mountain path, and all inside began to grow nervous. Even being on the road to the golden gates was iffy for mortals. Beyond the gates lay all the grandeur of the gods…and meant ONLY for the gods unless a mortal wished to taste Nemesis' blades.

The gates loomed on the horizon, glittering…but their shine was marred. Only when the wagon drew closer did Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Hercules, Meg, Phil, Pegasus, Icarus, Cassandra, Zoë, and Pit see the change that had come over the borders of Olympus. Great chains, the metal bars looped to make each link thicker than two human bodies, were woven through the gates, holding them locked shut. The chains twisted together to form a wall that extended out from the gates and forged a lattice dome that reached far above to cover the realm behind.

"Wow," Rainbow Dash remarked. "Their security system is good."

"That's not a security system!" Pit pointed out. "That's never been there before!"

The wagon rolled right up to the gates. Those inside could barely glimpse, between the gate's bars and the thick chains, what of Olympus – a brightly colored and sparkling territory – lay beyond.

"What does this mean?" Zoë thought aloud.

"YOU!" a female voice boomed, echoing against the chains in the sky. "I had thought the others would return to see this before you would!"

From the other side, Hera stormed toward the gates. Zoë noticed that she had changed her clothing from what she had worn to pay visits to the Garden. She had exchanged her elaborate pink peplos for a deep blue one with white accents, causing a stark contrast against her pink skin. Her golden hair was liberated from its tiara and fixed in a messy bun behind her head.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zoë barked.

"Zeus and his followers have left Olympus to chase the thief of the sun," Hera said, pointing out toward the direction in which the sun had fallen. "When they return, they will find their way barred. Only I can unlock these chains, and they cannot be broken, not by man, god, or Titan!"

"So you WERE in on this the whole time!" Rainbow Dash accused.

"I do not see why I have to hide it any longer," Hera stated, folding her arms.

"But…" Hercules was at a loss for what to say. "Mom, I – "

"I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER!" Hera shrieked, throwing her hands into the air. "You are the son of that whore Alcmene – "

"DON'T SAY THAT ABOUT HER!" Hercules roared, beating at the gate of Olympus with his fists. "She's never been ANYTHING but kind and honest! She would NEVER do this to her own family! And from what I understand, she was NEVER unfaithful. She was tricked!"

"Then perhaps you understand," Hera prompted, "why Zeus must pay for his action. He deceived both you and me."

"Yeah, but why take it out on ALL the gods?" Pit asked. "And why take it out on Hercules?"

"He was the product of that unfaithful union," Hera answered.

"I didn't ask for that!" Hercules moaned. "All I ever asked for was a place where I could belong! A family! I knew that the right choice for me was to stay in the mortal world with Meg, and have Phil and Pegasus for my family. And the more I find true friends there and the more I see of what the Olympians do here, I know I made the right choice more than ever."

"All the better," Hera said, "or Nemesis would have slaughtered you within the first week of your life here. Not even Zeus could have protected you."

"What does any of this have to do with Hades or Eris?" Applejack interrupted. She could sense Hercules breaking with every word Hera said.

"Hades and I share a mutual hatred for Zeus," Hera said. "Zeus has brought nothing but pain to us. So we plan to kill him and rebuild Olympus in our image. Hades was to be king and I to be queen."

"Hades would never let you remain queen," Meg argued. "He would overthrow you too, and put his own warriors on the thrones of Olympus!"

"HA!" Hera bellowed a laugh. "You think I don't know that, mortal? He intends to let me remain queen just as long as I intend to let him remain king! Once he has served my purposes and before he can strike at me, I will gather the rest of the Olympians and condemn him to the Underworld forever, where he belongs! Until then, we will fight Zeus and all who currently follow him, and until then, the chains will not come down. They will be trapped in this mortal plane, unable to return home!"

"You're a monster," Zoë hissed.

"She won't listen," Applejack said. "Now that we know what she's up to, there ain't nothin' else we can do but go find that sun. If we do, we can warn the other gods about what Hera did, and everypony can work out a plan!"

"Whether or not they know of what I have done will not matter," Hera stated as the group turned to leave. "They will fall to Hades and to me. There is no difference you can make!"

All tried to ignore her words as the wagon made its way down the sides of the mountain. The next destination was to be the Land of Monsters.

* * *

THE LAND OF MONSTERS, OLYMPIC GREECE

The chariot of Apollo landed in a bare and rocky wasteland bordered by only a few dead trees. The sun actually brought more light to that land than had been seen in centuries.

"The monsters should all be out doing whatever Hades wants," Hecate stated, stepping off the chariot. "If you put up defensive walls, this territory can be yours within the hour, and we can build from there."

Mozenrath followed her. "Perfect. Y'know, it's almost too bad that Xerxes had to miss this."

"I'm sure he won't be too broken up over it."

"If your wolves haven't eaten him."

"I made it very clear to Lukos and Aetos that if one of them eats the eel, they both get fed to Cerberus," Hecate pointed out.

A massive column of pure darkness swirled into existence before both of them; red and blue tinged smoke puffed from it. When the darkness and the smoke subsided, Hecate and Mozenrath each took a step backward in shock, seeing who stood before them.

"Hey there," Hades greeted as he and Jafar took in the scene. Before he could make any other quip, he glowered at Hecate. "So YOU'RE behind this. I should have known."

"Angry, hothead?" Hecate snapped. "We just caused Olympus more grief than you've managed to do since you started building that army to do whatever it is you're doing."

"Hecate," Jafar repeated. "Your bitter enemy, am I right?"

"I hate her ALMOST as much as Thunder Boy," Hades confirmed. "Not the first time she's tried to take what was mine out from under me."

"You do realize, boy," Jafar told Mozenrath, "that by following her command, you have committed a crime against the Overtakers for which the punishment is death?"

"I realize I'm out of the running for the Overtakers," Mozenrath mused, "and I also realize that I don't care. None of you have ever seemed to actually want me anyway. But somehow, I don't actually think I'm going to die today."

"So the kid's got lip," Hades huffed. "Where'd you dig this one up, Hecate? The scrap heap for washed-out sorcerers?"

"I've helped make him into something just as strong as your warriors," Hecate growled. "Maybe even better than some of them."

"Doubt it," Hades retorted. "Anyway, enough with the small talk. You have my sun."

"I don't see your name on it," Mozenrath retorted with a smirk.

"Gettin' real sick of you, kid," Hades growled. "Though something's bothering me. I've seen you somewhere before. Now, where could I have – oh, that's right. Your old girlfriend made a deal with me to save your life. Actually, if this isn't poetic justice, I don't know what is. I gave you more of your miserable life to live, and you just WASTED it on crossing me! That's it. Let's just kill him already."

"With pleasure." Jafar raised his staff.

Mozenrath stamped on the ground before him, and the earth rose in great jagged pillars, making a course for Jafar. Jafar's staff blasted the wall of earth headed to skewer him, and it slowed to a halt just before it reached him. At that, Jafar cackled. "Is that really the best you can do?" He fired a blast of red at Mozenrath, surrounding the young sorcerer's body in bonds of red aura from which he couldn't break free.

"I must admit, your parlor tricks are amusing," Jafar sang, walking towards Mozenrath and slapping him across the face.

"Hey, what," Hades sang, knocking Hecate's headdress to the ground to reveal her three faces. "You got a bunny under that hat?"

Mozenrath clenched his fist, and pure darkness surged through it, shattering the red bonds. He lunged at Jafar, who was unfazed. "Now here's your chance to get the best of me," Jafar sang, grabbing Mozenrath by the gauntlet wrist and flinging him aside. "Hope your HAND is hot!"

"C'mon, kids!" Hades stepped backward, making a beckoning motion with his hands. "Let's see whatcha got."

Mozenrath leapt to his feet, exchanging a glance with Hecate. Then they each formed a plasma bolt, firing; Mozenrath took his shot at Jafar while Hecate took hers at Hades.

"You can try to slam me with your hardest stuff!" Jafar cried, swinging his staff to knock Mozenrath's plasma bolt away like a baseball at bat.

"But your double whammy just ain't up to snuff!" Hades responded, flinging a fireball that burned right through Hecate's plasma in midair.

"I'll set the record straight," Jafar sang, zapping the ground near Mozenrath's feet and making the younger sorcerer jump several feet into the air.

"You're simply outta date," Hades sang, flinging dual fireballs at Hecate that struck her, sending her reeling head over heels; she quelled the burning before it could harm her skin, but the fire left singe marks on her dress.

"YOU'RE ONLY SECOND RATE!" Jafar and Hades chorused, laughing as Mozenrath and Hecate reassembled side by side. After another exchanged nod, Mozenrath and Hecate wordlessly agreed to the new plan. Mozenrath charged Hades, drawing swords in each hand, and leapt at him; Hecate flew toward Jafar.

"Thought her cat would be mean," Hades jeered, blasting Mozenrath out of the air before he could swing either sword. "But her tiger's tame!"

Hecate withdrew from her pocket a crystal, launching it at Jafar, but with one blast from Jafar's staff, the crystal became shards. "You've got a lot to learn about the genie game!" he laughed.

"So for your education," Hades said, approaching Mozenrath so he could stomp on his gauntleted wrist hard enough to make the young sorcerer scream in pain and drop one of the swords. "We'll reiterate."

Hecate summoned swirls of water to surround Jafar, encasing him in an icy prison, which was immediately shattered; Hecate hid her face in her sleeve to avoid the shards. "You're only second rate!" Jafar belted. He strode toward Hecate, boasting, "Men cower at the power…" He held out the littlest finger of his left hand. "In my pinky!" He made a swiping motion with the finger, and Hecate was blasted with more red plasma, knocked to the ground.

"Hey," Hades said, leaning down toward Mozenrath and pressing a red-hot thumb to Mozenrath's forehead, eliciting another scream, "my thumb's number one on every list!" He removed his hand, laughing, as Mozenrath clamped his left palm to his forehead; both swords were now dropped and had dissolved.

"But if you're not convinced that I'm invincible," Jafar boasted, spreading his arms wide as Hecate blasted him with spell after spell, "put me to the test!"

"I'd LOVE," Hades said, removing his foot from Mozenrath's wrist and kicking Mozenrath in the side so that he rolled over, flat on his back, "to lay this rivalry to REST!" He raised a fireball above his head with both hands, prepared to bring it down hard.

"Go ahead and zap me with a big surprise!" Jafar sang on as Hecate fired a bolt of lightning directly into his chest with no effect.

Hades brought the fireball down; Mozenrath threw up his right hand and created a blue shield that protected him from the flames. Thinking quickly, he redirected the blue aura to surround Hades in a cubelike prison. "Snap me in a trap," Hades sneered. "Cut me down to size." He snapped his fingers, and the aura shattered.

"I'll make a big escape!" Jafar cried, sidestepping Hecate's next attack.

"It's just a piece of cake!" Hades sang, sidling in next to him.

"YOU'RE ONLY SECOND RATE!" the pair chorused again.

"You know, your hocus pocus isn't tough enough," Hades taunted, advancing toward Hecate.

"And your mumbo jumbo doesn't measure up," Jafar echoed, turning to Mozenrath.

"Let me pontificate upon your sorry state," Hades sang as he gripped Hecate by the wrist.

"You're only second rate!" Jafar snarled, grabbing Mozenrath by the front of his chiton and lifting him off his feet.

Hecate wrenched her wrist out of Hades' grip easily, soaring toward Jafar, but Jafar sent a bolt of red lightning via his free hand toward her with a cry of "ZABA-CABA-DABRA!" Unlike Hecate's attempts to strike Jafar with lightning, this actually hurt. She was taken aback as she stumbled; how could a genie have possibly come into so much power as to hurt an Olympian?

Mozenrath engaged his slight control on time, entering hypertime long enough to wrestle out of Jafar's grip and charge Hades again with a fistful of fire. But this was only to discover Hades in hypertime as well. "Hades gonna grab ya!" the god boasted as he seized both Mozenrath's forearms. Mozenrath left hypertime before Hades did, and so felt himself thrown backward at a great force and speed; he collided with Hecate, leaving the two of them sprawled on the ground.

Jafar and Hades grinned at each other. They had their victims right where they wanted them.

Seeing this, Mozenrath felt rage swelling inside of him. Remembering when Jafar struck him aside, practically snapping his heart in two. His anger mixed with the darkness he had connected to, surging, becoming something very large like a balloon that had to either burst in its container or be let free to soar.

At the same time, Hecate clenched the dirt with her fingers. This was insult to injury. If she was wiped out here, she would of course regenerate, but she would become even less important than she already was, perhaps lose followers because of her weakness. She was more familiar with how the darkness reacted to anger than Mozenrath was, and so she let it all boil together.

Jafar and Hades stood over their rivals, raising hands and staff high to deal the killing blow, chanting, "ALAKAZOMNIBUS – "

"NO!" Mozenrath and Hecate screamed at the same time, each raising a right hand.

Pure dark fire and a great force of energy struck Jafar, and he stumbled over backward. Mozenrath stared at his gauntlet in awe, surprised that he'd been able to conjure up enough energy to do that.

Hades found himself covered in frost. All his fire was gone. He shivered, trying to scrape the frost off his skin, to get the fire back. He felt as though he'd been buried in a thirty-foot-deep snowbank. Hecate laughed at his pathetic state as she rose to her feet. Mozenrath followed suit. They looked at each other one more time before Mozenrath and Hecate chorused, to the same tune their attackers had been singing, "YOU CAN'T GET BIGGER THAN THE BOTH OF US!"

Jafar and Hades barely had time to register that the tide was about to turn horribly against them.

"So SPARE me your tremendous scare!" Mozenrath roared, blasting Hades with a plasma bolt that sent him to the ground as well.

Hecate snapped her fingers, letting Jafar's robes unravel into barest rags. "You look horrendous in your underwear!" she sang triumphantly.

"And I can hardly wait," Mozenrath sang, his smirk and his confidence returning as he stomped the ground again, causing pillars of earth to rise around Hades, "to discombobulate!"

"I'll send you back and packing in a shipping crate!" Hecate boasted, surrounding Jafar in a sphere of translucent black aura that even he couldn't break.

"YOU'LL MAKE A BETTER LIVING WITH A SPINNING PLATE!" Mozenrath laughed, returning to Hecate's side. The two of them looked at Jafar and Hades, each imprisoned. Then they stood, back to back, raising their right hands into the air, turning wrists so their palms faced each other, building a crackling dark ball of energy that fed off both their auras.

Hades and Jafar each winced, sensing what was coming.

As Hecate and Mozenrath loosed the dark ball of energy, they cried out, "YOU'RE ONLY SECOND RAAAAAAATE!"

The ball of energy grew as it was released, becoming perhaps fifteen feet across in diameter as it rammed into both Hades and Jafar and exploded. When the darkness cleared, the earthy prison was obliterated and the black aura dissolved.

"Did we…kill them?" Mozenrath asked in awe.

Forty feet in the distance, he and Hecate witnessed two figures, one in red and one with a bluish tint, struggle to get up off the ground.

"Unfortunately, apparently not," Hecate groaned, and Mozenrath sighed in disappointment.

Where they'd been thrown by the blast, Hades and Jafar staggered. "Geez!" Hades moaned. "How did they even DO that?"

"They have obviously tapped into the same darkness that gives us our own strength," Jafar stated.

"Yeah, I kinda figured eventually Hecate would catch onto that," Hades admitted, "but the gauntlet brat?"

"This is not a victory on their part," Jafar said.

There was a silence as the two of them tried to believe that.

"We just need to come back at them with a better and stronger punishment," Hades said. "Here's the deal. You go back to Mal and tell her about this…fluke. In the meantime, the fact hasn't changed that the mortal world is in a state of sunless darkness and Mount Olympus is going crazy. I'm going to regroup with my army and figure out how we can use this to our advantage."

"Then I shall see you after the Olympians have tasted their just desserts," Jafar agreed. "Though given that you could not hold your own against a minor goddess and a mortal – "

"DON'T. Start. They wiped the floor with you, mister semi-phenomenal nearly-cosmic. All you're doing is calling the kettle bronze."

"As you say, Hades."

"I've GOT this, okay? Now get back to Mal. I have work to do."

Hades and Jafar each vanished in columns of darkness, headed for completely different directions.

"So how did it feel to humiliate the guy that broke you?" Hecate asked her protégé.

"About as good as it probably felt to knock down the guy that's been stealing your spotlight since the world began," Mozenrath replied with a grin. "Now. About this sun."

They both turned to look at the chariot and indeed the sun. "It's just so MUCH," Mozenrath gushed. "And it's all mine! Nothing can go wrong now."

"You know, there are some people who say that you can make disasters happen to you just by saying those words," Hecate remarked.

"I like to call those people 'fools,'" Mozenrath replied. "Now, I – "

The ground trembled violently.

"YOU WERE SAYING?" Hecate snapped.

They all appeared at once: twenty-four beings who took on bodies structured like those of humans. Larger than life, they stood a hundred feet tall, each of them. They surrounded the sun chariot in a circle.

"WELL, THIS IS THE MEETING SPOT," one of the males boomed.

"No," Hecate muttered, looking up at them all in disbelief. "No…NO!"

"IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?" another of the males asked.

"HECATE!" one of the females, wearing a garment of deep blue with what almost appeared to be actual stars sewn in and bearing hair of the same color with the same stars interwoven, cried. "LOOK HOW MUCH YOU'VE GROWN!"

"MOM?" Hecate screamed, looking absolutely terrified.

"What's going on?" Mozenrath asked warily. "Is this your family?"

"IS THAT YOUR BOYFRIEND?" Hecate's mother asked. "HE'S A BIT ON THE SCRAWNY SIDE, DON'T YOU THINK? HE'S ALSO A MORTAL!"

"He is NOT my boyfriend!" Hecate snapped. "He's my STUDENT! The bigger question is, what are you DOING here? You're supposed to be imprisoned or cloistered or turned into landscape or kept under Olympus arrest! ALL OF YOU!"

"IT'S KIND OF A LONG STORY," Hecate's mother said.

"Well, start talking," Hecate ordered. "AT MY LEVEL, PLEASE."

The newcomers looked amongst each other, then shrugged. They all began the process of shrinking to the size of humans.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," Mozenrath reiterated. "Who are they?"

"You know how Hades released the four second strongest Titans after Kronos and used them for the attack on Olympus?" Hecate asked.

"Yes…"

"These are the rest of them. The Titans."

"I thought ALL the Titans were supposed to have been defeated by – "

"I did too. The other Olympians have kept them under lock and key since the days of Legend. They have a sort of name for them. Old Ones. They were young during the days of the Great Chaos, before the days of Legend. They don't have the same respect for laws that Olympians do."

"So this is not a good thing."

"What tipped you off: the fact that they're ancient beings even the Olympians are afraid of, or the fact that two of them are my PARENTS?"

"Much better!" Hecate's mother cried when she'd reached human size. She rushed at Hecate to envelop her in a tight hug. "My widdle witch girl!"

"Get OFF me, mother!" Hecate growled, trying to struggle free of the Titan's grip, but her mother's hold was of extreme strength.

"Let her go, Asteria," another Titan interjected. He appeared to be made of rock, with plates of skin that cracked to show red lava bubbling beneath.

Asteria sighed, letting go of Hecate. "But, Perses – "

"SO I CAN GET A TURN TO HUG OUR BABY GIRL!" Perses embraced Hecate tightly.

"DAD, NO," Hecate snarled.

Another Titan, a young male with light brown hair and sporting golden armor complemented by a golden laurel headband, approached the chariot of Apollo. "I haven't ridden THIS for an eternity!" he remarked; his voice echoed strangely. "It will be good to take the reins again!"

"I think you're confused," Mozenrath said sternly, stepping in between this Titan and the chariot. "This chariot is MINE."

The Titan flicked a hand, and Mozenrath was flung backward, over the chariot, with great force; Mozenrath felt as though a cement wall had been thrown at him. He landed hard in the dirt, leaving an imprint.

"Helios, no!" another Titan – female, pale as marble with hair to match, clothed only in a flowing and diaphanous skirt from the waist down – cried.

"Did you all just come here to embarrass me and beat up my student?" Hecate growled.

"Actually, no," Perses said. "We were all gathered to meet here before we waged war on the Olympians to gain our rights to the cosmos back! Well, almost all of us. Kronos and Atlas were…indisposed."

"Really?" Hecate asked. "And who exactly gathered you? I know you didn't all just up and decide this on your own!"

"Of course they didn't," Eris said, sliding into view casually. "To find and release all of these Titans took quite a long time."

"So it was you," Hecate accused. "You wanted to bring chaos to the world by letting the Titans have a chance to take it back!"

"Well, I wanted to." Eris laughed. "But I couldn't. Not on my own. I just provided enough distractions to keep Hades busy so he wouldn't notice any of this."

"So who is responsible," Mozenrath growled, standing shakily, "for this INTERRUPTION OF MY CONQUEST OF THE SUN?"

A bright flash of light shimmered in the center of the group. It grew until with a POP, all everyone present could see for a moment was white light. When the whiteness faded, the answer to Hecate and Mozenrath's questions stood there.

"TA-DAAAAA!" Discord cried. "Hmm…I don't remember inviting Hecate and the sorcerer. Oh well! It's more fun when things DON'T go according to plan! Allow me to introduce myself, as I don't believe we've met. I'm Discord."

"Discord…" Mozenrath tasted the name before storming toward the draconequus with his right fist blazing. Discord snapped his fingers, and Mozenrath was bound in an unbreakable coil of…strawberry licorice.

"Why Titans?" Hecate asked angrily. "Why Eris? What are you even trying to accomplish?"

"Well…" Discord looked away from her, staring at nothing, grinning. "It's kind of a long story…"

* * *

Chapter 58

· The "kraken" is Alecto's canon "boss battle" form from GoW Ascension.

· The siren song is meant to be done to the tune of "At the Gala" from the MLPFIM ep "The Best Night Ever." However, I switched out Twilight's and Pinkie's verse order to make it go the way I wanted.

· One of the concepts I've recently wanted to play with is whether female seductive spirits like sirens can seduce women as well as men. I ultimately decided to go more for an interpretation where the sirens can offer more desires than just sexual/romantic, but I still did want all the women to be entranced. I plan to go deeper into this concept later.

· I honestly had no idea how to get them out of the siren dilemma. And I wrote this on the very day I read storytelling advice that said "coincidences to get characters into trouble are good; coincidences to get them out of trouble are lazy." However…the Pinkie Pie voice thing IS something I wanted to use as a plot point; I just didn't plan on hinting at it this early. And no, Pinkie isn't the only one in the multiverse with a voice that's even more pure than that of a siren…

· Here's one of the places I kick GoW canon in the face. They make Apollo and Helios the same character. I want them to be different so I can have Apollo as my Olympian and Helios as my Titan. So my Apollo is the HTAS design and my Helios is the GoW design. And this involves a little retconning of both of them to make it work.

· HEL-LO FANSERVICE CHITON. That blue chiton actually is one based on an HTAS ep – can't remember the name – where Zeus turns himself into a mortal so he can try and understand Hercules' life. I remember thinking WOW, THAT SKY BLUE CHITON IS SKIMPY. And I knew I had to put it on Mozenrath.

· So…how many people did I fool into thinking Hades would actually be the one to take the sun? Mozenrath's wanting of the sun is a call back to the ATAS ep "Lost City of the Sun," where a magical object that acts as the user's "own personal sun" is something he values incredibly. In the Olympic realm, he could get the real thing!

· Part of the reason I didn't have Hades get angry at Danny losing to the Amazons is because I didn't want to detract from THIS tantrum to end all tantrums.

· I realize Hades and Jafar are getting along here a lot better than they do in "Arabian Knight." Oh well. They're a fun duo.

· And there you have it: Hera and Hades have been working in tandem since the beginning AND planning to backstab each other to implement a more personal regime since the beginning.

· The song that Hades, Jafar, Hecate, and Mozenrath sing while fighting is "You're Only Second Rate" from the Aladdin sequel "The Return of Jafar." Aaaaaaall the way back during the Corona arc, I had a mental image of the four of them dueling while singing that song. I am SO glad I was able to pull it off here.

· I did borrow a little bit from "Once Upon a Time" – the concept stated in "The Miller's Daughter" that magic grows stronger when driven by emotion, and that if you become angry enough to kill, you can create more destructive spells.

· SURPRISE! TITANS! Okay, their appearance came off a little more last-minute-plot-devicey than I'd hoped. Believe me…I had this planned for quite a while.

· Asteria and Perses are Hecate's parents in mythological canon…well, probably. Myths never can agree on stuff like that. Perses' design comes from GoW but his personality is my invention. Asteria is COMPLETELY my design.

· You also see Helios (GoW) trying to take the chariot…and his ability to knock Mozenrath aside after what he did to Hades and Jafar should give you some idea of how powerful Titans are compared to everyone else. The Titan who cried out to Helios is Eos, also based on the GoW design.


	59. Kind of a Long Story

59. Kind of a Long Story

THE LAND OF MONSTERS, OLYMPIC GREECE

"I guess we can condense all of your questions into one," Discord mused. "Where have I been for the past few days? Well, it all started when I sent a message to Eris telling her to meet me…"

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

SEVERAL DAYS AGO

When the letter arrived for Eris, written out in cuneiform on several banana peels stitched together, she began laughing out of pure joy and wasn't able to stop for a long time. Then she pocketed the banana peels and made her way to the rendez-vous point the letter had specified.

She came to the place where the Styx branched out into the Cocytus, a river that contained all the tears that had ever been cried only to hit the ground and dissolve into it. There, in the shadows, the draconequus waited, wearing a black trenchcoat and shades as though those disguised his identity.

"I NEVER expected to get a letter from you," Eris laughed. "To tell you the truth, you're kind of an idol of mine. I'd heard tell that you were gone away forever."

"Did you come alone?" Discord asked.

"Yes."

"Did you bring the briefcase?"

"You didn't ask me to bring a briefcase."

Discord whipped off his sunglasses, bursting into laughter. "I DIDN'T!"

Eris joined in chuckling at the joke. "I've modeled my work after your life, you know."

"Oh, I know, and you've done it BRILLIANTLY! I heard about your stunt with the gods' mapbook. The Book of Pizza or whatever they call it."

"It was actually the Book of Peace, but the Book of Pizza sounds FAR more entertaining."

"Book of Peace," Discord repeated. "How boring! Now, let's get down to plaid tacks. It is very important that Hades does NOT know I'm here. I stole something from him not too long ago, and I'm about to be stealing a lot more from him. If he knew I was here, well, things would just get messy."

"Hades and I aren't on the best of terms," Eris admitted. "He won't let me have charge of any segment of the Underworld outside Tartarus. He says my chaos is too 'new-age art' for his taste. He rules with an iron fist, and that means our least favorite thing."

Eris and Discord sneered the word at the same time: "ORDER."

"What did you steal?" Eris asked.

"Well, technically, first, it was a bunch of souls of Dark wizards and witches to set running around on Fourth Earth, though I can't remember if they were from this timeline or further down," Discord explained. "Then, DEFINITELY only a while ago in this timeline, I stole the last batch of that potion Hades had that turns gods into mortals. I had a goddess of hope I needed out of commission in order to put one of my favorite systems back into action. And the more I look at what I have to work with in this multiverse, the more it occurs to me that all the BEST agents of chaos are dead in their timelines." He opened his claw so Eris could see the Resurrection Stone on his palm. "I already have a shortcut to getting souls up to the mortal realm, and I can find places to store them once I've got them. But I know just how many tabs Hades keeps on who enters and who leaves, and I might just need a little help distracting him while I smuggle them out. Are you with me?"

"I'd love to hit that windbag where it hurts," Eris confirmed. "I can sabotage all his little soul-tracking machines so he won't notice what you're doing until the Underworld is half empty."

"Good!" Discord cried. "I knew I could count on my biggest mortal fan! Of course, there is the matter of the OTHER phase of the plan, but that requires you being willing to accept that someday, there's going to be a reign of chaos so great and so wonderful, you couldn't even BELIEVE it…except for the teeny tiny little detail that the Olympians won't be in charge anymore. You won't be the leading lady of chaos anymore. You'll just live in it."

"They say it's better to rule in Tartarus than to serve in Elysium," Eris told Discord, "but then again, even if I don't rule, we're looking at an entire EXISTENCE of chaos."

"No more fixed lengths for days. The sun rises and sets whenever we feel like it. The sky won't have to be on top of the land anymore, and the sea can just go wherever."

"Sounds like my kind of party. What are you thinking?"

"Well, you know about the ancient beings that have been part of this world since even before this world was ever made?" Discord quizzed Eris.

"First, there were the Primordials, during the Great Chaos," Eris said. "Then they gave birth to the Titans, who were young when the Great Chaos ended and the Lands of Legend began. The Olympians were born into Legend, and after time broke, we settled Olympus here."

"Now, the Primordials are going to be the most difficult to find, including Mommy Dearest," Discord said. "So I've just decided I'm going to worry about them later. But there are the Titans to think about. Not to mention the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes."

"The Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes sided with Zeus," Eris pointed out.

"ALL of them?" Discord raised a brow.

Eris laughed. "Of course…Aegaeon and Arges defected. Aegaeon was fashioned into the prison for those who break blood oaths, and Arges was imprisoned with the more powerful Titans at the center of the Olympic mortal world. I take it you're as interested in them as you are in the Titans."

"Exactly!" Discord snapped his fingers. "In a sense, I'm getting the band back together. If the Titans can rise up and overthrow the Olympians, we're that much closer to a grand chaos where Tethys can draw rivers in the sky, Crius can draw constellations of whatever he feels like and change the position of the stars every night, and Iapetus can go spear-crazy."

"It sounds wonderful," Eris admitted.

"And if the Titans rise up and DON'T overthrow the Olympians at this very minute, well, then I just have that many more awake and on my side for later," Discord concluded. "We can kill a few nights at Quadwrangle Manor playing Go Fish."

"So you want to find all the…'Old Ones' involved in the wars on the Titans and bring them out of exile," Eris reiterated.

"That's pretty much the plan!"

"And where do I play a part?"

"Well, Maleficent still thinks she can play Angel of Darkness and make us all into her little pets," Discord scoffed, "and Hades is working right in her inner circle. It's going to be hard to get this past Hades…unless, of course, he was distracted."

"Let's say, for instance, a certain lady of Tartarus were to approach him," Eris suggested, "and give him all sorts of plans for how to use Hera's golden apples and cause chaos in the mortal world."

"Then that lady of Tartarus would get a show worth watching out of that while I could do my work in peace," Discord said with a grin. "Oh, and just thinking for the future, you might want to look into getting access of your own to those apples someday."

"As of now, Hera is the only Olympian who can cross into that Garden," Eris griped. "But one day, those apples WILL be mine to do whatever I want with."

"So do we have a deal?" Discord asked. "You keep Hades running in circles while I collect all the souls I need and get all the Titans back into action?"

"This is going to be the most fun I've had in aeons," Eris admitted. "Consider our deal sealed."

"PERFECT!" Discord cried. "I have several visits to make! I'll see you at a new rendez-vous point."

"Where would that be?"

"Oh…let's say…the Land of Monsters in Olympic Greece. I'll send you another message when everything is ready. Until then, I'll be on a…" In a flash, Discord wore a Hawaiian print shirt and held a cooler in his lionesque paw. "ROAD TRIP!" He strung a pine-tree-shaped air freshener around his neck before vanishing.

Eris turned her attentions toward the palace that had been Persephone's, the palace where Facilier did his work. That was where all of the soul tracking devices of Hades' regime were. They would have to go down first.

* * *

TARTARUS, THE UNDERWORLD

The pit was wide, deep, and black, almost unfathomably so. They said, in whispers, that even Hades didn't like to go to this part of Tartarus. This was where the heart was of the original primordial being, Tartarus, who had become the realm of punishment. And in the pit…something more frightening than any punishment involving whips or chains or blades or flames found in all of the realm.

Discord peered over the edge into the inky blackness. Then he made a safety harness appear over his chest and began to rappel down the side, into the abyss.

It was a long way down, and Discord had to conjure up a helmet with a headlamp so he could see where he was going (though the course never changed: straight down). After what seemed an eternity, which, to someone like Discord, was more like five minutes, he reached a spot just before the bottom where he could see the pit's inhabitant…or what was left of him.

"Why, hello, Kronos," he greeted.

A voice – weakened over time, but still deep, raspy, and powerful – answered back. "Discord. It has been a long time."

"I'll say," Discord remarked. "Last time I saw you, your nieces and nephews were knee-high! And now you're – well – erm – how to put this delicately – you don't seem to have aged well."

"The Olympians destroyed my body and cast it into this pit," Kronos grumbled. "I, the most powerful of Titans, condemned by my own children!"

"Though, to be fair, I think I heard something about you swallowing all of them," Discord pointed out. "I can see why that would make them angry. Well, getting you back in shape will take some doing, but – " Discord cracked his knuckles. "I think we can pull it off."

"No, Discord."

"NO?" Discord was taken aback. "Excuse me, but I'm trying to build a new age of chaos! I've already got Mirage, the Ethereal, and my little brother on board, Eris can't wait to see it, and I even convinced the Incubators to take our side. Without you, I might as well just trash the whole thing! Well, actually, no, I won't, but it just wouldn't be the same without you. I especially loved your 'as long as I rule, there are no rules' philosophy!"

"It is not time, Discord," Kronos told him. "I had consulted the tapestry of fate when bearing my children! After my mother and father told me I was to be ended by their hand, I looked into the future. I do not rise now. It will not be long, though. I will be able to reform my body and leave this prison! From there, the tapestry was unclear. I do know that if I fail, another chance for me will come in two thousand years."

"You of all beings are going to let the rules tell you what to do?" Discord sighed.

"You of all beings would put me back together upside down!" Kronos argued. "If I follow what has been prophesied, I will have full strength! If I follow your being, I will become a discombobulated abomination!"

"You're sure?" Discord asked.

He felt the chill of Kronos' Titanic aura come upon him. Kronos was showing him what little of his magic was left, and given the circumstances, it was quite a lot. Were the two to battle, Discord knew he would either lose…or pull off a victory that would cause extreme tension between the two forever.

"Well," Discord asked, folding his arms in frustration and leaning back as far as his harness would allow, "does the tapestry of fate say I can't bring the OTHER Titans into this?"

"Not at all," Kronos admitted. "Perhaps their release will be the gateway to my own rise to power."

"Goody!" Discord practically squealed. "So." He pulled out a notebook and pen; clicked the pen. "Mind telling me where they've all gotten off to?"

"Lythos, Pyros, Stratos, and Hydros have all been cast into the cosmos, where their bodies were destroyed into thousands of pieces," Kronos began. "I felt it as it happened. Oceanus has been cast into the farthest depths of the sea…"

Discord took notes eagerly. When Kronos was done, Discord clicked the pen.

"See you in a few years!" Discord called out, grabbing the rope to begin scaling the wall. "Or two thousand! Well, for you, that is. If I really wanted, I could go meet the risen version of you in the future whenever I wanted. Promise me you'll take my side if two thousand years doesn't work out?"

"Whether or not it does," Kronos vowed, "I shall stand beside you to recreate the age of chaos."

"Then T.T.F.N.," Discord said before grabbing the rope and climbing up out of Kronos' sight.

* * *

The pit was in a secluded area; the rest of Tartarus was less foreboding. Which, given that it was a realm designed for eternal torment, spoke wonders toward Kronos' pit.

Discord eventually found the land he was looking for: great caverns of deep gray and shadows, where seven great Titans were bound to the wall by great chains with no locks. They had been bound to the walls for so long, they could each feel themselves becoming part of the walls, permanent fixtures.

All were surprised when Discord marched right into the cavernous space, looking around at them. "Well, THIS is dull!" he stated. "Don't any of you know how to party anymore?"

"As if any of us can enjoy anything anymore," Crius, a male Titan with a bald dome of a head and a black robe with stars woven into it seethed. The stars were dimming. "After the Olympians locked us down here to live out eternal punishment…"

"I take it there's a bit of bad blood between you and the Olympians," Discord replied.

"More than a bit," Crius growled.

"Hmm…well, let's see what you think about this."

Suddenly, there appeared in Discord's hand a gigantic torch, the sort used for cutting metal.

"You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking." This came from Coeus, whose skin was tattooed with lines representing the axes of worlds.

"Oh, I'm thinking it." Discord fired up the torch.

"You cannot sever these chains," Hyperion argued. His hair and eyes glowed gold, and one could see why all who spoke of him described him as devastatingly handsome. "They were forged to hold us for all eternity – "

"And yet Hades and Persephone managed to break THOSE," Discord said with a nod toward an empty space in the cavern where Atlas had once been bound. "And if they can do it, so can I. After all, the rules of the universe don't apply to me."

He approached Iapetus – a black-hooded Titan with silver bracelets – and began to work on severing his chains. "So how is it that eight of you ended up down in here," Discord asked, "and all the others ended up…everywhere else you can think of between here, Olympus, and the Olympic mortal realm?"

"During the great war between Olympians and Titans over this world," Iapetus explained, "Hyperion, Crius, Coeus, Oceanus, and I stood beside Kronos as his generals. Lythos, Pyros, Hydros, and Stratos, along with the traitor Cyclops Arges, were the only ones who caused more damage than Kronos' generals. That is why they were given a special prison at the Olympic earth's core, one darker and more terrible than even this one."

"If there's something out there darker and more terrible than Tartarus," Discord muttered, "that just means Hades' designs are getting lazy."

Iapetus' chains went SNAP, and Iapetus stood, stretching out all his limbs. "After we lost the war, Kronos was given the worst punishment of all."

"I saw the pit," Discord confirmed, moving to Hyperion's chains.

"The third worst punishment had to go to us, naturally," Hyperion picked up where Iapetus left off. "We were condemned to Tartarus, where Hades and Eris were tasked with giving us this fate."

"Eris?" Discord laughed. "Well, there's poetic irony! She's helping me spring you, you know that?"

Hyperion's chains went SNAP. Discord moved to Crius. "So where's Oceanus?" he asked.

"Oceanus defected in the midst of the battle," Crius explained, venom in his voice from remembering it. "The coward withdrew from both sides and refused to fight. So the Olympians just exiled him instead of punishing him."

"Now, now," Discord scolded, "let's not have sibling rivalry get into this. I need all of you working together as a family."

"Family," Perses sighed. "If only we could see ours again. Our sisters and wives managed to talk the Olympians into giving them lesser punishment. Asteria was always clever like that. Well, she was before…"

"Before what?" Discord was curious.

"I heard rumors that Zeus wouldn't stop hitting on her," Perses growled, "so she ran away and turned herself into – "

"I know what she turned herself into," Discord finished, "and I have every intention of convincing her to change back. So why are YOU here? You weren't one of Kronos' generals."

"But I was one of the most destructive during the war," Perses admitted. "So was Pallas."

Menoetius, a muscular Titan who wore only a loincloth so that his physique was quite visible to all, gave a grunt of agreement. "It's PALLAS who got thrown down here for a humiliating reason. Tell him, Pallas."

Pallas was neither truly male nor female, or perhaps was both. Xe bore long, silvery hair and was clothed in shining armor. "Rhea talked the Olympians into believing I was innocent of war crimes so I could stay out of Tartarus," xe explained. "Then I became friends with Athena. We would spar every day, until we got in a fight. I don't even remember what I said to make her so angry, but I know I wanted to kill her. She ended up killing me instead when I challenged her to a fight. And I told the judges that I wanted to destroy her…so…Tartarus for me. And not even for fighting well in the war."

"Well, it happens to the best of us," Discord said as Crius' chains went SNAP and Coeus was the next to be worked on.

"What's your plan?" Coeus asked Discord. "You can't have come down here for nothing. We thought you were long gone, forever. For you to be here…"

"It's a little disconcerting," Pallas admitted.

"I just want to bring back the old days!" Discord announced. "I'm gathering all the Old Ones I can so we can bring chaos back to the cosmos. As it SHOULD be. Are you all in?"

"You're bringing chaos immediately?" Perses asked.

"Well, not as much as I'd like," Discord said. "There's still a lot of work to be done before we can actually have an age of chaos like we used to. But in the meantime, there's a LOT of fun we can have!"

"And revenge to take on the Olympians!" Crius cried as Coeus' chains snapped.

"Hmm…" Discord thought it over as he moved to Perses. "Well, all right, but only if it's fun revenge. Anyway, I'm arranging a rendez-vous point in the Land of Monsters in Olympic Greece for when everyone's been rounded up. Kronos is being a party pooper and won't come, but I'm sure I can rustle up everyone else. Well…okay, Atlas will be hard to get if what I heard is true, and there's still the fact that Lythos, Pyros, Hydros, and Stratos are out of commission. Arges, too. Could have used him. Until then, you're going to need to stay out of sight, but that shouldn't be hard. I have it guaranteed that Hades is going to be focused on something absolutely else."

Perses' chains snapped, so Discord moved to Menoetius. "What do you plan to do after we're free?"

"Hmm…don't know," Discord admitted. "I know my plan STARTS with setting you free, EVENTUALLY ends with us bringing about the new age of chaos, and TEMPORARILY ends with us playing card games in my rather spacious mansion, and in between, there are schemes of general chaos, but I don't know what those are just yet. I'm open to suggestions."

Menoetius was then freed, and Pallas the last to be unchained. As Discord worked on xyr bindings, Crius suggested, "I have an idea for what we can do to get our revenge…especially if we're looking to gather the Old Ones."

"I'm all ears," Discord said.

And he listened to Crius' suggestion until Pallas' chains went SNAP. Then Discord replied to Crius with a joyful laugh. "It's PERFECT! I hope you don't mind if I excuse myself from the actual conflict. I do hate it when things get, er, well, messy."

"You've already done more than enough for us," Pallas thanked, stretching out xyr joints.

"And I'm not done yet!" Discord announced. "It's off to elsewhere in the Underworld for me! And then we can REALLY have a family reunion!"

As quickly as he'd come, Discord vanished.

"I was a small child during the age of chaos," Pallas admitted. "I barely remember Discord. Was he truly the legend I remember him being?"

"Yes," Perses confirmed. "That and more."

"He's the son of a Primordial, just like the first twelve of us," Iapetus explained. "And that's why I wouldn't cross him if I were you. Not even you, Crius."

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

The great Lethe pool from which the Lethe river sprang was one of the most well known sites in Bardo. Those who drank from its waters or bathed in them would lose memories, memories that would become liquid as the waters of the pool and drain away. Gods could recover from the memory loss, but for mortals, it was more or less permanent.

Discord contemplated the Lethe pool for a moment. There was all manner of chaotic things he could achieve with it…but it wasn't his goal. What he wanted was the other pool.

It was tucked into a grotto far behind the Lethe pool. Hades didn't advertise it, much for the reason that he didn't want it known about. It was named for the Titan who inhabited it and bestowed the particular powers on its waters. For as the pool of Lethe drained memories away, the pool of Mnemosyne restored them.

Discord knocked on the surface of the pool of Mnemosyne as though the surface of the water was solid; it even made a knocking sound. The waters rippled as liquid does, though, and she rose from them until her bare feet stood upon the pool. Mnemosyne wore a green peplos with flowing sleeves, and her brunette hair was thick and curly.

"Discord," she stated. "I remember you."

"You remember everything," Discord pointed out. "Happen to remember the age of chaos?"

"Perhaps better than most others my age. A time when I had control over what people remembered and what they forgot."

"Would you be interested in helping me get a little of that back?"

"How so, Discord?"

He explained to her his plan. She was stil for a moment, contemplating it; her face was nearly always set into a hard frown. Then she nodded. "I will help you."

"PERFECT!" Discord cried. "Then I'll see you at the rendez-vous point! Don't go and forget, now!"

"If that was meant to be a joke…"

"You never did have a good sense of humor," Discord sighed as he began to walk away.

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

Discord liked what they'd done with Atlas.

You could walk right into Atlas' vicinity from the Underworld. But he wasn't in the Underworld, not in any sense. He stood amongst a void, a void upon which Discord just walked without any ground or floor beneath him in order to see Atlas at eye level. Atlas was obviously straining to keep his burden above him; the massive, stone-skinned, red-eyed man still wrapped in chains bore the entire Olympic world upon his shoulders, and as such, he bore Mount Olympus. Were he to be removed from the equation, that world and Olympus would come crashing down; the Underworld would not be affected beyond getting a host of newcomers all at once.

"Discord," Atlas grunted.

"Hello, Atlas," Discord replied. "I suppose you really can't move from where you are, can you?"

"It is my curse."

"Hmm." Discord thought it over. "See, I'm having a Titan family reunion, and I was hoping you'd be able to show up. But you're obviously already occupied. Oh well. It wasn't as if Kronos was going to be able to show up either, and four of the Titans have already blown up."

"Why," Atlas asked, "do you not wish for me to simply move and send this world crashing down? It would be chaos."

"Chaos, yes," Discord agreed. "And at the same time, an awful lot of mess. I haven't gotten a fair shot to play with the Olympians yet, Atlas, and I'm not going to let you drop them into oblivion before I have that chance. Now, I am expecting that when the age of chaos comes back around, you'll be able to stand with us, but I'll have to make other arrangements to keep this world floating, and…" He sighed. "It will take millennia to make a statue of me that big."

"You would not."

"I think you and I both know I would, Atlas."

Atlas sighed. "You would. Go, then. Create your chaos. Leave me be for the sake of leaving two worlds untouched in a cosmos of many." His voice dripped with resentment.

"Oh, is that how it's going to be?" Discord asked. "You're going to whine? Should I call the waaaaa-mbulance for you? Oh, right, you wouldn't know what an ambulance is. I'll come back when I have a better pun that fits your time period. Anyway, you can keep your bad attitude to yourself. I'm going to round up the Titans that KNOW how to party!"

Discord practically stormed off. Atlas, despite being much younger than Discord, considered the elder being far more immature. He knew that Discord could find a way to relieve him of his burden, even if it meant dropping the Olympic world and Mount Olympus with it past a point of no return. But Discord wouldn't, all for the sake of having another board on which to play his games. Atlas didn't know whether to call that cowardly, sentimental, or purely idiotic.

And Discord was struggling not to apply nasty adjectives to Atlas in his own mind.

* * *

THE SEAS AT THE BORDER OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Off the coast of Arcadia, the waters ran deep, deeper than even the largest ocean. This space had been carved out of the ocean floor, a private expanse of water to hide those who wanted to be hidden. So deep the waters flowed black instead of blue, and the fish were all the bottom-dwellers, those with strange lights upon their bodies and flattened bodies to withstand pressure.

The eyes of the two Titans pierced the darkness, allowing them to see the sand of the ocean floor upon which they lived. And here they made a life in peace – a boring life, but one free of interruptions by vengeful Olympians, who had not been able to find them there. Oceanus – a well-built man with a teal and white beard and crop of hair reminiscent of sea foam, and wearing flowing robes of dark blue that billowed in the water as he moved past – and Tethys – a woman of dark green, curly hair, dressed in a gown of flowing white and wearing a winged crown upon her brow – had escaped the conflict with the Olympians, and their location had been entrusted only to Zeus – who promised them no trouble so long as they remained exactly there – and their brother Kronos.

And so both were surprised and a little frightened when a draconequus came deep-sea diving in their territory. He paddled past them, oxygen tank strapped to his back and scuba mask over his eyes. Discord waved before taking the snorkel out of his mouth and then dismissing the accouterments entirely.

"Discord!" Tethys flinched. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I…" A sudden thought occurred to Discord. "Shall I call you a ride on a pega-FUSS? Why couldn't I have thought of THAT back with Atlas? Oh well. Moment's passed. I'm here to get you out of this boring place!"

"That would be impossible," Oceanus told him. "We have taken these oceans as a refuge after the war against the Olympians. So long as we stay here, we are in accord with Zeus."

"Now, you see, that's where you and I see things differently," Discord replied. "My plan doesn't involve you being in accord with Zeus."

"If we are not in accord with him," Tethys said, "we are at war with him."

"NOW you're getting it!" Discord beamed.

"I don't understand…" Tethys muttered.

"I think I do," Oceanus stated. "Discord, you aren't attempting to reclaim this territory in the name of those of us from the age of chaos, are you?"

"Actually, in the long run, I'm hoping to do that with EVERY territory," Discord answered. "This is just the first step. And before you say no, all your brothers except Kronos already agreed to it. Kronos is waiting out some prophecy. Anyway, Hyperion, Coeus, Crius, and Iapetus are on board. So are Perses, Menoetius, Pallas, and Mnemosyne are also on board. So. Would you rather live down here in the ocean of boring for the rest of your immortal lives, or would you rather take a chance to stand with your family and get out of here?"

"I – " Oceanus began.

"Don't," Tethys warned him. "We only survived because you stayed out of the first conflict."

"Tethys," Oceanus said, "look at this. Look at what we have."

She took a gander around. The darkness. The sand. The fish that lit up. And that was it.

"All right," she said.

"That's what I thought," Discord affirmed.

* * *

ARCADIA, OLYMPIC GREECE

The woods of Pan were largely untouched, natural space that the satyr god had claimed for his animals. Which was not to say that Arcadia was a peaceful place of harmony. Nature could be beautiful; it could be dark and dangerous. The woodlands of Pan were thick and twisted, almost black with shadow and overgrown with vines. Creatures crawled among the trees, enacting their cycles of predator and prey, life and death. It was the perfect hiding place for three Titans.

Since Hercules had convinced Zeus to set Prometheus free, as his contributions to humankind had been more beneficial than harmful, Prometheus had been living on probation and in hiding. He wore only the simplest of rags, bearing a long and curly chestnut-colored beard. His brother Epimetheus, scorned by many others for being a fool, shared this place with him – only the other two Titans of Arcadia's woods didn't seem to ridicule Epimetheus for his lack of foresight. Even his former wife, Pandora, had abandoned him. Epimetheus had always connected incredibly well with animals, and for this reason, he and Prometheus chose Arcadia as the place to spend their exile and probation.

The third who lived there was Theia, whose entire body glowed a bright gold – she emanated light, but was not painful to look at, and was actually a soothing sight for most eyes. She took pity on Epimetheus, thinking it unfair that the other Titans as well as the Olympians bullied him, and she pitied Prometheus as well, wishing to offer him consolation after his long punishment by Zeus. So she stayed with them, acting as a companion to the two.

It was Theia who first looked up into the cover of the tree branches – she, Epimethus, and Prometheus preferred to remain the size of humans while living in the woods, so as to have more space for cover – and gasped in shock. Prometheus and Epimetheus looked upward.

"Well, hello," Discord said from the branch where he reclined.

"Discord?" Theia was perplexed.

"Well, let's hear it," Discord replied. "How'd you get here? I know only one of you participated in the war on Olympus."

Theia nodded. "Rhea spoke on behalf of our sisters and of me, and so the gods were convinced to forgive me so long as I…did not interfere with them. Prometheus and Epimetheus were outcast for other reasons, so I became their companion."

"Which begs the question," Discord said. "Prometheus, how DID you get off that rock, and Epimetheus, how's life treating you after BOTH Pandora cycles?"

"Hercules begged Zeus to let me go," Prometheus said, still somewhat surprised at the turn of events. "He said I brought good gifts to the mortals and didn't deserve to be chained up. And…Zeus listened, though he's watching. Epimetheus, on the other hand…"

"They think I'm an idiot," Epimetheus muttered. "They said if Pandora betrayed me once, I shouldn't have expected any different in this cycle."

"Well, idiot or no, I still appreciate that Pandora let the most of us out back in the first cycle," Discord pointed out.

"But I don't know," Epimetheus practically wailed. "Should I have left you there for the good of the cosmos, or should I have remained faithful to you?"

"What has happened has happened," Prometheus told his brother. "There is no use in recounting it or wishing you had done differently…"

"The gods trusted me to keep the others locked up," Epimetheus muttered. "And the others trusted me not to betray them."

"Oh, we backstab each other all the time," Discord said with a wave of his paw. "No hard feelings! Speaking of betrayal, how much are you up for getting out of these woods to reclaim the age of chaos?"

"Not at all," Theia asserted. "The three of us are safe. We promised not to strike against the Olympians again!"

"Hercules risked a lot to give me the freedom I have!" Prometheus added.

Before Discord could even try to convince them otherwise, Epimetheus spoke, and his words were different: "But I'm still the idiot to everyone. I don't want to be that anymore."

"I didn't want to say it, but you still lack foresight," Prometheus told his brother. "Whatever Discord's planning, it will only bring us ruin!"

"I – " Discord began.

Epimetheus interrupted him. "I locked him up! I kept him inside the box until the first Pandora…I have to make it up to him!"

"No," Theia said. "You owe him nothing."

"Technically – " Discord attempted.

"I think the Olympians owe us," Epimetheus went on, "for making us turn on our fellows from the age of chaos and for exiling us. Especially you, Prometheus! Is this really fair?"

"No," Prometheus admitted.

"It is better to be safe than sorry," Theia said.

"Is it?" Prometheus asked.

"Well, in my opinion – " Discord started.

"I've gone from punishment to lesser punishment for acting with good intent," Prometheus pointed out. "I wanted to bring something new to mortals that they could use to reshape the world, and have you seen how they repaid me? Maybe it's time to strike against Zeus and show him that what he has done is unfair! Whatever Discord has planned, I will stand with him!"

"Me too," Epimetheus agreed.

"I…can't let you two walk alone into this disaster," Theia sighed. "I am too."

"Well…" Discord waited to see if anyone else would interrupt him. "Welcome aboard! Now, let's talk about the plan."

"I cannot believe you talked us into this, Discord," Theia said, and Discord was dumbfounded by that.

* * *

METHANA, OLYMPIC GREECE

Discord found Thera, the forgotten one, in the caverns beneath the Methana Volcano. Magma of bright red roared around them as he approached the ledge leading to where she was chained to the wall. She had the same skin of rock and magma as Perses, but appeared to be a woman of much greater age.

"Discord!" she moaned when she saw him approach. "I have been here…too long. Free me…"

"Now, THAT is what I wanted to hear," Discord told her. "No griping about what Zeus would do if he found out. No excuses. You just want – "

"To answer to no one but Kronos for my actions," Thera finished.

"Actually, Kronos didn't want out for whatever reason." Discord shrugged. "So technically, you answer to no one. Not even me. And I wouldn't have it any other way!"

He was able to break Thera's chains as he was those of the Titans in Tartarus. She stretched free of the wall, standing as Discord informed her of the circumstances and the rendez-vous point.

"Now comes the hard part," he admitted. "The next place isn't just going to let me walk in as I am…"

* * *

DELPHI, OLYMPIC GREECE

Discord had transformed into his human shape, as the brunette. He fashioned for himself an elaborate white chiton edged in red – he couldn't stand not playing the part perfectly. When his look was finalized, he knocked upon the door of the temple of Delphi.

When the priestess answered, he said, "I'm here to see a certain one of your oracles. I have an absolutely PRESSING question about the future."

"Oh," the priestess replied. "Well, I'm sure we have someone free to – "

"The Moon Oracle wouldn't happen to be in, would she? I was so hoping to speak to her."

He expected the look of utter shock on the priestess' face. "How…how do you know the Moon Oracle?" she asked.

"We go back," Discord answered with a grin. "Now, I'm sure she's not busy, unless someone else happened to come along and ask for her by name."

The priestess nodded. "She is free. Come with me."

Discord knew this much about Phoebe: not many knew about her particular moniker at Delphi. She was, for all intents and purposes, a secret. But if anyone asked for her, whoever answered the door at Delphi was supposed to bring that someone to her. She was a secret, but not completely kept in silence.

The priestess led Discord to the very bowels of the temple, showing him a door at the end of the hall, shrouded in shadow. There she left him to enter the oracle's chamber. When he did, he found a chamber not unlike where Cassandra did her work. The woman here had snow-white hair, actually the color the moon looked on a clear night, and she was dressed in a peplos that matched.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Psssst!" Discord hissed, whispering in between a giggle fit. "Phoebe! It's me! Discord!"

"Discord!" Phoebe was taken aback. "But how…"

"Kronos told me exactly how to find you. But the question that remains is why. You're hidden completely in plain sight. The other Titans, well, they got as far away from mortal eyes as they could, but here you are, posing as a mortal. It's absolutely the opposite of what anyone would expect, and for that reason, you win for having the best hiding place yet!"

"You never did make sense," Phoebe said with a shake of the head.

Discord shrugged. "What fun is there in making sense? Be glad you haven't seen me in millennia, Phoebe, or you'd be sick to death of me saying that. It's always nice to find someone who hasn't already told me to shut up midsentence. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"I have always been fascinated with the future," Phoebe answered. "Delphi held…an allure for me, shall we say? Themis helped me arrange to stay here as the Moon Oracle after she and our other sisters talked our way out of divine punishment."

"So you can see what's coming," Discord reiterated.

Phoebe nodded. "I can see many paths, in fact. There is not simply one. Many oracles see events that are unchangeable, that are certain, though they lack all the details. Given what I am, I can see so much more. Several outcomes that may be."

"So, looking over them," Discord asked, "do you see what I have in mind as possible, and do you want in?"

Phoebe did not need to utilize the Mists. Her eyes glazed over a brilliant white, sparkling in the dark. She grinned the grin of an opportunist.

"I see your potential future in the map of what is ahead," she admitted. "And I like it. To give up the chance to have THIS? Rhea was a fool."

"Actually, I was going to talk to Rhea next," Discord admitted. "Any convincing arguments I should give her to join the cause?"

Phoebe's eyes returned to their natural state. "Tell her what it means to her family," she said, "and she will join us. She always had far more heart, shall we say, than the rest of us. We came for power. She will come for us."

"Excellent!" Discord cried.

"You could go to see her next," Phoebe said, her eyes sparkling white again, "but it seems that the clearer path leads you to Asteria."

"She's on the way," Discord said with a shrug. "Why double back?"

"Because you don't like making sense?"

"True. But in this case, I'm on a time limit. It's only so long until Hades tries something silly."

"Good luck, Discord. I hope the future favors us." And then Phoebe laughed.

* * *

DELOS, THE BORDER OF OLYMPIC GREECE

A great bronze statue of Apollo, weathered by the elements and by some more immediate physical damage, was perched upon the island of Delos. And Discord, reverting to the shape of the draconequus to better greet Asteria, thought it was an eyesore.

So he knocked it down. Piece by piece at first, just because it was fun to watch the limbs go flying off into the ocean and see the thing that pinned Asteria down crumble. Then, at the end, he just shoved the entire statue into the ocean, causing a great splash.

Then the ugly thing was gone (though Discord was sure the creators had found it quite beautiful, especially given that it pinned the island of Delos right down to where it was in the sea) and all that remained were the rocky crags of the island of Delos itself.

But not for long, Discord decided. He knocked on one of the rocks in a decided pattern. Shave and a haircut…two bits.

"Who is it?" a voice called out from the very center of the island's earth.

"SURPRIIIIISE!" Discord cried.

The island recognized his voice, and it began to shudder. Then it transformed. The land stood up, shifted; suddenly it no longer resembled earth at all, and was the mighty Titan Asteria, rising up into the air.

"Thank Chaos it wasn't Zeus!" Asteria sighed as Discord flew up to her eye level; to him, her voice sounded at an adequate volume. "If that jerk turned up again, I was going to tell him to go to Tartarus!"

"Well, now, there seems to be a little more here than I thought," Discord muttered. "Something beyond the general Titan-Olympian feud?"

"Of COURSE!" Asteria roared. "After he locked my husband up in Tartarus, Zeus said I could live on Olympus with Helios, Eos, Selene…he made it sound like I'd be welcome. But do you know why he said that? DO YOU KNOW WHY HE SAID THAT?"

"Because…" Discord thought about it long and hard. He loved guessing games. "Because he wanted to borrow your clothes!"

"Because HE WANTED TO HIT ON ME!" Asteria howled. "For the love of…I'm still married! He should know; he's the one who put my husband in the Underworld! So I came here and disguised myself as this island so he'd cut it out. And wouldn't you know it, Hera must have caught on, because next thing you know, she's inspiring people to put a giant statue of Apollo on my back so that I can't get up! Talk about jealousy issues!" She took a few breaths to calm down. "Anyway. Discord! What brings you here?"

"Hear me out," Discord said. "What if, instead of running and hiding, you helped me in a scheme where we could get REVENGE on Zeus?"

"I'm interested…" Asteria began. "But you never plan things like this for nothing. What do you want?"

"I guess you could say I want to relive the glory days. When we did what we wanted without Olympians keeping you in line and pretty much every single mortal and ninety-nine percent of immortals trying but hilariously failing to keep ME in line."

"You want to revert to the age of chaos?"

"Eventually. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. Or. You know. On this world, WON'T be built in a day. Or is it being built right now? Anyway."

"What about Perses?"

"Already on board, chains severed and all!"

"FINALLY!" Asteria sighed. "THAT will show Zeus, when Perses and I are reunited! We'll see him try and hit on me THEN! Where is he now?"

"Laying low…"

Discord related to Asteria where she could find Perses, and off she went, to be briefed by him on the remainder of the details about the current goal.

* * *

MOUNT DINDYMON, THE BORDERS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Mount Dindymon was actually some ways away from Greece. Rhea, it seemed, had wanted to get further away than most. The mountain itself loomed tall, with carvings of female forms in the side – a tribute to the occupant.

Almost at the summit of the mountain, there was a stone door, immense and heavy. It barred the entrance to a small cavern, one that Discord took into view when he just walked right through the rock as though he were insubstantial. The cavern was a one-room dwelling, with partitions for anything that required a separate room – a cooking pot over here, a mattress over there. The place was lit with dim torches. It was the place for a solitary being to live a quiet life.

And Rhea was dressed the part, wearing rags with a burlap hood, weaving on a loom in the center of the cavern. She didn't notice Discord at first, too busy concentrating on her warp and woof, and Discord contemplated how much loyalty he would lose from her if he decided to sneak up on her and yell "BOO!" But then she noticed him before he could even think to make himself into a spontaneously appearing pattern on the cloth she wove. She did a double take, but didn't scream or throw anything to throw him out.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her raven hair was visible beneath the hood, a darker black than could be made by mortal means. Her golden eyes sparkled.

So Discord explained it all again. Rhea listened, then sat in silence for long after Discord had finished.

"And?" Discord pressed.

"I fought to put the Olympians in power," she stated. "I fought for my family."

"And look where they put you."

"They did not put me here. I put myself here. I chose this life so I would not interfere. Relations between Olympians and Titans, as you well know, are not friendly."

"So…you're out. A real shame…the others all – "

"Of that I am aware, Discord, and that is very well why I may join you," Rhea countered. "I fought for my family when I helped Zeus grow to overthrow Kronos. But helping to overthrow Zeus would be yet another fight for my family."

"You would go back on the very Olympians you fought to put in power?"

Rhea read his tone perfectly. She looked at his crazy grin. She had no need to explain herself. Discord didn't want that. Logic didn't matter. And as a denizen of the times when he and his ilk had reigned, there was a bit of it inside her. Perhaps more heart than the other Old Ones had – they would fight for power, for revenge, or because a fight could be fought. But all the same, she did not feel a pressing need to justify the contradiction.

"I assume you have a plan," she told him, prompting him to give details.

* * *

MOUNT OLYMPUS

The remaining Titans were all to be found in the home of the Olympians, Discord had learned, each in a position of subservience. They had been granted asylum after discussions of peace. And one was a prisoner there; apparently Tartarus wasn't the only place one could hold a Titan against his or her or xyr will.

Discord didn't have any trouble getting into the place. No matter how much they patrolled the gates, they couldn't stop him just popping in. And he wasn't noticed, either. He chose his human disguise – they would perceive him as more than mortal, but not immediately realize what he was, and so he could slip through unnoticed. In this way he went on his quest to find the last ones needed to join his cause.

The Olympians had grand palaces that glimmered beneath the blue sky; Discord knew he'd found what he was looking for when he discovered a much smaller house, like a civilian dwelling, tucked in between the majestic abodes. He entered without knocking.

The pale girl dressed in only her skirts stirred a creation in a soup pot over a brazier. For a moment, Discord was taken aback. He remembered her as a child, not as a grown woman. There was still a lot of the child in her face and her motions, but laced with much more sorrow.

"Eos," he addressed.

She looked at him, confused.

"It's me," he said. "You remember. Discord?"

"Discord…!" She gasped. "Of course I remember. Though you look different."

"You were very young when we met," Discord reminded her. "You're sure you remember?"

Eos nodded. "I remember you showing me how to bring the dawn. I asked you if I had to do it every day, and if it was hard to keep track of bringing it every twenty-four hours. And you said none of that mattered and that I should bring the dawn whenever it struck me to do so." She smiled at the memory. "It wasn't the most organized system. Not like how things are now."

"You mean predictable?" Discord asked. "Everything around here is PREDICTABLE. Now, I hear that you managed to get out of the Titan war without any charges."

Eos nodded. "I did nothing against the Olympians. Helios, Selene, Leto, and my Astraeus were also innocent of charges. Themis stood against chaos firmly."

Discord made a gagging motion. "Themis. Not looking forward to HER."

"We came here to teach the Olympians the ways of the sky," Eos explained. "We mentored Zeus, Apollo, and Artemis in the rise and fall of the sun, moon, and stars. Then, when they learned enough to take the tasks for their own…we were no longer needed. So we live here in truce."

"While the very gods that you taught everything put you in substandard housing and lorded it over you." There was more venom in Discord's words than usual.

The ground shook. Eos figured out what Discord was doing, and she begged him, "Discord, no!" The house rose off the ground, growing in size. Rooms sprouted from nowhere and branched off into still more rooms and towers. "Discord, I don't need this! THEY'LL SEE WHAT'S GOING ON!"

In one rush of movement, the palace was once again the size of a civilian home. Eos let out a sigh of relief.

"That was only because I didn't want to give the game away," Discord admitted.

"What game?" Eos asked. "Discord, tell me you are not planning something that could jeopardize us!"

"What I'm planning, if it works, will do the exact opposite. Imagine a place where you could bring the dawn again, whenever you wanted, and not have to even think about those goody-two-shoes moving in on your territory. Why is it always the ones that raise the sun and moon that become pretentious, annoying, and utterly boring? Gag! In any case…" He strode forward, just close enough to put a hand against Eos' hair. "They won't keep you like this again. No more of THEM breathing down your neck."

She was obviously trying not to, but she cried anyway, just a few tears.

"And the same will go for the rest of your family with the Titans," Discord added. "Even Astraeus, Selene, and Helios. Which brings me to what I need you to do for me. It's just a small thing, Eos."

"What is it?"

"Bring them all here. Helios, Selene, Leto, Astraeus, and…" He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Themis. Then I can tell all of you what I'm planning to do."

"I will," Eos promised. "Though I am afraid. If you fail, we will lose what little we have…"

"Well, I'm just not going to fail, then."

"I apologize. I should not have lost myself. I was merely thinking about all that we had, once, and how things are now."

"All the more reason to hear me out, don't you think?"

Eos nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

Then she moved toward the doorway without another word, leaving Discord to settle into one of the couches in her home.

* * *

When Eos returned, it was with a host of other Titans. There was Astraeus, husband of Eos, with his rosy pink hair and his shining tunic. There was Helios, radiant in gold. There was Selene, the sister of Helios and Eos, with her golden gown and her long silver hair. There was their golden-haired cousin Leto, dressed in a simple gown.

The last to enter was Themis, dressed in white and gold, her short copper hair bound close to her head. A white blindfold was tied around her eyes, and a sword was sheathed at her side.

"Discord," she snarled. "Must it have been you?"

"It's not like I'm happy about this either," Discord replied. "You and your stupid rules. Oh, don't drive the sun over there, you'll set everything on fire! Don't put the moon there, you'll ruin the tides!"

"Did you only exist to do the exact opposite of everything I commanded?" Themis challenged.

"Well, my name is DISCORD. Maybe that will give you a HINT about the way I do things!"

"Then why bother with me at all?"

"Because you don't get along with the Olympians."

"We get along well," Themis emphasized. "They allow me to live in peace because of my stance toward order."

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me rephrase that," Discord corrected himself. "You WON'T get along with the Olympians."

"And why would I turn my back on them?"

"Because you're going to think long and hard about the fact that all your siblings were either driven into exile on the mortal plane or thrown into Tartarus. But if your little blindfold keeps you from seeing anything outside of yourself, you might want to take a look at what THEY have and what YOU have."

"I have a lesser life because the Titans caused disorder among the Olympians and wronged them," Themis argued.

"Did you wrong them," Discord posed, "really? Or did they wrong you?"

"Don't play mind games with me, Discord. I'm not like one of those mortals you can so easily hypnotize."

"Well, maybe this will sway you," Discord argued. "Now, I didn't want to play this card, but are the OLYMPIANS actually perpetuating the order you like so much? Are THEY following customs? Are they just and fair? Do they follow the rules? Take, for instance, Zeus. How does he rank on your chart?"

Themis had to think it over. Even without seeing her eyes, all in the room could tell she was very, very steamed. Helios even laughed a little. "Low," she answered at last. "He doesn't even follow the rules he makes. The others are little better."

"Help me pull the rug out from under them," Discord offered, "and we each get a shot at what we want. You get a chance to rebuild according to your strict order. I get a chance to rebuild according to chaos. And I just know that Helios just wants power and attention."

"I was the mightiest and the brightest!" Helios insisted.

"You weren't the mightiest!" Selene smacked Helios on the back of the head. "The mightiest was Kronos! Then there were at least fifteen others who were stronger than you!"

"Please don't fight," Eos begged, shuddering; she backed into Astraeus' strong arms, and he held her, keeping her secure.

"All right," Themis relented. "I'll hear you out at least. What do you need us to do?"

Discord highlighted what he had told the others.

"It's perfect!" Helios bellowed. "Once again, they shall feel the might of Helios and his fellow Titans! After all…" He began to sing:

"We're the Titans!

We're the best!

We're bigger and we're stronger than the - "

"NO," Themis insisted, lifting the point of her sword to point at Helios' throat. Helios squeaked and ceased singing.

"Of course, there's one more thing," Discord pointed out. "I almost have a full roster, not counting the four that exploded, the one who's holding up the ground we walk on, and the prophecy party pooper. But there's just one more I want on our side, and I'm sure you'll all agree we need her. However, I can't get her without your help. You'll have to rescue her for me."

"I understand," Themis said. "And quietly, so that we are not suspected."

"Well, I was hoping we could make a loud production out of it, maybe with some confetti, but that's ultimately going to hinder us more than help us," Discord sighed.

"And I believe I know to whom you are referring," Themis said.

"Who, Themis?" Eos asked.

Themis and Discord said the name at the same time. Then they both recoiled in disgust, causing Helios to laugh again.

* * *

Night fell, and Selene, Astraeus, and Themis approached Zeus and Hera's palace on the sly. Helios had been forbidden from the mission because it was obvious he had no concept of stealth. Eos had remained with him – it was not only clear that she didn't have the "fiber" for such a mission, but she herself had wanted someone to keep Helios company while the others went.

The three Titans waited outside the window to Zeus and Hera's bedroom, perched on a small ledge of decorative molding below. Selene looked to Themis. Themis, blindfolded as she was, clearly was looking back, and the two nodded. Selene put a foot on the windowsill.

Hera stirred. Astraeus put a hand on Selene and Themis' shoulders. All three backed off, slipping out of sight behind the wall. Themis took a chance and turned so the window was in her peripheral vision.

Hera rose from bed, quietly making her way out of the room. When she left, Themis, Selene, and Astraeus waited a while until it was clear that she was not returning anytime soon.

"Where's she going?" Selene hissed.

"I don't know," Themis replied, "but this makes our job easier. Astraeus, can you see the doors from here?"

Astraeus was able to look directly down to the main entry to the palace. Eventually Hera left it, headed somewhere quickly. Where, Astraeus didn't much care. "Yes."

"Alert us if she returns," Themis ordered.

Selene slipped through the large window, and Themis followed. They walked silently over the floor of the bedroom where Zeus snored upon a cloudy mattress. As Selene moved to him, drawing from her pocket a small bag filled with a powder that would put him into a deeper sleep until morning truly came, Themis felt rage within her soul, rage at Zeus, that she had either never felt before or never recognized for what it really was. Had Discord raised a new point about him or just pointed out what she had been dormantly feeling all along? He did not conform to any custom; he did not follow any law but that which benefited him. That was why Themis was assigned to do what she was about to do that night. She had borne him many children, and while she would not have given up any of those children for all of existence, she regretted ever lying with him, ever giving in to his subtle seductions, the way he infected those around him with such joy that they didn't notice how he was getting under their skin. He'd done the same to the one Themis had come to rescue, and in all ways, he had betrayed commitment, throwing Themis' cousin away for Hera and throwing Hera away for Themis.

Selene turned to Themis and nodded, letting her know that Zeus was asleep beyond being able to detect their presence in the room at all. So Themis crossed to where Zeus lay, held her sword high, and plunged the blade down into his head.

It didn't harm him; that wasn't her intent, though she rather wished she could just strike him dead there, even though he would come back later and track down whomever had killed him. Instead, a portal opened where blade met flesh, and it was as though blade was not piercing flesh at all but space. The door opened, circular and dark, ever wider, expanding as far as Zeus' forehead would allow.

For a moment, Themis and Selene worried that the one they'd come to rescue would not figure out what was going on and leave herself trapped in that prison. But eventually, a small housefly buzzed out of the portal. Themis withdrew her sword, and the portal closed; Zeus, as though nothing had happened, rolled over and snored.

The twinkling of twilight colors, pink and purple, filtered in through the window and tickled the peripheral vision of Selene, Themis, and the housefly: a noiseless signal that someone was approaching and they should escape. Themis and Selene leapt out the window; the fly buzzed after. Hera re-entered the room, shrugging off a dark hooded cloak, and slid into bed next to the oblivious Zeus.

When the Titans had reached a considerable distance away from the palace, the housefly transformed in a shimmer of light. She became a Titan as well, a woman with dark hair that seemed either black or very dark blue depending on the light, clad in rusty armor with a broken shield and sword. From her back protruded wings of gossamer transparency as those of the housefly.

"Metis," Themis sighed gratefully.

Metis had been prophesied to bear a child that would overthrow Zeus. For that reason, Zeus had imprisoned her inside his head much in the way that Kronos had attempted to imprison his children within him. You would think, Themis thought disgustedly, that Zeus would take that as an example and desire to be as little like Kronos as possible, but again, Zeus would do what suited him and denounce what did not. While Metis' daughter Athena had been released from Zeus' head, Metis herself had remained.

"Themis!" Metis cried. "Selene! Astraeus! What – "

"It is a long story," Themis told her.

They had enough time to relate it on the way back to Eos and Astraeus' home, where Eos and Helios waited; Discord had disappeared long before. Helios and Eos opened the door wide to welcome Metis.

"Metis has returned!" Helios cried. "And now all shall taste our might!" He attempted again to sing: "Boom shaka-laka-laka boom – "

This time, both the point of Themis' sword and the broken edge of Metis' blade were raised to his throat, and he shut up immediately.

"And now?" Metis asked.

"Now we wait until the rendez-vous, I guess," Selene answered.

* * *

THE LAND OF MONSTERS, OLYMPIC GREECE

PRESENT TIMELINE

"…And that's how we all got here!" Discord concluded.

"And what a coincidence that the sun just happens to be gift-wrapped for us," Coeus pointed out.

"I swear I didn't plan that," Discord said hastily.

"Whatever the case," Helios said, grasping the reins of the chariot, "the sun chariot is mine yet again!"

"NO!" Hecate snapped. "It's OURS! Do you know how hard we've worked to get to this moment?"

"How hard I'VE worked," Mozenrath muttered.

"Oh, Hecate," Asteria said, stroking her daughter's hair – Hecate jerked away from her, taking this time to retrieve her fallen headdress and replace it – "I'm so proud of you for doing this, but this is grown-up business."

"I AM a grown-up!" Hecate snarled resentfully.

"Well, it's Titan business," Asteria corrected.

"This will be the perfect playing piece to hold against Zeus," Crius remarked sinisterly. "I say we take it."

"To Aegaeon," Phoebe said, eyes sparkling. "That is where Discord intends to go next, anyway."

"Of course!" Discord confirmed. "Oh, but wouldn't it just be a shame if Hades' army were to show up there and try to take it from us?" He turned to wink at Eris.

"A shame indeed," Eris replied before dissolving.

"You're inviting Hades to just come right up to our doorstep?" Selene moaned.

"So we can throw him over as well!" Crius laughed.

"And what has been foretold will come true," Thera mused. "We shall be free of their chains."

"And as for the thief…" Themis began.

Mozenrath's gauntlet glowed with a blue aura, but Themis closed her own hand over his fist, and the energy fizzled out. She then forcefully spun Mozenrath around, wrenching both his arms behind his back and binding his wrists together using a chain she produced from seemingly nowhere. She pulled the chain tightly, sending pain into Mozenrath's left wrist so that it coursed through his arm. "You will be coming with us," Themis hissed. She grew larger and larger, back to her gigantic size, until she had enough room in her pocket to drop her prisoner.

"PUT MY APPRENTICE BACK!" Hecate commanded.

"Sorry, sweetie," Perses told her.

Helios cracked the reins of the chariot with a cry of "HEEYAH!" The chariot rose into the air, and as it did, the other Titans also levitated, flying after it.

"What kind of jerk are you?" Hecate asked Discord.

"The best kind," Discord replied before snapping his fingers and disappearing, leaving Hecate alone in the Land of Monsters.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

A blue column of flame heralded Hades' reappearance into the throne room. All present could see the burn marks on his blue skin and the fraying of his robe. "DON'T," he said immediately, "ask. DON'T ask, okay?"

"So are we doing something, or are we not doing something?" Stheno complained. "Are we just going to give up because some jerk stole our sun?"

"And shouldn't you have been able to show him who was boss?" Tisiphone asked amusedly.

"Ha. Ha," Hades replied. "That issue's complicated, okay? Now…" He realized what was different about the room. "Where's Eris? And what part of DON'T leave the room did I neglect to spell out?"

As if bidden, Eris materialized in the center of the room. "Hades," she said with a slight laugh. "You always get so worked up over the tiniest things. I went out for some air. And I happened to notice the sun being drawn across the sky by several immortals. They got it from that mortal thief and were taking it to Aegaeon."

"The gods got it BACK?" Hades was dumbfounded. "Then why don't they just put it in the sky already?"

"Beats me…" Eris chuckled. "Perhaps you should follow them and get your answer."

"Why do I get the feeling you're telling me one of those half truths? Okay, fine. The ABSOLUTE LEAST we can do is bring the fight to that prison, and if the sun is there, we get it back, and we use it for ourselves. I am NOT going through all this for NOTHING!"

"YES!" Stheno cried happily.

"It's showtime," Facilier punctuated.

Eris giggled, and it echoed throughout the palace as the army moved out towards the dark chariots parked on the banks of the Styx.

* * *

MOUNT OLYMPUS

By the time the Olympian fleet made it to the Land of Monsters, the sun had been spirited off. All they'd found was Hecate, and she refused to speak, simply leaving the area.

"She's hiding something," Ares accused.

Zeus, dressed in robes of royal purple and with his right arm armored in bronze, raised that arm to signal the others of his fleet. "We must return to Olympus and seek the sun from there!"

The chariots did an about-face and flew through the night. Though a great many lived on Olympus, only nineteen chariots had followed the sun – twenty-one before Nemesis and Hera had broken away. First was Zeus himself. Then Poseidon, with light blue skin and darker blue markings radiating from his skin, raven hair falling over his shoulders and one great fin protruding from the back of his head; he was draped in a loose turquoise garment. Then Demeter, she of the curvy figure and light green skin, wearing a great headdress of leaves and a gown of green fastened with flowers at the sleeves. Then Athena. Then Hestia, who appeared as a child of only eight, her hair as brown as the robes and scarf she wore, covering all of her body but her face. Then Apollo. Then Artemis, glowing orange with light brunette hair and two diminutive goat-like horns, dressed in a beige tunic that was fastened at her left shoulder with a crescent moon brooch and cinched at her waist with a brown corset. Then Ares. Then Aphrodite, with pink skin and voluminous red-gold hair, her body shaped as an hourglass; she dressed in a tiny pink peplos, off the right shoulder and split up the leg, with a translucent purple shell draped over it and a headband of many woven beads. Then Hephaestus, grey-skinned and muscle-bound, wearing a black leather apron cinched with many belts. Then Hermes, with bright blue skin and short, royal blue hair; he wore a white tunic embroidered with red and gold, arms and legs covered in red-gold armor plating, his head and the back of his winged sandals appearing to glow at all times, and a pair of round rose-colored glasses to complete the ensemble. Then Dionysus, plump, with skin the deep color of wine grapes, dressed in a white robe, a red cape, and a headdress that wove purple grapes with laurel. Then Asclepius, with tan skin, purple hair, and a stark white chiton. Then Cupid, lean and violet with deep plum hair, lavender wings spreading out behind him; he dressed in a purple chiton fastened around the neck, with a winged helmet. Then Hebe, with purple skin and straight crimson hair, a bronze cup ever balanced on her head and a peplos of layered skirts that matched the bronze color of the cup. Then Pan, tall and imposing in his armor, with skin of moss green and circular markings on his forehead below his magnificent horns. Then Morpheus, blue-skinned with short navy-blue hair and a stocky figure, draped in a great blue cloak that was overlaid with an iron armor skirt and matching arm guards. Finally, there was Palutena, hair long and green over her pale skin, her white gown fastened around the neck with heavy gold ornamentation and skirt layers weighed down with more gold; a ruby medallion topped a slit that revealed one white-stockinged and black-sandaled leg, and her head was adorned with a winged headband of gold. These were the Olympians whose shining chariots, each in a color that complemented the rider, were drawn back across the sky to Mount Olympus only to find the chains Hera had set.

Zeus reined in his horses first. "WHAT IS THIS?" he roared.

Hera strode to the gates from the other side. "This is what you deserve," she stated. "This is the beginning of a new order."

"What in tarnation?" Artemis snapped in her distinct drawl.

"For too long, Zeus, you have betrayed me!" Hera cried, flinging her arms outward. "And for this, I deny you entry into Olympus. I deny you all entry until Zeus is no longer king and has answered for his crimes of infidelity!"

"Or how about I just RIP THESE CHAINS DOWN?" Ares leapt at the chains, beating at them with all his power, but they would not break.

"They were forged in the same manner as the chains that bind the Titans in Tartarus," Hera informed him. "Only I have the key, and only I know how to enter and leave."

"This is foolish!" Athena told her. "Zeus' infidelity is not a crime!"

"You would defend him?" Hera pointed at Athena. "You, whose mother he imprisoned within his head?"

"Nemesis would not find it punishable," Athena argued.

"Where is Nemesis now?" Hera asked.

It was then that the Olympians took notice of her absence.

"It looks like Nemesis is not on your side," Hera said with a smirk.

"Hera…" Zeus attempted. "It's not like I'm the first god to father demigods, or the first god to have multiple – "

"THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" Hera roared, stamping on the ground hard. "It doesn't matter what the other gods have done! You have hurt me for years! And you have hurt the others as well! Don't you see the way of your own tyranny? How you ignore our plights? How you build Olympus into a pleasure palace for you and you alone?"

"Well, now, that's just not true!" Zeus argued.

"Well…" Poseidon said softly.

"Hey, don't take HER side!" Ares snapped at Poseidon.

"She makes a point," Athena told Ares.

"I don't think we should be fighting right now," Morpheus interrupted, his voice as cool and even as ever. "If we talk this out, we can – "

"Either reach the right conclusion or the wrong one," Hera finished for him. "All who live on Olympus are now under my control until you make a decision. Is Zeus to remain king, or has his time as ruler come to an end? But in the meantime, perhaps you could demonstrate what competence you have by finding and bringing back the sun."

"The trail was cold," Apollo informed her.

"Really?" Hera asked condescendingly. "Have you TRULY looked?"

At that, the entire military fleet turned to look down at Olympic Greece from the divine mountaintop. They could see everything from above, and all was darkness except one glimmering location, sparkling with the light of a buried sun.

"Aegaeon!" Zeus realized.

"Go," Hera commanded.

"We must!" Palutena cried anxiously, turning her chariot to steer toward the sun immediately. Before anyone, even Apollo, could argue as to why she shouldn't, the others had no choice but to follow her.

Hera, on the other hand, left the gates to exit the mountain by a route only she knew about…or she thought only she knew about. Of course, Discord had shown it to the Olympian Titans to smuggle them out, and back when Hera had told Hades how to infiltrate Olympus, she'd directed him to send his imps through that passage. And, of course, it was the way Hecate had put Mozenrath in proximity to the sun. But the majority of Olympians did not know it existed, else Hera's plan would have fallen apart at the seams. She knew there would be a battle at the Prison of the Damned, though she didn't yet know the true scope of it. She only knew that she didn't want to merely wait for the other gods to decide to overthrow Zeus. She was going to take steps to make sure he was taken down and out.

* * *

Ares' chariot veered off course.

"Where do you think YOU'RE going?" Athena barked.

"To get some REAL muscle," Ares answered. "You think that mortal jerk was acting alone? There will be a nasty surprise waiting for us, and I intend to be prepared for it!"

"You will more likely cause our defeat than our victory!" Athena yelled as Ares' chariot plunged toward Sparta.

Ares had told Kratos to prepare for combat. It was time to cash in on that. Besides, the man had already lived through one potentially eternal night.

* * *

ATHENS, OLYMPIC GREECE

The motley heroes' journey to Athens, while familiar, was not easy. The polis was on the way to the Land of Monsters, and it was scheduled to go there after a stop in the city-state to get bearings, but it was difficult to imagine heading from there to a barren wasteland with no lights, populated by known enemies. With no sun, no stars, naught but blackness that even the deities of the night were not correctly monitoring, the entire world felt colder. For the first leg of the journey, no one spoke…and then the loneliness set in. Seeing nothing but dark landscape from east to west, every now and then, the passengers in the wagon from Delphi had to look back at each other to make sure they were still there. Then Pinkie and Icarus HAD to talk, about anything, any random little thing, so that the night didn't chill everyone down to the very soul. The others all joined in until they were making awkward conversation about the landmarks they passed, and at last, when the torches of Athens were visible on the horizon, a certain warmth of relief was felt.

"Maybe the shops are still open," Twilight surmised. "We could look for equipment. In case we need it." She'd had her wand out, casting Lumos for the majority of the journey like a headlight for the wagon. Not for any purpose besides comfort.

"You think there'll be any place open we can get some food?" Pit wondered out loud.

"No one's going to have opened the shops," Cassandra sighed. "Everyone's going to be inside. Sleeping. Or…hiding."

"Then why are there LIGHTS on?" Icarus asked.

"Maybe everypony was scared," Fluttershy suggested, "so they all lit up the torches before closing everything. That's what I would do."

Hercules sighed as the wagon rolled closer to Athens. "I know I shouldn't be the one saying this, of all people…but going to the Land of Monsters now just sounds terrifying."

"Wait," Zoë said. "Will there not be one shop open? Icarus, do you not have your own shop in Athens?"

"OH YEAH!" Icarus remembered. "We can go hang out there!"

"Hey, no hiding!" Phil chided. "We have to go FACE our fears!"

"But everypony's feelin' off 'cause of this darkness," Applejack retorted. "We could use some time to rest indoors with some lights on!"

"I hear that," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Me too," Meg chimed in.

"Fine," Phil said with a huff. "We can stop."

"THANK you," Rarity said with a huff. "This darkness is absolutely dreadful."

They rolled into town; the streets were deserted even though torches were lit. Some lights were on in home windows as well. The people, it seemed, were trying to act as though it were a normal night and get some sleep while injecting enough light into the darkness that they could feel that it was not as crushingly cold and lonely as it was. The wagon stopped outside Icarus' small shop, and in they all went; when Icarus lit up the indoor lamps, the shop blazed brightly.

"I'm just really worried about one thing," Twilight admitted. "What if we're wrong about where we're going? Then we end up in a land filled with our enemies with absolutely no light, and we're not close to saving the sun at all."

"But it is the best lead we have," Zoë argued.

"I just wish there was more of a way to be sure," Twilight groaned.

"Maybe if we got up really really high," Pinkie suggested, "we could see it shining!"

"We should have looked from Olympus," Twilight moaned. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because Hera made us all too angry to think about anything like that," Meg pointed out.

"Do you think we could go back?" Rarity pondered.

"I doubt Hera's gonna let anyone get that close again," Phil answered.

"So is there anywhere else that's high up enough that we could see everything?" Applejack asked.

"Everything in the whole world, you're asking?" Phil reiterated. "Yeah, right. You'd have to get to where the sun actually was in order to see all that."

"Well, why can't we?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Two of us here have already done it."

"Yeah!" Pit realized.

"And I've got all of my best wings right here!" Icarus added.

"Plus, I bet I could make it up there," Rainbow Dash concluded.

"I say we do it!" Pit cried. "The three of us fly up to where the sun was, and we can see where it is if it's even on this world!"

"And if we don't see it," Rainbow Dash concluded, "that means it's probably in the Underworld."

"You're going up into that awful darkness?" Rarity asked as Icarus picked out a pair of wax wings to attach to his arms. "Just the three of you?"

"But there will be three of us," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "And you have to admit this is a lot safer than just rolling into the Land of Monsters blind."

"Wanna take the Team Strategist title for a while?" Twilight asked teasingly.

The group stepped outside. Icarus, Pit, and Rainbow Dash looked straight up.

"Last time I went up there," Pit said, "I got burned pretty bad."

"Me too," Icarus said. The two exchanged glances.

"You know," Pit said, "this is gonna make up for everyone who said you should have died."

"Yup. Guess you're finally gonna really earn that nickname of yours."

They remained planted on the ground.

"WHAT'S TAKIN' YA SO LONG?" Phil yelled.

"It's really freaky looking up there, okay?" Pit argued, looking again at the great blackness. At a certain point, when the land disappeared below, darkness was all there would be.

"Well, if you guys don't get going," Rainbow Dash threatened, spreading out her wings, "I'm gonna beat you to the top." She launched into the air, speeding upward, leaving a rainbow trail.

"HEY!" Pit and Icarus yelled in unison before taking off after her.

Up and up they climbed, into darkness, focusing on the chase, the rush of the air, the prismatic trail Rainbow Dash temporarily left behind. It wouldn't be right to say it felt like an eternity, but it was not a quick journey, either. Finally, Rainbow Dash reached the endpoint and Pit and Icarus yelled at her to stop because she'd made it. So she did, and when the other two caught up to her, she bragged, "I totally beat you."

"AW, MAN!" Pit and Icarus groaned at once.

"Now let's take a look!" Rainbow Dash suggested. They looked down, keeping aloft in the still and lightless night.

All below seemed to be lightless as well. Even the lights of Athens were distinctly faded. But there was a distinct glow visible elsewhere, brighter than anything else.

"You see that?" Pit pointed.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash and Icarus chorused.

The others awaited them on the ground, anxiously looking up at the place where the trio had sped upward and out of sight. Then Cassandra stumbled and fell to the ground.

"CASSANDRA!" her friends all cried.

She blinked her eyes open to reveal that they were the bright green of a vision. And yet she would not speak.

Her vision cleared at the exact moment that Rainbow Dash, Icarus, and Pit became visible on their way down; they touched ground as she stood up.

"What did you see?" Twilight asked.

"A great battle," Cassandra said, blinking hard. "Gods, monsters, and us. And…Titans."

"No way," Phil said.

"Titans?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I destroyed the Titans, though!" Hercules argued.

"Four of them, anyway," Zoë pointed out. "There were many more."

"But what ARE they?" Pinkie pressed.

"Beings older than this world," Zoë explained. "Almost older than time itself. Most of them were beings of chaos."

"Oh, no…" Twilight nearly whispered. "The Old Ones…Discord…"

"Well, we'll be ready," Rainbow Dash insisted. "We found the sun, by the way." She described the direction, the position of the light.

"Hoo boy," Phil said when she was done.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I'm guessing it's not the Land of Monsters."

"Nope," Phil answered. "Remember that prison the Furies told you about? The one that's basically Tartarus on earth?"

"Yes," all chorused.

"Well," Phil stated, "that's where we're going."

* * *

Chapter 59:

· Prepare for the author's notes edition that's basically where I got all the designs, concepts, and personae for the Olympians and Titans!

· So, yes, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas DID happen, but not in the world of Olympic Greece. The Ten Cities are on a different world entirely.

· Because of the version of Aegaeon in GoW and the fact that he's serving as the final battlefield (yes, he is the field), I'm retconning all mention of Briares in HTAS.

· "Arges" is an actual name of a mythological Cyclops. It's what I'm calling the Cyclops in the main film of Hercules.

· The Titans in Tartarus were the ones that were (now, keep in mind, Wikipedia is currently my source for most of this, and it's usually pretty accurate on mythological things, but if I got something wrong because it did, I apologize) listed to have been punished in Tartarus in the Titanomachy.

· Kronos is in the pit because of Percy Jackson. Now, I know he's a huge thing in GoWIII as well as Percy Jackson, so…I couldn't actually figure out how to get him out without ruining those two timelines, and I NEED him in those timelines. So he's going to be a party pooper in the pit. Every party needs a pooper; that's why we invited Kronos.

· Lythos, Pyros, Stratos, and Hydros are all the canon names of the Titans in Hercules. They're all OC creations of that universe.

· Crius was the Titan of constellations; hence the stars. He's a bit of a hothead – this comes from me letting the Titans' personalities just write themselves when I didn't already have one to work from.

· Hyperion is basically the Titan of hotness. Everyone just writes about how pretty he is. I'll be darned if we know what he actually DID.

· Coeus is the Titan of the axis of the earth. Hence the tats.

· As mentioned, Perses is a GoW design with a personality I added.

· Pallas actually has conflicting sources. Some myths say xe was a man and some say xe was a woman. So I decided…why not both? It finally gave me a chance to conjugate the "xe" pronoun. All versions say xe was killed by Athena.

· Mnemosyne is the Titan of memory and associated with the Lethe, so I just put her there.

· Atlas is actually NOT on the world proper because he's holding it up. And again, Percy Jackson requires me to leave him right where he is.

· Oceanus and Tethys should have rather obvious designs and a rather obvious location, given that they were sea Titans. I placed them offshore of Arcadia because Oceanus is associated with Arcadia for some reason; this also made Arcadia prime territory to locate the wilderness group.

· Prometheus in HTAS and Prometheus in GoW are again similar enough that I could just go with the basic personality and it works. His exile in the wilderness is actually due to the HTAS ep where Hercules convinces Zeus to let him go because the only reason Zeus had him chained up was out of prejudice against Titans. I really liked that episode, as it actually called out Zeus for screwing up.

· Epimetheus, being Prometheus' brother, would only naturally be with him. The others think him a fool because his very name means "lacks foresight" and he was tricked by Pandora. ("Two" Pandora cycles? Yes, I still have a master plan…)

· Theia is always described as bright and as being a mother. She isn't described much beyond that. I thought she'd make a great maternal figure for Prometheus and Epimetheus, even though she's actually the mother of Selene, Eos, and Helios.

· Thera is a GoW original Titan whose location of imprisonment is under the Methana volcano. Design and personality are strictly from there.

· Phoebe is in Delphi because myths have Themis grant Delphi to her. (Both were seers; that's how come Themis can have a blindfold on and not be blind.) She is associated with the moon as well, hence her title and the white in her design. And her personality was actually my favorite that I made. I thought she would end up being a wallflower, but she actually turned out…more of a psychopath. I'm looking forward to having a little more fun with her in the upcoming battle.

· Asteria, in the myths, transformed herself into the isle of Delos to escape Zeus' advances. In GoW Ascension, there's a giant freaking statue of Apollo on Delos. I had to go for the connection.

· Rhea is a complicated case. She is actually often considered to be the same entity as Cybele; Mount Dindymon is the resting place/altar for both. I haven't yet decided whether they are the same deity or whether they share a mountain as roommates or something. (Leaning toward the latter, but I already decided I am NOT going to separate Roman and Greek gods and this will actually be a plot point.) Rhea is also one of the two Titans who I had a hard time reconciling with the whole concept of chaos. I knew I wanted all the Titans to be considered Old Ones, but Rhea cares a lot about the ones she loves whereas the Old Ones have Blue and Orange Morality all over the place. I made her so caring because of how she rescued Zeus from Kronos (though I'm a bit surprised that no source actually lists her as living on Olympus because of this).

· All the Titans found on Olympus are listed to mythologically live there (taking into account the way I'm splitting Helios and Apollo as characters).

· I have this very strange idea that Discord has a protective big-brother attitude toward Eos. I have no idea where it came from.

· Astraeus is the Titan of dusk, so he gets dusk colors.

· Selene is a moon Titan, hence her color scheme.

· Leto is kind of the "midwife" of Olympus. She doesn't have a cosmic or nature theme, so she dresses simply.

· Themis was the other one that was complicated to reconcile as an Old One because she's the Titan of customs/traditions/laws. She's actually, I found out, the figure represented as Lady Justice in courtrooms with the scales and the blindfold (and that's what I chose to interpret in her design). She's basically the precursor to the version of Nemesis I'm using. But I philosophically decided that even order has a place in chaos, mostly because I wanted her in on this and I wanted her to argue with Discord.

· The idea to use the song "We're the Titans" from Hercules and Xena was inspired by reader Heavylight. I only even know that song because it ended up on a "Top 13 Worst Songs in Movies" list by YT user F1315NJ. (I think that particular installment of the list was taken down, as I can't find it now but I found the other vids of his talking about the worst songs.) I decided it would be a somewhat humorous gag to have Helios (yes, it's OOC for him, but only by a LITTLE) try it and get silenced. I do have one more big musical number planned for this storylet, but trust me, that was not it.

· Timeline reference: when Selene, Astraeus, and Themis see Hera leaving the palace, she's going to talk with Zoë and then warn Hades that she knows.

· Myths always tell of Zeus swallowing Metis to prevent her from having children that would overthrow him, and of her birthing Athena in there; the other gods rip Athena out of Zeus' head. But I never heard anything about Metis being released. So she stayed in Zeus' head. Myths also say Zeus transformed her into a fly to swallow her. Since she forged armor for Athena while in there, I figured she should have some armor and weapons as well, though in definite disrepair from lack of use. (TBH, I kind of want to make Metis into a plot device that affects things more at large, but I don't know how to make the timing work and am still thinking on it because what I want her to have started would only have started while she was in Zeus' head.)

· I realize the timing is a little off here – that we're supposed to believe that Hades teleporting back to the Underworld took as long as it took Discord to tell that story. Well…I didn't know how else to tell the order of events, so you're just gonna have to run with it. After all, I completely switched where Kirra was on the map.

· The Olympian gods' fleet was basically me flipping back and forth between the GoW, Disney, and even Percy Jackson Wikis.

· Zeus is mostly Disney, but the GoW personality, again, fits in okay with that persona, and that's the design where I got the "armor on one arm only" thing.

· For Poseidon: his fishy attributes, blue skin, and turquoise chiton are from HTAS; the blue markings and black hair are GoW.

· Demeter's design is all Hercules.

· Hestia's design is actually all Percy Jackson, since she's not in GoW and I somehow had forgotten at the time that she showed in HTAS. And the idea of an eight year old (relatively) goddess in the military fleet entertains me greatly.

· Artemis' design is mostly HTAS, down to the Southern accent; the horns are GoW. Her GoW personality is really bland and she doesn't have a full-body design there.

· Aphrodite is so generally accepted as promiscuous that I actually literally imagine her wearing her GoW outfit on top of her Hercules outfit and it makes a whole outfit. GoW makes her a redhead; Hercules makes her a blonde. So you get to interpret "red-gold" however you want.

· Hephaestus' gray skin and apron are from Hercules and the belts from GoW.

· Hermes' blue skin/hair and glasses are Hercules; his outfit and "glow" are GoW.

· Dionysus' skin tone is from Hercules and his outfit is actually from Fantasia.

· Asclepius is generally accepted in mythological canon as an Olympian, but I haven't seen him in any pop culture/fiction outside of that. So I got to design him. As he's a healer, I decided plain white would fit and sort of look lab-coat-ish.

· Cupid actually has a canon design that appears in multiple eps of HTAS…but in a strange case of discontinuity, he has a distinctly different design in the film of Hercules itself, one that looks more like a warrior. I went with that one, as much as I like the Cupid eps of HTAS. HTAS makes him look more like a cherub. Also, even the mythological anthology I read in high school switched all the gods to Roman names just so they could call him Cupid while all other stories used Greek names; hence he's not Eros here. NOBODY seems to like the name "Eros." So to make it easier on all of us, I'm just going to use "Cupid."

· Hebe actually is a background character in some of the scenes on Olympus in Hercules (main film)! So that's where her design comes from.

· Pan has an HTAS design, but I don't like it. What you're seeing is actually the design from the film Pan's Labyrinth. (Only lives in Ofelia's head, you say? Doesn't mean I can't hijack the design and personality anyway. BTW, absolutely love that movie.)

· Morpheus' design is all HTAS.

· And of course, Palutena is Kid Icarus original and her design and personality are all from there.

· No, you don't get to know the secret way in/out of Olympus. Why? Because Chekhov's Gun.


	60. Prison of the Damned

60: Prison of the Damned

THE PRISON OF THE DAMNED, THE BORDER OF OLYMPIC GREECE

When Aegaeon had betrayed Zeus, Zeus had wasted no time in transforming his body into the prison meant for those who broke blood oaths. He was an island of his own, distant from the mainland. His body lay still as it had since Kratos had broken it, but it still contained the prison halls interwoven between the hundred hands.

The cells were still intact, made of solid stone and strong metal. Themis forced Mozenrath into one of the cells, slamming and locking the gate behind him. The young sorcerer blasted through the bonds around his wrists, but even touching the metal bars caused his hand to burn inside the gauntlet – despite said hand having no nerve endings. Every blast fired at the walls was in vain; nothing broke. Themis casually walked away as she heard her prisoner rage against his situation.

The Titans lowered the sun into place at the very heart of the prison, the center between Aegaeon's twisting limbs and the stone hallways that had been constructed among them.

And far below that, Discord found the heart of the Hecatonchire. It lay still, not beating.

"You don't really think you can fool anyone playing dead," Discord questioned, "can you?"

He stared at the heart.

"I know you're just sleeping," Discord called out. "I also know you'll want to wake up when you really take a look around at who's here."

The area began to fill with heat, the warmth of life.

Discord smirked. "Much better."

* * *

"Now what does he expect us to do?" Themis muttered, pacing a stone balcony; the Titans had gone to human size in order to walk the island.

"I think he expects us to wait," Iapetus suggested.

"After all," Phoebe said, eyes sparkling, "good things come to those who wait. And good things are coming. Hades and his entire army."

"She actually did it," Selene muttered. "Eris actually got Hades to bring his army!"

"I say we give him a welcome greeting," Helios suggested.

The dark chariots grew visible against the black sky; the silhouettes of Echidna's family lumbered on the horizon behind them. The greatest illumination came from the bird of flames that trailed behind Tisiphone's chariot.

"No," Alecto growled when she saw the Titans lined up on the balcony.

"NO!" Hades echoed, glowing bright orange.

Facilier reined in his chariot next to Hades'. "What are they?"

"Titans," Hades growled. "And they're NOT working for me!"

It was Leto of all Titans who took the initiative in stepping forward, off the balcony, growing to full Titanic height and entering the sea. She walked toward the chariots, which were at the level of her eyes. "HADES," she thundered. "WE'VE DECIDED WE DO NOT WANT TO LIVE IN EXILE ANY LONGER!"

"If this is a declaration of mutiny," Hades replied, "THEN SO HELP ME, I WILL SEND YOU ALL TO TARTARUS!"

"IT IS US WHO INTEND TO SEND YOU THERE FIRST AS PAYMENT FOR WHAT YOUR KIND HAS DONE!" Leto threatened.

"One problem," Hades pointed out. "You have my sun."

"HOW IS THAT A PROBLEM FOR US?"

"Because I will stop at NOTHING to get it back. You think your little mortal thief was enough to get the job done?"

"You think he belonged to US?" Themis joined Leto in size. "THAT WRETCH WAS PITIFUL. THAT THE OLYMPIAN GODS COULDN'T STOP HIM IS A TESTAMENT TO HOW WEAK THEY TRULY ARE!"

Hades conjured a fireball in each hand, holding them out to either side. "You want me, babe? Come and get me."

"AFTER ALL THE TIME I'VE SPENT TENDING TO YOUR KIND, LIVING IN EXILE, AND AFTER ALL YOUR KIND HAS DONE TO ME…" Leto raged. "THIS IS LONG OVERDUE!"

She changed size in midair, becoming only as tall as Hades; she leapt into his chariot and knocked her elbow into his stomach. He slammed both fireballs into her body, but a shield of aura deflected them. Leto wrapped an arm around Hades' neck, attempting to strangle him. He wrenched her arm away, throwing her off the chariot; she caught on by a hand. As Leto flung herself upward and onto the chariot, Hades had enough time to give the battle order: "GET THEM!"

"GO, GO, EVERYONE, NOW!" Facilier called out; every single chariot but Hades' and one other charged at the Prison of the Damned at full speed.

Themis turned to the balcony where her fellow Titans waited. "COVER ALL THE GROUND!" she bellowed, and the Titans scattered, each claiming a different palm of Aegaeon or cell roof to stand on to await a foe.

"Now, remember, kids," Echidna told all her waiting children. "We do NOT play nice with BULLIES!" She lumbered forward, and the other monsters charged.

Themis focused on the last chariot in the sky, where Eris waited. Eris rose from the seat, flitting around Themis like a bug, whispering in her ear, "Don't we at least want to put on a good show?"

Themis launched herself at Eris' chariot, landing in it at the size of a human so that her voice would not carry. "I do not intend for it to be a show," she growled. "You may be allied with Discord, but you are not one of us. Because of that, your predilection toward chaos and disregard of tradition is unforgivable. You have no place here!"

She lunged at Eris, sword drawn. Eris dodged Themis, laughing as she grew to Titanic proportions, spreading out her arms; the webbing of bat wings sprouted from beneath them. Themis turned over in midair, regaining her Titanic size, charging Eris with her blade. The sword passed through Eris like smoke. Enraged, Themis raised the blade high, and it crackled with white lightning. This she turned to shoot at Eris, and the blow connected, causing Eris to double over in pain. Eris then beat her wings, sending a cyclone of wind toward Themis, pushing the Titan back as she tried to swing her energy-laden sword once more.

Oceanus plunged over the side of the prison into the sea, his natural milieu, only to find himself surrounded by Cetus' tentacles. He grew to full size, breaking free for only a moment; Cetus recalculated, then snapped a tentacle around Oceanus' ankles, one around his torso and forearms, and yet another around his neck. Oceanus struggled free of the appendage holding his arms to his body and reached up to grapple with Cetus to get his throat free. Cetus pulled them both underwater, where they continued to struggle.

Another set of tentacles, black, erupted from the ocean. Alecto's chariot hovered in the air, abandoned. Alecto knocked Perses off the ledge upon which he stood, wrapping a tentacle around him. He grew to full size, tying two of Alecto's tentacles together; two more snapped around his wrists. He grabbed at them and squeezed, hoping to cause Alecto enough pain that she would let go, but she was already untying the knot he'd made and wrapping herself around him; she pulled him underwater next to Cetus and Oceanus, hoping to drown him. Perses' head broke the surface of the water; Alecto forced it right back down again.

Ladon reared back all his heads, firing sharp daggers of ice toward Prometheus. Prometheus' entire body burst into flame, and he ran at the dragon, jumping into the sea to grow to full size, causing each ice shard that touched him to melt instantly. The fiery Titan gripped Ladon tightly around the base of all his necks, throwing him over sideways. Ladon tripped Prometheus up with his tail, breathing a wind over Prometheus that left half of him frozen; Prometheus' natural bodily fire melted it.

Tendrils of darkness sprouted beneath Theia; she struggled to break free from the bonds. When the darkness abated, she glowed with brighter light than ever only to feel a sharp burning sensation run through her. She turned to see Facilier's cane pinning down her shadow, blue flames running down the length of it. She realized the first burst of darkness had been a distraction so that he could get close enough to the shadow she cast – even with her permanent glow, she still had one. Angered, Theia conjured beams of light within her hands, sending them towards Facilier; they burned him when they hit their target, causing him to lose his hold on Theia's shadow. She rushed him, fist drawn; he spun, ducking her blow, and whacked her on the back of the head with his cane.

Euryale descended from the sky toward Thera, beaming petrification energy toward her; Thera deflected it with a greatsword she bore. Flicking the wrist of the hand holding the greatsword, Thera made flames come to life along the length of the blade. When Euryale landed on the ground beside her, Thera swung the blade heavily. Euryale hastened backward, out of its path, shooting at it with her eyes to try and petrify the sword, but to no avail. While Hades had been able to tie her powers to the bracelet enough that the bracelet's breaking would merely render her powerless and not completely blind – a move she wasn't sure about committing to until the bracelets were reinforced and Stheno had begged – he had not been able to make her able to disable a Titanic weapon. The snakes of Euryale's hair rushed out to snap at Thera's sword arm; Thera flinched, and the sword went off course, but she didn't lose her grip.

Stheno danced around Hyperion's blasts of light and fire, taunting him: "Ha! Ha! Ha! MISSED!" However, her own beams missed just as often. A blast of light sent her reeling, head over heels, landing flat on her back on the ground. As Hyperion quickly advanced to finish her off, she leapt up to her feet in a single movement, blasting Hyperion with all she had. To her frustration, only one of Hyperion's arms turned to stone rather than his whole body. Hyperion slammed his hands together, and the stone skin cracked, falling off to reveal that his arm was just fine beneath. With a roar of anger, Stheno charged him again.

Nemesis approached Coeus with fire in her eyes. "Escaping an eternal sentence in Tartarus without a divine pardon is a capital offense," she informed him. "Punishable by SMITING UNTIL DEATH!" Both arms became shining broadsword blades, and Nemesis ran at Coeus. Coeus raised his arms, causing the area around him to succumb to extraordinary gravity patterns; when Nemesis hit it; she was flung to the ground. She crawled toward Coeus until she was lifted up into the air. Spinning, she turned about, kicking at the air to propel herself toward Coeus; he shifted gravity again so that she stood on the ground, but every step she took forward brought her backward. It caught him off guard when she ran backward at full speed, carrying her body close enough to him to reach him with her blades and slash at him.

A ghostly wail pierced the air, causing the ground Crius was on to shake. He stumbled to keep his balance. In a rage, he swiped his hands through the air, gathering fire in them. Dark Danny rushed Crius at full speed, blasting at him; Crius launched one fireball to deflect that energy and a second to hit the ghost himself. Dark Danny was thrown against a wall made of one of Aegaeon's arms. He shook off the attack, running at Crius, blasting a bond of ectoplasm at the Titan to bind him. Crius was only stymied for a few seconds before he broke the bonds, and he caught Danny's raised fists in his own hands, the pair struggling to push one or the other over.

The Nemean Lion rushed Iapetus, rising up to maul him. In a brilliant glimmer, a monstrous spear of black and silver appeared in Iapetus' hands, and he thrust it at the Lion. The Lion recoiled, stepping back. Blood dripped from the wound Iapetus – known as the Piercer – had made; fortunately for the Lion, he'd backed off before it could be made deep enough to be fatal. Stunned, the Lion murmured, "That's not possible. I'm invincible…" When Iapetus came at him with the spear, the Lion clamped his jaws down upon Iapetus' arm.

Gegeines lumbered towards Mnemosyne, having been coached by his mother to actually take an active part in the battle this time. He reached out for her with one monstrous arm, but she cast a shimmer of silver plasma over him, and he blinked, unable to remember why he was there or who he was fighting.

One of the many heads of the Hydra snapped at Tethys. Tethys made a swan dive into the ocean, where she twirled and swirled, causing a whirlpool, all the while growing to her Titanic proportions. When she rose from the water, she called up jets of the salty ocean to pummel the purple creature. All of the Hydra's heads charged her at once; she knocked each one aside with a blast of water.

"This is not good," Panic muttered. "This is very not good…"

"Looks like we have to use that 'emergency plan' Hades told us about," Pain suggested.

The two stood next to each other, shifting shape. They took on the form of a dragonlike creature, about the size of a tiger, with two heads – one purple, one teal, and the body split by color halfway across. As one creature, they galloped toward the nearest target: Phoebe. Phoebe, however, sidestepped Pain's first attempt to swipe at her with his claws. As she did Panic's attempt to bite her with elongated fangs.

Her eyes glittered with the power of foresight. "Every time you make a move, you know exactly what move you wish to make," she said. "There is no question! You cannot make a move you have not decided on permanently, and all outcomes narrow to one! I will always see what you choose to do to me before you do it, and that is why you will never land a blow on me!" To emphasize her point, she kicked Pain in the face.

Rhea sprang from her ground on the prison, growing in size, landing in the ocean and swinging a bronze shield. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY FAMILY!" she shrieked.

Echidna charged her, screaming, "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY KIDS?"

Rhea swung the shield's edge at Echidna, then slammed its flat side into Echidna's face. Echidna, slightly dazed, responded by slamming her entire body into Rhea, knocking her over. When she tried to crush Rhea's head beneath her foot, it just clanged against the shield, which Rhea had raised in time.

Eos whimpered, trying to find a place to hide during the conflict. While racing down the hall past the cell blocks, her path was interrupted; Adonis, eyes still glowing from hypnotism, stepped into her way.

"I was supposed to find and destroy the weakest member of the team," he said, not even in enough control of himself to realize what an insult that order had been. He rushed at Eos with a sword Hades had granted him. Eos clapped her hands, producing a brief and dim flash of light; it was still enough to startle Adonis and cause him to trip. Eos turned and ran in the opposite direction while Adonis got his bearings to keep up the chase.

Orcos stretched out, changing into his demonic form; Helios matched him in size. Orcos swiped at Helios, but his claw was blocked by Helios' golden shield. The shield emitted a burst of light, causing Orcos to stagger. Orcos was able to duck the next blast of light, grabbing Helios by the shoulders; Helios swatted Orcos in the face with the shield's flat.

Geryon raised a club and rushed Selene, but Selene was ready with the sleeping powder. She tossed it at one of Geryon's faces, causing a third of the monster to fall asleep. She then ran in circles around Geryon, giggling as the two faces still awake called out, "Hey! Get up! Lazy!"

Asteria, at full size, challenged the Chimaera. When the Chimaera's snake tail struck, Asteria swatted her aside. The Chimaera's lion head attempted to bite Asteria on the leg, but she cried out, "NO WAY!" and she delivered a sharp kick to the Chimaera's lion face. This caused the Chimaera to lean forward, balancing on her front legs, so the goat head could butt Asteria in the stomach, causing her to fall and splash into the waters.

Tisiphone leapt upon the back of her fiery familiar, and they went careening down towards Epimetheus, Tisiphone cackling all the way. Epimetheus waited until they got close to throw a punch at Tisiphone – which went right through her, and the illusion dissolved. As Epimetheus stopped to wonder what had gone wrong, he felt a beam of magical energy sear into his body from behind; he spun to see the real Tisiphone hovering there with the bird looming above her. "You're an idiot!" she taunted, firing blast after blast; Epimetheus ran for cover.

Cerberus, on the other hand, was having a difficult time dealing with Menoetius. No matter how much fire or darkness he breathed at the Titan, Menoetius seemed to just be able to barrel through it – either he was invulnerable or just that determined to push through the pain. Menoetius dealt blow after blow to each of Cerberus' three faces in turn while the hellhound tried to get in a bite.

Megaera approached Metis. "Your weapons are broken," she taunted, "and you are on MY battlefield!" Pores all over Megaera's skin widened; beetles crawled out of them, pouring onto the ground.

Metis slammed her shield into beetle after beetle. The bugs crawled up onto her, but she threw them to the ground with a cry of frustration, stomping them. Even with only the broken half of a dull sword, she swung it quickly enough to cut through the remaining beetles. Megaera then leapt directly at Metis, pinning her to the ground, raising an insectoid leg to drive down into her face; Metis kicked upwards with both feet, sending Megaera flipping over her head, getting up and spinning to attempt a stab at Megaera. Megaera tripped Metis, and when they were both on the ground, they struggled to their feet at the same time. Megaera tried again and again to pummel Metis with her insect limbs, but Metis' sword and shield were fast enough to deflect all the blows.

Astraeus and Orthos were in the midst of a full-blown fistfight. Astraeus had already blackened the eye of Orthos' left head, but Orthos' right hand had gotten a punch in to Astraeus' face as well. They too ended up on the ground, rolling, sometimes one on top, sometimes another.

Medusa knew she had to be careful with her stone vision around Pallas, for Pallas carried a round, silver shield that was over half the size of Pallas' body. Medusa could clearly see herself in it; were she not protected by Hades' bracelet, the battle would already have been won. Pallas rushed Medusa with xyr sword; Medusa leapt up, vaulting over Pallas' head, landing behind xyr back. Medusa turned to try and get a shot in, but Pallas was faster, first transferring xyr shield behind xyr back before spinning to face Medusa. Medusa ducked the next swipes of Pallas' sword before leaping up to kick the Titan in the face; while Pallas did not drop xyr weapons, xe was stunned and reeled from the pain.

Leto was finally able to throw Hades overboard the chariot; Hades plummeted into the sea below. He sank several feet before getting his bearings and surfacing. His fire was out and his color blue thanks to the water, but he was still clearly enraged. He watched Leto delicately descend to stand upon the water.

"You KNOW how much I hate WATER!" Hades roared. "What IS it with you, anyway? Call me crazy, but I thought your employment on Olympus was a sign that you were OUT of the war business."

"My position on Olympus was a punishment given to me by Zeus," Leto replied. "I let him and all who supported him tread on me for too long. Now we must find our own path, one where we return to power and glory without living under Olympian heels!"

"Did it never occur to you," Hades seethed, "that MAYBE I'M TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING?"

Leto was taken aback. "Explain yourself."

"You know Zeus is a jerk! I know Zeus is a jerk! I want him gone too for sticking me down in the Underworld! And if you think on it for a bit, I'm sure you can come up with the name of one other certain goddess he keeps CHEATING on who wants him out of the picture too."

"Are you saying you and Hera…"

"Want that sun so we can show him he isn't in control!"

"We are fighting for the same thing," Leto realized. "After all…you and Persephone did liberate Atlas, and you liberated Pyros, Hydros, Lythos, and Stratos as well…" Horror came over her face. "Attacking you was a mistake, Hades! Tell me…tell me now that you will stand with us to face Zeus, and we can stop this fighting!"

Hades weighed his options. After all, he had his loyalty to his army, and his loyalty to the Overtakers. And, most importantly, his loyalty to himself. Could he afford to let the Titans get in the way of that? But as he thought about it…it was what he had tried to do from the very beginning. Somehow, they'd just all made it that much easier for him. His only worry was that, as a much greater force of numbers, the Titans could easily betray him and follow their own agenda. However, if they managed to bring down Zeus first, Hades was confident he could deal with that later.

"Fine, fine," he sighed. "I'll agree to a truce. You call off your forces, and I'll call off mine, and when our REAL enemy shows up, we'll give him and all his forces a taste of EVERYONE he's underestimated!"

Leto grew in size rapidly; Hades matched her stature. Together, they cried out, "EVERYONE STOP!"

And everyone did, once those two voices radiated through the air. Alecto relaxed her grip. Hyperion's next blast of heat fizzled out. Tisiphone hovered motionless in midair. Pallas lowered xyr sword. Metis lowered her shield. Adonis stopped in his tracks. Facilier backed away from Theia. Themis, growling in the back of her throat, put down her sword, and Eris chuckled.

"WE ARE FIGHTING FOR THE SAME THING!" Leto announced. "TO TAKE POWER BACK FROM ZEUS!"

"HE MADE ALL OUR LIVES INTO LIVING TARTARUS," Hades added, "AND HE'S THE ONE WE SHOULD FOCUS ON KILLING! FIRST, ANYWAY."

"STAND DOWN FROM THIS BATTLE!" Leto begged. "FACE THE OLYMPIANS WHEN THEY COME!"

"I MEAN, I'M STILL FOR THE WHOLE TITANIC CAUSE," Hades added. "YOU GUYS GOT CHEATED ALMOST WORSE THAN ME. SO HAVE WE GOT A DEAL? TITANS STOP TRYING TO KILL MY ARMY, AND MY ARMY WILL STOP TRYING TO KILL TITANS."

There was silence at first as all thought it over. Then murmured agreements. Then the air was pierced by a sharp cackle. All eyes turned to look at Phoebe.

"A ship of would-be heroes is coming to battle us!" she laughed. "They think they can take back the sun and restore ORDER!"

"IF I WERE YOU," Hades responded, addressing all present, "I'D TAKE THEM DOWN FIRST."

Phoebe pointed to where the small ship emerged into view on the horizon.

* * *

"I think I see Aegaeon on the horizon!" Rarity called out from the ship's wheel. Rainbow Dash kept fueling the sail with wind, carrying it to the Prison island at a swift pace.

"Everypony!" Twilight announced. "We don't know what we'll be facing when we get to the prison, so be prepared for – "

She didn't get to finish. The entire ship rocked. Oceanus rose from one side of the ship and Tethys from another, towering to the sky.

Zoë drew back her bow. Hercules drew Anaklusmos. Pit readied his golden blades. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack transformed, their Eldritch weapons appearing in hand. Even Rarity let go of the wheel of the ship to transform and summon her bow. Icarus struck his best fighting pose.

Then all of Alecto's tentacles erupted from one side of the water and all of Cetus' from another. The six Equestrians barely had enough time to mobilize and create the rainbow shield, putting a barrier around the ship and its passengers, throwing off Alecto and Cetus.

A ghostly wail echoed through the air, and the shield shattered. Oceanus reached under the boat, tipping it over. Tethys plunged it down into the ocean depths. And Alecto and Cetus ripped it apart.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Hercules, Meg, Pegasus, Phil, Icarus, Cassandra, Zoë, and Pit floated in the depths, separated, discombobulated, trying to get their bearings. Then each was scooped up by a monstrous hand, closing around each. Rainbow Dash summoned all the weather powers she could think of to strike the hand of Prometheus that held her, but to no avail; Prometheus' hand instead caught on fire, neutralizing all of Rainbow Dash's attacks without harming her. Twilight couldn't make a mark on Coeus. Zoë's light arrows did nothing against Mnemosyne.

Only Hercules was able to break free of the grip of his captor, Perses. But as soon as he did so, Alecto, once again in the form of a human, rose to meet him, striking him with viscous darkness that covered him like a fallen spiderweb. When Hercules was in this condition, Perses gathered him into his other hand and continued on.

"DON'T KILL THEM YET," Hades ordered.

Even hearing his voice sent chills through Hercules, Meg, Phil, Pegasus, Icarus, Cassandra, Pit, and Zoë. The six Equestrians, while having no personal ties to him, also realized his voice was one of power…the voice of someone not to be crossed.

"I WANT THEM TO WATCH," he continued.

Then Eris laughed, a laugh that echoed sinisterly against the sky.

The heroes were deposited in a cell that looked out toward the horizon from which they'd come. After dropping Pinkie Pie in it as the final occupant, Themis sealed the door. "YOU WILL WITNESS THE FALL OF OLYMPUS," she said, "BEFORE YOU, YOURSELF, SHALL FALL."

From the opposite edge of the island, hearing Themis' words, Mozenrath could only wonder who else had arrived. He was no closer to escaping; somehow, an energy in the cell prevented him from connecting to the darkness, from Apparating away. The cell had been built to hold Dark sorcerers, and it was serving its purpose.

As Twilight was figuring out as she tried charm after charm on the bars. "Alohomora" didn't unlock the door. None of her spells broke the metal that kept her and her friends caged in.

"Hercules," she asked, "can you…?"

"I'm on it!" Hercules reached for the bars, grasping them; he couldn't get them to move. "These bars were made to hold in demigods!"

"Yeah, I'm calling it now," Cassandra sighed. "We're all doomed. We might as well just get used to it. At least we've got a good view."

"I am NOT giving up this easily!" Rainbow Dash swung her sword against the bars again and again. Not so much as a dent.

"Uh-oh," Applejack said softly, looking out across the ocean.

"What is it?" Zoë asked.

They all turned their attention to the sky, where Applejack looked. All in the vicinity of the island heard it when Phoebe yelled with joy, "THE OLYMPIANS ARE COMING!"

* * *

Chapter 60:

· I decided to split the climactic battle up into two parts because after this, there's a LOT that needs to flow together. It's just better to have this part out of the way.

· I decided for plot reasons that Aegaeon's cells should be prepared for anything. After all, they were made to hold ANY oathbreaker. I am well aware that Kratos was able to break one of his own chains in GoW Ascension (though he did need to sever the other one against the claws of Megaera, who, as the jailer, I suppose has the ultimate power to do whatever she wants there). This is being written off as a fluke.

· I also know Aegaeon was supposed to be dead canonically. For my purposes…nope.

· I tried to match up the Titans and Hades' army when I did find connections. For example, it's obvious why Themis and Eris clash. Ladon and Prometheus are fire versus ice. And when the Olympians show up, the rivalries are going to make even more sense. You'll see.

· Iapetus is, in mythological canon, known as "the piercer" and wields a giant spear. His name even means "piercer." So I figured he can be the one that can actually hurt the Nemean Lion. (Outside Hercules himself, of course.)

· I finally got to use Megaera's skin beetles! YAY!

· And no, I could NOT let the heroes see Mozenrath yet. In due time, readers.

· Overall, I actually tried to structure this chapter somewhat like how a reader/friend known as thetoonguy in our circles does his battle royales, with just a little attention devoted to each move between rivalries. That made things move faster.


	61. Prison Break

A/N: You will want to familiarize yourself with the song "Knife Fight" by Lemon Demon before this chapter.

* * *

61. Prison Break

THE PRISON OF THE DAMNED, THE BORDERS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Zeus led the fleet toward the island of Aegaeon. He wasn't sure what to expect. Something in Hera's words had led him to believe that he was headed towards much more than he bargained for…and it was inconceivable that the mortal thief could have been working on his own, at least to Zeus. There had to be a higher power behind him.

He saw the towering shapes near Aegaeon. He could name them all: Themis, Leto, Oceanus, Rhea. They stood side by side with Echidna, with Eris…with Hades. It was perhaps the worst possible sight Zeus could have seen.

He roared for all to hear: "NOOOOOOOO!"

"TITANS?" Ares was dumbfounded.

"Hades," Athena seethed.

"Can you not see that the Titans are the bigger threat?" Ares snapped at Athena.

"They have ONLY ever been a threat because of Hades' help!" Athena retorted. "Are you only here to be contrary to me about everything?"

"You're the one being contrary to me!" Ares shot back.

"Then I'll just have to kill them ALL!" This remark was added by Kratos, who rode in Ares' chariot. The Ghost of Sparta, as he was known, felt what was almost a need to destroy the group of Olympus' most wanted that the fleet approached.

"AS YOU WERE," Themis commanded. "LEAD THEM INTO THE DEPTHS OF AEGAEON! THIS TIME, WE STAND TOGETHER!"

Eris appeared as a human-sized wisp perched upon Themis' shoulder. "That would mean you and I would stand together."

"AND MAYBE YOU WILL LEARN TO ACT IN COORDINATION WITH ANOTHER FOR ONCE," Themis huffed.

"Or maybe you will learn to think OUTSIDE the box when you pick your allies," Eris teased.

The Titans and all of Hades' army returned to where they had been before the small ship had appeared on the horizon. When the Olympians reached Aegaeon, the fleet split up, and the gods pursued their targets.

Zeus' chariot flew towards where Perses waded in the ocean; the king of the gods drew a long metal cylinder crackling with energy from his robes. From it, he released a storm's worth of lightning to strike Perses.

Leto stepped into the lightning's path, and she and Perses both drew the fire from it; Leto bit her lip to keep from crying out. Several jet-black tentacles reached up from the ocean below, swatting at Zeus' chariot and causing him to lose control of the lightning.

"ALECTO!" he roared. "You only have your power because of me! DON'T DEFY ME!"

"Funny thing…" In a rush of gray smoke, Hades appeared within the chariot. "I only have my power over the Underworld because of you, and that only seems to make me want to defy you MORE."

"Hades," Zeus seethed. "I should have known you would betray us again."

"Yada, yada, yada," Hades mocked. "Just shut up already, will ya?"

He thrust an arm at Zeus, and a full blast of fire rocketed at him. Zeus had no choice but to leap off the chariot. He called the clouds to him, forming a platform to land on. Once he found solid footing on the clouds, he quickly set to creating three replicas of himself out of pure lightning energy, sending them to deal with Leto, Perses, and Alecto; each lightning replica became engaged in battle immediately. Perses and Leto were pummeled by their elemental opponents while Alecto nearly tangled herself in a knot trying to eliminate hers.

A column of blue flame erupted on the cloud platform. Zeus had expected that. When Hades fully materialized, he was greeted by a barrage of lightning. In response, he threw three fireballs as fast as his reflexes allowed. Where the two energies hit, they canceled out. Where they didn't, lightning reached through to sting Hades and fire burned patches of Zeus' skin.

"Almost forgot," Hades said, noticing something behind Zeus. "There's one more goddess who'd kind of like your head on a plate. If I were you, I'd call it quits right now. You're outmatched."

Zeus felt a great blow to the back of the head. He staggered, then turned to see who had delivered it. "H…Hera…"

"It ends," Hera said simply.

Zeus' left hand guided lightning toward Hades. His right hand guided lightning toward Hera. Hades readied all his flames and Hera summoned a sparkling pink aura. All the while, Perses, Leto, and Alecto wore down their lightning opponents, waiting to spring upon Zeus himself. Hera and Hades danced around the blows aimed at them, firing repeatedly; Hera was silent, but Hades couldn't resist getting in a "Ha!" or a "BOOM!" every time one of his fireballs hit home. Zeus pressed on in his battle. He would not allow himself to believe that he was being defeated.

Poseidon left his chariot as well, his form growing and changing. His body grew in size, suddenly taking on the appearance of being completely made of water. The horses that drew his chariot underwent a similar effect, bearing him on their watery backs. A trident that also appeared to be composed of water but was in fact solid materialized in Poseidon's hand, and he thrust it at Oceanus. Cetus grabbed hold of the trident shaft, tugging it so that Poseidon nearly lost grip. He was eventually able to plunge the trident head into the ground, creating a whirlpool of water that rose up and twisted its way toward Oceanus. Oceanus caught the cyclone, spinning it with his own hands, tossing it back towards Poseidon. The cyclone collided with Poseidon, knocking him down, and Cetus pulled him under.

Hebe's chariot flew over Prometheus, and the goddess let the cup on her head spill. The water from it doused Prometheus' flame. The cup refilled immediately. Before Hebe could pour it a second time, her chariot was destroyed by a spear of ice breathed by Ladon; she tumbled through the air, grasping for the cup. She was caught by a cold wind, more of Ladon's wintry breath, that frosted over her skin.

Hermes was having altogether too much fun teasing Theia and Facilier. The former threw several spheres of light in succession while the latter conducted a steady stream of flame through his cane. Hermes was able to fly around it all, chirping, "Ha! Too slow! Say, you cats really need to cool down, yeah? Oh, almost got me! Hahaha, not to…day – "

Hermes was halted in midair, finding he was somehow anchored in place, unable to fly away. He was then pulled lower and lower to the ground. He then observed what was happening; Facilier had stomped on his shadow when it passed over the ground, and as he spun his cane, it reeled Hermes in like a fish. "I'm not the one who needs to cool down," he said, stopping when Hermes was rooted in front of Theia. "He's all yours, chère."

Theia slammed a ball of light into Hermes' face. Hermes, still able to move his limbs, leapt into the air and kicked Theia in the head. Theia grabbed his ankle and slammed him to the ground. Hermes twisted to get out of her grip; he accomplished this, but Theia wrenched off one of his winged sandals and threw it aside. She lost no time stripping him of the other one. When Hermes swung his leg at Theia's ankles to trip her up, she leapt over it, readying her fist so that when she landed, her hand connected with Hermes' face.

Several globules of light surrounded Palutena; they came together to forge an elaborate staff in the air. Palutena reached upward to grab the staff. "POWER OF CAGING!" she cried, spinning the staff, and metal bars formed around Hyperion and Stheno.

"Hey, no fair!" Stheno yelled, rattling the bars of her cage. "Wait a minute. You're Palutena, right?"

"That I am!" Palutena announced proudly.

"EURYALE!" Stheno yelled, looking over to where her sister waited with Thera. "I found the jerk goddess that messed with our sister!"

"Take her down," Euryale growled to Thera as she leapt toward Palutena, Hyperion, and Stheno.

"Gladly," Thera replied, following. Thera's fiery blade cut through Hyperion and Stheno's cages.

"POWER OF MAELSTROM!" Palutena cried, and a torrent of water rose behind her, surging forth to knock down her four opponents. While Hyperion and Thera were swept up, Stheno and Euryale rose above the water, propped up by the elongated snakes on their heads.

"You wanna see what happens when you mess with a Gorgon, LADY Palutena?" Stheno growled.

"Uh…" Palutena let out a nervous giggle. Then she turned and ran, screaming, as Euryale and Stheno pursued her, firing their petrification beams. When Palutena left, the maelstrom abated, and Thera and Hyperion set off after the goddess as well.

When Ares landed before the Nemean Lion, three pairs of insectoid limbs sprouted from his back. He swiped these at the Lion, jabbing his skin without piercing it, pushing him back. When the Lion struck out at Ares with his mighty claws, the six new limbs became a shield that protected Ares. Iapetus rushed Ares from behind, but Ares turned, the insect legs on his back fending off the Lion, and he drew a sword imbued with flame to clash with Iapetus' spear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Crius running at him, and so he launched several spheres of flame to knock the Titan back. "You cannot defeat me!" he boasted, keeping all three of his opponents at bay.

The ground shook beneath Ares. A high-pitched wail resounded in his ears; a massive shockwave of energy threw him out from between the Lion and Iapetus. Flat on his back, Ares looked up to see Dark Danny hovering before him. "So this is the god of war," Dark Danny remarked.

Ares had just enough time to lift his sword and deflect Iapetus' spear point, but there was nothing he could do against Crius or Dark Danny's blows of fire and of plasma. The Nemean Lion just sat back and watched, laughing.

Asclepius looked around at his fellow Olympians falling. There was not much he could do to fight, but as the god of healing, his job was always to tend to the wounds of the fallen. From above, he dealt healing magic to those who needed it. To Zeus, protection from Hades' burns. To Hermes, a recession of the bruises Theia dealt. To Ares, the closing of the few scratches Iapetus got the window to make with his spear.

Then, all of a sudden, Asclepius forgot completely why he was even doing it. Why it mattered. Who these beings even were he was healing. All he could do was sit in his chariot in confusion and wonder why he was there.

From below, Mnemosyne watched his still chariot, admiring her work.

"Good job," Gegeines told her.

"Now we can sit back and watch," she reassured him. The two of them reclined, taking in the sight of battle.

Athena ran towards the Hydra, a gleaming sword drawn. She leapt through the air, over the water; Tethys summoned a massive wave that Athena was able to cut through. She landed on the Hydra's back, and all its heads turned to look at her.

"Stand down," Pallas ordered, stepping onto the scaly reptilian back as well. Xyr sword and shield were drawn. "Hydra, attack when I need you. Otherwise…I want to settle this myself."

"Pallas," Athena said sternly. She wasn't surprised – when she'd seen the other Titans, she thought it was only a matter of time before her old rival turned up. "You wish to be defeated again?"

"I want a rematch," Pallas said. "Though I was hoping it would come out differently this time."

Pallas and Athena charged each other, swords blazing. Metal clashed. Athena summoned the Aegis, the great shield bestowed upon her by Zeus, to her hand to protect her.

"NOW!" Pallas cried.

Athena knew Pallas and xyr fondness for playing unfairly all too well. The Hydra stayed completely still. Athena knew it wasn't going to make a move. What she had to watch for was coming from behind. She spun, thrusting out the Aegis.

Medusa's petrification blast ricocheted against the shield, and Medusa barely sidestepped it. Medusa then saw the Aegis directly, at close range…and she screamed in abject terror.

Shining within the metal of the Aegis was her own face, but not a reflection. It was a severed head, the face cold and dead, enchanted to sit within the two-dimensional metal as though on a shelf.

"But how?" Medusa asked, trembling, remembering Hades' words on the very subject.

"DON'T WASTE TIME!" Pallas cried, swiping xyr sword at Athena. Athena ducked, rolling toward Medusa.

"I should have known I would have to do this to you again," the goddess growled, leaping to her feet, sword drawn.

Tethys appeared between Athena and Medusa, blasting Athena backward with a torrent of water. Pallas snapped xyr fingers, and the heads of the Hydra plunged toward them. Medusa, Pallas, Tethys, and Athena were lost in a tangle of Hydra necks.

Between the swirling of the purple reptilian necks, Athena would catch a flashing glimpse of what she needed to deflect a split second before it attacked. One of the Hydra's heads. Pallas and xyr sword. Tethys wielding a roiling wave of water. Medusa, eyes aglow. Then Athena found herself slamming her shield against Pallas' blade at the same time that Tethys washed her over in seawater, and Athena was falling, falling…

She hit water.

Cupid remembered Pain and Panic well. He seethed with anger in remembrance of when they'd hijacked his forge of love arrows to turn them into hate arrows. At that moment, Cupid had neither; he shot light arrows, meant to deal damage. He loaded his bow, ready to fire.

"PAIN, LEFT! PANIC, RIGHT!"

The imps split and leapt in the commanded direction, and Cupid's arrows bit the earthy skin of Aegaeon. Phoebe laughed. "Archery is even more predictable," she cackled. "You have to aim at your target every single time."

Out of anger, Cupid shot an arrow directly at Phoebe. Phoebe just caught the shaft and tossed the arrow over her shoulder. "Take him down," she commanded Pain and Panic.

The pair shifted into the forms of fanged serpents. Cupid loaded his bow as quickly as possible, but Phoebe still called out to Pain to move before the arrow could hit its mark. Stunned, Cupid contemplated flying away; Phoebe yelled, "BEFORE HE GETS AWAY!" Both snakes launched into the air, curling around Cupid, constricting him.

The tiny Hestia steered her vessel toward Echidna and Leto. "What can SHE do to us?" Echidna sneered.

Before Leto could answer, Hestia released a massive wave of energy that caused both to stumble. "She must be dealt with at once," Leto stated.

With a mighty roar, Echidna charged Hestia. Hestia released more energy, pushing Echidna back; Leto forged her way through and swatted the chariot out of the sky. Echidna grabbed Hestia out of the air only for Hestia to make her body become incredibly hot, so hot that Echidna dropped her, yelping as though she'd touched a giant smoldering coal.

Dionysus pulled his chariot up to Themis and Eris. "You've come to the right place if you wanted the party," Eris teased.

Dionysus didn't dignify her statement with a response. In a flash of light, a spear decorated with pinecone spines and various leaves but tipped with cold iron appeared in his hand.

Eris circled him, faster and faster, spinning Dionysus around. When he finally got his bearings, he realized where Eris had put him: high up in the sky, upside down. The sea and the island were above him and the black void below. Before he could make any move toward the sea, Themis appeared before him, also upside down.

"Your revelry has always disturbed me," Themis related. "You don't know how long I've wanted to bring you to calm, quiet, and order."

She raised her blade; it clashed with Dionysus' spear. Dionysus thrust the spear at Themis' stomach; she deflected it with the sword and kicked him down.

As Apollo's chariot, borrowed from a lower member of the court, veered toward where Helios stood alongside Orcos, Helios weighed his options. There was an appeal, he admitted to himself, to challenging the sun god himself for domination of the sun. The idea of overthrowing him and becoming the only sun god. However, a worry overtook Helios: what if the Titans lost? Then his chance would be ruined forever. If he refused to challenge Apollo, though…the odds were still high that whoever won would welcome him into the court under probation. Especially if he could deliver the final playing piece. So he fled, leaving Orcos to face Apollo on his own.

Apollo let a volley of arrows loose at Orcos, but Orcos merely batted them aside. Apollo left his chariot to match Orcos' proportions. In a flurry of claws, Orcos made several blows at Apollo, leaving bloody scratches all over his skin. Apollo backed away, ichor dripping from his wounds. He was already out of breath, and he realized that he still wasn't truly back on his feet after his skirmish with Mozenrath. Orcos quickly closed the distance between them, clawing a deep gash into Apollo's side.

As Helios fled, he thought of his sisters. Selene would be fine. She would be able to handle whatever happened. It wasn't as though he was that attached to her anyway. But Eos. Eos was near defenseless, a poor soul that couldn't handle being on the losing side. He wouldn't let her be compromised. He wouldn't let her fall into danger. He rushed to the hallway where she stood alongside Adonis.

"Come with me!" Helios barked, seizing Eos by the wrist and dragging her away.

"Where are we going?" Eos asked.

"To make sure we win!" Helios replied.

Aphrodite landed in the hallway then, having only Adonis to face. "I will destroy you for Hades," he told her.

"Oh, dear, you're under hypnosis, aren't you?" Aphrodite realized, noting Adonis' blank eyes. "Here. Let me get that for you." She snapped her fingers before his face.

Adonis blinked. It was as if he'd closed his eyes in Thrace and opened them to find himself at Aegaeon. "Where am I? Where are my servants? WHY am I not in my palace? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

"Poor thing," Aphrodite murmured. "You really are a pretty one, aren't you?"

"I – " Adonis then realized to which god he was speaking. "Well, they do say I am the most beautiful mortal man in the world for a reason."

"Just so you know," Aphrodite explained, "Hades had you under hypnosis so you would fight against us Olympians."

"NO ONE takes control of the royal mind!" Adonis snapped, quite unaware that he was no longer royal. "Why, if I weren't terrif…I mean incredibly respectful of the Lord of the Dead, I'd make him pay for that! In coin. A lot of coin, though!"

"I think Zeus is going to be able to make him pay a higher price than you would," Aphrodite pointed out. "Let's at least get you somewhere safe. There's room on my chariot."

"Well!" Adonis laughed. "I accept your invitation."

The two boarded Aphrodite's chariot, which took flight above Aegaeon to sanctuary.

In the depths of the prison, the sun burned as bright as ever. Helios dragged Eos toward the reins of the steeds that pulled the chariot attached.

"Brother," Eos wailed, "please tell me what is going on!"

"We will deliver the sun to whomever wins," Helios explained. "That way, you and I will be in the favor of whichever side deals the punishments!"

"Is that not dishonorable, Helios?"

"It is better than being chained up in Tartarus!"

Eos trembled at the thought. She made no move to leave the chariot. Helios cracked the reins, and the chariot took flight.

Outside, all who battled shielded their eyes temporarily from the flash of the sun. Helios didn't take it high enough to light the world; only out of the depths of Aegaeon. The chariot then set to circling the island.

"I would go after it," Aphrodite pointed out, "but I'm not the best fighter on Olympus."

"It does make for excellent mood lighting," Adonis added. "We could just…enjoy the view until we see how things turn out."

"Good call." She moved closer to him, her shoulder pressing against his. He wondered if it was allowed for a mortal to put an arm around the shoulders of a goddess; he tentatively put up his hand. Aphrodite rolled her eyes at his hesitation and grasped his wrist, gently settling his arm around her, and they watched the battle continue.

Orthos and Geryon approached Artemis from two directions; she loaded her bow with arrows and spun in a circle, firing. Geryon hastily swung his club in time to catch the arrows; Orthos hit the dirt to avoid being pierced. "And y'all thought I wouldn't have enough arrows to fire at five targets," Artemis boasted.

She then doubled over, clutching at her stomach. Selene stood over her. "You thought you had control of the moon from me," Selene explained, "but as it turns out, the moon also controls you. At least in my hands. After all, it was my moon first. Gentlemen…continue."

Artemis shakily strung her bow again as Orthos, Geryon, and even Astraeus rushed her. Geryon's club batted her quite a distance as though she were a baseball; Selene reached up toward the moon, drawing from its energy, and Artemis wobbled as she tried to regain a foothold.

The Chimaera charged at Pan, all heads roaring. Pan casually lifted his panpipes, the Syrinx, to his lips, and he blew a short sequence of notes. The sound echoed softly; it haunted. The Chimaera cowered in fear, backing slowly away from Pan as the faun smiled.

"Oh, ENOUGH!" Asteria, unfazed by Pan's Syrinx-induced panic, rushed at Pan to punch him in the face with a fistful of dark magic. Pan went reeling. "Try and send a Titan into panic, will you…"

Epimetheus struggled against the vines that Demeter had called from the ground to bind him. They wrapped him up like a spider's prey in its cocoon. Demeter stood over him, glaring angrily. Nearby, Tisiphone attempted to swoop in and attack Demeter, but a giant flower emerged from the ground – breaking through Aegaeon's skin – and enveloped Tisiphone and her eagle of flame in its petals. Tisiphone kicked and punched from the inside, but the petals wouldn't break. Demeter put her hands on her hips, proudly admiring her work.

Until the voice from above said, "YOU were dumb enough to fall for it, too? Not that I should be complaining, but you're all getting PREDICTABLE!"

Demeter looked directly up into the blast of aura that the real Tisiphone sent rocketing at her. She retaliated by calling another giant flower to shield her. Vines rushed at Tisiphone, whipping out to capture her. Laughing, Tisiphone swept her arm through the air; as the bird followed that pattern and cut all the vines, ten visions of Tisiphone appeared, and all laughed madly. Demeter ordered vines to attack all of them. They all readied enormous blasts of magic.

When the real one struck Demeter, the goddess was knocked out cold.

Morpheus attacked Menoetius from behind. Menoetius sensed his presence a second too late and braced for the strike of a weapon. Instead, he felt a strange calm. All Morpheus had done was place a smaller version of his blanket of night over the great Titan, and Menoetius gave in to drowsiness and lay down to sleep.

"Sometimes, when we're angry, we just need a good night's rest to calm down," Morpheus stated with satisfaction. He smiled just before he was caught up in the explosion of darkness that Cerberus had breathed into the ground. When Morpheus landed, he was as unconscious as Menoetius.

Hephaestus struck out at Metis with his hammer, blazing hot. "How do you expect to fight with such broken weapons?" he taunted. His hammer connected with her broken blade.

What was left of the sword didn't break or melt. It didn't even vibrate. "I have crafted weapons longer than you," Metis explained. "These weapons have only dulled over aeons since the age of chaos. There is nothing you can do to break them!"

She sliced through the shaft of Hephaestus' hammer, and the blazing head of it hit the ground. Hephaestus was disarmed. Megaera's beetles swarmed him.

"This is terrible," Twilight moaned inside the cell.

"My dad…the other gods…they're losing." Hercules slumped to the ground, sitting against the back wall that was made up of Aegaeon's massive arm. "And I can't even help them. What if the worst happens? What if…"

"They'll be fine," Meg said, though she didn't believe it. "It's not like they haven't gotten out of worse scrapes."

"And after all, do some of them not deserve to be defeated?" Zoë asked. "This war has begun because of those Zeus hast slighted. Hera, Hades, the Titans! All were betrayed by Zeus and Olympus!"

"Except for two things," Applejack pointed out sternly. "One, the Olympians were keepin' order on this world, even when they didn't get along. I remember that much from Twilight's lectures. If they lose, there goes Olympic Greece as y'all know it! And two…they ain't perfect, but I sure don't believe they deserve to be defeated or possibly die at the hands of the Titans or Hades' weird little army."

"I suppose thou art correct," Zoë admitted. "Olympus should not pay for the mistakes of one."

"If they had any sense whatsoever," Rarity stated, "they'd talk out their issues instead of beating each other senseless! But of course that's not the route they go at ALL!"

"You realize what this means?" Phil added. "Even if the gods do win, we've still got Hera bein' too mad at Zeus to do her job as the goddess of marriage, Zeus running from too many enemies to do his job as the god of the sky, Ares and Athena are probably still at each other's throats and there go war and wisdom at the same time, and you don't even know how much control Hades has over the Underworld. If he ain't doin' HIS job, that's chaos even Eris couldn't believe."

"Ares and Athena are fighting because of that stupid apple!" Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"Oh, if only there was a way we could make everyone see order instead of chaos!" Icarus wailed, pressing his hand to his forehead dramatically.

"We could really really really really REALLY use some kind of last-minute miracle right now!" Pinkie Pie added.

"Or we just sit here and welcome the inevitable," Cassandra said calmly. "It's about all we can do right now."

"SAY IT AIN'T SO!" Icarus cried, and he and Pinkie embraced each other, sobbing loudly and emitting tears that came out as fountains of water.

It was at that moment that the rainbow striped apple tumbled out of the folds of Applejack's peplos.

"Hang on a minute…" Applejack picked up the fruit, inspecting it. "Now, I ain't no expert on what the Elements of Harmony can do to an apple, but an ordinary zap-apple woulda rotted by now."

"It looks delicious," Rarity pointed out. "Would you mind sparing a bite of it?"

"Just looking at it is making me hungry!" Pinkie Pie added.

"Hang on a minute," Twilight said. "Does everypony in this cell suddenly want a piece of that apple?"

"Yes," everyone answered at once.

"It looks like the most delicious apple ever created by the gods!" Icarus gushed, salivating.

"Eww," Cassandra remarked, backing away from the spit on the floor.

"It hasn't rotted…and everypony wants it almost as much as they wanted the chaos apple," Twilight reiterated. "This just might be our miracle! Zoë! You've spent a lot of time around the apples of discord. What do you think of it?"

Applejack tossed the apple to Zoë. Zoë turned it over in her hands.

"A strange thought crossed my mind when thou gavest me this," she muttered. "A thought that even among mortals, my duty to the cosmos has not lessened. Even among mortals, I can cause great changes that will affect the world. Small thoughts that would have occurred to me on my own, but strangely have crossed my mind along with touching this apple. The golden apple was one of chaos, but it now bears thy colors of harmony." Zoë's eyes widened. "Of course…it is no longer a chaos apple, but an order apple! Thy powers have turned its polarity!"

"So why hasn't that apple just magically brought order to everything?" Rarity whined.

"Because order is more difficult to produce than chaos," Zoë stated. "I would not have even thought such a thing possible. Enchantments break bonds, but they can rarely make them."

"So the apple actually does nothing," Cassandra groaned.

"But it did make me think," Zoë pointed out.

"Remember what Phil said?" Twilight recalled. "While the Olympian gods are fighting, they're abandoning the aspects of this world that they're gods of. If we can just even get them to think about that, they might call the whole thing off."

"That's a HUGE leap," Phil snapped. "Assuming you're right about this apple, you really think reminding everyone of what they're supposed to be doing instead of bashing each other's heads in is going to be enough?"

"Well, why else would Hades and Eris have gone after the mortal world?" Hercules realized. "Hades is ALWAYS after Olympus. The only reason he went after Greece is because what happens to Greece affects Olympus! If the gods remember what matters to them, they'll realize THAT'S how they can save Olympus!"

"And explain how that gets rid of the Titan problem," Phil went on. "Or the Hades problem!"

"Even if one being switches sides, that can affect how the entire fight comes out," Twilight explained. "I'm one hundred percent sure Hera isn't with the Olympians right now. If she remembers what's more important to her than getting revenge on Zeus…"

"And don't forget that Athena still got messed up by chaos!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Think about what she could do if she wasn't!"

"Whatever happens, we still have to give this a shot," Twilight stated with finality. "It's that or let things keep going as they are now."

"Well, then, by all means…" Phil sighed. "Do whatever it is you're gonna do with the rainbow apple. Just PLEASE don't tell me that your plan is throwing that apple out the bars and seeing what it hits."

"Actually," Applejack said, "we do sometimes have a little control over what the Elements can do. When we wanted Discord to be stone, he was stone. When we wanted to break him out, we broke him out. So if we use the Elements to do something that spreads order…well. Long story short, I got a plan."

* * *

Deep within Aegaeon, Discord listened to what went on above. "The Olympians are practically being pulverized," he pointed out. "You know what that means. The absolute perfect time would be right NOW."

The heart beat.

"Now the FUN begins," Discord stated.

* * *

Aegaeon came alive.

Morpheus and Menoetius both were jolted awake when the ground beneath them moved. Artemis fell right over, but so did Geryon and Astraeus, when the arm they stood upon raised itself. Palutena leapt over the hands that reached out, trying to crush her.

And from it all, a deep resonating sound, one word, uttered in a tone that sounded as though it came from the very center of the earth: "ZEUUUUUUUS…"

Aegaeon's massive head reared up, roaring the name of the one he cursed.

"NO!" Tisiphone screeched.

From the other end of the prison, Megaera echoed her sister's sentiment. "This prison was OURS! YOU CAN'T BE ALIVE!"

"He is waking!" Hera yelled. "I thought he was DEAD!"

"Hey," Hades told her, launching another fireball at Zeus. "You wanna be glass half empty or glass half full? Empty half: so a blood traitor that's been around since the age of chaos just woke up from what we thought was death. Full half: he wants to crush the same god we want crushed. And I say never to look a gift Hecatonchire in the mouth. No, seriously, the guy's mouth is disgusting, he hasn't brushed his teeth in, what, ten thousand years?"

"Your point is valid," Hera said with a grin.

Zeus fended off blows of magic from both. "WILL THIS NEVER CEASE?" he roared.

"Given how many enemies you've made?" Hades replied. "My guess is…mmmmmmmno."

As Aegaeon's arms reached out, trying to grasp and crush the hapless Olympians, they broke away from the structure of the prison. Entire cell blocks fell into the ocean; Helios steered deftly to avoid the chariot being crushed by a hallway. One cell in particular was shaken from between Aegaeon's hands, plummeting toward the sea, one wall left completely open where it had been filled by a giant palm. Out of the open wall, the cell's lone occupant leapt, creating a sphere of air beneath his feet, rising until he could stand on one of the writhing arms of the giant. "They've had their fun," Mozenrath growled as he landed, "but now they PAY."

At the same time, the arm that made up the back wall of the cell that held the motley group of heroes dislodged itself, leaving a clear path to escape. "Talk about your deus ex machina!" Phil remarked.

"Let's GO!" Hercules cried, and Pegasus immediately galloped to his side.

"Go WHERE?" Cassandra asked.

"To help!" Hercules answered. He and Pegasus charged forth; they leapt off Aegaeon's arm, into the air, and Pegasus dove below Hercules so that the demigod landed upon his steed. Hercules drew his sword, and he didn't even need to tell Pegasus where to go. They sped toward the cloud where Zeus did battle with Hera and Hades as Perses, Alecto, and Leto circled.

"You heard the kid!" Phil yelled. "Pick a god and get in there with 'em! CHARGE!" With a goatish bleat, he raced out of the cell. Most of the others followed.

The only ones who remained were Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Zoë. Zoë handed the apple to Rainbow Dash. "What do you plan to do with this?" she asked.

"Something awesome," Rainbow Dash said. "You go on ahead! We'll go do our amazing plan!"

"Good luck," Zoë said before drawing her bow and running into the fray.

Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack. "Um…what IS our awesome plan, anyway?"

* * *

Coeus couldn't believe it. He was being bested not by an Olympian, but by their mortal champion. Kratos pummeled the Titan in the face, weakening him. One blow sent Coeus tumbling over the unstable ground.

"YOU…DARE?" Nemesis stormed toward Kratos.

"You have no reason to target me!" Kratos yelled in return. "WHAT LAW HAVE I BROKEN?"

"Oh, shall I count the offenses?" Nemesis mocked. "You left the Underworld alive. There are reports that you spoke to Eos on Olympian ground despite being mortal. You broke a blood oath to Zeus, though admittedly the little loophole of Orcos' death got you out of that one. But the fact still remains that YOU SPILLED THE BLOOD OF A GOD. I should have killed you the day you killed Persephone. But Ares and Athena BOTH told me not to. They laid down a law for you. As of today, I'm no longer operating under their orders. I'm going to give you the punishment you deserve by divine law." Both hands transformed into shining broadsword blades. "Today, you DIE!"

"I don't think so, Nemesis," Kratos growled, drawing the Blades of Chaos.

Coeus only moaned from where he lay down, wallowing in his wounds.

As if struck by one of the Muses, Nemesis began to sing:

"I tire of your mind games!

I'm sick of playing don't offend Zeusy!

Good sir, no more rock-paper-scissors for me!

But wait…are we not both champions of the divine?

I challenge you to a battle of…" She savored the word as it rolled off her tongue: "KNIFFFFES."

She rushed Kratos, yelling, "KNIFE FIGHT!" Both arms clashed with the Blades of Chaos. "You're gonna fight for your life! KNIFE FIGHT!" Kicking Kratos in the stomach – he made no reaction; it was like kicking a mountain – and getting some distance, she stabbed at his stomach with one arm; he pinned it between both his blades. "You're gonna fight with a knife! KNIFE FIGHT!" She swung the other arm at Kratos' head; he shoved her away and backed off hastily. "A really really really sharp knife!"

"Yeah," Coeus sang from the sidelines, "knife fight!"

"I'M A VENGEFUL," Nemesis sang, charging Kratos, "WEAPONRY WITCH! I'mma cut you – swish swish!" She made two swipes at him; he dodged both. "In a knife fight!" She stabbed; he parried. "KNIFE FIGHT!" She swiped at his neck; he deflected it. Two more times she lunged at him and he evaded: "KNIFE FIGHT KNIFE FIGHT!"

The two backed off to look each other in the eye. "Let me tell you something," Nemesis sang. "I can't be beat."

"Oh yeah?" Kratos challenged.

"Yeah," Nemesis affirmed. "I rule the Olympian streets!"

"NEMESIS!" Kratos roared. "I'll pin you to the WALL!"

"Oh yeah?" Nemesis taunted.

"Your weapons are far too small!" Kratos added.

Offended, Nemesis replied, "My weapons are super sharp and that's what counts!" All the same, she changed them out; her right arm became the blade of a battleaxe while her left widened into a greatsword. "I'm gonna make you bleed copious amounts!"

"Remind me to thank you right after I shank you," Kratos growled.

"Jerk."

"BITCH!"

They rushed each other, yelling in unison, "KNIFE FIGHT!"

Nemesis swung her axe at Kratos' neck, singing, "You're gonna fight for your life!"

Kratos leapt over the axe, thrusting his hands downward, seizing the metal wrist attached to the axe. As he slammed Nemesis' axe hand to the ground, the two chorused again, "KNIFE FIGHT!"

Nemesis stabbed upward with the greatsword blade. "You're gonna fight with a knife!"

As Kratos slammed both Blades of Chaos into the greatsword, he joined Nemesis to sing again, "KNIFE FIGHT!"

With a shower of sparks, Nemesis' greatsword blade slid off the Blades of Chaos. "A really really really really sharp knife!" she reminded Kratos.

"Yeah," Coeus sang, "knife…fight?"

"You're a crazy," Kratos accused, "vengeful bitch!"

Nemesis didn't disagree. "I'mma cut you," she sang, "swish swish!" She swung the axe again and again at Kratos while he backed one step away each time, putting himself out of her reach. "In a knife fight," Nemesis growled, "knife fight…knife fight!"

Both warriors paused, sizing each other up. "I'm gonna slice you up," Nemesis threatened.

"And I will cut you down," Kratos countered.

"I'll put you in your place!"

"I'll send you underground!"

"This is the end for you, you custom-breaking cur! I've got a TIP for you! Get the point?"

"Oh, SURE!" Kratos roared, more furious at the pun than anything else Nemesis had thrown at him. "It's time to meet your end!"

"Time to face the facts!" Nemesis countered.

"Time to bite my blade!"

"Time to pay the tax!"

"I HAVE OLYMPUS' FURY!" Kratos reminded Nemesis, and the Blades of Chaos glowed with bright flame.

"Well, I'm a ball of rage!" Nemesis countered.

"You ready, NEMESIS?" Kratos challenged.

"BORN READY!" Nemesis replied, drawing both arms back.

They rushed each other again, screaming, "ENGAGE!"

* * *

Zeus' strength was fading. He fell to his knees, giving a groan of agony.

"Looks like we finally wore him down," Hades stated.

"Hades…Hera…no…" Zeus begged.

Hera formed a sphere of aura within her hands. "I want the last thing you know," she said, "to be – "

She stopped midsentence. Her gaze was fixed on something over Zeus' shoulder, at Aegaeon. "No," she hissed.

"Excuse me?" Hades snapped. "Can we have less distraction and more smiting?"

"He's here," Hera snarled.

"Frankly, who isn't here?" Hades replied.

Hera pointed at a spot on one of Aegaeon's writhing arms. "The one who stole the sun. HE'S HERE."  
"WHAAAAAAAT?" Hades burned bright orange. "Okay, new rule. Nobody touches Zeus until I get back. This is my right as much as it is any of yours." In a rush of fire, he vanished.

Hera planted a foot on Zeus' back, forcing him down to lie on his stomach. "You won't be going anywhere," she growled.

* * *

"KNIFE!" Nemesis yelled, swinging her broadsword.

"FIGHT!" Kratos bellowed, parrying it with a Blade of Chaos.

"AXE!" Nemesis roared, aiming the named weapon at Kratos' stomach.

"FIRE!" Kratos cried, casting a burst of flame that blasted Nemesis midswing and caused her to stagger.

Nemesis changed tactics; the axe became a spinning saw blade. "SAW!"

"ICE!" Kratos cast a casing of ice around Nemesis' feet. She easily smashed it with her weapons.

"SMITE!" Nemesis swung the saw and the greatsword together; Kratos maneuvered his blades between them at the last minute, causing a burst of sparks.

"THUNDER!" Kratos struck Nemesis with a bolt of lightning that jolted her momentarily before she shook it off.

Before either could make another move, Hades materialized between them, holding out his hands. "Hey, wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE!"

"I don't suppose you're here to tell us that knives are dangerous and that somebody could get hurt," Nemesis sneered.

"Noooooo," Hades said, "what I'm here to tell you is that THE MORTAL BRAT THAT STOLE THE SUN IS GETTING AWAY OVER THERE!"

He pointed to where Mozenrath sprinted across Aegaeon, leaping from hand to hand.

Nemesis seethed. She briefly looked Kratos in the eyes; "I will deal with YOU later." Raising her weaponized arms, she ran after Mozenrath, giving a high-pitched battle cry.

"Well," Hades remarked, "looks like my work here is done. Back to business." He vanished, leaving a brief smolder in his wake.

Kratos turned to Coeus. "Now, WHERE WERE WE?"

* * *

A rush of fire, and Hades reappeared on the cloud. "Now where were we? Oh yeah. Digging a thorn out of my side."

Zeus gritted his teeth, clawing at the surface of the cloud with his fingers. "You can't kill me forever," he growled.

"We will show the others that you are weak," Hera explained. "When you return to life, you will be newly born, with no power! When you return, you will have NOTHING!"

"Not to mention that there isn't exactly no precedent for gods NOT COMING BACK," Hades snarled. "Now – "

Hades took a sharp blow to the side of the face. Pegasus had swooped past him, and Hercules had dealt a fist to his head. Pegasus halted in midair as Hercules drew his sword. "You never learn, do you?" Hercules taunted with a grin.

"Hercules!" Zeus cried. "My boy!"

For a moment, Hercules felt hurt. Zeus had never really betrayed him other than lying to him about his parentage. But he had betrayed the two that stood ready to strike him down. Hercules had to ask himself the question again: was Zeus truly worth saving?

He knew the answer in his heart. Right or wrong, he loved Zeus as a father, and part of him couldn't stop loving Hera as a mother, either. For them, he would fight Hades and the Titans until the end of the world.

"WHY?" Hades roared. "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO GET IN THE WAY OF MY PLANS? EVERY! SINGLE! TIME!"

"Because he's got our blood in him," Zeus answered. With newfound strength, he stood, releasing himself from beneath Hera's foot and sending Hera reeling backward.

"If you're going to kill him," Hercules told Hades, "you'll have to go through me first!"

"Strangely," Hades said, "I don't see the downside. PERSES! ALECTO! LETO!"

The simulacra of Zeus forged of his lightning all faded away. The two Titans rushed toward the cloud, and Alecto's limbs whipped into the air.

"I can take care of these two!" Zeus yelled. "You take the Titans and the Fury, my boy!"

"I'm on it!" Hercules directed Pegasus to fly toward Perses. He wove around the large and rocky Titan, swiping Anaklusmos at Perses' arm; Perses clutched the wound instinctively. Hercules knew of Leto's service to Olympus; the thought of her betrayal surprised him. Instead of slashing at her with his blade, he leapt off Pegasus, colliding with her shoulder, shoving her backward so that she fell into the ocean. Pegasus caught Hercules and brought him around to deal another cut to Perses. Alecto's tentacles shot upward, surrounding Hercules, but the demigod had anticipated this. He leapt off Pegasus, landing on one of Alecto's tentacles and grabbing another. He then leapt toward Perses, kicking off against the Titan's side, spinning around him. He was tying Perses up with Alecto as a living rope. And all the while, Zeus fended off Hades and Hera's attacks on the cloud.

Palutena talked to herself as she ran in her panic. "You can do this," she told herself. "You just have to figure out a plan!"

"LADY PALUTENA!" Pit swept out of the air, landing behind Euryale and Stheno; before either Gorgon could even turn to react, he had stabbed each with a blade.

Stheno had just enough time to frustratedly scream, "Not the Underworld AGAIN!"

Palutena stopped running, whirling to look at her savior. "Pit!"

"Let's show these Titans who the REAL boss is around here!" Pit cried, running to Palutena's side.

Thera and Hyperion caught up, but instead of running, Pit and Palutena faced them directly. Pit's blades clashed with Thera's sword, fire exploding where the metals met. Palutena summoned another maelstrom that rained upon Hyperion, pushing him back and surrounding him in clashing waters.

"Stab him!" the Nemean Lion chanted to Iapetus as he and Ares faced off. "Stab him real good!"

"HEEEEEEY!" Icarus yelled from nearby. The Nemean Lion, Iapetus, Crius, and Dark Danny all looked to see who had spoken. "I'M A DISTRAAAACTION!" Icarus yelled. "MR. DISTRACTION, RIGHT HERE!"

Ares caught onto his game first. When Iapetus' attention was diverted, Ares seized his spear arm, twisting it. Iapetus' grip broke. Ares stole the spear away. "Not so tough without THIS, are you?" Ares taunted.

"So we meet again," the Nemean Lion told Icarus, advancing upon him.

"SO! IT! SEEMS!" Icarus replied. "And it looks like it's MY JOB TO DEFEAT YOU AGAIN!"

"I'm not so sure you actually defeated me the first time, twerp."

"OH YEAH? WELL, I KNOW I DID BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Before the Nemean Lion could think of a comeback, Icarus had leapt at him, aiming a kick to his face. By some miraculous accident of fate, his foot planted directly into the Lion's nose.

"That…actually hurt," the Lion whined, wrinkling his nose.

Now wielding two weapons instead of one, Ares was able to hold his own much better, especially with Iapetus disarmed. He lashed out at Crius and Iapetus, reflecting Crius' blows back at the pair of brothers. The silver spear even frightened Dark Danny, who tried to stick to a plan of attacking from afar. When he began another wail, he found the spear thrown right at him. Dark Danny quickly dodged the spear, letting it fall through empty air and land in Ares' hands again.

"Uhhhh…I THINK I'VE DEFEATED HIM ENOUGH!" Icarus cried, running past Ares in a panic with the Nemean Lion in hot pursuit. "YOUR TURN TO DEFEAT HIM NOW!"

Ares swung the piercing spear down in front of the Lion, cutting him off from his pursuit of Icarus. The Lion swallowed hard. "Yeah," he muttered, "this isn't gonna end well…"

Insectoid legs slammed into Crius. Ares' greatsword swung at Iapetus. The spear was thrust at the Nemean Lion.

Athena opened her eyes, looking directly upward. She floated on the surface of the water. She righted herself, paddling to a stone, once a chunk of prison wall, that floated in the sea. She hoisted herself up onto the stone, wincing. Ichor flowed from several wounds on her body. She felt weak, wondering if she could carry on.

Then she saw the mortal woman paddling out to the same stone. Meg crawled up onto it, brunette hair dripping with water, and approached the goddess. "Hey, look, I know this is awkward," she said, "but you look like you could use a hand." Meg removed a roll of bandages from within a pocket. "Phil's had me carrying these ever since we left Chryse. Here."

"Mortal…" Athena gasped. "I thank you…"

"Hey, it's no problem." Meg wrapped the bandages around each of Athena's wounds. "Sorry I won't be able to help you out with the whole fighting thing."

"This is enough." Athena stood, stretching her limbs. The bandages held the wounds tautly. "I am ready to – "

"To do what?" A third figure crawled onto the stone and stood.

"And you'd be Medusa, right?" Meg identified.

"You were in Thrace," Medusa replied.

"I think you and my husband had a bit of a bone to pick with each other there," Meg confirmed.

"Hercules is…your husband?" Medusa gasped.

Athena drew her sword. "I beheaded you once in a past life, Medusa," she stated, "and I can very well do it again."

"Hey, whoa!" Meg interrupted. "I wouldn't do that. I'm okay with the Celestial Bronze, thing, but you kind of need to leave this one alive."

"Why should I, mortal?" Athena snapped.

"Because she's a friend of a friend," Meg explained, "if you didn't catch that."

"I had deduced it," Athena growled. "Am I not the goddess of wisdom? But her crimes are worth punishment more than her past relationship with Hercules is worth forgiveness!"

"Well, I don't want to fight with you," Medusa said. "I can fight someone else!" Then she took off, seeking another opponent.

"Does she think she will be spared my wrath because I am with the wife of her friend?" Athena growled.

"I don't know," Meg said, "but if I were you, I'd be more focused on that."

She pointed out to where Tethys had created a wave upon which she and Pallas surfed on their bare feet; the wave carried them toward Athena. The Hydra followed the wave, heads snarling. Athena readied her sword. Meg dove back into the water to get out of the way of the conflict.

Cassandra would come running up to where Pain and Panic held Cupid. Panic would immediately let go of Cupid, that was for certain. Then he would try to make the loss look like an accident.

No, Phoebe would stop him. But he would then attempt to fight her despite all his attempts to be covert. That would leave Cupid able to fend off Pain and fire at all three of them.

So she would kill him, then. But then Pain would balk and desert her.

All outcomes were decidedly a loss. Phoebe cried out, "I will NOT suffer this humiliation!" before storming away.

"Huh?" Pain wondered out loud.

Cassandra arrived, not even sure why she'd chosen to run to that spot. She knew she wasn't any good in battle. She'd just chosen a location at random, seeing Cupid struggling from afar, and hoped for the best. She was utterly perplexed as to why the Titan had turned and run, and even more confused as to why Panic suddenly let go of Cupid, saying, "Oh, I…slipped!"

Cupid threw Pain onto the ground, loading his bow. Pain and Panic exchanged glances before screaming in terror and fleeing. Cupid fired shot after shot at the retreating imps' heels.

Cassandra wondered if her timing could allow her to take any credit for that victory.

Echidna grasped Hestia in both hands, squeezing tightly, intending to crush her. "That is the LAST straw!" she muttered; even as the goddess became hotter and hotter, Echidna resolved not to let go.

Then she felt the light arrow pierce her back, and she dropped Hestia in shock. Hestia turned her attentions to pushing Rhea back with massive bursts of energy while Echidna swatted at her back, trying to get rid of whomever had fired the arrow.

Zoë ran down Echidna's spine, away from her head, turning every now and again to fire an arrow and keep the mother of monsters occupied.

Asteria's full attention was focused on Pan, and so she didn't see the living projectile headed toward her. Phil headbutted her with full force, catching her off guard and sending her flying. She tumbled over and over.

"How do you like THEM apples of chaos?" Phil quipped; Pan grinned before returning to the Syrinx to keep the Chimaera at bay.

Round and round, Helios drove the chariot of the sun at Aegaeon's base, Eos at his side. He kept a steady pace. It was simple to tell when he was going to pass by any point at any given moment. One of Aegaeon's arms stretched out over ocean; the chariot was about to pass under it. So Mozenrath had noticed. He ran out onto the writhing arm, waiting for the chariot to pass beneath him so he could leap onto it and throw Helios out of the driver's seat.

A shrill keening pierced his hearing: "AYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIIIIIIII!"

When Mozenrath turned, he was met with the outstretched axe and greatsword that were Nemesis' hands. As he dropped to his knees, passing under the blades, he slipped inadvertently into hypertime, able to watch the weapons slowly execute their very near miss. A lock of hair was clipped from his forehead. Had he been any slower, it would have been his whole head.

When Nemesis was behind him, time reverted to its usual speed. Mozenrath had an aura of flame ready, balled up in his right fist; he spun and lobbed it at Nemesis. Nemesis batted it away with the greatsword blade. "YOU ARE SENTENCED TO A SMITING," she said, running at him again, "FOR THE THEFT AND DESECRATION OF OLYMPIC PROPERTY!"

Mozenrath drew two shamshirs from Hammerspace, crossing them in front of his body to block the greatsword blade. Nemesis pushed against his weaponry, causing a shrill grating sound and a rainfall of sparks. Mozenrath was knocked off balance, flat on his back; he quickly crawled backward, away from Nemesis. He flicked his right wrist at her repeatedly, a lightning bolt emitting each time. She deflected each bolt with her axe hand.

As he got to his feet, Mozenrath realized he was probably in real trouble.

Applejack led Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie to one of the cell blocks still standing atop one of Aegaeon's joints. "And we got soil!" she said, noting a dirt floor.

"I'm only going to ask one more time," Rainbow Dash said. "What IS your plan?"

"We plant this apple," Applejack said, "and we use the Elements of Harmony to make it grow. If everythin' goes the way I think it will, we'll get order apples all over this here prison. It's probably only gonna be as temporary as the chaos apples were over in Greece, but it'll solve our problems for now."

"Of course!" Twilight said. "Okay, everypony…let's do this!"

Applejack planted the apple in the soil. The six gathered around it in a circle. A sphere of light surrounded them all; their amulets glowed.

Twilight's gaze wandered a moment, and she spotted a strange sight across the island. Perhaps, given more time to think it over, she would have made a different choice. Perhaps she would have recalled the breakdown she'd had in Colchis and decided the situation wasn't worth intervening in. Perhaps she would have prioritized making the order apples grow. However, her heart told her one thing and one alone at that very moment. She saw someone dear to her being attacked by Nemesis, and she had to stop the vengeful goddess from harming him.

The sphere broke. The amulets dimmed. "What's goin' on?" Applejack asked.

Twilight bolted. She charted a course for the site of the battle, leaving her friends behind.

Rarity watched her in horror. "TWILIGHT!" she gasped. "Whatever has gotten into – "

All five of Twilight's friends heard her as she cried out, "MOZENRATH! NOOOOOOOOO!"

Rainbow Dash looked at where Twilight was headed. "I can't BELIEVE this! HIM? HERE? NOW?"

"Well, it looks like your plan just isn't going to work!" Rarity barked at Applejack.

"Twilight will come back," Fluttershy stated. "I just know it! Once she's sure he's safe, she'll remember the plan!"

"But what are we supposed to do until then?" Rarity asked.

"Can we help out the others in the fight?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Pleeeeaaaase?" She hopped up and down, repeating the word as she bounced: "Please! Please! Please!"

"Fine!" Applejack resolved. "We each go help somepony out in the battle, but when Twilight is done with…whatever's goin' on over there…" She had to stop and let it actually settle in. She looked over at the sorcerer battling Nemesis. It was Mozenrath, all right. "We all meet back up here! Now GO!"

"YEAH!" Rainbow Dash cried, shooting up into the sky. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie galloped toward four different destinations.

Poseidon struggled to get his head above water; Oceanus pressed upon his chest with his foot, pushing him down, as Cetus, keeping a stranglehold on the Olympian, pulled him under. He twisted sharply; Oceanus fell and Cetus was wrenched above the ocean surface.

A torrent of crystal arrows fell upon Cetus until the sea monster weakly let go of Poseidon. Poseidon watched in surprise as Cetus sank down into the depths before turning to look up at Aegaeon and the source of the arrows.

"You can thank me later!" Rarity called out.

Poseidon nodded before Oceanus rushed at him; Poseidon plunged his trident into the water, forming another cyclone. Oceanus pushed it back; Poseidon urged it on. The cyclone was kept steady between the two of them, every now and again edging closer to one or the other. Finally it exploded toward Oceanus, catching him up in a whirl of water.

Hebe grabbed at her cup, flinging water from it at Prometheus' fire; Ladon clutched her in a great claw, squeezing her tightly. Hebe trembled, trying to keep her grip on the cup. Ladon's heads all drew back to breathe ice upon the Olympic cupbearer.

"HEY, ICE JERK!" Rainbow Dash yelled from behind Ladon's heads.

All heads turned to see Rainbow Dash's sword held to the sky; lightning fed into it and wind swirled about her. Enraged at the sight, Ladon let loose all his breaths of ice.

Rainbow Dash countered by swinging her sword, sending out the electric rainbow shockwave. It shattered all the ice and slammed into Ladon's heads, stunning the dragon unconscious. Hebe wormed her way out of his claw and onto her chariot, which her horses had brought around; she refilled the cup and turned her attentions to Prometheus.

Themis kicked Dionysus down, raising her sword high to drive into his chest. As she held it high, a great BOOM sounded near her ear, and she was knocked off balance by a burst of confetti. She whirled to see who had startled her.

"Hello!" Pinkie Pie greeted, standing next to Themis. At first, Themis wondered how the Kentauride had gotten there. Then she realized that was the least of her concerns. Pinkie Pie was standing on the same level as her – upside down to the rest of the world.

"How are you doing that?" Themis asked.

"I LOVE walking upside down!" Pinkie Pie replied, her glitter pistols appearing in her hands. "Really sorry about this!" She opened fire.

Themis charged and swung her sword; suddenly Pinkie wasn't there. A BOOM of confetti alerted Themis to the fact that Pinkie Pie was behind her. Themis charged again, but again Pinkie Pie was gone just in time; another BOOM sounded from Themis' right.

"HOW ARE YOU EVADING ME?" she growled.

Her teeth gritted as she heard Dionysus collapsing in laughter and Eris remarking, "I like her style."

"You make no sense," Themis growled, stabbing out at Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie responded by leaping up and somehow balancing on Themis' outstretched blade, walking toward her. "You know, we could just stop fighting and play tag instead," she suggested. "We're kind of already doing that."

Themis screamed wordlessly, flinging the sword down – or up, as the case was. Pinkie didn't seem to notice that she was standing on nothing until she actually looked down at her hooves planted solidly on thin air; only then did she collapse to what qualified for ground level.

"So that's a no for tag?" Pinkie said sadly. "Oh well…" The shoulder-mounted launcher materialized. Before Themis could complain again, she was blasted with energy and confetti.

"ERIS!" she growled. "HELP ME!"

"I thought I didn't have a place in your world," Eris said before vanishing into nothingness.

Dionysus couldn't stop laughing as Themis staggered to her feet, picking confetti out of her hair. Without Eris around, gravity reversed to normal. Pinkie, Themis, and Dionysus were all deposited onto Aegaeon's body.

Artemis crouched on the ground in agony. Selene flicked her wrist, sending more pain coursing through the goddess' body. Astraeus, Geryon, and Orthos just watched and laughed.

Seeing red, Fluttershy galloped toward them. "You think it's FUNNY to be BULLIES?" she challenged.

"Well, what are YOU gonna do about it?" Geryon challenged.

"THIS!"

In the next instant, Fluttershy set upon Geryon, crossing her sword blade over him furiously until he was too weak to stand. Orthos rushed her, but she incapacitated him in a similar manner. Next, she slashed at Selene three times; that was just enough for Selene to lose her focus.

Artemis strung her bow, aiming it at Selene. Arrows sank into both Selene's shoulders; at this, Fluttershy flinched and backed away, feeling faint.

"Good job," Artemis congratulated her. "I can take it from here."

Fluttershy galloped away as Artemis faced Astraeus and the wounded Selene; Geryon and Orthos decided it was naptime right then and there.

Demeter turned in circles, looking at the many Tisiphones that surrounded her. All of them gathered up more energy to throw at her and incapacitate her. They laughed as one.

A golden rope cracked through the air, swirling around each form of Tisiphone, binding them all. The loops tightened around them; all dissolved but the real one. "I'm tired," Applejack declared, "of you not tellin' the truth about where you are!"

"You're sure you want to do this?" Tisiphone maneuvered the rope into her hands, breaking it, bursting out of the bond.

"I'm sure," Applejack said, twirling the whip. She winked at Demeter.

Demeter took the opportunity, calling up a great flower to encase Epimetheus and focus on holding him.

Tisiphone sent one, two, three comets of energy rocketing toward Applejack. Applejack darted beneath the Fury, evading them all, though the last one emitted a shockwave that caused her to stumble. The whip cracked against Tisiphone's shoulder, and Tisiphone rubbed the place where it smarted. She conjured more plasma; Applejack readied the whip again.

Axe blade met dual shamshirs. The greatsword was evaded, clipping another lock of hair. Locked in a duel of clanging metal, Mozenrath sweated, weakening against the sheer force with which Nemesis dealt each blow. Nemesis yawned. "This is really the best you can do?" she taunted.

"I don't see you getting anywhere," Mozenrath replied.

He slipped. There was blood. He cried out.

Nemesis gritted her teeth in frustration. All she'd managed to do was slash a cut into the side of his waist – probably painful, but decidedly nonlethal. It did make him stumble again, though, giving Nemesis the perfect opportunity to strike.

"NO!"

Deep pink aura washed over Nemesis, stalling her, holding her back. Twilight skidded to a halt, slamming her staff upon the ground. Nemesis broke through the aura she'd cast, perplexed. "What is this?" the goddess sighed in frustration.

"You're going to leave him alone," Twilight growled. "Now."

"Twilight!" Mozenrath, awash with relief, turned to face his rescuer.

Twilight kept her eyes focused on Nemesis. "Not," she seethed, "now."

"Try and stop me," Nemesis dared, raising both arms.

Twilight raised her staff, letting it glow.

In a flash of hypertime, Mozenrath made his way behind Nemesis; Nemesis turned so that one arm could reach out to each opponent.

Mozenrath took the opportunity to cast a rush of flame at Nemesis. Twilight, at the same time, thought to cast a massive freezing charm. All Nemesis had to do was take two steps backward and the spells cast each other out.

Mozenrath snapped his fingers in the air, calling creatures forth from the darkness; five Dementors materialized. Nemesis sighed with boredom, pointing at Twilight; the Dementors converged upon the Kentauride.

Twilight was overcome with a deep fright and the sensation of freezing skin; she was nearly paralyzed as the creatures advanced upon her. She identified them as Dementors immediately, recalling her studies, but every other piece of knowledge she had evaded her at that moment, focusing on the five black shapes that approached. One of them took the lead, smelling out the emotions that ran rampant within the intended victim, reaching out for Twilight's face.

"NO!" Mozenrath screamed angrily. "NOT HER! GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The Dementors didn't listen to the panicked command. A rotted-looking hand caressed the side of Twilight's face roughly. Twilight heard the Dementor inhale sharply, about to drink.

She remembered.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The owl burst from the star that topped her staff, screeching as it enveloped the Dementor in its wings. The Dementor chose that moment to disappear. The Patronus kept moving toward its four fellows, which all retreated. The owl made one last stop, veering directly toward Nemesis.

Nemesis sliced right through the Patronus with her greatsword blade, and it dissipated into silver smoke. "You two just don't coordinate well in battle," she laughed.

Ultimately steamed, Twilight cried out, "HOLYJA!"

Simultaneously, Mozenrath let the darkness course through him, funneling out through his right hand, becoming dark tendrils that sought out Nemesis.

Nemesis laughed at the attempts to cast polar opposite spells from either side of her – one of light, one of darkness. She expected them to cancel each other out as the fire and ice had done. But when the two spells collided –

Nemesis was caught up in a bright sphere that shone red, fading to purple, fading to pink, fading to orange, all the colors of dusk and dawn. She was lifted into the center of the energy, immobile. She screamed – it wasn't pain, but a strange pressure, one that bore down on her hard and terrified her. Twilight and Mozenrath each took a step back, stunned by what they'd done.

The sphere dissolved. Nemesis slumped to the ground, breathing heavily. "That magic…" she babbled. "How could it…" Shaking her head, she got to her feet unsteadily. "You…you will be dealt with…!"

Trembling, she turned and ran.

"Well…that was unexpected, to say the least," Mozenrath remarked. "And you – "

"Okay, I am NOT happy with you right now," Twilight interrupted.

This left Mozenrath perplexed. As far as he knew, his laundry list of sins hadn't included any strikes against her. "Because…?"

"You know what you did!"

"You're going to have to be more specific."

Twilight tried to think of how to most concisely put it. She was cut short; Hecate teleported in behind Mozenrath.

"THERE you are," Hecate growled. "I'm getting you out of here before you get into any MORE trouble!" She slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, NO – " Mozenrath was heard saying before they both disappeared.

Twilight stared at the empty air for a moment before remembering she had other business to attend to. She'd abandoned the apple completely. She turned to run back to it, hoping she could remember the location.

Twilight passed Rarity, who took that alert to run after her. From the skies, Rainbow Dash saw them and changed her course to meet them. Rarity called out to Applejack, who used her whip to throw Tisiphone back one more time before ditching the battle to run towards the apple as well; Tisiphone reeled before righting herself and setting her sights to Demeter again.

Fluttershy was already waiting there, hiding behind what was left of the stone wall of the cell. "Fluttershy!" Rarity called out.

"Pinkie Pie went pretty far," Rainbow Dash began to explain. "It might take her a while to – "

"HERE I AM!" Pinkie bounded into view.

"Or it could take her two seconds to randomly get here," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"I'm sorry," Twilight sputtered. "When I saw him, I just – "

"You protected a friend," Applejack finished for her. "You did all right."

"And you gave us a chance to kick major tail in this entire battle," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"But we should probably get the apples growing now before everything gets destroyed!" Pinkie insisted, jogging in place to assert the urgency of the situation.

"Right," Twilight agreed. "Okay…let's try this again!"

The six circled the apple, focusing on it. The sphere of light reappeared. All six levitated ever so slightly, amulets glowing. A shaft of soft rainbow light stretched out from each amulet and touched the apple.

The apple sank deeper into the soil, disappearing. A carpet of rainbow then exploded out from the soil patch, rolling like the tide over Aegaeon. Tendrils of rainbow, like vines, stretched out to touch the clouds as well as the floating cell debris in the sea. Aegaeon roared and writhed in anger, but his movements only quickened the rainbow. The trees then sprouted, going from sapling to adult in a matter of seconds. In each of Aegaeon's palms. On the crust of his skin. On the clouds, on the cells floating in the sea. They had trunks that shone like bronze, white leaves tinged with soft rainbows, and bright rainbow apples that bloomed to full fruition.

One of these trees erupted before Zeus, Hades, and Hera. All three of their blows – lightning, fire, aura – hit the tree trunk and were absorbed.

"What is this?" Zeus wondered out loud.

"I…don't…" Hera reached out instinctively, picking an apple. "I don't know…" All she knew was that she wanted one of the apples, and quite badly, too.

Zeus also reached out and picked an apple, to which Hades could only say, "Hello? Middle of a climactic battle here? WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE – well, actually, those do look pretty good…" Overcome by a temptation he didn't understand, he also plucked a rainbow fruit.

All three bit at the same time. And it hit all of them at once.

For Zeus, that the sky needed him if it did not have a sun. But he already knew that.

For Hera, the marriages of the mortals she'd sworn to protect. If she focused all her energies on defeating Zeus there and creating her new regime, the wives who counted on her to protect them from the same fate she suffered by Zeus would be ignored, let down. In horror, Hera dropped her bitten apple.

Hades' hand, clutching his own bitten apple, shook in rage. "And leave a chance that the Underworld could fall to HECATE?" he roared. "NO WAY!" In a rush of flame, he vanished.

"What have I done…" Hera muttered.

"Hera," Zeus said, "it isn't too late to say bygones – "

"There are no BYGONES," Hera stated. "You have still wronged me, and you will still pay me for it eventually. But I cannot let the Titans rise again!" She also vanished, leaving Zeus behind on the cloud. Zeus grabbed the opportunity, changing in size so he was fit to fight Perses before sending a jolt of lightning toward the Titan.

Theia knocked Hermes down. Facilier approached the messenger god with a grin, raising his cane. "Hope you've had time to say all your goodbyes," he threatened.

A flash of fiery light; Hades stood next to him. "Hey. Shadow Man. We're out of here."

"But – " Facilier gestured toward the fallen Hermes.

"Yeah. I know. I also know that right now, we are risking the Underworld being left in the hands of ALL the wrong gods. We need to get back there…NOW."

Facilier wanted to argue, perhaps suggesting that Hades was seized by a temporary madness of sorts, but Hades grabbed his wrist and took him along when he vanished again.

Hermes stood, staring down Theia. "Well," he remarked, "this oughta even the odds."

Dark Danny hovered above Ares, trying to decide how best to attack him and avoid the point of Iapetus' former spear. He never got to finish the decision. Hades, Facilier's wrist in his left hand, materialized next to him in the sky, taking Dark Danny's wrist in his right hand. "Come on. We're blowing this wine stand."

"But we have a chance of victory!" Dark Danny argued.

"WE! ARE GOING! BACK!" Hades insisted. "AND THAT! IS! FINAL!"

The trio left the scene in one last burst of fire.

* * *

Athena clutched the order apple tightly. She'd knocked both Tethys and Pallas back into the ocean, and the Hydra was about to strike. She entertained the notion that she was, in fact, outmatched.

She fled to Aegaeon, landing near Ares. "I don't know what's come over me," she said to him. "Perhaps it was these strange apples."

"I had one too," Ares grunted, staring down Crius, Iapetus, and the Nemean Lion, who all sported the marks of his attacks and were each slightly afraid to advance. "And I think it's making me think what you're thinking."

"Better together?"

"Cover my back, and I'll cover yours."

Athena and Ares stood back to back. Tethys flew to their location, carrying Pallas; the Hydra charged after them, stretching out its necks to reach them. Crius, Iapetus, and the Nemean Lion readied for a final charge.

Athena and Ares drew their blades. They were ready.

* * *

High above, Asclepius plucked an order apple from a nearby cloud. He bit into it; he ate the entire thing.

All his memories re-entered his mind at once, settling in their proper places. He suddenly panicked. Looking down below, he could see that reinforcements had arrived for his fellow Olympians. He recognized Hercules and his friends. He recognized Zoë, former Hesperide. He recognized Pit, servant of Palutena. And he knew that the six Kentaurides arranged around the first order apple were benevolent.

He sent out his healing to all of them, reinforcing their strength, closing their wounds, fading their bruises. Hermes found the strength to flip Theia over his shoulder and onto her back. Apollo, refreshed, fired arrows with greater speed at Orcos, slamming his shield down hard onto Orcos' wrist. Morpheus, wide awake, threw his blanket over Cerberus, putting the hound to slumber. Hephaestus' hammer knocked Metis' sword hilt from her hand, and he shook away all of Megaera's parasites.

"IT'S WORKING!" Twilight yelled.

The rainbow kept on feeding the trees, putting the aura of order into the very air. The Titans found themselves beaten back; those who still remained of Hades' army began to lose hope.

"I know which side we're turning the sun to," Helios remarked.

"This is an absolutely RIVETING show," Adonis told Aphrodite.

Hera arrived with the finale. Tall as a Titan, she had the chains she'd used to fence off Olympus wrapped around her shoulder. She'd had to remove them all. She twirled one of the chains in the air, casting it out; it locked around Prometheus, binding him, bringing him to his knees. Hera then cast her chains at Perses, causing him to fall. Thera was the next to go down, crying out in anguish. Hera readied the chains for another swing, looking around at the potentials: Crius, Coeus, Iapetus…

"ATTENTION! MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!"

The call vibrated through the air, through the seas, through Aegaeon's body. All fighting halted. Hera's chain went still in her hand. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash broke their concentration on the Elements, breaking the sphere of light; the rainbow faded away, though the trees remained. All eyes turned to Aegaeon's head.

Discord stood there, holding a megaphone.

"There," he remarked. "That's better. Anyway. Will all Titans please proceed to the nearest hand of Aegaeon? Everyone else, back away from the Hecatonchire. And Aegaeon, you're going to do exactly what we talked about while everyone was having their little battle."

Aegaeon gave a slight nod so Discord wouldn't fall off his head. He trembled, standing up straight. Oceanus, Theia, Hyperion, Coeus, Crius, Iapetus, Mnemosyne, Tethys, Phoebe, Rhea, Themis, Selene, Leto, Asteria, Epimetheus, Menoetius, Metis, Astraeus, and Pallas rushed for the safety of Aegaeon's hands. Perses, Prometheus, and Thera were unable to move; the chains dragged them down into the ocean instead. Helios, despite Eos tugging at his shoulder, refused to follow the orders given.

"They're…they're going to retreat!" Hercules realized.

"EVERYONE GET OFF THE GIANT!" Zeus bellowed.

The Olympians followed his orders right away, leaping into the sea. Hercules and Pegasus sped downward, picking up Cassandra, and Icarus, carrying them to safety. Phil, Meg, and Zoë made for a nearby floating cell block. Pit followed Palutena to her chariot, and she let him sit beside her. Ares brought Kratos back to his own chariot. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie found the ground they stood on going completely vertical; they jumped into the sea alongside all the Olympians.

Alecto reverted to her humanoid form, calling for her sisters; she and Tisiphone picked up Megaera and carried her away from Aegaeon desite Megaera's cries that she wanted to remain with her beloved prison. Nemesis executed a triple flip and entered the ocean with barely a splash. Echidna beckoned all her children, "Come to Mommy!" Even those knocked out in battle awoke at that cry and ran to their mother's side. Pain and Panic flew toward the sky's blackness. Medusa ran for safety, making a leap of faith; she found Orcos, in the form of the jet-black human studded with her single oath stone, leaping alongside her, his hand in hers.

Aegaeon stood to full height. The last pieces of the constructed prison, metal and stone and dirt, fell from his body. The order apple trees withered and died, and so did those on the clouds and on the floating debris. Aegaeon clasped all Titans but the three captured and the two rebellious in his hands, very carefully so as not to harm them. Discord gave one final wave to everybody, calling out, "Antío!"

Then Aegaeon rose into the air. Levitated by Discord's magic, he took the Titans and the draconequus straight up, up into the black sky, until they were all out of sight.

Once she was sure the Titans were out of the equation, leaving Hades' forces alone with the Olympian gods and then some, Echidna panicked. "RETREAT!" she yelled, and she and her children turned to make way for the Land of Monsters as fast as they could. Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone each perched on one of Cerberus' massive heads. Pain and Panic clutched the hellhound's tail. Medusa and Orcos settled in on the back of the Hydra, casting gazes back at the battlefield.

Nemesis swam toward Hera. "I only ever meant to enforce the rules," she stated. "That is what you are going to tell everyone."

"That is what they all assume," Hera agreed.

Helios brought the sun chariot to a halt before Apollo. "My sister and I have rescued the sun!" he announced. "It is yours once more!"

Apollo climbed onto the sun chariot while Helios and Eos stepped down and into the water. "I am not sure I believe your intentions," he admitted, "but all the same, I must thank you for returning it. I'm going to put it where it belongs before there's any more damage." He cracked the reins; the sun chariot rose into the air.

A blinding flash of light; it took him only a second to bring the sun back to the unlocked Olympus. When nighttime reappeared, the stars all came out, and the temperature rose slightly. Everything felt right.

Meg stared upwards at where Aegaeon had disappeared into the sky. "You think it's over?" she asked.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash climbed up onto the same floating stone. "Yes," Twilight answered. "I think it's over."

* * *

Chapter 61:

· Yes, I looked up pretty much all the gods' movesets in GoW if they appeared in the series so I could know what to use. If they didn't have a moveset, I either looked to their original mythical background or made it up. Also, it's worth mentioning, as I didn't in the last author's notes, that Thera doesn't actually fight in GoW. I gave her a sword because I wanted to.

· The thing is that Hermes' GoW version has one of my favorite personalities of all the gods…but I like the Disney personality infinitely better. So that's the voice you should be hearing. Though I did have to make him make a crack about how his opponent was too slow.

· Palutena's moves actually come from the animated short "Palutena's Revolting Dinner," a companion to Kid Icarus: Uprising. I'm sure she has more, but those are the two we saw there.

· As you can see, a lot of this is "rematches." Athena fights Pallas as a mythological callback. Palutena fights Gorgons. Even though I'm not using the HTAS Cupid design, I'm still calling back to Pain and Panic sabotaging HTAS Cupid.

· Dionysus' spear is actually one from mythology.

· I needed Helios around so he can be in GoW III. And Eos…is just too damn innocent to not let go free.

· Aphrodite/Adonis is, of course, mythological canon. It was one of my favorite "confrontations" to write just for the SHIPPING!

· That thing about Selene controlling Artemis through the moon. I have no idea where it came from. It just did.

· Pan's use of the Syrinx to inspire panic is from original mythology. And while I didn't have room to bring it up here, I do want HTAS Syrinx to be canon. Meaning that Pan stole Phil's one shot at a girlfriend and turned her into a musical instrument.

· I apologize if the order apples are TOO much of a deus ex machina. It was an idea that I've had since beginning this storylet and I really wanted to implement it.

· The song Kratos and Nemesis sing is "Knife Fight" by Lemon Demon. Couldn't resist.

· I don't think I've actually HEARD Kratos call anyone a bitch, but he has the right to swear due to the GoW target age demographic, so I'm just gonna run with it.

· And once again, with Icarus and the Nemean Lion, we see a rematch (they faced off in "Hero of Athens").

· Remember how I needed you to remember just how tough Nemesis is? The reason for that is because she was always going to be the ONE that Mozenrath couldn't handle in this storylet.

· Don't worry. I'm not going to drag the Moz-Twi tension out forever. They'll get to have a longer conversation soon enough.

· Perses, Prometheus, and Thera are captured to be put back in place in time for the events of GoW III.

· And all the Old Ones (pretty much) get away! Meaning Discord wins. Eeyup.


	62. On the East and West Beaches

62: On the East and West Beaches

THE SEAS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

The Olympians knew they had quite the mess to clean up, but not before giving proper dues to the heroes that had helped them. As Athena said, "The VERY least we can do is give you a ride back to the mainland."

To a mortal, riding in a god's chariot was a breathtaking experience. The chariots rose dizzyingly high so that all of Greece and its surrounding oceans and islands was laid out below in gorgeous glory. The divine steeds charged forth at a breakneck pace, giving all non-divine passengers a feeling of a rush in the stomach and heart areas.

"So…Dad," Hercules asked Zeus, with whom he rode. "What happens now?"

"Well, I guess we put as much order back as we can," Zeus replied.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Um…I kinda know you lied to me. Mom…Hera came out and said it. Alcmene is my birth mother. Not Hera. I'm not really a god."

Zeus sighed. "You know, Hercules, there's this saying. 'To err is human, to forgive is divine.'"

"You're saying I should forgive you."

"Well, I'd LIKE you to forgive me, but the point is that everyone always forgets that gods make mistakes too."

"What part was the mistake? Marrying Hera? Cheating with my mom? Lying to me? Because, I gotta tell you, cheating on your wife, that was WRONG! But I don't want to hear that Alcmene was a mistake! She's one of the kindest women in all of Greece!"

"Why do you think I selected her to have you?" Zeus asked. "The greatest hero in all of Greece couldn't just come from any old woman. Say, do we absolutely have to talk about this now? Can't we talk about how great a team we made, kicking Hades back to where he belonged, smashing Titans in the face, sticking it to the Fury queen?"

Hercules sighed. He knew his father was never going to take the discussion seriously. Whether it was out of sheer ignorance or a desire to avoid the subject at all costs, he couldn't tell.

"I know exactly how it feels," Poseidon told Rarity. "They all laughed at my trident, too! Well, you saw what I was able to do with it! Tridents, arrows…they'll mock anything that isn't an old-fashioned sword."

"I'm guessing," Hebe told Rainbow Dash, "that you will be hailed as a great heroine. They will paint you on vases."

"Oh…they already have," Rainbow Dash replied, thinking back to the Demigod Hall in Hogwarts.

"So, Pit," Palutena asked. "Did you find what you were looking for in the mortal world?"

"Yeah!" Pit nodded. "I found a lot of things. Like some really good friends! And the REAL Icarus. I did lose my bow, though."

"Well, then." Palutena smiled. "We'll just have to see about getting you a new one."

"It's kinda funny," Twilight told Apollo, whose chariot remained unburdened with the sun parked on Olympus for the night. "Back in my homeland, I have a really good friend…a mentor, actually…who raises and lowers the sun."

"Might I ask her name?" Apollo inquired. "I happen to know most of the sun gods."

"Ever heard of Princess Celestia?"

"Celestia!" Apollo smiled. "Incredibly young, as goddesses go. But still a shining example, pardon the pun. If you know Celestia, then I'm guessing what I'm looking at isn't your true form."

"You could say that," Twilight confirmed.

"If you see her," Apollo bid Twilight, "give her my blessing."

"Sooooo," Icarus asked Ares, "does this mean I'll be immortalized as the one who saved the god of war from a grisly demise?"

"Not even close," Ares growled. "Keep in mind that I could throw you over the side at any second."

"Were you not frightened," Athena asked Meg, "to enter a battle with no way to fight?"

"Eh." Meg shrugged. "You get used to it, you know?"

"Did you think it was a little strange that Phoebe, Pain, and Panic were so easily scared off?" Cupid asked Cassandra.

"It might come back to bite us later," Cassandra said, "but for now, let's not look a gift Pegasus in the mouth."

"So what are you going to do now?" Hestia asked Zoë.

"I shall find a way to live on the mortal world," Zoë stated confidently. "I shall not lie; I will miss living in the garden. However, I am prepared to face my new fate. I shall find what is worth living in a mortal life. I am sure there is much."

"You like PARTIES?" Dionysus asked Pinkie Pie. "Well, let me tell you, you haven't been to a REAL party until you've been to one of my Bacchanals!"

"Ooh!" Pinkie squealed. "Do you think I could come to one if I come back?"

"Well, it all depends on if I have a reason to schedule a shindig on the mortal plane, but you'll be on the guest list for sure!"

"And the thing about Chimaeras is," Artemis told Fluttershy, "they ain't half as scary as they look. Forgettin' about the one that's Echidna's daughter, if ya approach one slowly with a bit of food, it'll warm up to ya right away."

"And anyway," Phil bragged to Pan, "the six Kentaurides are all my trainees. Meaning you can put them down on my record. I am one Tartarus of a trainer, ain't I?"

Applejack looked down over the side of Demeter's chariot to see a great rainbow shockwave burst over Greece. "What was that?" she asked.

"I feel as though something is missing…" Demeter thought it over. "Yes. I feel it. The Order Apple trees. They've all withered up and died."

"What?" Applejack was shocked. "But…without them, how…"

"It couldn't very well last forever," Demeter reminded her. "You can have everything be in order all the time about as much as you can have everything be in chaos all the time. That was always the problem with Nemesis. Thinking she could get everything to follow the rules all the time! At least the chaos apples are finally gone from the mortal plane."

"And I guess that's good enough," Applejack sighed.

The fleet descended rapidly toward an island off the far end of the Greek coast. After a dizzying rush, the chariots landed, hovering slightly above the shores of Chryse.

"Well," Hercules said, "this is our stop."

"Thank you all," Athena said as Hercules, Pegasus, Pit, Icarus, Meg, Cassandra, Zoë, Phil, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash disembarked.

"Don't thank us," Applejack told her. "Everything we did, we did 'cause we wanted to help out and stop everypony from gettin' hurt."

"Although we wouldn't mind a LITTLE thanks," Rarity broke in.

"Good luck," Hercules said, looking at all the gods before him. His stare lingered a moment on Hera. He smiled at her. He couldn't read her expression at all.

"Well?" Zeus looked around at the members of his court. "We've got a lot of work to do! After all, we lost a lot of time because of…" The opportunity struck him. "DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!"

There was a mass rolling of eyeballs as the Olympian fleet turned to ride back to the mountain, leaving the group of heroes on Chryse. All present on the islands waved to see the Olympians off.

Then Pit turned to the others. "Hey, guys…it's been great down here. We had one of the best adventures I've ever been on! The thing is, though, Lady Palutena needs me. I got all the time off I needed. I hate to just fly off, but…"

"We understand," Zoë told him. "Your place is by your commander and friend."

"You should go!" Twilight encouraged him.

"We'll remember you," Hercules promised. "You're kinda hard to forget."

"Well, thanks!" With two flaps of his wings, Pit was airborne. From above, he turned and waved to his friends below. "Bye, everyone!"

"GOODBYE!" they all chorused.

As Pit took off into the sky, Applejack remarked, "There goes the Kid Icarus."

"Well, nothing can measure up to the original," Icarus bragged, "but he's a good kid."

"Now, I dunno about you, but it's been a REALLY long day for me," Applejack continued. "I'm 'bout ready to hit the hay."

"A.J., truer words were never spoken," Phil agreed. "I've had about enough heroics for one day."

"You can stay with us for the night," Hercules told Zoë.

Zoë was glad that the newly regained moonlight wasn't enough for him to see her blushing. "Thank you."

As the group moved back to Phil's home, Twilight wondered out loud, "What do you think Discord and the Titans are doing?"

"I'm not sure if we even want to know," Fluttershy replied.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Hecate and Mozenrath materialized in the middle of the crystal hall. Mozenrath wasted no time in letting Hecate have a piece of his mind. "I HAD it!" he screamed at her. "I was about to take that sun BACK when you showed up and RUINED IT!"

"You think you were playing in the same league as ANY of them?" Hecate countered. "I don't care how much Dark power you have! You were up against almost all the Titans, every Olympian in Zeus' military fleet, and to top it all off, that do-gooder Hercules and a crop of his friends! And trust me. Hercules may only be a demigod, but he somehow always manages to be more annoying than any full-blooded god there is. And if you think about how many gods I have a grudge with, that's SAYING something! If I hadn't shown up, you'd be dead right now."

"No, I – "

"Do you think you stood a chance against them all on your own?"

Mozenrath was about to argue yes, but then he realized he had something even more convincing for leverage. "You may not have noticed, but I wasn't on my own."

"That Kentauride? What's your story with her?"

"She and I have a complicated history. We're not always on the same side, but in this case…"

"In this case, the two of you were barely able to avoid being sliced by Nemesis."

"I've had about enough of this," Mozenrath snarled, turning to storm away.

"WHERE are you going?"

"Don't worry your three-faced head off. I'm coming back. There's just somewhere I need to – "

When he entered the hallway and turned the corner, he went silent. Hecate quickly caught up to him in order to see what had interrupted his train of thought.

Three semi-spheres of pure darkness were attached to the floor. Two were as high as Hecate's waist, while one was about to the height of Mozenrath's knees. Neither of them had left those there, and they knew it.

They struck the spheres with bursts of pure plasma energy, and in a shower of blue sparks, the spheres broke open, letting Lukos, Aetos, and Xerxes emerge. "WHAT happened here?" Mozenrath cried.

"Mozenrath!" Xerxes babbled. "Hecate! Strange person in black! Didn't see face!"

"To translate the idiot," Lukos added, "while you were out, some guy – or maybe it was a woman, I couldn't tell – came in here. Dressed completely in black. Had a hood over his head. Or her head."

"We get it," Hecate interrupted. "You don't know what the intruder looked like."

"He, or she, trapped us over here when we tried to stop her, or him, from getting in here," Aetos finished.

"And you don't know what they were in here for?" Hecate asked, an angry panic rising in her tone.

"No!" Xerxes shook his head worriedly. "No, no, no!"

Hecate turned to face Mozenrath. "Wherever you were going, you're not anymore. I'll check over my inventory, and – "

"You think I was going to run off after hearing something like THIS?" Mozenrath replied. "I'm looking after my room."

Mozenrath and Hecate turned to run in opposite directions. Lukos, Aetos, and Xerxes followed their respective owners in concern.

Hecate searched everywhere. Nothing looked disturbed. Not the library, not the laboratory, not the vault, not even the kitchen. "Well, this rules out most of the usual suspects," she sighed. Most of her enemies would take something she'd notice right away; hit her where it hurt.

She returned to the great crystal hall to find Mozenrath sitting up against the wall, arms folded across his knees, head down and face hidden. "What was it?" Hecate asked.

"My sketchbook," Mozenrath answered, not looking up. "They took all my writing, all my ideas, all the information I collected." He paused before asking: "And from you?"

"Nothing," Hecate answered. "Looks like our perpetrator was just after your sketchbook and nothing else. So, what do you have in terms of enemies?"

"Well." Mozenrath looked up at Hecate, frustration replacing the devastation on his face. "I'm sure Jafar isn't too happy with me right now. Aladdin NEVER is, though I doubt he could so much as get down here, let alone know where I was keeping it. Blondie from Corona would love to take something important to me, but I somehow don't think she would come down here either. Most of my other enemies were either present and accounted for at the Prison, or I drained them of their humanity a long time ago."

"So we're looking at Jafar as our prime suspect?"

"Hades could have given him access to the Underworld…" Mozenrath thought out loud. "And he knew we were working together. Put that with the fact that he wasn't accounted for while Hades was at the Prison…"

"They want us to be sure war's on," Hecate stated.

"Well, if they think this makes me down and out, they're wrong." Mozenrath stood. "There was a lot of important writing in that book, but the real power will always be in the hand that wrote it. I'll just have to make sure to make them pay for this later."

"You're not going to challenge them now?"

"Well, APPARENTLY I can't handle that much of a battle on my own!"

Hecate nodded. "Good. You're finally getting the point."

"Well, then we're just back to where we were before," Mozenrath said. "I have somewhere to be on the mortal plane of Olympic Greece."

"It's the middle of the night up there."

"Then I'll go in the morning."

"What are you even planning to do?"

"Talk things over with one of the few people I trust," Mozenrath admitted.

"And you can't trust me?"

"Oh, I trust you. But do you actually want to listen to what I have to say?"

Hecate sighed. "Fine. Go talk to whatever little friend you have in the morning. But if you take too long, I'm coming to get you so we can make our next move."

"And that move is?"

"Finding you allies," Hecate stated. "Once you get powerful people under your command and NOT remove their life force, THEN you can stand a chance against the bigger fish in the ocean."

Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "I don't play well with others."

"Except apparently one mortal."

"And now you see why it's so important that I talk to her."

Hecate couldn't argue with that.

* * *

"We…were so…CLOOOOOOOOSE!"

Hades stormed around the throne room, raging, completely aflame. Facilier and Dark Danny pressed as close to the wall as possible, though they were fairly certain Hades wasn't about to hurt either of them.

"What even came over me?" Hades ranted. "If those Zeus-forsaken apples hadn't turned up, WE WOULD BE WINNING RIGHT NOW! WE WOULD HAVE WON! Those STUPID apples had some kind of STUPID spell that made me come back HERE instead of finishing them off!"

"In all fairness," Facilier pointed out, "you didn't want the Underworld to fall into the wrong hands."

"I KNOW!" Hades yelled. Then he let out a long breath, trying to, so to speak, cool off. "Kind of in that place where I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too. Next plan we make has a failsafe for the Underworld, got it?"

There came a knock at the door; momentarily, the death god flared bright orange. "WHAT. Is it."

Pain and Panic entered the room. "Um, maybe this is a bad time," Pain said, "but everybody's outside wanting to know what their cut is? You know, for being in your plan?"

Dark Danny and Facilier flinched in advance.

When the column of flame receded, Pain and Panic were riddled with burn marks. "Tell them," Hades seethed, "I'm working on it."

* * *

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

Relief washed over Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Hercules, Phil, Pegasus, Cassandra, Icarus, Meg, and Zoë when all saw the sun rise the next morning. They gathered for breakfast and for a discussion of what came next.

"I hate to say it," Applejack pointed out, "but we did what we came here to do. I think it's about time we moved on."

"Awwww, do you have to?" Icarus moaned.

"Awwww, do we have to?" Pinkie echoed.

"We could at least spend a LITTLE more time here," Rainbow Dash argued. "One last training session?"

Applejack nodded. "All right. One last trainin' session."

"That'll mean everybody out to the arena," Phil demanded.

"Actually," Twilight said, "if it's okay with you, I'd like some time to myself. I just need to think about some things."

"If anyone's earned time to rest," Meg pointed out, recalling the disaster on Colchis, "it's you. Go ahead."

"Thanks." Twilight rose from the table. "I'm just going down to the east beach if anypony needs me. And I'll be back." She then left.

The others finished a leisurely breakfast before moving down to the arena.

* * *

They began by pitting Zoë against Rainbow Dash; each was given a dummy weapon – padded arrows, a wooden sword – and Zoë darted about, loosing her arrows at random, while Rainbow Dash deflected as many as she could.

"Just wait till Chiron hears about this!" Phil practically squealed. "The genuine article! Six new heroines!"

"You're gonna have to be faster than that!" Rainbow Dash boasted, batting away three shots in succession.

Before Zoë could retort, her attention was turned to all of her arrows suddenly snapping in midair, falling uselessly to the ground. Rainbow Dash's wooden sword also cracked, half the "blade" falling to the ground.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"What trickery – " Zoë began.

"That was just to get your attention." Mozenrath strode casually onto the field.

No sooner had he done so than he found himself pinned up against the wall; Hercules, enraged, had rushed him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the stone. Mozenrath sighed, rolling his eyes. "And what's THIS temper tantrum about?"

"This is for what you did to Meg," Hercules seethed, clenching his fist tighter around the sorcerer's throat.

Mozenrath coughed a couple times before he was able to say, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Give me one good reason not to, after what you – "

Hercules then reeled back, feeling as though a two-ton weight had rammed him in the stomach. Mozenrath dropped to his feet, observing his gauntlet, the blue aura of which was cooling off. "Please," he mocked. "I would have thought you'd know better after I took on Apollo and stole his chariot."

"That was YOU?" Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy chorused.

Then Meg herself was angered beyond the point of containment. She rose from the stands, marching down them, balling her hand into a fist.

Mozenrath snapped his fingers; Meg's feet were encased in ice, binding her to the ground. "We can play this game all day," he sighed, "or you can just tell me what I want to know and I'll be out of your hair. For the time being, at least."

"Fine," Rainbow Dash grunted. "What do you want?"

"I would have thought it was obvious. I'm looking for Twilight Sparkle."

"If you DARE hurt her," Meg growled.

"Now, why would I do that?" Mozenrath asked with a shrug of innocence. "Trust me, I had my chance a long time ago."

"I don't believe it's best that she sees you right now," Rarity asserted. "There are certain extenuating circumstances."

"Hold up." Applejack stepped forth. "We all know he ain't gonna hurt her, and maybe it's actually best if they clear the air between 'em."

"Well…" Rarity paused to think on it.

"She's down at the east beach," Applejack told Mozenrath. "But you better make good on your promise and scram once you're done talkin' to her."

"Oh, trust me." Mozenrath shot a glance toward Hercules and Meg. "You'll probably have plenty of chances to try and take your revenge on me later." He fixed his gaze on Hercules. "Maybe you and my brother can continue your little bromance on an epic quest to try and defeat me!" On that note, he turned abruptly and walked away.

Rainbow Dash struck the ice at Meg's feet with her sword; it shattered. "Was that really the best idea?" Meg asked.

"This is kinda just how things happen," Rainbow Dash explained. "We try to stop a big disaster, he tries to make a big disaster, and the two of them just end up talking about it."

"And you really think he won't hurt her," Hercules questioned.

"Strangely enough, yes," Rarity admitted. "My only concern was her mental state, given, well, you know."

Another set of footsteps was heard approaching the field; all eyes turned to see who would enter next, expecting either Twilight, Mozenrath, or both. When they beheld the newcomer, Icarus stood up, pointing at him, bellowing, "YOU!"

"Heyyyy…everyone…" Panic, in his guise as Thanatocrates, waved nervously.

"WHAT KINDA NERVE DO YOU HAVE COMING AROUND HERE AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO CASSANDRA?" Icarus yelled.

"He didn't do anything to me," Cassandra sighed. She got up, approaching Panic. "If you wanna talk, we should get out of here before Icarus decides to get homicidal."

"You…go on ahead," Panic told her. "Find someplace we can…um…talk."

Cassandra shrugged. "All right. Well, east beach is taken, so I guess we're going down to the west beach." She exited the arena.

Hercules quickly rushed to grab Icarus by the back of the collar; Icarus struggled against his hold, throwing punches in the air, screaming, "LET ME AT HIM! LET ME AT HIM!"

"Sooooo…" Panic rocked back and forth on his feet nervously. "I was wondering if I could get some advice from – "

"Dear sweet CELESTIA!" Rarity cried. "WHERE did you get all those burn marks?"

"Burn…marks…" Panic looked down at his human body. All the marks Hades had left on his imp skin had transferred over. "I thought I got rid of those when I…I mean…um…" He swallowed nervously. "There was an…oil lamp accident? Anyway, since you're all renowned for knowing everything about friendship and all…"

"Where did ya hear that?" Applejack asked, suspicious.

"Oh, you know…through the grapevine…"

"Well, we never turn down helping out a friend, especially with advice," Fluttershy piped up.

"What's your question?" Applejack inquired.

"Well…it's kinda complicated," Panic answered. "A lot of you might have guessed that I sort of…LIKE Cassandra, in the, you know…romantic way…"

"I KNEW IT!" Icarus yelled. "LET ME AT HIM!"

"…And I'm not exactly sure where it's going," Panic continued, "or if it can go anywhere, but I…haven't exactly been the most honest with her…about…some things…like where I'm really from or what my real job is…aaaaand I'm pretty sure if she knew the truth, she'd kill me."

"I think I know what you're askin'," Applejack interrupted. "You're afraid your secret's gonna blow the relationship you have, but you don't wanna lie to her either."

"Basically."

"This is just my humble opinion," Applejack went on, "but I think whatever it is, if it's really that big, ya gotta tell her. You can't keep buildin' whatever's between you on a lie."

"But we've all seen that Cassandra feels the same about you," Rarity added.

"MY ONE TRUE LOVE WOULD NEVER SWAY FROM ME!" Icarus bellowed.

"Well, almost all of us," Rarity amended. "Now, I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain that whatever your secret is, if you tell her, she won't give up on you for it."

"And if she does," Applejack concluded, "well, it wasn't meant to be."

Panic took their words into consideration. "Well…I guess it's time to go talk to her, then…um…happy training!" He darted off.

"DOES ANYONE ELSE WANNA INTERRUPT WITH THEIR RIDICULOUS DRAMA?" Phil yelled at the door. After no one else came through, Phil returned his attention to the field. "Okay! Back to business!"

* * *

Twilight sat on the beach, all four of her equine legs laid down to rest while her humanoid torso was upright. She looked out over the calm waters touched by the rising of the sun. She thought of Apollo, riding through the sky to bring the sun to that position. She thought of Celestia back home, engineering Equestria's – or Fourth Equestria's – own sunrise. She thought about all the suns that rose over all the different worlds, and who was in charge of all of that.

And of course she thought about Mozenrath. Whether she'd played right into his hands; whether she was just a tool in his plan. Whether she'd ever see him again now that he'd gotten what he wanted. If the battle against Nemesis had meant anything or was just meant to be their final act together. But she worried that thinking on it too long would only bring her sadness. She tried to stuff all those thoughts into a box at the corner of her mind, tape it shut, set a rock on it so the lid couldn't open.

She turned her attentions again to thinking about the vast expanse beyond the sky at which she stared. Soon she would be aboard the Starlight, careening through the stars and colors of the space between worlds, leaving Olympic Greece so far behind it would only be a drop in a vast ocean. And across that ocean lay more strange new worlds. What, Twilight wondered, would she find next?

Her reverie was interrupted by soft footfalls against the sand. As she turned to see who was approaching, she heard an all too familiar voice say, "So I take it you're angry with me."

Startled, Twilight nearly toppled over into the sand. "Mozenrath!"

"Now," Mozenrath continued, striding onto the sand, "I don't doubt I did SOMETHING to deserve it. This time, though, I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to. Given my record, you're going to have to be a little more specific. Stealing the sun, attempting to assassinate the heir to the throne of Corona – "

"Stealing the SUN?" Twilight interrupted. "That was YOU?"

"Everyone's surprised," Mozenrath sighed, settling into a sitting position on the beach. "Why is everyone surprised?"

"Well, looking at the circumstances, you can see why everyone thought Hades or one of the Titans would be behind it."

"True." He turned to face her directly, and though the question he asked was dead serious, his face was decorated with his signature smirk. "So exactly what are you angry at me for, again?"

"This…is probably going to sound really ridiculous," Twilight answered. "Did you fix everything so that I'd end up trading my soul for you to have longer to live?"

"So you talked to Megara."

"Yes. I did. So did you?"

"No," Mozenrath answered simply, "and I wasn't planning on it."

"Since the last time I saw you," Twilight went on, "my friends and I were visited by a creature called an Incubator. He offered us each the chance to have greater power in exchange for making a wish that he would grant. But he twisted the wishes so that when they were granted, they'd cause us so much misery that our souls would…sort of explode. It was supposed to turn us into monsters that had to be killed so that energy would be released into the multiverse for the Incubators to collect. Yesterday…my wish backfired on me when Meg told me her story. And I turned into a monster witch. My friends and I figured out a way to undo the transformation a while back, so…I was okay in the end."

"And this is relevant because…?"

"My wish was for you to have longer to live."

At this, Mozenrath was stunned. He and Twilight looked silently toward the rising sun for a moment. Then Mozenrath said, very simply, "You're not allowed to do that."

"Do what?"

"Risk your life to save mine."

"You can't just FORBID me to do that. I have my own free will."

"Twilight, there are very few people in the entire multiverse I can trust. Right now, I can count two. And one of them is you. Almost everyone else I know wants to kill me. If you can't trust me, I lose one of the only two confidantes I have. And between you and me, you know a lot more than the other one. Ergo, next time you have to risk your life to save mine, don't."

"What about – "

"Megara was a pawn in a plan that worked successfully. I got what I wanted from her, and then I didn't need her anymore. I don't actually care about what happens to her from here on out. It's different with you. You know you're my…" He almost choked on the word, though it was true. "Friend."

Twilight couldn't help but giggle a little at that. "That was hard for you to say, wasn't it?"

"Don't make me do it again."

"Ooooo-kay."

"But in all seriousness," Mozenrath reiterated, "DON'T try to trade your life for mine. After all, that just leaves me to destroy everything and without you to protect it."

"Good point." Twilight grinned. "All right. I'll try to hold back."

"So, I take it that's a little closer to what you REALLY look like."

Twilight took a moment to look over her Kentauride body. "It's halfway there," she admitted. "It's a little weird, you know. I mean weirder than usual. Getting to talk with you again after not seeing you for a year."

After a stunned silence, Mozenrath repeated, "A year."

"Yes. A year. Since Corona. My friends and I have been studying magic."

"A year," Mozenrath said again.

"Okay, so I'm not counting the summer months!" Twilight huffed. "Now we're just splitting hairs!"

"It hasn't even been CLOSE to that since Corona, Twilight."

Suddenly, realization struck; Twilight recalled Medea's words about always knowing where one was in time. "Time passed differently for us," she thought out loud. "It hasn't actually been a year for you. Just for us." She paused. "How long has it been for you?"

"Two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?" Twilight's jaw dropped.

"Mostly spent drifting in space, trying to pick out the next territory for conquest. The last few days training with Hecate."

"It's only been two weeks for you…" Twilight reiterated.

"In all fairness, you don't exactly look a year older," Mozenrath pointed out. "Aside from being a Kentauride, you look pretty much the same as when I left you in Corona."

"Well…there's kind of a reason for that," Twilight admitted. "We found out that as bearers of the Elements of Harmony, we're kind of…ageless. We're not immortal, but as long as nopony gets sick or fatally hurt, we'll live forever, and we'll always be like this."

"I don't believe it!" Mozenrath whined. "I try to find ways to live forever and none of them turn out, and agelessness just drops into your lap? Not fair."

"Rethinking making me promise not to trade my years for yours?" Twilight asked teasingly.

"No."

"You mentioned you were studying with Hecate. THE Hecate? Goddess of magic?"

"What can I say?" Mozenrath shrugged. "She liked what she saw in me."

"What has she been teaching you?"

Mozenrath described the various things he'd learned under Hecate's tutelage. This transitioned naturally into Twilight detailing everything that had happened to her at Hogwarts and all she'd studied there. As the sun rose higher in the sky, it saw the pair of them demonstrating their various new favorite spells right there on the beach; Mozenrath formed a small copy of the sun out of fire, and it hung in midair, causing the ice sculpture Twilight had summoned and bent into being – a replica of herself – to begin to drip water down the sides.

"This ought to make our face-offs more interesting," Mozenrath commented, grinning.

"I'm game whenever you are," Twilight replied, flashing a similar smile. "By the way…what did we even DO to Nemesis?"

"I'm guessing your Light magic clashed with my Dark magic and made something somewhere in between."

"Like…Twilight magic?" Twilight recalled what the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest had said of her name and how it tied into the bridge between Light and Darkness. "I've never heard of anything like that."

"Neither have I. It's possible Hecate has. I'll get back to you on that."

"You've never come across it and written it in your sketchbook?"

"That," Mozenrath stated, scowling, "was stolen."

"WHAT?"

"While we were battling Nemesis at the Prison, someone broke into Hecate's palace in the Underworld and took it. It was all they took."

"Any idea who did it? I mean…you did say the entire multiverse was out to get you."

"I'm sure it's Jafar," Mozenrath stated. "He already tried to kill me once yesterday, but I humiliated him satisfyingly enough. He isn't going to take that quietly."

"I'm not so sure," Twilight countered. "If Jafar tried to kill you, why would he step down to the level of stealing your things? Wouldn't he just try to kill you again, or leave some kind of curse behind? It doesn't really make sense."

"I don't have many other enemies that can break into the Underworld."

"Hmm…" Twilight thought it over. "I'll keep an eye out for it while I'm traveling."

"It could be ANYWHERE in the multiverse."

"You never know," Twilight replied. "The mists of Avalon will always bring us where we need to be, remember? It's not impossible that we're going to NEED to get that book back from whoever has it. After all, when something like that falls into the wrong hands…"

"…You feel the need to put it back in the other wrong hands."

"Well, basically."

There was suddenly a blue shimmer between them; Hecate materialized on the beach. Twilight gasped, bowing deeply on one knee before the goddess. Hecate looked to Mozenrath, gesturing at Twilight. "Your friend?"

"Yes," Mozenrath answered. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all," Hecate replied. "But we can't afford to waste any more time. We need to make our move."

Mozenrath gave a sigh of frustration. "Fine."

"Excuse me…your highness…" Twilight addressed Hecate. "What move, exactly, are you making?"

"I've turned this once pathetic sorcerer – " Hecate began.

"I resent that," Mozenrath muttered.

" – Into a powerful warrior of darkness," Hecate went on. "But the only way we stand any chance at taking any of the territory we want or striking back at any of our enemies, ESPECIALLY the…Overtakers…" Her teeth clenched upon the word. "What we need is an entire army."

"Hecate," Mozenrath moaned, "look around! There's you and there's Twilight. Throw in Xerxes and you have the extent of my friend-making ability."

"Well, you're going to have to at least play nice with someone else," Hecate demanded, "or you're going to be fighting a losing battle for eternity!"

"The fate of the multiverse doesn't depend on me making friends," Mozenrath grunted.

At that, Twilight couldn't hold in a laugh. She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to muffle it, keep it quiet.

"What's funny?" Hecate barked.

"It's just…that is EXACTLY what I said when my mentor Celestia told me to go find friends," Twilight explained. "When the six of us became friends, we turned out to be the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Turned out, the fate of the world did depend on me making friends. And as of recently, the fates of some other worlds, too." She turned her gaze to Mozenrath. "I think you know what you have to do."

"Fine," Mozenrath sighed. "I'll play along and find an…alliance."

"I'm guessing you're too busy with your own destiny to join us," Hecate told Twilight.

"Afraid so," Twilight replied. "You probably already know this, but my friends and I actually have to stand against you if you're going to be attempting more conquests."

"How did a goody-two-shoes hero wannabe like you," Hecate asked, "become friends with a psychopath like him?"

"I resent that too," Mozenrath grumbled.

"It's a complicated story," Twilight answered.

Hecate looked at Mozenrath in confusion. All he said was "I've learned to just go with it."

"Well, it's too bad," Hecate remarked, looking back to Twilight. "You would make a powerful ally. If you joined with us, you could have EVERYTHING."

"Thanks," Twilight said, "but I'll pass."

"Then we're leaving," Hecate told Mozenrath.

"I guess I'll see you in anywhere from two weeks to a year," Mozenrath told Twilight.

"I'll be waiting," Twilight replied.

Hecate groaned. "I'll just teach you a long-distance communication spell," she told Mozenrath. "Now, are you going to waste any more of my time?"

"No," Mozenrath answered firmly. Hecate strode into the woods, and he followed. Twilight watched them leave, smiling slightly before turning back to the vista of sea and sun.

"If I didn't know better," Hecate hissed, "I'd think you were in love with her."

"Then you'd be delusional," Mozenrath replied.

"Good," Hecate snapped. "The last thing we need is your feelings for a wannabe do-gooder messing up your better judgment!"

"Trust me. My priorities are in order. When I get a hold over decent territory, she's just going to have to deal with it."

"You really do have a connection with her."

"And you're going to have to get used to THAT. Oh, don't worry. I'm sure there's eventually going to be a downside to being stuck with you that I'll have to put up with in exchange, and then you won't be able to say a thing."

Hecate resigned herself to acceptance.

* * *

On the other side of the island, Cassandra waited. Though her eyes too were turned to the ocean, her thoughts were not deep. She was just hoping Icarus hadn't gone full psycho and murdered the closest thing she had to a significant other.

When Panic caught up to her, she turned to greet him: "Hey, I was – where did you get all those BURNS?"

"What?" Panic looked to his arm in frustration. He'd tried to alter his appearance to cover the burns three times. Apparently the marks of Hades' rage were determined to show through any façade.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Cassandra asked.

And then she had placed her fingers over his face, lightly brushing along the side of one of the burns, and that was enough to make Panic have second thoughts about the truth. So he gently took hold of her wrist and brought her hand down, away from his face.

"There might be one or two little things I have to tell you," he said weakly. "Things that…are different…from what you thought they were…"

"What does THAT mean?"

"Well, basically, the truth about…me…and where I come from…and who I am…I'm not actually a Thracian at all…not even close…"

"Hey," Cassandra interrupted. "Everybody's got a dark secret. I end up seeing the outcomes of them sooner or later."

"So you've…seen…mine?"

"Not yet. But if you don't tell me, I'll find out in some horrible vision sooner or later." She shrugged. "So if you're not from Thrace, where are you from?"

He took a long moment of silence. "Okay, so I don't know if you feel the same AT ALL, but I kind of…like you. A lot. Maybe even love you. I think you're the most beautiful woman in the cosmos. I've never met anybody so brutally honest or casually cynical! And believe me, I run with a morbid crowd! And I just KNOW that if I tell you the truth, it's all going to be over, and you're never going to want to speak to me again, and – "

"Whoa, whoa!" Cassandra put up her hands to stop him. Then she grinned. "So you actually like me? I was almost afraid that I'd be stuck with that whole unrequited love song and dance. I mean, that's about how my luck runs anyway."

"So…you…" As realization sank in, Cassandra nearly laughed when she saw Panic's face, his eyes close to watering. "You really like me?"

"Yeah. Duh. I don't know that I'd call it love yet, but that's not out of the question."

"Then…I really have to tell you," Panic said, voice trembling. "I'm…from…exactly the place you've been fighting the whole time."

"Wait, what?" Cassandra tried to make sense of that.

"And I've…been working for…exactly who you've been trying to stop this whole time."

"You don't mean…" An edge crept into Cassandra's voice.

"And this…isn't…what I really look like either."

Cassandra watched, stunned, as "Thanatocrates" shifted forms until the teal-colored imp hovered before her. "This is the real me," he said.

"You," Cassandra said in shock. "I KNOW you. You're one of Hades' little lackeys."

"Yeah…I – "

She struck him across the face, and he landed in the sand of the beach, half buried. "Ow."

"So this WHOLE TIME," Cassandra reiterated angrily, "you've been screwing up every single city-state we risked our lives saving? THAT'S why you turned up in all of them?"

Panic stood, brushing off the sand, flying back up to Cassandra's eye level. "Well, technically, I did help you. I sabotaged the Gorgon that petrified you, AND I threw the fight against Cupid in your favor."

"That fight suddenly makes a LOT more sense," Cassandra realized.

"You said everyone had dark secrets!" Panic pleaded. "You even said you liked me!"

"I did," Cassandra growled, "until I found out that you've been trying to kill my friends, ruin my home country, sabotage the gods that keep it in order…and worst of all, you made Icarus RIGHT about something! AUGH!"

"So…you…"

"GET OUT," Cassandra commanded, stamping her foot. "I don't care where you go. Back to the Underworld to polish Hades' torture devices! Just GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"But – "

"I said GET OUT! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU NEAR ME AGAIN!"

It struck Panic in the heart like a corrupted arrow of Cupid. Wounded, he conceded, "If you say so."

Then he vanished. It was as though, physically, he'd never been there.

If only it was that easy, Cassandra lamented. He was still burned into her memory. And she hated that.

Furious, she made her way back toward the arena.

* * *

Chapter 62:

· I swear to the gods, in the original Kid Icarus, the bow and the blades are separate weapons. I only found out later that the version of Pit's weapon we all know (the "Palutena Bow") is a bow that breaks into two blades. So let's just take the opportunity to retcon this by having Palutena get him a new one, okay?

· Ah, yes. My favorite part of the storylet: when Twilight and Mozenrath have an awkwardly flirtatious conversation. Actually, after we leave Olympic Greece, Mozenrath is surprisingly going to take a bit of a break because I need to get other villains and love interests up into the spotlight.

· However, as you can see, when he does return, he's going to make some new friends…or one new friend, at least.

· Okay, so I kind of have a thing for one half of a ship tending to/dealing with the other half's injuries. I took the burn marks as far as I realistically could.


	63. Iris Message

63: Iris Message

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

Zoë got to her feet after being blasted across the arena by the party cannon. "That's your victory," she told Pinkie Pie.

"WOOHOOOOOO!" Pinkie squealed.

"So," Applejack brought up, "has anypony given any thought to what's gonna happen to Zoë after all this?"

"We'll set her up with somewhere to live," Meg answered.

"She can call on us anytime she needs help," Hercules added.

It was then that Twilight entered the arena, tranquil, content. Cassandra stormed in angrily after her.

"Okay," Phil sighed, "we all wanna know. How'd it go with both of you?"

So they each told their story. No one spoke until both women had finished speaking.

"I KNEW there was something off about that Thanatocrates guy!" Icarus cried.

"Yes," Cassandra sighed. "You. Were. Right. Unfortunately."

"I trust Mozenrath about as far as I can throw him," Meg told Twilight, "but I'm at least glad you two got to talk."

"I feel a little silly, now, for assuming that he planned my breakdown," Twilight admitted.

"So…are you going to be all right?" Rarity asked Cassandra.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Cassandra retorted. "It's not like it was worth caring about him."

"And yet that's the sort that can stay in your mind," Rarity pointed out.

"I'm FINE," Cassandra grunted.

"Does this mean you've finished up all your business here?" Icarus asked sadly. "DOES THIS MEAN YOU HAVE TO GO?"

"I wish we didn't," Pinkie Pie told him, "but we do! You don't know what could be waiting out there for us! Faeries and sorcerers and people that need our help and parties that need to be thrown and cakes that need to be baked and hats that need to be worn and all kinds of things!"

"It is about time for us to get movin' on," Applejack agreed.

"We'll see you off down at the coast," Meg replied.

* * *

Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity stood before the gangplank of the Starlight with their backs to the ship. Lined up across from them, Hercules, Meg, Phil, Pegasus, Icarus, Cassandra, and Zoë faced them to say their goodbyes.

"Keep trainin', kid," Phil told Rainbow Dash, "and you're gonna be able to swim with the big fish. No, bigger than the big fish. You're gonna be swimmin' with the sharks and the sharks are gonna be scared!"

Pegasus snorted an agreement.

"Good luck at Delphi," Twilight told Cassandra.

"Just hang in there," Meg told Rarity. "Love'll find you."

"It was an honor to fight alongside you," Zoë said to Fluttershy.

Icarus and Pinkie Pie hugged each other tightly, then simply burst into tears that sprayed outward like fountains, drenching those around them.

"Okay, okay!" Phil yelled. "Maybe that's enough of the sappy goodbyes!"

"But one more thing first." Hercules handed Applejack a large canvas sack. "Here. One hundred drachmae."

"That's…that's MIGHTY generous," Applejack said in awe. "You sure y'all don't need this more than we do? We get by plenty fine on our own."

"Well, I am one of the most famous heroes in the world," Hercules stated. "And I do have more than a little cash to spare."

"Trust me," Meg added. "That doesn't even leave a dent."

"I know the next place you go might not accept drachmae," Hercules explained, "but it's the only currency Iris accepts."

"The goddess of the rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"THERE'S A RAINBOW GODDESS?" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped in awe. "Okay, how come we never got to meet HER?"

"Bein' the goddess of rainbows don't exactly qualify you for Zeus' military fleet," Phil snorted.

"Iris does, however, provide a service to gods and mortals alike, especially those who have divine blood or have earned the favor of Olympus," Zoë explained. "Throw a drachma into a rainbow and ask to speak to someone of thy choosing who is connected to Olympus. Iris will connect thee through a portal. Thou may speakest to long-lost friends that way. The connection ends when the rainbow fades. No matter how far apart thou art, even across dimensions, Iris will listen."

"Just in case you wanna keep in touch," Hercules added. "It only really only works for people the Olympian gods know personally, but it will get you back to us if you want to talk. And, just throwing it out there…that includes people Hecate knows. I know I wouldn't want to deal with her or anyone she's with right now at ALL, but I thought that might be a little relevant to you."

Twilight gasped, but held her tongue. Then, after a pause, she said, "Thank you."

"We'll be sure to call," Applejack promised. "I mean, somepony's gotta keep Phil updated on what heroics his trainees are doing."

Meg shrugged. "I guess that's all there is left to say."

The six Kentaurides turned to board the Starlight. "Talk to you soon!" Rarity called out.

The gangplank and anchor were raised. As the Starlight set out to sea, a thick mist rolled in out of nowhere at all. It obscured the ship completely. Then it was gone, and the ship with it.

* * *

THRACE, OLYMPIC GREECE

Adonis felt relief wash over him as he approached his palace. The Olympian fleet had, of course, dropped him back off at home, and Kratos back to Sparta as well. The Thracian king wanted nothing more than to order his servants to massage his feet and feed him honeyed grapes while he tanned beneath the sunlight.

The court of Thrace had other ideas. Adonis didn't know when he entered the throne room that the meeting he was interrupting was the nomination meeting of the candidates for the first democratic election of Thrace. All he knew was that he had entered a hallway full of people who suddenly turned to glare at him and were obviously all VERY angry.

"Your king has returned!" Adonis attempted, throwing his arms wide. "I know, I know. You were probably all wondering what you'd do without me. Now I've come back to put this kingdom back in order."

"We don't need a king anymore!" someone yelled.

"FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY FOR ALL!" someone else yelled.

"We especially don't need a jerk king like you!" a third chimed in.

"Spoiled brat!"

"Coward!"

"Get him out of here!"

"GET HIM!"

Adonis let out a high-pitched shriek as the mob of Thracian citizens chased him from what was formerly his own throne room. He ran out of the palace, down the streets, ducking into an alleyway, slipping into an empty temple and slamming the doors behind him.

"Of all the ungrateful…!" he panted, confused and frightened. "I give them the best years of my life and this is how they repay me? Did they hear about the time I spent working for Hades? But that was the work of an evil spell! Oh, what does it even matter? They've taken my kingdom! They've taken my throne! Everyone hates me! And I'm so pathetic that I'm talking to MYSELF!" He sank down to sit on the floor with his back pressed against the doors to the temple.

"You're not talking entirely to yourself," a female voice echoed throughout the room.

"Huh?" Adonis looked left and right to try and find the voice's owner. "Who said that?"

"Up here."

Adonis looked at the statue that towered at the far end of the temple, comprising its altar. He recognized the goddess it portrayed immediately. "Aphrodite…?"

"It seems we just keep running into each other," the statue of Aphrodite said playfully. "Perhaps it's destiny."

"If you know so much about destiny," Adonis moaned, "tell me what I'm supposed to do now that the peasantry has revolted!"

"You no longer have a throne or a home in Thrace," Aphrodite stated. "I'm starting to think I made a mistake taking you there instead of just keeping you with me."

At that, Adonis brightened. "Really? You…wanted to keep me?"

"I don't know what it is," Aphrodite said sincerely, "but I like something about you a lot. Nemesis would throw a fit, but I could bring you back to Olympus easily so you could live with me in secret. I would give you everything you want and more. Treat you like a true king."

"Aren't you married to Heph…Haph…that ugly god, though?" Adonis asked.

"What Hephaestus doesn't know won't kill him," Aphrodite replied.

"PLEASE!" Adonis quickly changed positions, getting on his knees before Aphrodite's icon. "TAKE ME WITH YOU! Before they find me here and kill me! Or worse…force me to live a PEASANT life!"

Adonis witnessed the air shimmer before him. All life drained from the statue, and the form of Aphrodite's body materialized in front of the deposed king. Adonis was dumbstruck by her beauty, to put it in the purest of terms. The goddess strode toward him, touching him lightly on the shoulder.

"You're amazing," Adonis told her coyly.

"As are you," Aphrodite replied.

Then they both vanished in a bright glow of light, gone away to Aphrodite's Olympic palace of luxury and pleasure.

* * *

QUADWRANGLE MANOR, THE FLUFFY HEAVY SLOW-MOTION UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

Discord and Themis sat across from each other a small table laden with a chess board. After much deliberation, Themis moved the white queen. Discord countered by moving the red bishop forward three spaces and capturing it.

"You should have known going in that I wouldn't be playing by your rules," Discord reminded her as she transferred one of her pawns. He lifted his knight about a foot into the air and let it levitate over the intended destination space.

"You have to be playing by some sort of rule," Themis told him, "or else you would have called us here for no reason."

"Somehow I get the feeling you're not talking about chess." Discord switched one of his pawns to the color green before moving it three spaces.

"For what reason did you bring us to this world?" Themis asked. She planted a rook down in a strategic spot. "Checkmate."

Discord simply picked the two kings up and switched them on the board. "Checkmate!"

He'd brought all of the Titans back to the spacious manor. Aegaeon, too, though his size was manipulated so that he was of similar proportions to all inside the manor and could roam it freely. Discord's only regrets were that Helios and Eos had chosen to desert them; he had a feeling Helios was the only Titan who could truly appreciate the anomalies in each of the rooms (Themis certainly didn't appreciate walking into a room where everything suddenly turned into fluffy pillows), and the manor surely would have offered Eos better than she'd have back on Olympus. At least Epimetheus had made friends with Ike quickly.

"You still haven't told us what you intend," Themis said. "Phoebe hasn't either, though I know she knows."

"She can see the grand plan," Discord stated. "I think we should focus for now on the first step."

"And that would be?"

"Well, we're not a full outfit of Titans right now, are we?" Discord posed. "We'll have to wait for Kronos to get bored of waiting for his prophecy to come true, and we'll need to find something else to hold that world up in Atlas' place…"

"Why not simply let it fall?"

"Now, if you knew what the grand plan was, you'd understand why that wouldn't work."

"Are you going to tell me what the grand plan is?"

"And ruin the surprise?"

"I should have expected as much," Themis sighed.

"But most importantly, we're missing some of the key generals from the wars against the Olympians," Discord pointed out.

"Lythos, Hydros, Pyros, Stratos," Themis rattled off. "And the traitor Arges. What of them? They were destroyed by Hercules."

"You REALLY think we can be DESTROYED?"

"I know well that our kind has been able to survive mutilations," Themis said calmly, "but in this case, we are talking about Titans who were torn into thousands of pieces and scattered throughout the multiverse."

"So think of it like a scavenger hunt combined with a jigsaw puzzle."

Themis took a while to think this over. "You're saying you want us to…find them. All their pieces. And put them back together."

"Wouldn't you want your brothers to do the same for you if it were the other way around?"

Themis sighed. "You make sense."

"I do? I must be having an off day…"

"And I suppose with our numbers, we could stand a chance of finding them all," Themis admitted. "Especially with Aegaeon on our side."

"He could carry a hundred pieces at the same time!"

"And what happens when they are reassembled?"

"Then we can have even MORE fun!"

"When do we start?" Themis asked.

"You can start whenever you want to," Discord said with a shrug. "Whenever the mood strikes you."

"How ambitious."

"Time isn't all that relevant to us, you know."

"True." Themis realized a flaw in Discord's wording. "WE may start whenever we wish. When do YOU begin to assist us?"

"Ehhh…" Discord thought it over. "Probably never."

"I should be surprised. I should be angry. And yet I expected this, somehow."

"I've got too much to do!" Discord laughed. "So many other worlds to plunge into chaos, so many others from our age to round up…in fact, I'm almost overdue for paying a visit to THAT version of Earth…"

"Then I suppose it's settled. You do what you must and we shall do what we must." Themis rose from the table. "I shall tell the other Titans of our mission." She strode forth from the room. Discord waited; he heard her cry out as the room she entered suddenly underwent an increase in gravity, and then he laughed raucously. He lingered only long enough to build a physics-defying tower out of the chess pieces and then disappeared.

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

On deck, beneath the stars, Rainbow Dash sent a burst of lightning toward Twilight; Twilight deflected it with a beam of purple energy. She then took off at a run to dodge bolt after bolt, calling up snowballs out of thin air to shoot at Rainbow Dash. They both slipped at the same time; the lightning struck – and exploded into harmless sparks in front of Twilight's face. The snowball hit Rainbow Dash in the stomach, causing her to cry out, "COLD!" Then the two of them broke out into laughter.

"I wonder what other cool powers you have now that you're a full-blown witch!" Pinkie gushed.

"I guess I won't know until I learn more," Twilight replied. "I think I've had enough fun testing out my powers."

"You, running out of tests?" Rainbow Dash mocked. "Never."

"Well, there is admittedly something I do want to test," Twilight said, suddenly blushing, "but it might be too soon."

"Come on," Applejack urged, "tell us."

"Well…I wanted to see if the Iris messaging would work," Twilight said. "Maybe we could call back to Chryse and see how everypony's doing."

"But we JUST left them, dear," Rarity asserted. "Besides, if we speak to Phil again, he's going to want us to have saved something from something else so he can brag to Chiron."

"Though there are other people you could test it on," Applejack brought up, winking.

"Well…would that be a waste?" Twilight asked.

"Not at all." Applejack tossed a drachma into the air. "I'm guessin' you'll want some privacy for this. But let us know how it works."

"Thanks," Twilight replied.

"Of course, you'll need a rainbow." Rainbow Dash spread her wings, taking off into the air. She zigzagged back and forth, weaving a tapestry of a rainbow that shimmered above the ship's deck. When her hooves touched ground, she stated, "That should last for at least a few minutes."

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash," said Twilight.

"Come on, everypony!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Let's go do something awesome and fun belowdecks! Ooh, we could make a cake!" She bounded down below, and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity followed.

Twilight looked up at the great rainbow screen before her. She launched the drachma into the air; when it hit the rainbow, it was absorbed with a shimmer. The rainbow was waiting.

"Goddess Iris." Twilight knelt before the rainbow. "Please accept my offering and let me speak with Hecate."

The rainbow rippled. Its colors faded away and were replaced with a great scene of Hecate striding down the great hall of the citadel of the Black Sands. Hecate was slightly startled. "You," she said.

"Um…hi," Twilight greeted.

"You figured out Iris messaging?"

"Yeah…"

"You know that as long as he's with me, you can just tell Iris to connect to him directly," Hecate sighed.

"Oh…thanks. So…could you…"

"I'll get him. But you two only have five minutes, understand? We have conquest to prepare for!"

"It won't take long, Hecate. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Hecate rolled her eyes and left the field of vision. Twilight watched the empty hall for a moment before Mozenrath walked into view.

"Well, this is…interesting," he remarked. "What's this?"

"An Iris message," Twilight explained. "If you offer up a drachma to a rainbow, Iris will let you talk to whoever you want, so long as they have a connection to the gods."

"Interesting…"

"So…as long as I have the money, I can talk to you…more often," Twilight said. "If you want."

"This could be very useful. Wonder why Hecate never brought it up…"

"Well, I can call you because Iris patches me to you through her," Twilight said. "I'm not traveling with an Olympian. It probably wouldn't work to call me."

"Well, soon enough, I'll find a spell that lets me transmit messages over longer distances free of charge." Mozenrath shrugged.

"So…um…what are you up to now?" Twilight asked.

"Regrouping at the citadel before we go out into the great wide multiverse so Hecate can matchmake me. You?"

"En route to wherever the mists take us." After a pause, she admitted, "There's something that's still bothering me. I know this is ridiculous, but can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." Mozenrath swept his right hand outward as though beckoning her to step across the rainbow, into the hall.

"When you get other allies," Twilight asked, "ones who are closer to your cause, will I…you know. 'Outlive my usefulness'?"

That set Mozenrath laughing. Twilight wasn't sure whether to read that as a good or bad sign. When he caught his breath, he gave his answer: "After everything that's happened so far, your position as my confidante is safe."

"Why is that funny?"

"Because I thought it was obvious."

"Maybe for you," Twilight barked. "You…you've never opened up to anypony but me," she realized, "while I share my feelings all the time, with anyone who will listen!"

"So now you get it."

"Yeah. I do."

"Trust me," Mozenrath said with a smirk. "There's going to be a point where I'll need to contact you and get your take on something in order to get to my goal. And I'm sure there will be a point where you need to contact me and get MY take."

"So you're saying I'll help you take something over one day, and you'll help me save something."

"I think that's a fair exchange."

Hecate's voice sounded from out of Twilight's field of vision: "Okay, your time's up!"

"I'll let you go," Twilight said. She noticed the picture blurring; "My rainbow's fading anyway."

"Don't be afraid to call back," Mozenrath told her before the rainbow ceased entirely, and Twilight was just looking up at stars.

"I can call back," she said to herself. "Well, I will. And my friends and I can talk to Phil and Hercules and Meg now, too." All that reminded her that she hadn't yet discussed a letter to Celestia detailing the adventures of Olympic Greece with her friends. She made her way belowdecks, thinking of what she could say: that sometimes, even when you knew that someone like Zeus had done terrible things, you would still feel irrational love for that person. That your idols wouldn't always live up to your expectations, and you might be ashamed to be called the "Kid Icarus," but even celebrities have feelings and flaws, and it's worth getting to know them beyond that. That sometimes, you have to break the rules to help your friends, even if what's at stake is something as big as life in the Paradise Garden. There was really so much to say.

* * *

BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD

Hades had doled out rewards to each of the members of his army for the great battle. Hera, Facilier, and Dark Danny hadn't received much simply because there wasn't much more he could give them, but he had a lot of money set aside for the latter two and was waiting for the opportunity to send some to the former. Orcos was given permanent quarters in the Underworld and promised a fairly high-positioned office. Echidna was granted bodyguards from the Underworld army to stand guard at the borders of the Land of Monsters and protect her family; it also wasn't completely off the table, Hades hinted, for Typhon to be brought back into the equation eventually. Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera were given the starting materials to build a new prison to replace Aegaeon. Pain and Panic were granted a pass out of doing kitchen-related chores for a month, and they knew that was the best they were going to get, so they just accepted it. Nemesis refused to accept anything, as she would have had to put it on records. That left the Gorgon Sisters to be summoned to Hades' throne room.

Orcos delivered the message to them, but told Stheno and Euryale to go on ahead while he had words with Medusa. Eager to claim her reward, Stheno obeyed, and Euryale followed. Orcos and Medusa were left with each other in Medusa's quarters.

"Hades has given me a position here in the Underworld," Orcos explained. "It will come with great power and respect, but it will also mean I am under his watch. I also know what he has planned for you. He intends to give you an area of conquest on another world."

Medusa nodded, a little taken aback.

"You will not be free of his contract," Orcos said, "and I suspect there is more to this promise than meets the eye. I would not trust his intentions, were I him. I want you to be careful."

"I will," Medusa promised.

"I will visit you when I can," Orcos vowed.

"I'd like that." Medusa smiled gently.

"Best not to keep him waiting."

"Thank you."

Medusa gave a slight bow of the head before leaving the room.

* * *

The Gorgon Sisters arrived in Hades' throne room to find Hades and Dark Danny awaiting them. "Ladies!" Hades greeted. "Okay, let's get down to payment business. First of all, I have the final product of the power bracelet. Bring it in, boys."

Pain and Panic hustled into the room, carrying between them a pillowed shelf upon which three new bracelets, gold and molded into the shape of entwined snakes, were laid. "Phoenician-style craftsmanship," Hades explained. "You put one of these on, it transfers your powers over to it. No more worrying about being blinded when you lose one. They also pack a bit more of a punch as far as conducting your powers. Do NOT lose these. If you do, all your powers – the hypnotism, the petrification, the whole shebang – are gone. Capisce? Plus, they're a pain to forge."

Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno each picked up a bracelet, and each slid it onto her arm. Medusa flinched, feeling her aura drain into the bracelet. Euryale smiled, feeling her aura grow once it was there. Stheno laughed, feeling the bracelet feed power back into her in exchange.

"Now," Hades said, "what I have in mind for you is a little territory we in the cosmic knowhow like to call Sixth Earth. Now, I'm not exactly an expert, but Dan my man here is."

"Sixth Earth," Dark Danny explained, "is my home world. It is one of many Earths, but more than likely the strangest. Ghosts mingle with mortals. Aliens land on a regular basis. An entire magical community lives underground from the nonmagical population, but certain magics have escaped into public knowledge, like the Shen Gong Wu of the Xiaolin monks and the mystical powers of the Monkey ninjas."

"As you can imagine, with all that goes down there," Hades went on, "a lot of us gods have taken a particular interest in Sixth Earth. I personally set someone up there to be my eyes and monitor it in case something, shall we say, relevant comes up. And knowing that place, something will. It's a weirdness MAGNET." He considered saying that it was one of the few fragments of the Summer Country to have intermingled the most with the fragments of the Lands of Legend, but he knew the Gorgons wouldn't understand that.

"You will be taken there to begin your conquest," Dark Danny said. "In its youth, Sixth Earth's magical realm is weak. Strike at the right time, and all of it – ghosts, aliens, dragons, elves, dwarves, witches, mystic powers – will be under your control."

"I LIKE where this is going," Stheno commented.

"So, what do you say, ladies?" Hades asked. "Blank slate territory? Ready for three new empresses?"

"SIGN ME UP!" Stheno cried.

"I can see this working out," Euryale said with a grin.

Remembering Orcos' words but not quite sure how to take them into account, Medusa agreed: "That sounds good."

"Good," Hades said. "Then I'll send you over with your personal guide to get you familiarized with the place."

"I like THAT even better," Stheno said, looking over to Dark Danny. "A world to rule and a big hunk of man on the side? It's almost too good to be true."

"Actually, it is," Hades said, cutting her off. "Dan's not your guide."

"On our timeline, where you're going, Sixth Earth is in its fifth century A.D.," Dark Danny stated. "I am not only from the twenty-first century, but from a timeline that no longer exists on that world. I exist outside time. It would be unwise at least for me to return to that world's past."

"But your 'eyes' on that world," Stheno recalled, confused. "Who – "

"Just another one of my loyal subjects," Hades told her. "And don't worry. You'll have WAY more free reign than I let him have." He turned to the door. "Ladies, may I present to you, your escort – "

The door slid open, and all three sisters wondered exactly how long the other god had been waiting there, face plastered with a fanged grin that he was convinced looked threatening but actually came across as slightly goofy.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the famous Gorgon Sisters," he said.

"This would be Nergal," Hades introduced. "My personal observer of all things Sixth Earth. Don't ask about the suit. He has a thing for anachronisms."

"Well, the technology was useful in setting up my station for observation of all Sixth Earth and my sector of the Underworld," Nergal admitted. "Observation all day of the happy mortals that live out their days surrounded by family and friends…" His tone grew wistful.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Hades held up a finger. "Remember what we do on Sixth Earth?"

Nergal sighed, slumping dramatically. "We stay in the center of the earth, and we don't leave."

"Good!" Hades replied, grinning, striding over to Nergal and putting a hand on his shoulder. "We haven't forgotten what happened to one certain Ereshkigal when she got ideas about living on the surface, have we?" His fingers clenched tightly.

"No," Nergal said through gritted teeth. "We haven't."

Hades' smile was a mile wide, and this grin sent chills down Medusa's spine from observing it. "Perfect." He let go of Nergal. "The good news is, I'm giving you a vacation long enough to get these three ladies settled down in their new territory. They're aiming for being the new rulers of the magical world on the surface."

Nergal was immediately cheered up. He turned to look at the Gorgon sisters, his eyes lighting up, smiling brightly. "You mean…you three will be my friends?"

"Suuuure," Hades sighed.

Dark Danny stifled a laugh.

"I've long awaited companionship in my lonely position at the center of the earth," Nergal gushed. "But after you three take over the magical realm, we can see each other all the time! And we'll have SO much fun!" He excitedly grabbed Stheno's upper arm, starting to drag her out of the throne room. "We can play all sorts of games and watch the mortals' pathetic lives and have fabulous dinner parties – "

"EW!" Stheno yelled.

Dark Danny burst into laughter at full volume.

Nergal halted, looking back at Euryale and Medusa. "Well?" he asked, somewhat sternly. "Aren't you coming along to Sixth Earth?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Euryale said with a smirk, looking over to Stheno.

"And we'll be together," Medusa pointed out, following. The group of four moved to the doorway out of the throne room. "As a family."

Before Euryale or Stheno could respond, Nergal interrupted. "Family," he said, and Stheno was close enough to see his eyes misting up. "What a glorious thing. Would that I could have one of my very own…now come along! There's no time to waste!"

He broke into a run, dragging Stheno, who was thoroughly miffed. Euryale and Medusa kept pace, Medusa noticing that Euryale was now laughing at how disgusted Stheno was with their escort. But that settled to the back of Medusa's mind as she wondered how Hades was going to twist this to his advantage.

Nergal cast a portal of darkness before the four of them, and all, three Gorgons and one Chthonic god, entered it, bound for a new world. The portal faded behind them.

"So, Dan," Hades said, turning to his general. "You're from the future. Tell me. How's it work out for those three?"

"Their reign was well-known in ancient times," Dark Danny said with a malicious grin. "But where I came from, their names were all but forgotten."

"Too bad for them," Hades remarked, none too disappointed.

The door had barely closed before Hera, cloaked but with her hood down and hair disheveled, shoved it aside, storming into the throne room. "Hades," she snarled.

"Dan," Hades ordered. "Leave."

"As you wish, Lord Hades…" Dark Danny took his leave by floating out the great circular window.

"What do you want?" Hades asked Hera.

"Whatever came over me at the battle site," Hera said, "it has worn off. What did they DO to us?"

"Now, I'm no expert, but it looks like their little Elements infected our – "

"I KNOW what they did," Hera interrupted, swinging her arms outward, gesturing for Hades to shut up. "It is barely conceivable to me that they could have thwarted us!"

"And yet…they did," Hades snarled. "So the question becomes, what do we do NOW? Is this worth stealing another batch of apples, or…?"

"I don't suppose your little faerie whore has a plan."

"WHOA!" Hades flamed bright orange, swiping his hands in an outward X motion. "That is STRIKE ONE, Hera. There is a line you DO NOT cross!"

"You would DARE threaten me over a mere insult?"

"Take a minute to think about who you're talking to. You're not exactly out of your league power-wise here."

Hera bit her lip, fuming.

"Should've known you'd know about Maleficent," Hades went on, cooling down to blue. "As of right now, she and I are the only two of our little group who are the actual ORIGINAL real deal from the Lands of Legend. Everybody else is either stuck in a break-off cycle like Jerk-ules and his band of jerks or from a more recently born world. But trust me, these guys and girls are even better than the originals. That means you, me, AND Mal all know what happens to…HERC…next. We remember his story."

"Are you saying…?" Hera's interest was suddenly piqued.

"All we have to do is wait it out," Hades said. "History repeats itself."

"What was the point of this venture, then, Hades?"

"To make ourselves known. To let Zeus in on the fact that he's not unshakeable. To set a few things in motion. And to pick up some of the victory spoils when and where we can get them. After all, I now have the Gorgons and the Furies under my thumb, and you have Helios and Eos on probation. Trust me. Sooner or later, everything will fall into place, and we can move in to pick up the pieces for real."

"You and I, or you and – "

"Oh, and using her true name would be strike two."

"Maleficent."

"Don't you trust me, Hera?" Hades smirked. "Just keep in mind that we both know we want the same thing."

Hera nodded slowly. "True. But when do you suppose the cycle will come to pass? Hercules has never met Iole, and I doubt he will abandon Megara for her."

"Oh, it's going to play out a little differently," Hades informed her. "This time around…he's going to be tempted by someone a little differently. And a little bit of magic is going to help them all make exactly the wrong choices."

"What sort of spell did you have in mind, Hades?"

"Oh, trust me," Hades said. "It's already been cast, and I didn't have to lift a finger."

* * *

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

When the mists cleared, Hercules' personal ship set out for the mainland, carrying himself, Meg, Pegasus, and Zoë.

"You're going to love Thebes," Hercules told Zoë from his position at the helm. "You know, when monsters aren't burning it down."

"I have a feeling I am," Zoë said, not daring to look at Hercules in all his beauty, focusing instead on the ocean before her as she leaned on the ship's rail.

"It'll be good to have some friends close to home," Meg added, taking her place leaning over the rail next to Zoë.

"Yes," Zoë repeated. "Friends."

Hercules, Meg, and Zoë each noticed a slight itching on the neck, but none thought to bring it up. After all, it was only an itch. What was there to lend suspicion that it was something more? What was there to remind them that they were the three who had stepped too close to the door to Büchenwyrm's realm on the coast of Colchis?

So none noticed the mark – a shimmering six-pointed star – that gleamed into existence on the back of each of their necks.

* * *

Chapter 63:

· I realize the Adonis subplot is pretty much filler, but I feel like I had to write that resolution in so nobody wondered what he had left to go home to. Aphrodite taking in Adonis is pretty much original myth canon, though under different circumstances.

· I wanted to start implementing that characters will be able to communicate with each other regularly despite distance. The Iris messaging is the first of this. As you can guess, I also wanted Twi and Moz to be able to build their relationship that way.

· We finally see how the Phoenician Snake Bracelet works in ADJL and that's the proper incarnation of it.

· You can already see some of what fictional works go into the making up of Sixth Earth. I like to nickname it the "cartoon clusterfuck" world. It's going to be a fun place.

· I PROMISE ONE DAY I WILL EXPLAIN THE LANDS OF LEGEND THING AND THE "CYCLES"…I JUST KEEP NOT FINDING A RELEVANT PLACE TO DUMP THAT EXPOSITION.

· This is meant to mesh right into the ADJL canon of the Gorgon Sisters ruling the magical world in ancient times. I picked the fifth century because it was not only when Ancient Greece still existed, but was when the Shaolin Monastery was forming elsewhere in the world. This is relevant for reasons that you can probably guess.

· Well, hello, Nergal! Now that I'm in love with him, he's going to have more character relevance to EoH in general. You have been warned.

· As you can tell, I've gone ahead and just made him the Babylonian Underworld god, though TVTropes is at war as to whether he really is or whether he's In Name Only. I have a laundry list of reasons why I do believe he actually IS that god (starting with the fact that in that mythos, Nergal is referred to as the "Outsider God"), but really, the only justification I need for it here is "My fic, my rules."

· And as such, I had to come up with an explanation for why Ereshkigal (his goddess wife and superior ranked Underworld goddess) isn't around. No, I didn't explain it here, but again, it was not the right time to dump the explanation. I'm just going to let you wonder, and eventually, you will find out. Let's just say he's got a good reason to do what Hades says, and there's a good explanation for why he's such a lonely guy.

· ALSO: this is the Nergal of Sixth Earth in the fifth century A.D. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. ENDSVILLE DOESN'T EXIST YET. NO ONE WHO LIVES THERE HAS BEEN BORN YET (except Eris, but as you can see, I'm choosing to use the Sinbad incarnation as my be-all end-all of Eris…and of course, the Grim Reaper [Death], but xe's elsewhere right now).

· Let's play a game called "spot the shipteases!" Hint: Dark Danny/Stheno is NOT one of them.

· If you hadn't guessed, Hera and Hades are waiting for the end of the original Heracles myth to play out. "Iole" is the name of the woman that Deianeira thought Heracles had betrayed her for in the end. I'm not going to say much more. I'm just going to encourage you to go look up the original myth if you want to see what they're hoping will be the outcome…

· I feel like I have to apologize profusely for leaving you on THIS cliffhanger. I'm evil. Yes, that is the Witch's Kiss of Twilight. It was delayed because…she's more powerful, I guess? Because it was more plot relevant for them not to notice it.


	64. The King of Asgard

64. The King of Asgard

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The city was enormous. Someone on one side of it could have no idea what was going on at the opposite end, and people walking the streets were blissfully unaware of the things that went on far above their heads, at the height of the roofs of the skyscrapers. Such a city could hold a grand variety of people, a place that could contain the most unique of beings.

And atop a high skyscraper that day, on the flat rooftop, there was one such unique being. Not a permanent resident of the city or even of the world, but a visitor. He was half the height of a human, with skin of deep green and an elongated cranium that made his head twice the height of that of a human. He wore a purple garment that looped over the shoulders but otherwise covered only the most important parts. This man paced back and forth atop the building, setting up a high-definition video camera on a tripod only to dismantle it and set it up on another edge.

"Of all the days to come down to this planet," he mourned, "did it have to be on a day when nothing film-worthy was happening? Come on, New York City! Give me an alien invasion! A megalomaniac mutant! A bank robbery! SOMETHING! What, do I have to make a disaster myself?"

Though he'd thought he was alone, his musings were answered by a sinister laugh that echoed around him. "I DON'T remember turning on a laugh track," the man groaned.

In a flash of light, the second man, brunette and clothed in a red suit and tie, appeared atop the skyscraper. "Bored, I see?" he asked, winking.

"Tragically," the first man replied. "Apparently, crime in this city picked today to fall asleep on the job!"

"Looks like I should have gotten here earlier," the second man muttered.

"And what exactly can YOU do about it?" the first asked.

"Oh, I can do a LOT about it, Impossible Man," the second said. "In fact, I do believe that the seeds of chaos have already been planted here in several places. All I need to do is water them."

"I see you've heard of my work," Impossible Man pointed out in regards to the second man using the name he most often went by.

"I LOVE your work!" the man gushed. "And, I'm just going out on a limb here, but maybe you've heard of mine?"

He snapped his fingers, and instantaneously, he transformed from his human guise into the form of the draconequus.

Impossible Man gasped long and loud. "DISCORD! Oh, I can't BELIEVE this!" He fanned his face with both hands, blushing in his idol's presence. "It is SUCH an honor! You know, you've been one of my biggest inspirations? I'm willing to bet I'm your biggest fan!"

"Well…I do have a lot of fans," Discord said, thinking about Sombra, Chrysalis, and Eris. "But I had heard that your filmmaking style was directly influenced from my particular brand of chaos."

"If I've infringed on your intellectual property," Impossible Man sputtered worriedly, "I am VERY sorry – "

Discord just laughed. "No, no! Imitation is the HIGHEST form of flattery, after all. I've come to you with a proposition."

"For ME?"

"Yes, you! You want to capture chaos on camera, right? Well, I know the ins and outs of this world, and I know just how chaos is going to strike once it gets the right push to get going. Would you like to tag along and document the official events?"

"WOULD I?" Impossible Man gasped. "I'll have my bags packed in one millisecond!" He snapped his own fingers, and suddenly, a myriad of duffel bags holding film equipment lay around the roof. "Ready to go!"

"Of course, around here, I'm going to have to keep up appearances." Discord shifted back into the guise of the brunette man.

"So, where is our first location?" Impossible Man asked. "I'm going to have to scope out the best angles, adjust for lighting, keep in mind what its biggest weaknesses are in case we need dramatic tension…"

"We're actually going to start off-world," Discord explained. "Believe it or not, our first job is actually in Asgard."

* * *

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

In the brightly lit throne room of Asgard, Odin, in all his royal finery, sat upon the throne, crown upon head and leather patch over one eye. He held a golden spear as though it were a scepter. Kneeling before the gleaming throne, a page took down his orders.

"That will be all," Odin told the page.

The page rolled up the parchment scroll. "As you have commanded."

"See to it."

The page scurried out of the room, letting the large doors close behind him. Odin was alone in the hall. Momentarily, at least.

Then he heard the first voice: "Yes, that's it, that's it, but could you give me a little more FEELING?"

Odin's head swiveled; he saw two very strange figures in the corner of the hall. He figured they must have teleported in, as he hadn't seen them use any physical entrance. Impossible Man had a camera trained on him, while Discord merely grinned, having changed his clothing to a resplendent robe of red.

"Well, hello…your majesty," Discord greeted, his grin growing wider. "If this isn't a pleasant surprise."

"And what are you two doing in my throne room?" Odin asked sternly.

"Really? Oh, but I thought you'd be happier to see me." Discord gave a mock pout. "Or are you REALLY that into character?" He snapped his fingers, and the doors to the throne room shimmered; there was now an invisible shield preventing them from opening from the other side. "No one's going to barge in on us, you know. I'll make sure your secret stays under wraps."

"I'm afraid I don't have the faintest of what you're talking about," Odin said tentatively.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Discord responded. In a flash, the man in red robes was gone. The draconequus stood before Odin. "Remember me NOW?"

"How could I forget?" Odin laughed. Then his illusion fell away as well.

It had never been Odin. It hadn't been, not since the last Convergence of the Nine Realms. The real Odin was rotting in a grave dug just outside the city limits of Nebulapolis. The man who sat upon the throne shimmered into his true form: a tall, slender god with sleek dark hair, clothed in robes of gold, black, and mostly green. Upon his head was perched a helmet featuring two golden horns that rose delicately into the air. His eyes glittered, and his grin betrayed a sense of mischief. "It's nice to see you, Discord," he said.

"Likewise for you," Discord said. "Loki."

"WHAT A TWIST!" Impossible Man yelled, zooming in the camera on Loki.

Loki gave a slight laugh. "And who, might I ask, is your friend?"

"A fellow chaos maker," Discord said. "I'm making him into an Ascended Fanboy of sorts. I hope you don't mind my letting him in on the grand plan."

"How do you know what I plan?" Loki asked. He wasn't angry, merely curious, and admittedly slightly amused.

"Ever since I, so to speak, went 'rogue,'" Discord explained, "I've been monitoring various worlds to see where I can implement the most disorder. And 616th Midgard, as you'd call it, is a time bomb just waiting…to…go…off." Upon the final word, Discord made a party cracker appear from nowhere, ripping it in half with a BOOM; confetti showered down over Loki. Loki was unfazed. "Anyway, I know you're going to need a little help from the opposing side to make things look convincing. I wanted to run some ideas by you and make sure you were good for it."

Loki began to pick the confetti off his helmet. "What do you have in mind?"

"There's a certain dark elf who's been on your case, what, is it three times now, at the VERY least? Think you can put him back down again?"

"Yes. It shouldn't even be a question."

"What about, say, the red one?"

"Too easy."

"And the rogue that keeps going after the Atlantis fragment on good old 616?"

"I think we will be more than capable of managing him."

"Good," Discord said with a nod. "Then that's exactly what I'm giving you."

Loki held up a hand. "There is one other matter to settle."

"And that is?"

"I have to divide my time between realms convincingly," Loki said. "If the revered Asgardian king is gone too long, well, then some gods might start to get a little nervous. I have a lot of foundation to lay, and not much time to do it. It would be a great benefit to me if someone were to…volunteer to carry a message."

"Oh, will you look at that!" Discord cried in mock surprise. "My schedule's full up! No time for any message bearing whatsoever!" He laughed. "Oh, if ONLY there were someone else on his way right now to arrive in the nick of time!"

Loki raised a brow. "What do you know?"

"Just that in a few minutes, a better errand boy than you could have asked for in ME is going to turn up at your door and request you by name. Your real name."

"Hmm…" Loki considered this statement.

"I have one more matter for YOU," Discord pointed out. "I don't suppose you recall a little six-fold source of extreme magical power that you went out of your way to sabotage in the past? Well – "

"I already know that the Elements of Harmony are in the hooves of new bearers," Loki snapped. "Heimdall informed me. Of course, he thought he was telling Odin." His face betrayed his frustration. "If they're going to come back in new bearers each time, killing them is no longer an option."

"Technically, it never really was an option," Discord pointed out. "You just THOUGHT it was."

"Do you even know what lengths I went to?"

"Please. I found your handiwork. And I put it back to good use."

"I'll just have to find another way around them," Loki stated, his frustration mellowing out.

"If anyone always has another way, it's you," Discord stated.

"So it seems." Loki's grin nearly split his face in half.

"Hm?" Discord tilted his head upward. "Did you hear that? No? Just me? Oh, right. That was the sound of exactly what you need turning up in your lap. I think we'll take this time to exeunt stage center."

"The lone wolf travels across universes to seek out the big, bad god of mischief!" Impossible Man narrated as he and Discord moved to the center of the throne room. "Enter Loki's new ally!"

In a flash of light, both disappeared. A resounding knock came at the door. Loki pounded the king's spear upon the floor, and simultaneously, the illusion of Odin came over him as the shield Discord had placed on the door melted away.

"Enter," Loki bid the one who knocked.

"Lord Odin." One of the guard entered the hall, bowing. "There is a stranger to see you. He wishes to know what has become of your dead son."

Loki raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "Show him in."

* * *

As it turned out, affixing Dark Matter to a broomstick was a job best left to only the strongest of constitutions. Riding through the space between with no bodily protection, clinging only to a thin strip of wood that suddenly seemed to barely support one's body, was nothing short of harrowing. However, though he had at five points in time minimum thought he was going to die, Barty Crouch Jr. burst into the atmosphere of the very world he'd sought.

And his heart nearly stopped. It was beautiful. He knew not that Nebulapolis had a name outside "Odin's Kingdom," but he was familiar with it from stories. Seeing it in person was another matter, especially from an airborne position on a broomstick. Nebulapolis was an Eden of glimmering spires, of winding streets and hidden alleyways, of divine beings clothed in rainbow raiment walking through the urban labyrinth far below Crouch's vantage point. If only, he thought, one truly had time to explore its every corner without wasting precious time.

He let the broomstick descend at the city's edge. Already he felt out of place, wearing a black cloak while the Asgardians wore bright blue gowns and flowing purple capes accented with gleaming mithril armor. Crouch lay the broom down, concealing it with a simple charm – he hated to leave it behind, but knew full well that he couldn't stride into Odin's palace carrying a broom, and he was sure no one would think to dispel dark enchantments of hiding just to look for a broom.

Then he made his way through the city, managing not to get distracted by the high archways, fountain pools, sparkling streets. His course was for the palace in the center of the city, his eyes fixed upon the highest towers.

He approached the gates. "Who goes there?" a guard asked.

"Bartemius," Crouch answered. His name would pass for Asgardian enough.

"I have not seen you before," the guard said with suspicion.

"Somehow I don't think you've seen everyone in Asgard," Crouch retorted.

"State your business at the palace of Odin," the guard demanded.

"I want an audience with Loki," Crouch said simply.

"Then you are a fool," the guard said gruffly. "Have you not heard the news? Loki perished on the fields of – "

"Oh, he's dead, is he?" Crouch grinned. "How so?"

"Aiding Asgard against a greater threat."

"Aiding Asgard," Crouch parroted. "And dead in the process." He believes that, Crouch thought, and he thinks I'm the fool here. "That aside, you and I both know that the death of a god is only temporary. Asgardians are no exception, unless Loki somehow managed to turn mortal."

"It will take time," the guard said, "for Loki to return. As it will take time for Frigga. Perhaps centuries. Shall I put you on a waiting list?"

"If you won't show me Loki," Crouch hissed, "show me his tyrant of a father. Have him explain to me exactly what happened to kill his son and his wife."

"Are you implying that the deaths of Lady Frigga and Loki Laufeyson were the fault of Lord Odin?" the guard asked. He turned to a fellow at his post, yelling to him across the length of the palace gates: "This fool stranger wishes an audience with Odin to discuss the deaths of Loki and Frigga!"

"Odin will at least hear of this," the other guard said, "if only to get a laugh!" He turned and jogged into the palace.

"And shame be upon you for referring to Loki Laufeyson as an Odinson," the guard confronting Crouch snarled. "That creature had the blood of the Jötunns in his veins. He was no Asgardian."

"I have heard a lot about what Loki did and about what Odin, Thor, and the rest of them did," Crouch countered. "He's more Asgardian than the rest of them combined."

"How DARE you! I should have you arrested for your impudence!" the guard growled. "Shall we wait and see if Odin himself appears to hear your idiot babbling? Then you can say to him what you said to me. If he is merciful, you will find sanctuary in our dungeons!"

"I'm not ashamed to say it to his face," Crouch stated. "And if you think you can scare me by threatening to lock me up…well, all I'll say is that threat doesn't work on me anymore."

Loki strode down to the gates to see Crouch in a heated discussion with the guard. "And what is this?" he asked.

Crouch looked to him and saw Odin. "If it isn't the demon king himself," Crouch taunted. "As I was telling your guard, I came here looking for an audience with the only true Asgardian here."

"Loki," Loki said. "So I heard. You are mistaken. Loki is no true Asgardian. He has Jötunn blood." He seethed the final words out: "He is unfit to take the throne."

"Speaking as someone who values the purity of blood," Crouch replied, "he fills that throne better than you. They tell me he's dead. I want to know what happened. I'll wait as long as I need to for him to regenerate. I WILL speak to him."

Loki contemplated Crouch's words. He had thought something was off about the man, but he just realized then that Crouch was human. A Midgardian, though whether he was from 616th Midgard or another Midgard, Loki had no way of knowing. "Come with me," he bid Crouch. "I would like to speak with you. Alone."

"Lord Odin!" a guard protested. "If he is an assassin – "

"I am more than capable of fending off a mere assassin," Loki snapped. "And Loki's loyalists hardly bother me." He wasn't even aware he had loyalists. "Follow me."

He turned and stalked into the palace. Crouch followed.

Without a word, the pair walked through the lofty halls, the smoothly polished floors, the rooms lined with expansive windows to provide a view of the city below. They reached the throne room, and Loki shut and secured the doors behind them.

"You are not an Asgardian," he began.

"You don't know that," Crouch rebutted.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Loki insisted. "I can tell the difference. Mortal humans have a lack of a certain aura. I'm impressed by a mortal that crossed realms just to speak with Loki. How did you do it?"

"I have my ways, and I'm not about to tell you."

"Good," Loki murmured. "Very good. Wouldn't want that information to fall into the wrong hands, would we? Now, tell me. What makes it so important that you speak with Loki out of everyone in Asgard?"

"I've worshipped Loki since I learned what having a faith really meant," Crouch explained. "Of all the gods in all the pantheons I know, he's the one that speaks to me the most. They call him the god of mischief, but it's more than that. You know. He's the one that killed Balder. The one that served out a sentence of being bathed in serpent venom for it. He was never ashamed of his 'crimes,' and he was never afraid to pay for them. He knew he was better than everyone around him, even when others wouldn't listen. I've heard the story of his intrusion upon the Asgardian banquet and what he told you and the other gods. And if I remember the story right, he was a Jötunn or half-Jötunn. You aren't his real father. And yet he had to put up with you and your half-baked ideas of justice. Let's just say all this…is close to me."

"No…let me guess," Loki replied with a grin. "You despise your own father. You'll do anything to get out of his shadow, even kill him. Perhaps you already have. You have more of a right to rule than those around you, even if you are only human. But you can't get anyone to see that, can you? You'll be imprisoned for what you believe. You'll die for what you believe. When you heard of Loki the trickster god, he didn't just seem to you to be a trickster god. To you, he was a god of power and conviction. And on that note, one question remains: what did you WANT of Loki?"

"To ask for his help showing my world the proper order," Crouch stated.

"And what, to you, is the proper order?"

"A world where Muggles and mudbloods bow to pure-blooded wizards. And in turn, where pure-blooded wizards would bow to Loki."

"So you are a wizard. Not an ordinary mortal."

"A true wizard," Crouch affirmed. "My blood is unspoiled. I work with others who want to install the same order, but they're looking for a way that will waste time. I'm looking for a way that will work."

"And Loki is that way. Assuming he wants to help you."

"I don't suppose it makes any difference anymore, does it? Thanks to you, he's dead."

"On the contrary." Loki laughed. "Thanks to me, ODIN is dead."

"I don't understand."

"Perhaps this will make things clearer."

The illusion melted away. Loki stood before Crouch, smiling proudly and a little mischievously. At that very moment, Crouch, who had walked into a palace of gods standing upright, walking briskly, and staring down all who opposed him, gasped and knelt.

"I didn't know," Crouch said softly.

"No one does," Loki clarified. "Except, now, you. As you can see, all of Asgard believes I am Odin."

"Aren't you afraid of what will happen when Odin regenerates, my lord?" It struck Crouch that the only person he'd ever addressed as "my lord" was Voldemort. But it had slipped from his lips so naturally.

"There is still some time yet until that. But still, it would be preferable to be able to rule with my true face and name, and not have to endure a bloody revolt and a godhunt for my head. Of course…that goal is still a work in progress. Now. Tell me your name."

"Bartemius Crouch Jr."

"Bartemius Crouch Jr. Your cause sounds worthy indeed, but I'm sure you can understand that I'm not about to rush about on a stranger's errand while I still have loose ends to tie up here? This is not me saying I won't help you. This is my way of asking what you can give me in return."

"Anything," Crouch answered immediately. "I will kill as many as you want dead."

"It's not time for killing just yet," Loki stated. "The way to domination of the nine realms of Yggdrassil actually starts in Midgard. The 616th Midgard, actually, though that seems to be the only one that's attached to Yggrassil's branches."

"I come from the fourth," Crouch clarified.

"I have much work to do," Loki went on. "But I need a certain group of allies in order to carry it out. If you want to pay me for my assistance with your little problem as well as prove to me that your problem is even worth my time, you'll help me gather them and carry out my plan."

"I will," Crouch promised. "What do you want from me?"

"For your first task," Loki said, "I want you to go down to 616th Midgard. To an address on Grand Cayman Island. There's someone there I want you to give a message from me."

"What kind of message?"

"The kind that says that the real battle is about to begin."

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

Twilight really wished there was a way to set up an alert as to when the ship was passing through atmospheres that would change the physiology of the passengers onboard.

The ship had undergone a great lurch, and when the six passengers finally overcame the disorientation, they all found themselves fully human. For the time being, they had slipped back into their clothing from the Seven Deserts.

Twilight rushed to the control room to see what world they were approaching. "616th Earth," she muttered to herself. She then noticed an anomaly on the map.

The others all filed in one by one to see what Twilight was staring at. "Fluttershy," Twilight said, "you'd know. Am I looking at…what I think I'm looking at?"

"Well," Fluttershy said, "that world looks like it's attached to the outline of…branches? Like a tree?"

"Like a tree," Twilight agreed. "I'm going to see if I can zoom out."

She tampered with the controls for a while until she could see 616th Earth as a smaller point on a large map. The outline of the tree was clearer now, and Twilight could see all of it. Eight other worlds were connected to its branches, with "Asgard" at the top and "Niflheim" and "Muspelheim" at the roots.

"Do you think it's REALLY a giant tree in space?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

"I…have no idea," Twilight answered. "I'm guessing it's more of an energy pattern that connects the nine worlds we see here. Let's see what the Guide has to say." She opened it up, searched terms. With a sigh, she read aloud from the text: "Of course it's a real tree. Don't be an idiot."

"So what's a tree DOIN' in space?" Applejack asked.

"Apparently," Twilight said, looking over the page, "it has a kind of life force in it that sustains the worlds connected to it." She closed the cover on the Guide. "Let's go abovedecks. I want to see it."

* * *

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack stood on the deck, looking across the stars at a planet that neared them at a rapid pace. Wisps of mist began to form in the space around them.

"Okay, is anypony else bothered by the fact that technically, we're in the planetary atmosphere, and we're still breathing air?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, Twilight, you silly!" Pinkie Pie replied. "You'll get a headache if you try thinking about it too hard!"

"Right," Twilight sighed.

"Well, I certainly don't see a tree," Rarity stated. "Either your Guide is wrong, or the control room is wrong."

"Or…" Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe you can't see it from here. Maybe it's not really that clear."

"You mean…" Twilight knew what Fluttershy was getting at, and struggled to put it into words. "The tree is real. It connects the worlds, but not in the physical sense. Just like our ship goes from world to world, but it doesn't just fly through ordinary space. It passes through different atmospheres and auras because of the mists!"

"Which are getting weirdly thicker," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

The mist was surrounding the ship, clouding the vision of the planet ahead. In a matter of seconds, the mist was all anypony could see.

"Oooooooo!" Pinkie trilled. "I'm a ghoooooost! You can't seeeee meeeeee!" She waved her hands around in the mist.

The ship sped up drastically for a moment, then shuddered to a halt. The six aboard heard the sound of water lapping against the sides of the boat.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

And the mist cleared, revealing the city skyline.

"We're heeee-eeeere!" Pinkie squealed.

"Y'all know the drill!" Applejack commanded. "Rainbow Dash, drop anchor! Rarity, start investigatin' for clothes!"

* * *

The OsCorp laboratories were deserted. They had no reason to be active, what with Norman Osborn deceased (supposedly), Otto Octavius also deceased (definitely), and most of its prime subjects either incarcerated (Rhino) or in hiding (Sandman). That was why the empty expanse made the perfect place to hold auditions.

Discord leaned back in a director's chair, wielding a megaphone. "First up!" he called.

Impossible Man created a stage out of thin air, curtains and all, with a spotlight shining dead center. "Our first applicant," he announced, "is a woman with a dark past and a darker disposition." He snapped his fingers. "VIPER!"

The tall woman, lips painted bright green, with raven hair falling over half her face, popped into view. "WHERE am I?" she snarled.

"So what's your story?" Discord asked.

"I am one of the highest ranking members of HYDRA," Viper seethed, "and I will not stand for being kidnapped without expl – "

"Boooo-riiiing," Discord interrupted with a yawn. "Come on, Impy. You can do better than a mere HYDRA agent."

"Next up," Impossible Man said, "when it comes to his impersonation skills, DISGUISE the limit!"

He snapped his fingers again, and Viper barely had time to protest before she was replaced by a man of average build with a smooth, pale face and bald dome of a head. "Presenting Chameleon!" Impossible Man announced.

"Chameleon," Discord repeated. "So I can expect shape-shifting powers out of you, right?"

"As close as you can get," Chameleon replied.

"Hmm…" Discord stroked his chin. "Can't we get something a little more…I don't know…high-octane? A bigger threat level?"

"Coming right up!" Impossible Man snapped again, and Chameleon was gone. In his place stood a tall, slim man in an impeccable suit. His skin and hair were patterned with striking shades of purple.

"So who are you?" Discord asked.

"They call me Purple Man," the newcomer replied with a grin.

There was a pause. Then Discord began to laugh, long and loud. "PURPLE MAN!" he guffawed. "How long did it take you to come up with THAT one?"

"Oh, you think I'm FUNNY, do you?" Purple Man made eye contact with Discord. "Well, you're going to stop laughing. You work for me now!"

Discord's face went blank. "I work for you now."

"And you're going to help me get my revenge on Tony Stark!"

"I'm going to help you get your revenge on Tony Stark." Discord droned.

"Good," Purple Man muttered. "First, you're going to tell me exactly who you are and how you brought me here."

"First, I'm going to tell you exactly how…I'm sorry, I can't, I CAN'T keep a straight face!" Discord burst out laughing again. When his laughter finally settled, he told Purple Man, "The whole 'mind control' bit doesn't work on me. And frankly, you might want to work on your delivery of it. Impy, this isn't going to work either."

"Hmm." Impossible Man thought it over. He snapped again, replacing Purple Man. "Fourth wall breaker?"

The man clothed in the red and black suit with dual katanas strapped to his back took a moment to look around. "The FUCK?" Deadpool yelled.

"Ehhhh…" Discord replied. "I was looking for something more…immediately destructive."

Snap. A man in the form of a living tornado. "Whirlwind!" Impossible Man cried.

"I'll call him the next time I need a giant drink blended," Discord yawned. "Next!"

Snap. An elderly Asian man wearing a plethora of rings. "The Mandarin!" Impossible Man announced.

"Actually…this is embarrassing…I'm not the real Mandarin," the man said. "Funny story. I'm an actor that an old rival of Tony Stark's hired to PLAY the Mandarin for an upcoming revenge scheme. The REAL Mandarin is working on a death ray somewhere in China, I think – "

"Neeeeext," Discord groaned.

Snap. A young boy, clutching a white wand. "I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU DAD'S WAND!" Molecule Kid screamed. "IT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT OF HIM!"

"Geez, we already have LOKI'S daddy issues in this story, and they aren't half as annoying," Discord commented. "Any way we can get more destruction, less whining?"

"Hmmm…" Impossible Man thought it over. "Ooh, I have JUST the thing!"

Snap.

The muscularly built man sported a flowing mane of ebony hair and a beard to match. From his weathered face stared eyes filled with anger. He was clothed in blue, with silver pieces of armor as accents – broad epaulets, thick boots, heavy gauntlets.

"This…is not a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison," he stated, bewildered.

"Duhhhh," Discord droned.

"But how?" the man asked. "How did you bring me out of maximum security containment?"

"MAXIMUM SECURITY CONTAINMENT!" Discord's face lit up. "Now THAT'S more like it!"

"Answer my question," the man said. He raised a fist, tightening it.

The room filled with pressure. Flakes of paint, then entire panels ripped off the wall and floated in his general direction. The curtains of the stage were ripped from their hooks and swirled around the man, billowing. Impossible Man grabbed onto the edge of the stage, holding on for dear life.

Discord was unaffected, able to sit perfectly still. He applauded. "This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!"

"This is only a fraction of my power," the man growled. "Now tell me why I am here."

"It's a long story you probably wouldn't understand and I frankly don't want you to know all of," Discord said. "But, to make it short: magic. Impy and I brought you here by magic."

The pressure settled. The flying curtains and wall segments dropped to the floor noisily. Impossible Man gingerly let go of and moved away from the stage.

"That answers one question," the man said. "My other question is…why?"

"Because I need someone to destroy New York City," Discord said. "Don't worry. I'll pay handsomely. In advance." He snapped his own fingers, and a great sack of money appeared on the floor between himself and the powerful man.

"And why do you want this city destroyed?" the man asked.

"I'm a fan of chaos," Discord said. "Do you need more explanation than that?"

"No," the man decided.

"Now I have a question for you, before we start," Discord stated. "What do they call you?"

"My name is Franklin Hall," the man replied. "But the world knows me best as Graviton."

* * *

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash waited outside Rarity's chambers for her to emerge with the new outfits. She emerged with the tees they'd all worn out onto Fourth Earth at first landing plus six pairs of blue pants that buttoned up in front like jeans.

"They all seemed to wear these," Rarity said, holding up a pair of the pants, "but I don't seem to have the fabric they use on hoof at the moment."

She also passed out simple tennis shoes: orange for Applejack, pink for Pinkie, yellow for Fluttershy, violet for Twilight, blue for Rainbow Dash, and white for herself.

Everypony split up to change, and they regrouped wearing the new simple outfits. "I like it," Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "Comfy!"

"And practical," Twilight added.

"LET'S GO SEE WHAT'S OUT THERE!" Pinkie Pie screamed. "TALLY-HO!" She charged toward the stairway leading to the deck at full speed.

By that time, a bit of a crowd had gathered to gawk at the ship, but most of them only looked for a moment, wrote it off as a publicity stunt, and moved on. The six proceeded down the gangplank and walked into the city.

"It's so big," Rarity remarked. "You don't suppose bigger than Canterlot?"

"Maybe bigger than Corona," Fluttershy guessed.

"How are we supposed to find what we're supposed to do in a place this big?" Twilight wondered out loud.

"Are you sure you wanted to say that out loud?" Pinkie Pie asked.

* * *

He opened the door to the roof of the OsCorp laboratory building. He looked out over the city. He hadn't always hated it, not even after becoming Graviton. It was an obstacle that had to be brought down in order to pay back S.H.I.E.L.D., but he hadn't hated it.

Then those so-called heroes had sprung from practically nowhere. "The Avengers," they called themselves. They and S.H.I.E.L.D. converged on him to put him back in confinement. And the rest of the city watched silently. No, that wasn't true. The rest of the city…had cheered on those who wished Graviton imprisoned.

More than anything, Graviton wanted to wound S.H.I.E.L.D. Second most important to him was the destruction of the Avengers themselves. And both of those could be accomplished by attacking New York City in the right way. But this time, New York City was no innocent either. Discord hadn't really needed to pay Graviton a cent in order to incite him to wreak havoc upon it.

His feet lifted into the air. Gravity shifted around him, keeping him floating upright. He floated up and up, out over the streets. He wondered where to start before realizing anywhere would do.

At just a thought from him, the city began to shake.

* * *

People felt the ground shudder from all over the city. They screamed; they ran for cover. Some cried "Earthquake!"

"See?" Pinkie said to Twilight. "I TOLD you that you didn't wanna say that out loud!"

"What's even causin' this?" Applejack asked. "Don't feel like no ordinary earthquake to me!"

They felt the very air pull them in a certain direction. So they ran with it, hoping to find the source.

* * *

Times Square was bedlam. Cars rocketed upward from the ground and slammed into the sides of buildings. Sewage shot out of open grates. Scrap metal swirled about in a deadly tornado. Roofs were ripped off the TKTS booths. In the center of it all was Graviton. His eyes glowed brightly with a searing light.

"YOU ALL HELD ME BACK!" he roared. "YOU ALL MADE ME THIS WAY, ONLY TO SHOVE ME UNDERGROUND! YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN NEVER KEEP ME DOWN!"

He threw a hand behind him; a large advertisement display screen wrenched itself free with a great snapping of wires and a shower of sparks. Graviton raised his hands up to the sky, and the screen flew above them. Glaring down at where a group of people was frozen, staring at him in horror, he flung the screen at them with all his might so they would be crushed.

The screen never hit the street. It was stopped by a pink aura that surrounded it, holding it in place above the civilians it was to have crushed. Twilight stepped forward, holding her own hands out toward the screen to keep it in place.

Rainbow Dash charged into the crowd whose lives had been spared. "Get outta here!" she barked at them. "You need to get somewhere safer!"

The people obeyed. They ran screaming.

Just in time, Twilight thought. Holding the screen up without drawing upon her witch energy was a strain. She let it drop; the screen shattered and there was a dent in the ground, but no one was hurt. Twilight then transformed into her witch state, feeling a boost of power.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" Rainbow Dash yelled at Graviton as Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy ran to join her and Twilight.

"I AM GRAVITON!" Graviton yelled. "AND I AM THE STRONGEST THERE IS! DON'T TELL ME YOU GIRLS THINK YOU CAN STAND AGAINST ME!"

"That was a challenge," Rainbow Dash muttered with a grin.

"What do you think?" Rarity asked. "Mahou Shoujo weapons, or use the Elements?"

"I bet we can take this guy without even transformin' if we just use the Elements," Applejack said.

"Are…you sure?" Fluttershy asked, looking up into the twister of debris.

"Worth a shot!" Applejack replied. "He may look flashy, but somethin's tellin' me he ain't no Jafar as far as power goes."

"LOOK OUT!" Pinkie Pie cried, and all six ducked as a theater marquee flew over their heads and dug into the pavement.

"Now or never!" Applejack barked. The six huddled. The sphere of light began to take form.

Graviton didn't like the looks of what they were doing. He focused on them, manipulating the space around them. He flung them apart, sending Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity to opposite ends of Times Square.

Twilight flipped about in midair, calling upon her powers to steer her feet to land o the side of the nearest building; she leapt gracefully down to the pavement below. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy put out their wings, slowing down their paths through the air before they could collide with anything. Pinkie Pie hit the ground and bounced once before landing on her feet and yelling, "I'M OKAY!"

Applejack braced herself as best she could for the fall. She transformed into her Mahou Shoujo state midflight and landed on the hood of a black car, denting it slightly, rolling off. She took a moment to be thankful that she was unhurt – she probably had Kyubey to thank for that one. She stood in time to hear a scream as another body was flung against a damaged TKTS booth. She recognized the cry immediately, and horror swept over her. "RARITY!"

Applejack ran towards the booth, where Rarity lay on the sidewalk, bruised. She'd also had the idea to transform to a Mahou Shoujo, thankfully. However, her eyes were closed, and Applejack feared the worst for a moment. She knelt over her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Rarity," she said gruffly. "Rarity, wake up!"

"Nnnh…" Rarity groaned, her eyes fluttering open.

"You okay?"

"Applejack…is…"

"Is what?"

"Is my mane all right?"

Applejack sighed with relief. "Obviously, you're fine." She grasped Rarity's hand, standing and pulling Rarity up with her. "We gotta regroup to make the formation and stop this fella!"

"But he'll just separate us again!" Rarity moaned.

"We still gotta try!" Applejack ran toward the center of the square. Rarity followed. From across the square, Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy noticed their destination and made beelines for the same place.

"GRAB HANDS!" Twilight yelled, throwing out her arms. The others took her suggestion without question; when they convened, they grabbed each other's hands. They focused; the sphere of light formed in full.

Graviton tried to forcibly interrupt it, throwing all the power he could at that sphere. The other debris he had afloat clattered to the ground as he concentrated. The sphere of light rippled, but was only slightly disturbed; Graviton was unable to tear any of the Element bearers from it.

However, he was working an effect. Twilight's heart sank as she watched an arc of rainbow try feebly to escape from the sphere, then retreat back to the sphere to recharge.

This stalemate continued only a little while longer. It ended when Graviton took notice of something spinning towards him out of his peripheral vision. He put out a hand to catch the flying object. A round shield, patterned in stripes of red, white, and blue, with a star in the center.

Thunder boomed. The sky darkened, but only over Times Square. A blindingly bright bolt of lightning shot from the gathering clouds and struck Graviton square in the back. Graviton cried out, losing focus. From the sphere formed by the Elements of Harmony, the rainbow burst forth. It struck Graviton full force, and he was lowered to the ground slowly.

From yet another direction, a blue laser beam burst toward Graviton; when it hit him, his descent accelerated. Graviton hit the ground, and the bits of metal shrapnel he'd dismantled swirled around his hands and feet, forging manacles around them, binding him to the ground. He felt suddenly very weary; he closed his eyes and fell into sleep.

Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash broke formation, rushing to the fallen villain to observe what the Elements had done to him. At that very moment, a man rushed toward Graviton as well. The man's physique was impressive; muscles his size could only have been the result either of intense training or of some form of enhancement. He was clothed in mostly blue, the midriff of his ensemble given over to horizontal stripes of red and white. Upon his chest was a white star, on his hands were red gloves, and around his waist was cinched a black utility belt. A hood stretched up over his head, hiding his hair and masking the upper half of his face; a white "A" was centered over his eyebrows and tiny wings flared out over each ear. From what was visible of his face, one could tell that he had pale skin, dark eyes, and long lashes.

He knelt to pick up the rounded shield that had fallen next to Graviton. "That was impressive," he said, looking directly at Applejack. "I've never seen anything like that before."

The six Equestrians were startled when another human descended next to them from out of the air – in the direction, to be precise, from whence the blue laser beam had come. At first, it was unclear as to whether this person was male or female, as said person was clothed entirely in metal armor, including a mask over the face, that was mostly a stunning red but accented in bright yellow, with a component glowing with white-hot light set over the heart. It was only apparent that the armored figure was male when he spoke: "Okay, so HOW many times do we have to throw this guy's sorry ass back in jail?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. should be here any minute to contain him," the man bearing the shield stated.

"Great," the armored man sighed. "We knock out one annoyance, and a whole troop of them comes rushing right in to replace him."

"Iron Man," the shield bearing man scolded. "This is one case where I think S.H.I.E.L.D. has every right to – "

"Bother me again about registration?"

The shield bearing man gave the one he called "Iron Man" a glare…albeit a playful one.

"Fiiiiine," Iron Man groaned. "They can throw Graviton back in the slammer. You win this round, Cap. But if they get on MY case again, I'm telling them to talk to the hand."

At that moment, a third man entered the scene, one completely unlike any other that the six Equestrians had seen in the whole of the city. Storming in from a side street, he was twice as large as the shield bearing man, with skin of deep green and mussed raven hair. He wore nothing but a pair of baggy purple pants. "I'm just angry," he growled, his face wrought into a scowl, "that I didn't get a chance to SMASH this one."

"Sorry, Hulk," Iron Man teased. "Looks like you got beat by a bunch of girls." He then turned to the six Equestrians. "What's your deal, anyway? Where'd you even come from?"

"Uhhh…we're sorta…passing through," Rainbow Dash stated. "We're not exactly from around here."

"I had figured that," said the one Iron Man had called "Cap." "We've seen almost every 'superhero' in this city, and we've never even heard of anyone with your powers."

"Oh, we're not really superheroes," Twilight said, blushing.

"Are you KIDDING me?" Rainbow Dash snapped. "Of COURSE we're superheroes! We travel from place to place, stopping evil villains, saving innocent lives, becoming loved by everypony we meet…"

"Are YOU superheroes?" Pinkie Pie interrupted. "Real live superheroes?"

"You really AREN'T from around here," Iron Man said, suspicious. "What, did you six beam down from Kree territory? We're Avengers. As in THE Avengers. As in the household name."

"What Iron Man means," "Cap" said, "is that we are part of a fairly well known team of heroes. We defend this city in the name of protecting the innocent."

"Seriously," Iron Man muttered, "EVERYONE'S heard of Iron Man."

It was then that a fourth man descended from the skies, landing in the square. He wore a black breastplate, the limbs of his armor done in silvery mail, a red cape billowing from his shoulders. Upon his head perched a silver helmet with protruding wings; the helmet offset a mane of blond hair and a stubble-covered pale face set in an expression of pride. In his right hand, this man clutched a heavy-looking hammer; the head of it was squarish and wrought of a silvery metal, while the handle was brown and unremarkable. "What concerns me," he began, "is how Graviton escaped from…" His gaze rested upon the six Equestrians, and suddenly, his train of thought was lost. "Friend, Twilight Sparkle!" he cried, breaking out into a gleaming smile.

"What…?" Twilight was confused. "Um…do I know you?"

"Of course you know me, friend Twilight!" the hammer bearing man gushed. "It was the six of you that ventured with me and my company across the seas of this very earth so many thousands of years ago! We traveled to the land of the fin-folk! Across the valley of Yggdrassil!"

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, "but I don't remember ANY of this. I think you're confused."

"But…how could it be?" The man was set to consternation.

"Wait a minute," Twilight said suddenly. "We've been traveling through time as well as space. What if we met you in your timeline BEFORE you met us in ours, just now?"

"More than possible," the hammer bearing man agreed. "You did have strange ways of traveling between worlds. You told me as such. If that is the case, it appears I shall have to reintroduce myself. I am Thor Odinson, prince of Asgard."

Twilight's jaw fell open. "Th-THOR? As in the god of thunder?"

"Aye," Thor confirmed.

"OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!" Twilight's eyes gleamed. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting Thor!"

"And for Iron Man?" Iron Man sulked. "Nothing."

"These are my friends among the Avengers," Thor continued. "Though they have other names, for reasons of our personal safety, they choose to take other names into battle. I see you have already met Iron Man – "

"You know, it's not exactly like I GIVE a damn if anyone knows I'm Tony Stark," Iron Man interrupted.

"This is Captain America," Thor said, gesturing to "Cap," "and the Hulk." He swept a hand toward the green man.

"Hmph," the Hulk grunted, staring down the six.

Thor turned to face Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. "These are my friends of olden days. Twilight Sparkle, accomplished bard. Pinkie Pie, wreaker of mischief. Fluttershy the kind. Applejack the warrior. Rainbow Dash, a Valkyrie in all but name. And Rarity, who bears herself as a princess."

"Okay, is it a little weird to anypony else to be introduced by a guy we don't know yet?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Time travel," Rarity sighed.

"It can be a hassle," Captain America agreed. "One of our enemies, Kang the Conqueror, sent us on a bit of a rollercoaster through time. So, tell me more about that rainbow we saw."

"We got somethin' called the Elements of Harmony," Applejack replied. "Each of us carries one of 'em. Put 'em together and they make a kind of a big burst of magic." She tapped her amulet. "We got gems representin' Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Magic…and this one here's Honesty."

"Honesty? LOYALTY?" Iron Man scoffed. "What is this, an after school special?"

"Do not dismiss these powers as insignificant," Thor warned. "For they are what make up all true powers of goodness. After all, has not much of your power come from loyalty, and that of Captain America from kindness?"

"Got one for anger?" the Hulk asked sarcastically.

"Anyway," Applejack went on, "we've also been to some…unusual places where we've picked up other powers."

"You're not from this world, are you?" Captain America guessed.

"Uhhhh…" Applejack didn't know how to respond.

"Do not fear," Thor said. "Not only do I already know of your world travel capabilities from our first meeting – or perhaps, my first meeting with you – but we have faced several threats from several worlds."

"The Kree, the Skrull, and the Chitauri from the depths of space," Captain America clarified. "And the Nine Realms."

"So, really, it's not like you could surprise us at this point," Iron Man concluded. "Anyway, nice job knocking out Graviton."

"Thank you!" Rainbow Dash winked. "It was nothin'!"

"Nothin'," Applejack and Rarity repeated, deadpan, glaring at Rainbow Dash.

Several black Hummers careened into Times Square, doors opening and several people wearing either pressed three-piece suits or tight jumpsuits spilled out into the area. They surrounded Graviton, taking blowtorches and saw blades to his magically forged manacles so they could load him into one of the Hummers.

"Here we go," Iron Man groaned.

One of the recent arrivals, a brunette woman dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit with a zip-up jacket, approached the six Equestrians and the four Avengers. "Mr. Stark," she greeted. "Mr. Rogers. Thor. Mr. Banner."

"NOT Banner," the Hulk growled.

"Please tell me you came here for some other reason than to state our civilian names in public and mess with things that are none of your business," Iron Man spat.

"I was under the impression you didn't care that the world knew you were Tony Stark," the woman replied.

"I don't," Iron Man confirmed. He gestured to Captain America. "He does. And there's the little matter of you calling the Hulk by the wrong name. So let me guess. You're going to get on my ass again about registering the Avengers with your database so that all our personal information becomes S.H.I.E.L.D. domain and you get a mansion full of personal trained monkeys in costumes."

"As a matter of fact," the woman said, "I'm not here for you. I'm here because of the reports delivered to me about the six women reported to have displayed high amounts of supernatural energy in response to Graviton." She turned to face the six Equestrians, holding up a badge. "Agent Maria Hill, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. I'm going to need your names and what exactly led you to fighting Graviton here."

"Pardon me," Rarity said, "but what exactly do you need that information for?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is charged with protecting Earth from hazards that are beyond other government control," Hill explained. "This includes documenting potential hazards and methods of combating them. This is the first time I've ever heard of or seen you or your type of power, which I understand to be some kind of reality alteration contained within a rainbow aura. For the safety of this world, I'll need to have you on file."

"Because we're potential THREATS?" Twilight snapped, realizing what Hill was implying.

"I didn't say that," Hill replied sternly. "You could just as easily be an asset against a threat the way you were against Graviton. But in the interest of public safety, I'm still going to need that information, starting with your names."

"Hey, Agent Hill," Iron Man broke in. "That uptight one there?" He pointed to Twilight. "Her name's Nunya."

"Mr. Stark, if you finish that sentence with – "

"Nunya BUSINESS. They SERIOUSLY do not need you to annoy them right now."

"Tony's right," Captain America told Hill. "I don't know them either, but I do know they came a long way and have already been through one tough battle. They don't deserve to be put through an interrogation just yet."

"So step off," the Hulk growled.

"A long way," Hill repeated. "From somewhere else on Earth, or…?"

"Okay, THAT'S enough," Iron Man snapped. "We're done. You just pick up your convict and try to do a little better at keeping him in jail this time around."

"Mr. Stark, I won't take insubordination from you," Hill insisted. She turned back to Twilight. "Now. For the last time. Name."

"No," Twilight asserted. "I'm not a threat. I'm trying to PROTECT everypony."

Hill raised an eyebrow. Twilight realized she'd caught the word "everypony." She went on anyway. "In the past, my friends and I have dealt with a lot of bad people as well as good people. And a lot of those bad people would want our names and information so they could hurt us. I can't risk it, for OUR protection." A thought crossed her mind. "And do you file records on EVERYPONY that has powers?"

"Or is otherwise a person of interest to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Hill clarified.

"So you just keep an eye on everypony who's special?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"That seems…wrong," Twilight admitted. "Like you're just…picking on everypony who has powers or is different."

"I don't think you understand S.H.I.E.L.D.'s position," Hill snapped. "Registering persons of interest is what allows us to keep people like Graviton imprisoned."

"And look how well that turned out," Iron Man retorted.

"Tony," Captain America warned.

"Not to mention that if you happen to lack living arrangements for New York City," Hill said, "let alone this planet, S.H.I.E.L.D. can provide you with approved quarters in exchange for your registration."

"It just doesn't feel like this is right," Twilight said. "We'll find somewhere to stay on our own."

"Mightn't they stay in the Avengers Mansion?" Thor asked, looking back and forth between Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. "After all, they are friends!"

"They don't remember you," Captain America brought up. He lowered his voice, but still Applejack could hear: "What if they aren't trustworthy at this point in time?"

"I wouldn't blame ya for thinkin' that," Applejack said; Captain America twitched, startled. "Sorry for overhearin'. Now, I happen to know that my friends are six of the best pon – of the best livin' bein's you're ever gonna meet in terms of kindness and trust. And, heck, if I get to toot my own horn, I always mean well. We never wanna hurt anypony. Not even that Graviton fella. Sure, we want him locked up, but not killed. But y'all don't really know us yet 'sides for Thor there, so y'all don't hafta worry about givin' us a place to stay. We'll find a way."

"Your way," Hill insisted, "is to come into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody."

"Um, given the choice between CUSTODY and a place called Avengers MANSION," Rainbow Dash hissed at Applejack, "I think I'm gonna go with the thunder god on this one."

"There is plenty of room," Captain America stated. "And after all…you have already protected the innocent."

"We can let you crash back home," Iron Man added. "If only to get agent Hill out of your hair."

Hill scowled. After a moment, she said, "I don't have a warrant for your arrest. You can choose to go with them."

"We've heard from three out of the four of you," Twilight said, turning her eyes to the Hulk.

"Um…would you mind, terribly?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hmph…" The Hulk shrugged. "They can stay."

"Are you sure we can trust this Thor fella, though?" Applejack hissed to Twilight.

"First of all," Twilight whispered back, "he did know our names. It might be some evil trick, but I think he really does know us. Second, it's either him or go with these S.H.I.E.L.D. people. And third…if there's any trouble, we can handle it."

At the same time, Captain America looked directly at Iron Man, and they exchanged a glance past the metal mask that read, "If they turn out to be trouble, we can handle it."

"Well, looks like we're acceptin' your offer," Applejack said. "Sorry, Ms. Hill."

"Agent," Hill corrected. "Then I guess my business is done here…unless you want to reconsider registration, Mr. Stark."

"I'll consider it," Iron Man told her. "If you reconsider that offer I made you about making me Assistant Director."

"I don't appreciate your sense of humor, Mr. Stark," Hill sighed, turning to walk away.

"I WAS ONLY HALF JOKING!" Iron Man called after her.

"Well," Captain America said, "I suppose we should lead on."

The six Equestrians and four Avengers set out walking, with Captain America in the lead. "We tend to use our civilian identities in the Mansion," he explained, "so our names will probably come out. In the meantime, if you are going to be doing any long-term work protecting the city…well, in our style, you might want to think about dual identities."

"Perhaps not new names," Rarity said, "but at the very least, I would like to get us in masks…"

"Because it would protect our identity," Twilight teased, "or because you want to try accessorizing with masks?"

"Mostly the second one," Rarity admitted. "Besides, look at Captain America's clothing! Look at Thor's armor! If we team up with them, we're going to need more than these simple shirts and pants!"

"Who said anything about a team-up?" Iron Man asked.

"Trust me," Thor said. "These six are some of the most valuable friends and allies you will ever meet."

"So we really went on a long quest with you at some other point in time?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Aye," Thor said. "Thousands of years ago, in this very realm and beyond. We voyaged across the seas. I remember you in particular becoming fast friends with my brother."

"Is he an Avenger too?" Pinkie asked.

Thor was silent. Then, he said, "No. He…was our greatest enemy. We fought him on many battlefields. In Asgard, in the city against his army of Chitauri…at last, he perished in Svartalfheim when he nobly gave his life to protect us from a greater threat. At a time when I believed all nobility in him was gone."

"How could somebody I was best friends with become evil?" Pinkie asked, gasping dramatically.

"He was always…strange, when it came to his morals," Thor admitted. "But there were many things that led him down the road to darkness. It is a longer story for another time."

"Strange," Iron Man echoed. "Or, as the Hulk's alter ego Dr. Banner put it, 'his head's a bag full of cats.' I still like that one."

"By the way, thank you so much for letting us stay at your mansion," Rarity said. "I dread the thought of having to go along with those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Something about them rubs me rather the wrong way."

"Don't get them wrong," Captain America cautioned. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can be a little misguided, but at the end of the day, they're trying to do the same thing we are: protect innocent people. Sometimes we agree with their methods, and sometimes…we don't. If it weren't for S.H.I.E.L.D., though, I wouldn't be alive today."

"Anyway," Applejack told Captain America, "we're real glad the four o' you are puttin' up with us."

"That's another thing," Captain America said quickly. "The four of us aren't all of the Avengers. We just thought only the four of us were needed to take down Graviton, so only the four of us went out. We're actually a VERY large team."

"Hence why they insist on living in the mansion instead of the tower I am so graciously remodeling for them out of the goodness of my heart," Iron Man quipped.

"First of all, you built Stark Tower for a different purpose entirely," Captain America retorted. "Second, you know Wasp and Ms. Marvel won't touch it until you add a ladies' rest room. Third, Avengers Mansion is loaded with your tech anyway."

"Well, you've got a point with that third one," Iron Man conceded. "I'm kinda awesome that way."

"A-are the others going to be all right with us just moving in?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"It DOES talk!" Iron Man teased.

"Trust me, friends," Thor said. "If you are as I remember you to be, you will get along with the rest of our team incredibly well."

* * *

"Aaaaand…SCENE!"

Impossible Man turned off the camera aimed downward at Times Square from yet another rooftop vantage point. "The heroes exeunt, victorious! Another rogue defeated! Cue the applause!" The sound of canned applause, as though a stage audience were present, resounded over the rooftop.

"And poor Graviton didn't get to spend a cent of his advance payment," Discord mockingly lamented. "If only he'd known we were setting him up to be knocked down in the first place! And now that all our story's heroes are TOGETHER…"

"The REAL villains can introduce themselves!" Impossible Man cried.

"And it's going to be a star-studded cast," Discord agreed.

* * *

GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND, 616TH EARTH

The house was small and unremarkable on the outside. Painted white, with a black roof. Crouch walked up the front step, knocking on the door politely. If the occupant took too long to answer, he wasn't going to bother with Alohomora; he was simply going to blast the door in.

However, the blonde man opened the door in a timely fashion. Blonde wasn't what Crouch was looking for. Neither was the mustache the man sported. And Hawaiian shirts seemed rather out of character. Nonetheless, his body and face matched the profile Loki had shown Crouch. More importantly, Loki was never wrong about this sort of thing.

"Mr. Stanley," Crouch greeted.

"Yes?" the man replied with a polite smile.

"I'm Mad-Eye Moody," Crouch said. "As long as we're going by our aliases."

"I don't understand." The man was a great actor, Crouch thought. He looked genuinely confused.

"Your identification and records all say you're not Norman Osborn," Crouch said. "In fact, everyone seems to think that Norman Osborn is dead. However, I seem to have one document in my hands that says otherwise."

He held out a parchment scroll Loki had written out for Osborn. The blonde man took it gingerly from Crouch's hands, then unrolled it, reading it. He looked up, making eye contact. "What do they call you?"

"Barty Crouch Jr."

"Come inside, Mr. Crouch."

Crouch followed the man inside the house. He then saw that the exterior was a sort of camouflage. The furniture was exquisite; the walls were decorated with lavish ornamentation, including many a carved wooden mask.

"This is almost suspect," the man said. "But I have a hard time believing anyone could steal anything from Loki. Especially where he is now."

"You know where he is?"

"On the throne of Asgard."

"How long has he been keeping in contact with you, Mr. Osborn?"

"Well, I suppose there's no more value in pretenses, Mr. Crouch," the man admitted. "Yes. I am Norman Osborn. But if this is the message I've been waiting for, and it is, the rest of the world will be ready to know that I'm not dead soon enough."

"It has something to do with Victor von Doom and the Secret Invasion, doesn't it?"

"You read Loki's message. It's all right. He wouldn't have given it to you unless he knew you wouldn't or was satisfied with the fact that you would."

"If I gave this message to you," Crouch said, "and I saw to it that you got it to von Doom, Loki promised me a part in this."

"I'd be careful around him. They don't call him the Liesmith for nothing."

"Doesn't the fact that I know he and you are alive speak for something?"

Osborn gave a chuckle. "I guess it does." He gestured to a lavish couch, upholstered in green. "Have a seat. There are a few things you're going to need to know."

"Such as?"

"Such as the fact that von Doom and I have been keeping this under our hats for a while now," Osborn told Crouch. "We were waiting on Loki's word to bring it out. And now we have it."

* * *

Chapter 64

· Welcome to the world of Marvel! I'm going to be pulling and stitching together a bunch of different pieces of Marvel media here, including but not limited to: the Marvel Cinematic Universe; The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes; Avengers Assemble; Spectacular Spider-Man (the animated show produced by Greg Weisman); Ghost Rider (the Nic Cage film); the X-Men films; Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes; Daredevil; and the original comics. Sadly, I don't have much access to the comics themselves, so I'm probably pulling the LEAST material strictly from there, but trust me, there is at least one character in here who required me to go to the source.

· And before I get started, let me just stop and thank reader GAvillain (again) for all his help. He's a Marvel expert and did WONDERS getting me the character info I needed as well as letting me bounce some ideas off him. This storylet wouldn't be possible without him.

· The MCU version of Marvel Earth has a longer number than the comic version, so 616 it is.

· The version of Impossible Man here is from Avengers Assemble. "Avengers Impossible" is my favorite ep of that show, BTW, which greatly influenced his role here. His reality manipulation and treatment of life as entertainment gave me the idea to make him a Discord fanboy.

· Discord's human form is, as always, John de Lancie.

· I chose the name "Nebulapolis" for the capital of Asgard and "Ragnanival" for the nation it's in because as I world-build for the Nine Realms, I'm pulling from sources like the video game Odinsphere. No, Odinsphere was not a perfect representation of Norse cosmology, but it's similar enough that I can work it. I'm discounting the world name "Erion" entirely.

· This fic takes place post-Dark World. Um. Spoilers. Just a heads-up: for the most part, MCU continuity cuts off after the film The Avengers. Iron Man 3 did NOT happen (as you saw by the Take That I threw at it), and Captain America 2 can't happen because I'm using the AEMH version of Winter Soldier. However, Dark World was SO good and I loved the ending SO much that I had to run with it…and it actually works better for what I have planned regarding Loki.

· Crouch and Loki was yet another plot point inspired by GA. He pointed out the similarities between the two and made me realize they'd be a fun and badass alliance. Plus, it gets us some crossover goodness.

· As you can see, I'm going with Marvel cosmology for some of it and original Norse for some (and Odinsphere too, but I mentioned that).

· Yggrassil does connect the Nine Realms, but it's not a physical linker – it runs through the Space Between. Also, 616th Earth can be called 616th Midgard, but as of my world-building train of thought right now, 616 is the only one that is actually hooked to Yggdrassil.

· Doc Ock is dead because he was the only character in SSM that I didn't like better than his Raimi counterpart, so I'm going to be hammering it into your brains later that my Doc Ock is the Raimi version. And he died saving the city from a tritium explosion.

· The "villain auditions" were just a series of gags I kinda threw in to elicit a laugh and also introduce you to who WON'T be getting a prime role in this storylet. In more detail: Viper (AEMH version) is cool, but I don't have a role for her yet. Chameleon (SSM) is also cool, but I don't have a role for him yet. Purple Man (AEMH) is someone I LOATHE, so I had to throw some Take Thats at him. Deadpool (no specific incarnation) is someone I would like to give a larger role in the future, but I don't have a spot for right now because of the rigid plot I have set up for this storylet, so he gets to be a one-time gag. (Sorry, Heavylight. I promise that I'll have some better stuff for him to do 'round the time that I rework Age of Ultron.) Whirlwind (AEMH) is there because Wasp's line about him using his power to blend giant drinks is one of my faves in the series. Ben Kingsley (MCU) is there for a Take That at IM3, proof that it hasn't happened, and also slight proof that there's an actual Mandarin that isn't him or Killian in this 'verse. (Also, I still do find the idea of Ben Kingsley just being a washed-up actor in the Marvel-verse entertaining; so sue me.) Molecule Kid (Avengers Assemble) is there for me to do a Take That at his whining.

· I settled on Graviton as my cannon fodder because he's one of my favorite side villains in AEMH. Not special enough to get his own arc or a slot in the main plot, but I wanted him to do something because he kinda rocks.

· I have never been to Times Square. I have only read the Wikipedia page on it.

· Describing Cap and Iron Man's outfits SUCKS, okay?

· Also, after polling some readers/writers of superhero fanfic, I've decided to go with referring to them by their superhero names while they're in costume/on duty and by their civilian names while they're off duty/in plainclothes. Not that Tony thinks that makes any difference, but whatever.

· Yes, I've long planned for a timefuck to be in the works surrounding the Mane Six and Thor.

· Oh, and while I'm trying to stick to the MCU versions of Iron Man, Cap, Hulk, and Thor, the various incarnations of them do kind of blend up in my head sometimes. I apologize if this ends up warping any of their personalities. (Hulk kinda has to be AEMH, though, because MCU only ever gave us Banner.)

· While we're at it…the events of the MCU AND of AEMH have happened. But of course, they contradict each other. So…as I go along, you'll see what canonically happened to form this world's history and what didn't. Just…kinda ride with it. The events of Avengers Assemble, however, have NOT happened yet. That's important.

· Just so you know, S.H.I.E.L.D. irks me greatly and I am annoyed by almost everyone in it. (Not so much Coulson. He's okay.)

· Writing Tony's attitude toward S.H.I.E.L.D. is weird. He's totally a "screw the man" kind of guy, but he works with S.H.I.E.L.D. a lot. And in comic canon, he becomes Director (hence my little shout out with him telling Hill he was only half joking about that position).

· And yes…the Avengers currently live in Avengers Mansion, not Stark Tower. It's more convenient for me that way.

· The plot with Osborn picks up right where it left off in SSM, with him boarding a plane for Grand Cayman Island in disguise.

· Loki + Doom + Osborn = any fans of the comics out there wanna guess what storyline I'm doing?


	65. Friendship Is Marvel-ous

65. Friendship is Marvel-ous

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

Avengers Mansion was a stunning piece of architecture, a red-brick Victorian style manor nestled in among the chrome and glass. While it was dwarfed by the buildings around it, its width betrayed just how much space it actually contained.

"Welcome home," Captain America said as he led Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack beyond its gates.

"Wow," Twilight remarked.

"It looks absolutely gorgeous!" Rarity gushed.

"Maybe you should, I dunno, wait to see what Stark Tower looks like before giving this place that much love?" Iron Man retorted.

They crossed the threshold of the door into a spacious atrium. "Out there," Captain America said, "I may be Captain America. But behind that door…" He took down his hood, revealing a short mop of golden hair. "I'm Steve Rogers."

"Well, it's nice to meet ya again, Steve," Applejack replied.

Iron Man took off his helmet, revealing his own face – more tan than Steve's, bordered with raven hair and a short mustache. "Tony Stark," he reiterated. "Billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"And of course, Thor is my true name," Thor reminded the six Equestrians. "And the Hulk is, at the moment, just the Hulk."

"I don't need any fancy name like 'Captain America,'" the Hulk grunted. "'Hulk' is fine."

"It does get the point across," Fluttershy told him.

"Sorry to break up the party," Tony said, "but I was in the middle of something important before the whole Graviton incident, and trust me, the WORLD will thank me when I have it finished."

"What were you working on?" Rainbow Dash asked him. "Something awesome?"

"I'd go with 'revolutionary' or 'pure genius,'" Tony corrected, "though 'badass' qualifies, too." He disappeared through a side door.

"Probably another suit of armor," Steve sighed. "Ever since the Chitauri invasion, he's been a little on edge. Though far be it from the great Tony Stark to admit it. He lets off steam by building new suits of armor. Though he could also be working on arc reactor energy generation."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "I thought arc reactors were only a theory."

"Until a few years ago," Steve clarified, "they were. But Tony's kind of, well, special. If you tell him that it's impossible to walk on the surface of Jupiter, he'll send you pictures of himself from the planet's surface, waving at the camera, by next week." He smiled. "Everybody on the team is important, and Tony gives us a brilliant mind AND his can-do attitude."

"Does he actually use ALL the suits of armor he makes?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, you can only make so many and actually have them be practical."

"Rainbow Dash," Applejack scolded, "if this is all leadin' up to you askin' for your own suit…"

"But it's AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash protested. "And I don't want one if he needs them! Just, you know, if some of them are just thrown away after he's done!"

Steve laughed. "I might just have to ask him about it. He's not much of one for sharing, but I might be able to talk him into at least thinking about it. Trust me. He's made way more of them than he actually needs. Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to the rest of the team. Are you up for it?"

"Darn tootin'!" Applejack agreed.

"I will not be able to join you," Thor informed the group. "I am already late for an engagement with Jane Foster. Graviton disrupted our plans."

"And I'm not exactly the social type," the Hulk grumbled.

"You guys go on ahead," Steve told the pair. "I'll handle this."

"I shall see you again soon, friends!" Thor promised before leaving out the front door. The Hulk, in the meantime, left through a side door without another word.

"Who's Jane Foster?" Twilight asked.

"Thor's girlfriend," Steve answered.

"Is she an Asgardian too?" Twilight inquired.

Steve shook his head. "Actually, she's a human Thor met on his first trip to this world."

"Can you imagine?" Rarity asked. "A mere mortal mare, swept off her feet by a god from another world!" She sighed.

"I can't help but notice you refer to people by horse terms," Steve commented.

"It's…kinda a thing on our world," Applejack said. "Actually, since y'all already know we ain't from this planet…back on our world, we all ARE horses. Well, ponies, technically. We just kinda turn into humans if we get close to a world where everypony's…what's that word, Twilight?"

"Humanoid," Twilight supplied.

"Right," Applejack concluded.

"I have seen stranger," Steve admitted. "Would that mean that if we went to your world, we would become ponies?"

"Probably," Twilight stated.

Pinkie Pie burst out into laughter. "PONY STARK!" she guffawed. "WE WOULD CALL HIM PONY STARK!"

Steve snorted, immediately pulling himself together and quelling his giggles. "I suppose. Anyway, do you want to meet the others?"

"Lead on!" Applejack told Steve.

* * *

In the practice arena, the small, lithe brunette clothed in black looked around him. A BEEP sounded, and he immediately turned to face the direction of the source of the noise, seeing a laser-projected bullseye marked on the wall. He reached into the quiver on his back in one swift motion, withdrew an arrow, set it to his bow, drew back, and fired. No sooner had he done this than there was another BEEP from the opposite side of the room. Without looking to see if his first arrow had met the mark – after all, he had no need to; he knew it had – he whirled to loose another arrow at the new target. At the next BEEP, he hit the ground, rolling until he was in a closer position, then fired from a position propped on one knee. BEEP. He shot to the left. BEEP. To the right. BEEP. Directly upward. BEEP-BEEP-BEEP. Three arrows loaded into the bow and loosed at three adjacent targets, all pinning the bullseyes.

Then the beeps ceased. "C'mon, J.A.R.V.I.S.!" the man whined. "I was on a roll! Would it kill you to challenge me?"

"I quit your training program because others are approaching the practice arena and more than likely wish to speak with you," a computerized voice with a British accent announced, echoing throughout the wide open room of white walls.

"Huh?" The man put down his bow, looking to the door as it opened. Steve, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie filed in after him.

"Knew I'd find you down here!" Steve greeted.

"Practice makes perfect," the archer explained. "Or, in my case, it makes perfect better. So who're your friends? New recruits?"

"Not exactly," Steve said, "but they will be staying with us for a while. They're new to the planet, and they had a little bit of a run-in with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Oh," the archer replied, "because every other time we've let aliens stay as houseguests, it's worked sooooooo well."

"You're obviously forgetting Thor."

"I was actually thinking about Michael Korvac."

"Trust me," Steve said. "They're on our side." He looked back to Applejack; she nodded, and he nodded in return. "This is Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Ladies, this is Clint Barton. Part-time S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, full time Avenger. Out in the field, we call him Hawkeye."

"How did you get THAT name?" Rarity asked.

"Here, lemme show ya," Clint replied. "J.A.R.V.I.S.? Can we initiate some sort of 'show off for the new girls' routine?"

"As you wish," the computer voice replied.

"And that's J.A.R.V.I.S.," Steve told the six women. "Tony's personal assistant. He's some kind of computer. I really don't understand how it works, but it…he…assists our team."

Several BEEPs, several targets appearing around the room in synchrony. Clint spun this way and that, letting an arrow loose at each one until every single bullseye was pegged. The arrows stayed stuck to the wall next to their brothers from the earlier session thanks to a magnetic field in each target. When he'd emptied his quiver and finished off the targets, Clint turned back to the group and bowed.

Rarity applauded. "That was FANTASTIC!" she gasped. "How do you maintain such accuracy with such little time?"

"It's a gift," Clint replied.

"I just so happen to be an archer myself," Rarity went on, "though admittedly, I'm somewhat of a novice."

"Really?" Clint asked. "Let's see whatcha got!" He moved to stand next to Steve.

"M-me?" Rarity asked. "But, as I said, I'm a novice…"

"Hey, what happens in the practice room stays in the practice room," Clint assured her. "Give it a shot."

"Well, all right." Rarity walked out into the middle of the room. "Er, J.A.R.V.I.S., if you please? Would you be able to create some targets for me?"

"As you wish," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. "Every target will be preceded with a signal beep. However, I do not comprehend how you will shoot with no bow."

"Want me to get you one from the spare equipment room?" Clint asked.

"Actually, I can suffice," Rarity told him. In a flash of light, her Eldritch bow appeared in her hands, loading itself with a crystal arrow.

"WHOA." Clint was taken aback.

"Whenever you're ready, J.A.R.V.I.S.," Rarity announced.

There was a BEEP. Rarity turned to face it, eyeing the target. After only so much deliberation, she could practically hear Phil inside her head telling her to "JUST FIRE ALREADY!" So she let the arrow go. There was a second BEEP from behind; she spun to face it, eyeing it up before shooting. One last BEEP; she fired at this one almost completely impulsively, and the arrow still hit the bullseye, though not dead center, and she pouted at this. The three crystal arrows melted into nonexistence.

"Not bad!" Clint complimented. "I mean, you're no me, but still, not bad!" He turned to Steve. "So is that her deal? Making arrows from nowhere?"

"No…that's new to me," Steve answered. "They used some sort of power of harmony to trap Graviton in Times Square. That's what drew everyone's interest to them."

"I'm sorry," Clint said, shaking his head. "I thought you said power of harmony for a minute."

"I did," Steve clarified. "I don't know how it works, but they're able to take the values of honesty, loyalty, and others and convert them into some sort of magic. I'm not sure where the bow comes from, though."

"That's actually a special case," Applejack clarified. "We sorta had a run-in with a guy from another planet who traded us extra powers like those weapons in exchange for…well, a pretty high price."

"Anyway…" Clint struggled for the name. "'Unique,' was it?"

"Rarity, actually," Rarity corrected.

"I'd say you're more than a novice. Except for the fact that if those were enemies, they would have had time to slowly walk away from you before you fired."

"Why, I never!" Rarity snapped. "I'm WORKING on it!"

"Well, feel free to use this practice space as long as you stay here," Steve offered.

"Maybe we can even practice together," Clint added. "If you don't mind me shooting circles around you."

"Oh, I WILL show you what I can REALLY do," Rarity insisted. "That was just a warm-up for me!"

"What happened to 'novice'?" Steve asked.

"She found somepony that was better than her at somethin'," Applejack replied, "and she ain't gonna let that go."

Rarity stared down Clint as she walked off the practice area. "I will be seeing YOU here, later."

"Hey," Clint laughed, "I'm game whenever you are."

"We should move on," Steve suggested.

"It was really really nice to meet you!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

"Same here," Clint said with a wave.

Steve led the six women out of the room, and Clint asked J.A.R.V.I.S, "So, are you ready to actually challenge me?"

As the tour group walked down the hall, Steve explained, "I should probably tell you about Natasha Romanoff. She goes by 'Black Widow' in the field. She's not here right now because she's not technically an Avenger. She's kind of the opposite of Clint. Clint works with us most of the time, but is still employed with S.H.I.E.L.D. and participates in their missions. Natasha is his partner at S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is her first loyalty, but she's a part-time Avenger. So you'll be seeing her around…eventually. But right now, I'm going to introduce you to our other resident scientist and one of our fastest fighters."

* * *

LATVERIA, 616TH EARTH

In a dark stone entry hall to a fortress at the heart of a small European nation, two men materialized.

Crouch was surprised that Osborn had thought nothing of Side-Along Apparition. As Osborn had put it, "I'm aware that anyone Loki sent would come with a dose of magic." Osborn had insisted, before the trip, on donning his old appearance. The mustache was gone, and his hair was no longer bleach-blonde. Instead, his pale, clean-shaven face was offset by neatly trimmed copper hair.

"So now what?" Crouch asked. "Do we ring a doorbell?"

"He'll know we're here," Osborn stated calmly.

A voice sounded from a hallway atop a grand staircase. Crouch heard him say, "I hope you've realized that trespassing upon Latverian ground is an act of war."

Then the robots came from every side door, each one bearing a resemblance to a well built man in heavy metallic armor. They fixed their mechanical eyes upon Osborn and Crouch, surrounding them. Crouch went for his wand, but Osborn shot him a glare. "Stay your hand," he said.

At first, Crouch thought it was another robot that emerged from the top of the stairway, but he soon realized it was a human being, a man who'd covered every inch of his body but his eyes in thick armor. A green cloak draped over his shoulders and hooded his head. He bore a rather large and intricate-looking gun in his arms, pointing it momentarily at Osborn and Crouch. Then, after a moment, he lowered the weapon. "Dismiss," he snapped. The robots retreated into the doors from which they'd come.

"Victor," Osborn greeted.

Victor von Doom descended the stairway. "I apologize for my mistake. I wasn't aware it was you."

"You don't have to apologize," Osborn told him. "After all – "

"You never do," Doom finished for him. "Now, to what do I owe this visit?"

"An opportunity," Osborn said. "You'll recall when we developed the technology that allowed S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers to track the Skrull army during what is referred to as the 'Secret Invasion.'"

Doom reached the bottom of the stairs; at Osborn's statement, he seemed taken aback, though Crouch found it hard to tell through the metal mask. "You don't mean…?"

"Loki sent me a messenger," Osborn said, nodding toward Crouch. "Bartemius Crouch Jr. Apparently, the time has come for us to utilize that incident to our advantage."

"And just as well it has," Doom replied. "I had almost thought he'd forgotten. But of course, Loki never forgets."

"You know him better than I do," Osborn posed to Doom. "It's still not clear to me why we had to wait for his signal in order to grasp the situation. We could have had S.H.I.E.L.D. in the palms of our hands long ago."

"I've come to trust Loki's judgment," Doom replied. "He always thinks two steps ahead. Likely, he's had to wait for the right time for his potential allies to be accessible, for sufficient threats to be set up in order to make our defense force more appealing to the public, and, most importantly, for himself to gain a secure position of power. I'm sure you would not have wanted him to assist us from an Asgardian prison cell, or, worse, from under Thanos' thumb."

"You seem to know a fair amount of what has happened to him recently."

"Which makes it all the more puzzling that he selected you to bring the news to me," Doom said.

Crouch detected an odd note in Doom's voice. As though he didn't truly believe his own statement. Perhaps, Crouch thought, Doom knew exactly why Loki had chosen Osborn to carry the message, and didn't want Osborn to know he knew. But again, he wasn't certain of anything Doom did or said, and so he felt it wisest not to speak up.

"Most likely, because I'm the ideal Director," Osborn supplied. "I doubt S.H.I.E.L.D. would let a Latverian take a position so high, no matter how he protected American soil."

"Perhaps that is the case," Doom concurred.

"We'd best move today if we're going to move at all," Osborn stated.

"And the others?" Doom asked.

"As long as Crouch is running Loki's errands," Osborn said, "we might as well send him to find the others Loki mentioned. After all, he's capable of traveling to areas we don't have easy access to."

"I would think a Latverian dictator would have access to anywhere he wanted to go," Crouch broke in.

"Legally, yes," Doom clarified. "Physically is another element entirely. And there is one place in particular I dare not think of going, or of sending any of my associates to. You, however, are a stranger to us. They wouldn't connect you to me unless they had the security tapes from this fortress…and they wouldn't bother with that."

Crouch had a very bad feeling about who "they" were. "Who else do I need to find for this…venture?" he asked.

"Just three more," Osborn said. "Come with us. We'll give you detailed profiles of each of them."

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

A large flat-screen television was mounted on the upper wall. Before it was a comfy-looking couch upon which two people sat. One was a man wearing a masked ensemble similar to that of Captain America, though yellow and black instead of red, white, and blue, and bearing no emblem but that of a yellow winged insect on the chest. His mask revealed only the lower half of his pale face; even his eyes were obscured by thin white mesh. He tinkered with a gun-shaped device, fitting a screwdriver to a piece as he hunched over his work.

Next to him reclined a young woman, thin and pale, with dark brown hair that flared out over her shoulders; she wore a loose pink shirt that hung off one shoulder over a pair of jeans. "You gonna stop messing with that thing and watch the show?" she asked.

"If I can figure out how to stabilize the device's effects," the man muttered in response, "we can FINALLY kiss all our enemies goodbye!"

"Suuuuuure," the woman groaned. "Because it's worked so well every other time."

"Jan, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

Jan stuck her tongue out at him. "Whatever. You're missing the best part, party pooper." She returned her eyes to the screen.

Steve walked in, leading his tour group of six. "All right, everyone," he said.

"Hey!" The man in yellow looked up. "Who're the new girls?"

Steve pointed to each. "Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy. They helped us out with the Graviton incident. One thing led to another, and now we're letting them stay here." He turned back to the six Equestrians. "This is Ha…" He paused. For a moment, his gaze wavered. Then he cleared his throat. "This is Yellowjacket."

"Is that your field name or your name name?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"It's the only name I need," Yellowjacket said with a shrug.

"Yellowjacket is a strong fighter in the field," Steve explained, "but he's also a genius. He's working on a device that will allow us to instantly and nonviolently capture criminals."

"Nonviolently," Yellowjacket sighed. "There are some times I wonder if that whole concept is just overrated."

"Hank," Jan scolded.

Yellowjacket bristled at being called by that name. "Whatever," he grunted, going back to the gun device.

"Sorry," Jan said. "He's…going through some stuff." She leapt over the back of the couch, extending her right hand. "Janet van Dyne! But in the field, you can call me Wasp!"

Pinkie Pie seized Jan's hand with both of hers and pumped it enthusiastically. Jan broke out into a grin. "Nice to meet you!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

"So what are your civilian names?" Jan asked.

"We…don't have any," Twilight said. "Those are our names. I guess there's no hiding it. We came here from another world."

"Oh, cool!" Jan replied. "They're AWESOME names, by the way. And I LOVE your hair," she told Pinkie directly. Turning back to the rest, she said, "So, are we thinking a team-up?"

"Well, we fight bad guys, and you fight bad guys," Pinkie Pie explained, "so we SHOULD team up!"

"Especially because we wouldn't be on this planet if something weird wasn't about to happen to it," Twilight said.

Steve's, Jan's, and Yellowjacket's eyes turned to her quizzically. "It's a long story," Twilight explained. "Let's just say we go where we need to be. Anyway, Yellowjacket, I'm glad to hear you're coming up with nonviolent solutions."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Yellowjacket told her. "In the end, it's a dog eat dog world, you know? Sometimes you've just gotta drop the whole tree-hugger act and kick some butt before the world kicks yours."

Jan rolled her eyes.

"O…kay," Twilight said, unsure.

"Let's keep going," Steve suggested. "You two have fun with your show."

"I will, anyway," Jan said. "You're joining us for the new Downton Abbey tonight, right? I still can't believe Carol got us all hooked on a frilly English drama."

"Would you all like to join us?" Steve asked.

"Sure!" Applejack stated. "Why not?"

"Speaking of Carol," Steve transitioned, "I want you to meet her next. Let's go."

"See ya round!" Pinkie Pie told Jan.

"Can't wait!" Jan replied.

As Steve led the six Equestrians away, Rarity asked softly, "So, erm, far be it from me to pry in private business, but…are Yellowjacket and Jan together, so to speak?"

"Yes," Steve answered. "Sort of. It's a long story for right now, but…Yellowjacket used to be a different person when we first met him. Even back then, his relationship with Jan was weird. And now, it's even weirder. We're still sort of getting used to him. But Jan convinced us to give him a chance. And he is still just as smart as ever."

"I hope he's happy," Twilight said.

"Well, at the very least, since he came back, he's been surrounded by friends," Steve pointed out. "And I think that helps."

* * *

The blonde woman clothed in a simple white dress sat behind an administrative desk within one of the offices of the Xavier Institute. Alone, door closed, she moved some papers around, looking at schedules – training regiments, correspondence from team members, notes regarding the students. Every so often, she would pause, lingering on a paper before moving it to its proper location.

"I know what you're thinking," a male voice said from behind her.

With a start, the woman leapt to her feet, balling her fists. Her hands transformed from flesh and blood into clear, sparkling diamond.

Crouch disregarded the defensive maneuver. "Oh, I know I can't LITERALLY know what you're thinking," he clarified. "They told me Occlumency is one of your powers. If you don't want me to read your mind, I can't. But I can take a guess anyway."

"How did you get in here?" the woman seethed.

"You're asking me?" Crouch posed. "You know what it's like to have the ability to do what people think is impossible. Where I come from, the school for the gifted actually took measures so that I couldn't just drop in unannounced."

"State your business," the woman growled.

"To speak with you, Emma Frost."

Frost's fists unclenched slightly in surprised. "How do you know my – "

"Hear me out first. Like I said, I know what you're thinking. The best road of action for you was to join Xavier's team. Assist the X-Men. Try and make peace between humans and mutants that way. But it isn't working, is it? Not for you. There's a small part of you in there somewhere that says you made the wrong choice. That what you REALLY want is to do things the way Erik – Magneto – did things. To show the humans where they stand: below the mutants."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think all that?"

"Besides what I've been told about you?" Crouch replied. "I'm the same way. Where I come from, there's a rift between those of us who have rightful power and those of us who were meant to stand below those with power. I'm like a mutant, in a way. But I think the term you and I would both use for me is…'wizard.'"

"That would explain some things," Frost stated. "Show me something else. Something harmless."

Crouch drew his wand. Without speaking the word "Lumos," merely thinking it, he lit the end of it. He waved it back and forth, then doused the light.

"Fair enough," Frost conceded. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

"What if I told you that you could leave this all behind and stand up for your mutant brothers and sisters the way you REALLY want to?"

"Magneto and I are not on speaking terms," Frost seethed. "Right now, he isn't on speaking terms with anybody."

"So I've been informed," Crouch said. "But what if someone else could offer you the same opportunity? What then?"

"Who else?"

"I was told to give you this." Crouch withdrew from within his robes a large, glossy envelope embossed with the green emblem of a hammer; fittingly, the letters "H.A.M.M.E.R." were also displayed across the top. As Frost tentatively took the envelope, removing the papers within, Crouch contined: "Osborn, Doom, and Loki see promise in you. And after hearing about you, so do I. Ever since Magneto became little more than a human, you've been the next best thing for the mutant population."

Frost scanned the paper with her eyes. An outline of intent; signatures from Norman Osborn and Victor von Doom. Of course, Loki hadn't added his own hand to the paper, but she could smell his influence on the premise.

She stuffed the papers back into the envelope. "Doom is good enough," she said, "but how can I trust Loki not to exploit us for himself…and how can I trust the Green Goblin himself?"

"I was told to pass on a message that the Green Goblin was…how did he put it? 'A thing of the past,'" Crouch answered. "As for Loki, I think you're just going to trust that what he wants for himself involves you getting what you want."

Frost flashed Crouch a coy half smile. "You're very persuasive."

"Have you made a decision, Frost? As much as I'd love to threaten you by telling you that we could replace you with just any old mutant activist…we both know that isn't true."

Frost stole a glance at the door to her office. Thinking momentarily about the Xavier Institute and all she'd done for it ever since Magneto had fallen and she had been offered the opportunity to switch sides. Thinking about the mutants she'd let down. The youth that walked the halls. The X-Men that relied on her.

But the more she thought about it, the more she was surprised at how much she wasn't reluctant to let it all fall by the wayside. She didn't feel as though she truly belonged at the Xavier Institute. And it wasn't the first time she'd heard talk of H.A.M.M.E.R…Osborn had spoken to her in whispers in the past, but she'd thought it something that never would come to fruition.

She turned back to Crouch, smoothing back her hair. "I accept your proposition," she said with a grin.

"Come with me?" Crouch offered his hand. She clasped it with her own, tightly.

The pair vanished, Crouch taking Frost to Latveria to speak with Osborn and Doom.

* * *

Steve led Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight through the forum on his way to the next location just as someone else was crossing the threshold of the mansion. "I really think," Steve began, "you're going to get along well with…" He halted, beholding the man who'd just walked in. "T'CHALLA?"

The new entrant wore a suit of jet black, his entire face covered with a mask shaped to resemble the face of a panther. This was ornamented with a flowing black cape bearing a high collar. "Yes, Steve Rogers," T'Challa said.

"Who's he?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"He's…not supposed to be here," Steve fumbled. "T'Challa, I thought you said Wakanda needed you."

"Although I hate to leave Wakanda in any time of need," T'Challa said, "as of now, its relationships with surrounding nations are stable. The military is well funded. The economy thrives. While I do not think this state of peace will last forever, I do see it as an opportunity to rejoin the Avengers. After all, if Wakanda does not need my help as much as it usually does, there is a strong chance America needs my assistance instead." He paused. "Not to mention that I did not want to pass up on the opportunity to rejoin old friends. Though I see that you have some new friends as well."

"Yeah!" Steve asserted. "T'Challa, this is Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle. They helped us out with an incident recently, and actually, Twilight brought us a message that we're probably going to be needing your help pretty soon." He turned to the six women. "I can't even BEGIN to tell you how much T'Challa has given to the Avengers. In the field, we call him Black Panther."

"It is pleasant to make your acquaintance," T'Challa said, reaching up to remove his mask. His face was quite dark, with piercing eyes, hair cut short. "I hope I was not interrupting."

"We were literally just doing introductions," Steve informed T'Challa. "Your timing was actually kinda perfect."

"Well, I am glad." T'Challa smiled at the six Equestrians. "I hope we can speak more later. I have to see to settling back into the mansion."

"Your room is the same as when you left it," Steve told T'Challa.

"Good to see you!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

T'Challa headed upstairs, and Steve explained, "T'Challa is the king of the African nation of Wakanda."

"He's a KING?" Twilight screamed. "And you didn't tell us that FIRST?"

"Hey, when you're one of the Avengers, sometimes you kind of forget that one of us is a king, one of us is a god, and one of us – who you haven't met yet – is an android," Steve explained. "You kind of just become…one of the team. And when he's Black Panther? He's a genius. He can think up things that even Tony, Bruce, and Yellowjacket miss. He's also one of our best fighters. I'm only slightly exaggerating when I say he could have taken Graviton on his own and won."

"Wow," Twilight commented.

"Anyway, let's keep moving," Steve suggested. "It's really funny to think about, actually, how many differences you forget when you've been friends for so long. I bet most of the others have stopped thinking of me as a guy that was frozen in time for half a century."

The group moved on in silence for fifteen seconds before Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Fluttershy cried out in unison, "Wait, WHAT?"

* * *

ATLANTIS, 616TH EARTH

The great city towered over the ocean floor, its spires and walls tinted blue in the light that filtered through the watery depths. Within its heart, the king sat upon his throne, green and gold trident in hand. His skin was tanned to a shade of light gold, shown on his humanoid torso from the waist up. From the waist down, two legs were covered in shining green scales. The man's short hair was dark and sleek.

He provided a striking contrast to his subjects. One of his guards, bearing blue skin and altogether more fishlike features, hurried into the throne room. "A human requests audience with you, your majesty," he said.

"Show him in," the king commanded.

Three more guards brought Crouch into the throne room. Crouch, head encased in a bubble that supplied him air through a handy charm, looked around at the walls, the vaulted ceiling, comparing it to the Asgardian throne room. On that subject, he began to speak: "You're a lot easier to get an audience with than the king of Asgard."

"You will NOT refer to our king with such impudence!" a guard barked.

"My apologies," Crouch said, smirking. "Your majesty, Namor."

The king Namor regarded Crouch with an eye of interest. "Why have you, a human, come to these depths?" he asked. "And by what manner of magic are you breathing?"

"Just magic, plain and simple," Crouch answered. "And I'm here with a message. Do you trust me enough to speak to me alone? I'd rather this not get out among…riffraff." He eyed each of the guards with contempt.

"Give me a reason to speak with you alone," Namor prompted.

"I'll give you three," Crouch said. He pronounced each word with deliberation: "Osborn. Doom. H.A.M.M.E.R."

Namor was taken aback. "…Leave us," he commanded his guards.

"But your majesty!" one commanded.

"Go!" Namor ordered. "No harm shall come to me." He gripped the shaft of the trident tightly.

"Yes…yes, your majesty," said the guard. All of them retreated, leaving Crouch and Namor alone in the throne room. Dejá vu, Crouch thought, remembering Loki. Though there had been far less water then.

When the door to the throne room shut, Namor said, "Victor von Doom had contacted me with talk of H.A.M.M.E.R. before. He stated his intent to form a Cabal with me and other people of powerful stations. For the good of Atlantis, the good of the mutant nation, the good of the Asgardians…" He paused. "The good of the demons. I assume that is what you have come to tell me."

"I would have brought the envelope," Crouch said, "but it got wet."

"I had thought Doom was only dreaming," Namor went on. "I did not know, either, if I could trust him. But now his words have come back to me in the form of you. But there is one thing you did not mention. Something Doom told me, and if you do not know it, then this is an elaborate ruse." Namor leaned forward. "Who else spurred you to carry the message, and why didn't you say the name of that person?"

"I thought it was best NOT to bring up Loki when the entire multiverse is supposed to think he's dead at the moment," Crouch answered.

Namor closed his eyes and nodded. "Then you do know the truth. Has the time finally come?"

"If you want Atlantis to get what it deserves," Crouch said, "and the humans to know their place, you'll know where to meet us."

"That I will," Namor said. "Tell Norman Osborn, Victor von Doom, Loki, and any others they may have recruited that I will meet them at the proper time and place. For the time for Atlantis has finally come."

"I'll let them know," Crouch promised. "Oh, and by the way, if you back out now…they'll all make sure you regret it."

"I do not intend to back down."

"Good."

* * *

Crouch walked out of the Atlantean palace, satisfied. He knew Namor knew exactly where the group was planning to gather. That just left the matter of the other candidate Osborn and Doom had mentioned.

Right on cue, a voice sounded from Crouch's left, muffled underwater: "You're doing very well. But I sense you're having a little trouble figuring out how to get to that last one, aren't you?"

Crouch turned to see Discord, in full draconequus form, treading the water, wearing a scuba mask over his eyes and an inflatable duck ring around what passed for his waist. "After all," Discord said, "if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had a way to just pop in and out of the Underworld whenever he liked, well, that would have changed the whole game! As it stands, you could just go back and tell Osborn and Doom there was no way for you to get there, and they'd scrounge up some common thug to sit on the last seat of their Cabal. But neither you nor I really want that, do we?"

"What are you saying?" Crouch asked.

"I'm saying that I have business in the place you're going anyway," Discord clarified. "I just so happen to want to have a little chat with the one who runs the operation. I figure that if you and I are headed for the same place, I might as well take you, since, let's face it, you're not getting anywhere NEAR the gates without my help. Oh, and that's funny…that last person you're looking for? Kept under STRICT lock and key by…why, the very being I wanted to have words with! It seems to me that while we're having our conversation, a mortal wizard could just slip right by him unnoticed and find who he's looking for!"

"I get your point!" Crouch spat. "You distract the…prince of darkness, as it is, and I sneak past him to get my target!"

"Very good," Discord replied. "Of course, you'll need this." He held out a large key, almost as large as Crouch's palm. It was wrought of black metal, the shaft twisted, the teeth of uneven lengths, and the handle a convoluted mess of metalworking.

"You happen to have a key to the exact cell?" Crouch questioned.

"Actually, this key is made of my power, made physical and solidified," Discord explained. "It's just a drop in the bucket, for me. But for you, that's a key that can open ANY lock. No matter how big, how small, or how cosmic. And before you go running around toying with every lock you find, that key is a one-time use deal. Pick one lock. Use the key. It disappears. I can't have my powers floating around willy-nilly in the hands of mortals, after all."

Crouch pocketed the key. "Understood. Let's go."

"ROAD TRIP!" Discord cried before snapping his fingers, and he and Crouch vanished.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The blonde woman, hair flowing past her shoulders, wearing a simple red shirt and black pants, sat before a computer terminal, taking in the data upon it intently. She didn't even notice, at first, when the seven entered the room.

"Carol?" Steve knocked softly on the door. "Is this a bad time?"

Carol shook her head, turning away from the screen to face Steve, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. "No, I was just looking over this data Mar-Vell sent me from what was left of the Kree central intelligence before we took it out of commission. I just think it's best at this point to know more about the Kree rather than less. I'm sorry…who are your new friends?"

Steve ran through the names of the six one more time, quickly explaining their assistance in the Graviton incident. "This is Carol Danvers," he told the six Equestrians. "Known in the field as Ms. Marvel. She's kind of an expert on the Kree race of extraterrestrials."

"Well…I'm working on it," Carol corrected. "So you six took on one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most wanted?"

"With a little help from Steve, Tony, Thor, and the Hulk," Applejack admitted.

"I thought Graviton was under maximum security imprisonment," Carol thought out loud.

"He was," Steve confirmed.

"So how did he get out?" Carol asked.

The six Equestrians nervously looked at each other. "Uh…I think I might have an idea about how that mighta happened," Applejack said. "Remember how we said that we get dropped off on worlds that need us? We've also got a couple of enemies that tend to follow us. And wherever they show up, they either try to make the most chaos they can or the most evil they can."

"Maleficent OR Discord could have broken Graviton out of any prison," Twilight stated.

"Loki was the one who broke him out the first time," Carol pointed out.

"Loki's dead," Steve pointed out. "We can rule him right out."

Carol didn't seem too sure of that, but she held her tongue. "Well, welcome to Avengers Mansion," she greeted. "You're going to watch Downton Abbey with us tonight, right?"

"Watch what?" Rarity asked.

"A drama set in England at the turn of the century," Carol answered. "Trust me, you think it's going to be boring, but after one episode, you're hooked. I know you're behind, but we can catch you up."

"You're going to have to catch T'Challa up too," Steve informed Carol. "He came back today."

"What?" Carol was first stunned, then pleased. "Well, it'll be good to have him back with us."

"We should keep moving," Steve suggested. "Especially since you're in the middle of work. We'll leave you alone."

As Steve led the six Equestrians out of the room, Rarity remarked, "We'd love to join you, but first, someone's going to have to explain to us 'turn-of-the-century England'…"

"But that can wait," Applejack interrupted. "This got me thinkin'. Steve, if we stay with ya, our enemies might become your enemies. An' I don't want anypony gettin' hurt because of it."

"You might be safer if we leave," Twilight agreed.

"WHAT?" Pinkie Pie cried. "But…but we just got here and met everypony!"

Steve shook his head. "Don't even think that way. We've faced a LOT of powerful enemies. Everything from the trickster god Loki to the entire Kree army."

"But Maleficent and Discord are…special," Twilight explained.

"They've been known to turn up on multiple worlds," Rarity added.

"Maleficent has more dark power than anypony we've ever met!" Rainbow Dash asserted.

"And Discord…he's only trying to have fun, really," Fluttershy told Steve, "but his idea of fun is very destructive. He can change things about reality."

"And that's the thing," Twilight said. "Both of them have brought people back from the dead before to serve their plans. Meaning even your enemy Loki might not be as dead as you think."

Steve smiled. "Dark powers? Changing reality? Bringing old enemies back from the dead? Trust me. We've seen it all before. But if it's really that much worse with those two…well, we hate to back down from a challenge. ESPECIALLY Tony." He winked. "There's nothing to worry about, really. Now, there's just one more Avenger left in the mansion for you to meet."

* * *

MEPHISTO'S REALM, TARTARUS, THE UNDERWORLD

Mephisto's corner of Hell – or Tartarus, or whatever one chooses to call it – was exactly as Crouch had always heard the place of punishment should be. Cavernous rock walls of glowing red and copper. Rivers of lava. Copper-colored walls rising to form various structures.

Discord took Crouch as far as the gate of the largest building: Mephisto's palace. "When we go in," Discord told Crouch, "you head left right away. Mephisto will come out to meet me, and I'll hold his attention elsewhere. Then you can do what you need to do. If you're lucky, the very one you came to find will take you back to the mortal world with him. If you're unlucky, he goes back alone, and I'm just going to leave you here because picturing your reaction to being trapped here forever amuses me. Got it?"

Crouch nodded, gritting his teeth.

"But have fun with it!" Discord grinned madly before throwing open the gates.

Crouch ran into the great hall of Mephisto's palace and ducked to the left immediately, heading down a shadowy hallway. Discord strode directly into the center of the hall alone. "Ohhh, MEPHIIIII-STOOOOO!" he called out; his voice echoing through every hall.

Discord then waited. He heard the slow, deliberate steps as the devil approached the entryway. When Mephisto appeared, Discord beheld his preferred visage: that of an elderly man with pale skin and wispy gray hair, clothed in robes of black leather. "You don't have to yell," he told Discord.

"But the echo is fun," Discord protested with a pout.

"I'll admit this is somewhat of a…surprising reunion," Mephisto told Discord. "I didn't expect ever to see you again."

"Oh, you should know by now, Mephisto. It's impossible to get rid of me. Isn't that wonderful?"

"By your definition…" Mephisto sighed.

"As a matter of fact," Discord went on, "I'm gathering a rather large crowd of those of us who used to reign over chaos. Mirage and the Titans are already on board. And that means good news for you: your years of torment are…OVER!"

Mephisto waited for Discord to say something else; a punchline, perhaps. When none came, he broke out into a grin. "Torment, Discord? Is that what you think is going on here?"

"Well, for your victims, definitely," Discord admitted, "but I just KNOW you aren't too happy at having to follow Hades' rules about coming up with punishments for the ones that the courts find guilty. You can't REALLY like working for the man, can you?"

"You'd be surprised, Discord."

Discord underwent a double take. "You mean you WEREN'T biding your time until I showed up to break you out of the system?"

"It's a long story, Discord."

"The kind of story best told over a glass of wine?"

"Like the old days. I'll go for that."

* * *

Crouch slipped further and further down the hallway, which sloped downward, leading under the ground. Eventually, he saw the doors. Large, imposing doors of iron with only small squares, five by five inches and cut through with bars, to offer sight into each room beyond. Crouch only had to glance at the first few to see the selection of Mephisto's prisoners with whom he had the most personal grudges, those who went beyond mere sinners. If there was so much as movement beyond the door, Crouch knew it was the wrong one. He was looking for someone who would be held in the tightest confinement possible.

When he didn't see anyone moving, he peered into the squares that showed the cells beyond. He saw all manner of prisoners, from the horrified to the horrifying, but none of them matched the profile he'd been given by Osborn and Doom.

When he came upon the last door, he knew. The last door had no square to offer a view inside. It was the largest door, with a great X scratched out over it. Perhaps to warn all who came upon it that it was to be stayed away from. There was no handle; only a lock. Crouch shivered momentarily at the sight of it, then removed the twisted key from his pocket. He fitted it to this door's lock. There was a click; the key popped into a shower of confetti with a sound like a party favor going toot. Crouch shook his head at Discord's sense of humor before pushing the door open.

The cell within was spacious but austere, carved of solid rock. It probably was hollowed out of the very walls of Mephisto's Realm. There was no furniture of any sort except the metal pinions that held the chains firmly to the ground. The chains crossed over the prisoner in the center of the room like a spiderweb, wrapping around him several times for good measure. The prisoner lay on the floor in these chains; a pentacle had been inscribed on the floor below him, in a circle large enough to contain the prisoner's body. The pentacle emitted a light that passed through the prisoner's body, appearing as though the glowing pentacle itself was overlaid upon him, holding him down.

And then there was the prisoner himself. He appeared to be a young man. His skin was white as eggshell; his hair was black as moonless night, cut short but for slight sideburns. His thick eyebrows were also dark. The color of his eyes was hidden, for his eyelids were shut tight, and an expression of repose was washed over his face – he slept. Like a fairy tale princess, Crouch thought, though he was about as far from the concept as you could get. Crouch could see between the chains that the youth was dressed in black robes.

He'd been instructed exactly what to say. "Wake up, Blackheart," Crouch commanded.

Blackheart's eyes flew open, revealing dark pupils. His mouth, formerly in the neutral position of sleep, twisted into a smile. He stared straight upward, at the ceiling.

"H.A.M.M.E.R. wants you," Crouch said. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"Loki," Blackheart stated, his smile growing wider. His voice echoed in such a way that it seemed as though two people, not one, had spoken. "I was wondering when he'd get around to it. I take it you're his messenger boy."

"Yes," Crouch said, frustrated, "though the draconequus only did give me one key. No one told me about the chains. I'm guessing this is his idea of a joke."

"The chains aren't as big of a problem as they seem," Blackheart told Crouch, still staring directly upward. "They're just here to keep up appearances until I could get the door out of my way."

He writhed; one by one, each chain snapped, falling to the floor with a loud clank. Blackheart stood; his body passed through the pentacle's light, and there was a sizzling sound, but it seemed to have no effect on him. "My father tends to underestimate me," he said, finally on his feet. He made eye contact with Crouch.

Crouch was simultaneously repulsed and entranced. Looking into the young demon's eyes was like staring at fear itself, but at the same time, they were beautiful in a way Crouch couldn't have described. As frightening as eye contact was, Crouch couldn't bring himself to look away.

"What were you serving a sentence for, anyway?" he asked.

"Nothing much," Blackheart replied. "Just the sins of six hundred souls. But I've had enough time to move past it." He paused. "Oh…you meant what I did that made dear old Dad put me under lock and key. Nothing more than a little betrayal, that's all."

"Betray Loki," Crouch warned, "and he'll do worse."

Blackheart laughed so loudly Crouch feared Mephisto would hear and come storming into the dungeons to see what was going on. "I'm not afraid of Loki," Blackheart stated when he finally quieted his laughter. "But as long as he follows his agenda, he's the last person I'm going to betray. After all, there would be no better way to show my father what REAL power looks like."

"I'm sensing you hate your father. I was never too keen on mine, myself."

"And Loki makes three," Blackheart finished. "Shall we leave? You have to be getting as sick of these walls as I am."

"That would be a good idea."

"We have to be outside the palace in order for me to take us out to the mortal plane," Blackheart informed Crouch. "How exactly did you get past my father to get in?"

"I think he's going to be distracted for a while," Crouch replied.

* * *

And while Blackheart and Crouch made their way out of the dungeons, out of the palace, and out of the very realm of the undead, a small table was set on a balcony of black stone that protruded outside a tower of the palace over an ocean of lava. Mephisto and Discord sat at opposite ends of the table. Mephisto swirled a glass of red wine. Discord's own glass was sitting upside down, though whenever he lifted it to take a drink, the wine didn't spill out of its container.

"Don't you miss it?" Discord asked. "Back when you and yours were devils and the angels were angels, before you got sorted into this whole 'good afterlife' and 'bad afterlife' business where you had…DUTIES?" Discord made a choking sound to emphasize his contempt.

"I work under Hades," Mephisto explained, "because I want to be here."

"You're kidding."

"With Hades' system, I can contract mortals from any plane. I have a say in what's done with the damned. And the angels stay on their side and don't breathe down my neck. I'm living in luxury, Discord. I can have anything I want."

"Except, oh, I don't know, freedom…"

"I have that, Discord. What Hades doesn't realize is that the set of rules he gave me for Tartarus is exactly what I want to do. I don't have any need to break away for the sake of breaking away. In the old days, I didn't have mortals under my control. I didn't have contracts. I didn't have souls for my own use."

Discord sighed. "Well, then, it looks like when we rebuild the Age of Chaos, we're going to have to leave the mortals running around for you to play with."

"What makes you think you can actually succeed in rebuilding the Age of Chaos?" Mephisto inquired. "Just because you have a few allies on your side."

"Well, let's see…" Discord mulled it over. "I want it…so I'm going to get it."

"Do you even have a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan, Mephisto. I don't just charge into things without a plan. If I'd have known you were going to be a fuddy-duddy about it, I would have gone to a different devil first." He thought it over. "Is Cherny still where I think he – "

"Yes."

"How about Infernal?"

"Still at large," Mephisto said, "though the less business I do with him, the better, and I'm NOT looking forward to the day when the two of you reunite."

"Oh, come on. You know we livened things up."

"Either one of you on your own is bad enough."

"Mephisto." Discord pouted. "Do you really hate me that much?"  
"No," Mephisto admitted. "I'm at a point where I can't bring myself to hate what you stand for. But you also know how I feel about the unpredictable."

"So you're in."

"I never said that."

"So you're out?"

"I never said that either."

"If you're going to try and get me to sign a contract," Discord stated, "it won't work."

"No contract you sign is ever binding anyway," Mephisto countered.

"So what do I have to do for you to take me seriously?"

"Start by drinking your wine right side up."

Discord rolled his eyes, turning the glass over. "There. Happy?"  
"It's a start." Mephisto grinned. "To tell you the truth, so long as you can let me have what I want along with what you want…I'll go along with your plan. But all this…this realm you see around you…" Mephisto looked up and around; Discord's gaze followed. "I get to keep this."

"I have a mansion I'm rather attached to myself," Discord replied. "We can attach both of them to the old hangout."

"On the condition that the sinners are still mine, and the ones who sell their soul to me are still mine. I don't have to have anything in the Underworld…but I want what's TRULY mine."

"You know the Underworld as it stands has to go, then."

"It was obvious, Discord."

"Then it's a deal," Discord said. "You help me bring back the old days and the old ways, and I'll let you keep everyone you have under your thumb…AND give you the opportunity to collect more. Mortals, mortals, everywhere. Sound fair?"

"Perfectly."

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

In the kitchen, an android who looked the spitting image of a male human scrubbed a dish over the sink. His synthetic skin was a deep red color; his clothing was a green and yellow suit that left his face bared, a billowing yellow cape with a high collar fastened at his neck. He neatly lay the plate on a pile to the left of the sink and then plucked another dirty dish from the right.

Steve, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash entered the kitchen. "There you are!" Steve laughed. "Took me a while to figure out where you were. What are you doing?"

"I am contributing to the efficiency of the Avengers Mansion by taking on menial tasks so that others may focus on tasks of more importance, such as executing criminal justice," the android said.

"Well…thanks," Steve replied. He turned to the six Equestrians. "This is Vision. Civilian name AND field name. Our newest Avenger."

Without turning away from the dishes, Vision explained, "I am an android formerly created to serve the artificial intelligence known as Ultron. However, Ultron's perception of humanity was flawed. His objective was to eliminate humanity based on its imperfections. I believe that imperfection in humanity is not only necessary but good. The Avengers allowed me to be a part of their team, and we have formed a bond."

"Long story short," Steve reiterated, "Vision worked for one of our toughest enemies, but now he's a friend."

Vision turned to see Steve's guests. "Who are these newcomers?" Vision asked, curiosity in his tone.

Steve ran through the six names one more time, explaining what had happened with Graviton.

"I must thank you for your contribution to this team, especially against the powers of Graviton," Vision said with an earnest smile. "I hope your stay here is pleasant."

"Thank you, Vision," Fluttershy replied.

"Well, now you've met everybody," Steve said. "Wanna see your rooms?"

* * *

As Steve and the six Equestrians moved toward the hallway with the guest bedrooms, Steve explained, "Because we've worked with so many people, we have rooms ready in case any of our allies need to stay here. One of the guest rooms is just reserved for Natasha, but the rest of them are fair game for anyone. We have more than six open." He began to open doors, revealing spacious bedrooms with wooden dressers and beds covered in fluffy white bedding. "Take your pick!"

"This is all real nice, Steve," Applejack said. "I'm gonna ask you one more time: y'all SURE this ain't no imposition?"

"Not one bit," Steve replied. "I'll wait for you to decide on rooms. After that, we can head down to dinner. I'll tell you…with T'Challa back and you as our guests, it's going to be a fun crowd tonight!"

* * *

Director Nick Fury, a tall, dark-skinned man with his left eye patched and his body clothed in a formal blue uniform, paced the main room of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, watching his various agents type away at the computer screens that lined the area.

"It does NOT make sense," he barked. "We had Graviton under maximum security. There were no breaches. The only way he could have escaped is if he just teleported out!"

"Impossible, of course," Hill added.

"Maybe," Fury said. "Or maybe not." He turned to face all the other agents at work. "I'm going to need all files on ANYTHING we've observed that has that kind of power!"

There were a few moments of silence. Then a solitary voice: "Director Fury, I think I have a match."

Fury approached the agent who had spoken. Agent Daisy Johnson, codename Quake, dark hair cropped short, wearing a red jumpsuit. She had loaded a profile onto her screen, showing a picture of a certain being as well as several statistics S.H.I.E.L.D. had collected about him. "Impossible Man," she said. "Resident of the planet Poppup. Has visited Earth on several occasions, causing phenomena that defy physics and reality. Able to manipulate matter, shapeshift, and transport people from one location to another by means of teleportation." Johnson looked up at Fury. "There's no real pattern to his visits. Documentation suggests he visits our planet for…entertainment."

"Good work, Agent Johnson," Fury replied. "Which leaves us with this question: WHY would Impossible Man want to break out Graviton?"

"For his own amusement?" Johnson suggested.

"You think the destruction of Times Square was some kind of JOKE?"

"I don't," Johnson asserted. "But he would."

The doors to the main room opened; a rather awestruck-looking young man, dark of skin and hair, clothed in a standard blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, entered. "Director Fury…" he began, but was unable to continue.

"WHAT is it, Agent Wilson?" Fury barked. "PLEASE tell me you came here for some other reason than to waste my time!"

"You're not gonna believe this, Director Fury," Sam Wilson said shakily. "A dead guy just boarded the helicarrier with the Latverian dictator."

"A dead man?" Fury repeated. "Agent Wilson, I order you to start making sense – "

Fury's own speech left him when Osborn walked into the room, Doom close behind. "I wouldn't be too hard on him," Osborn told Fury. "After all, I did put on a convincing performance."

"Norman Osborn," Fury said softly. Then, in a louder tone, "Well, to Agent Wilson's credit, you are listed as legally deceased. You'd better have a good reason for that."

"After the Green Goblin fiasco, I needed time and space to myself," Osborn explained. "After all, escaping the temptation of globulin green isn't easy. I cut myself off from the entire world to remove the pressure. As of today, I can safely say I'm clean. The globulin and the Goblin are things of the past. But now that I can appear in public again, there's a matter that Dr. Doom and I have an urgent need to discuss with S.H.I.E.L.D."

Fury nodded. As stained as their records were, both men had such high positions of power that they were allowed past certain levels of S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance, which was to say both were allowed on the helicarrier. Fury owed a lot to both of them, and he knew it. "Well, make it quick," Fury said.

"I'm afraid it isn't a matter that can be discussed quickly," Doom pointed out. "It concerns the very leadership structure of S.H.I.E.L.D."

A hush fell over the room. All eyes were on Doom. Osborn quickly drew attention to himself: "During the incident in which the Skrull army invaded Earth and compromised S.H.I.E.L.D., which I believe you refer to as the 'Secret Invasion,' you, Director Fury, stepped down and left S.H.I.E.L.D. in the care of Agent Hill. Not only was your organization infiltrated by militant Skrull, but you never produced a successful countermeasure. Dr. Doom and I were aware of the Skrull invasion due to the discovery of some of our own replaced by Skrulls. Key Latverian civilians and some of my employees." This was a lie. Both had been compromised by Skrulls, it was true, but Osborn had been tipped off to the Skrulls' existence by Doom, and Doom had been tipped off by Loki. "We came together to develop a technology that could track Skrulls and reveal who was human and who was not. Doom delivered this tracker to Tony Stark, and he in turn delivered it to you. It was because of that that the Secret Invasion was thwarted." That part was true, and Fury knew it as well as Osborn.

"It has not escaped the two of us that we performed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s duty in the world's time of need when S.H.I.E.L.D. itself failed to do so," Doom picked up. "As a Latverian, I have no right to dictate America's agencies. But in this circumstance, I believe that Mr. Osborn's actions, along with his American citizenship, qualify him for Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

There was one gasp: Johnson. She quickly ducked her head to avoid attention.

"And does Mr. Osborn also think he deserves to be Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. more than I do?" Fury asked condescendingly.

"As a matter of fact," Osborn said, "yes."

"A known terrorist," Fury reiterated, "and a man who used to go by 'Big Man of Crime,' laying a claim to MY position. Is this some kind of goddamn joke?"

"As I said," Osborn, "the Green Goblin is in my past."

"You're expecting me to buy that the globulin was one hundred percent responsible for your mental state as well as your physical?" Fury retorted.

"It dulled my comprehension and logic abilities," Osborn retaliated. Lies, of course. Goblin was Osborn's creation, not the globulin's.

"With all due respect, Director Fury," Hill interrupted, "we do owe the victory of the Secret Invasion to Mr. Osborn." She paused. "And Dr. Doom."

Agents began to whisper to one another.

"They protected our world," Hill went on. "They basically saved us all. Without Osborn, we wouldn't HAVE a S.H.I.E.L.D."

The whispering intensified. Fury bristled. "So what are you suggesting?" he snapped.

"Simply that we settle this the democratic way," Osborn replied. "We put it to a vote."

"The man who protected America in its hour of need with his brilliant mind and quick thinking," Doom posed, "or the runaway who advocates for anti-mutant prejudice and deception of the public. It's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s choice."

* * *

The Avengers team and the six Equestrians moved as one from the dining room to the television room. They chattered with each other as they began to pull furniture from all over the room to face the television.

"So basically," Jan told Pinkie Pie, "I decided to put the fun back into fighting crime."

"ANYTHING can be made into fun!" Pinkie Pie agreed.

"We tend to think of such things as commonplace in Asgard," Thor told Twilight. "But I suppose you are right. My control over weather is indeed magic."

"I'm a little jealous," Twilight admitted, "but then again, you are a god."

"Well, what I was really wondering," Rainbow Dash asked Tony, "is…can I see some of the suits?"

"So long as you promise to look and not touch," Tony replied. "My workspace is down the third hall to the right of…"

"Pardon my askin'," Applejack inquired of Steve, "but when ya woke up from that ice…was it cold?"

"Oh, believe me," Steve laughed, "I was freezing!"

"My REAL talent lies in fashion," Rarity informed Clint. "In fact, I've thought of a few designs I'd like to put together here for our next mission out."

"Good," said Clint. "Then you can tell everyone else that purple isn't stupid or sissy."

"I still think you should stick to black!" Yellowjacket jeered at Clint.

"Oh, don't listen to him, darling," Rarity reassured Clint. "Yellow is a striking color, but purple! Why, it's the color of royalty! It suggests elegance!"

Fluttershy and the Hulk were the first to sit, on the couch in the very center of the room. They waited there in silence as the conversations went on around them, content just to listen. Then Fluttershy's sense of obligation caught up to her, and she cleared her throat. "Um…excuse me, Mr. Hulk?"

"What do you want?" the Hulk growled.

"I just wanted to thank you for letting us stay," Fluttershy said sincerely.

"Hmph." After a pause, the Hulk finally replied, "You're welcome."

"Okay, two minutes!" Jan yelled, and the furniture was all shoved into place. Everyone took a seat, either on the floor or on furniture, except for Vision, who stood behind the couch as if standing at attention for an investigation.

As the show began, Carol started trying to catch all the newcomers up. "So there are basically two sets of characters," she said. "The upper class family and the servants. Last episode, the upper class family's youngest daughter ran away with the chauffeur…"

"I'm not following a word of this," Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath so Carol couldn't hear.

T'Challa, who was seated to Rainbow Dash's left, leaned in to whisper to her, "Nor am I." The pair exchanged a short glance, a slight smile of amusement, before tuning out Carol's long-winded exposition.

* * *

After the show ended, those watching the room left in a trickle. First Steve, wanting to "call it an early night." Then Twilight for the guest rooms, wanting to catch up on her sleep as well. The others watched what followed – several episodes of detective shows – until they tired. Tony got bored with it and made his way to his room, doubling back when he thought no one was working to reach his workspace. Applejack realized she was quite drowsy and left as well.

Soon it was only Jan, Fluttershy, and the Hulk sharing the central couch, watching a troubled detective try and piece together clues. Fluttershy wondered if she could piece together the solution before the character, but the more she thought about it, the more her thoughts became hazy, and her eyelids drooped. She dropped off to sleep right between Jan and the Hulk, right there on the couch.

* * *

Fury stood before the entire population of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, looking over them all with his good eye, knowing he had to deliver the truth.

"You all cast your votes," he said. "They were tallied. And you almost unanimously voted for my replacement with Norman Osborn."

Osborn, standing slightly to the side of Fury, nodded. Even through the armor, the various agents could tell Doom was pleased as well.

"Then it's my obligation," Fury concluded, "to step down as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." He practically hissed the next words: "So everybody welcome Director Norman Osborn."

He then literally stepped down – away from the front of the room. Osborn took his place. One agent began to clap. Then the entire room was filled with applause, from all but six people: Fury and the five who'd voted for him.

As Fury passed Hill, he noted her quiet applause. "Agent Hill?"

"My apologies, Director Fury," Hill said, "but he was there for us when you fell short."

"I understand," Fury snapped before storming out of the room, through the doors, down the hall.

"DIRECTOR FURY!" a female voice cried out from behind him. Fury turned to see four people standing some ways behind him, in front of the closed door. Between Wilson and Johnson were two women. One, the one who'd spoken, was blonde and pale, clothed in a pale blue leotard striped with white, baring her legs but covering her arms in long, sweeping sleeves. A black mask covered her eyes. Bobbi Morse, codename: Mockingbird. The other was a redhead woman wearing a tight black jumpsuit. Natasha Romanoff.

"For what it's worth, Director Fury," Morse said plaintively, "we all voted for you."

"Osborn has no place here," Natasha seethed.

"Your sympathy doesn't mean a DAMN thing," Fury replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has spoken, and if you think this isn't fair, you're forgetting what our mission was in the first place. We protect the homeland. Osborn did, and I failed. So you're going to put on a smile and address Mr. Osborn as Director. From here on out, I am AGENT Fury, understand?"

"But Director – " Natasha attempted.

"AGENT!" Fury snapped before turning on his heel and storming away.

That left Johnson, Wilson, Morse, and Natasha standing in isolation in the hall. After a moment, Natasha said, "I'm going to the Avengers."

"You have to," Wilson agreed. "WE have to."

"And we're bringing him," Natasha decided.

"Wait," Johnson said sternly. "We were ordered directly not to let the Avengers know of his existence."

"By Director Fury," Natasha pointed out. "Who just told us that he's not the Director anymore. And I doubt Director Osborn knows the protocol surrounding that particular issue. If anyone can talk Tony Stark and Steve Rogers in particular into paying attention to this…it's him."

"Then let's go!" Wilson insisted.

"I think Morse, Wilson, and I should stay here so Osborn doesn't suspect anything," Johnson suggested. "If everyone who he gets the feeling disagrees with him disappears at the same time…"

"But…" Wilson protested.

"But what?" Natasha asked.

"But…I've always wanted to meet the Avengers in person," Wilson said softly. "Kinda silly, I know, but…"

"Well, ONE more missing agent won't make as big of a difference, I guess," Natasha relented.

"You mean it?" Wilson beamed.

"You and I leave tomorrow," Natasha told him. "With him."

"We have to tell him," Morse pointed out.

The four agents turned to make their way back to the main room, to find the fifth person who had voted to keep Fury in the lead, and to inform him of their intentions.

* * *

Fluttershy awoke with a start. The room was dark but for the television, which was still playing a detective show, from the looks of it. Fluttershy wondered what time it was and how long she'd been asleep on the couch.

Looking to her right, she was startled. Beside her sat a man she hadn't seen before. His skin was pale; his hair dark and slightly curly. He wore nothing but a pair of baggy purple pants, which seemed familiar, though Fluttershy's groggy instincts couldn't tell her why.

"Oh…you're awake," the man said with an awkward smile. "I didn't want to bother you, so I let you sleep." He turned his eyes toward the television. "I always did like the mysteries. I used to dream about being a detective myself, once."

"What time is it?" Fluttershy asked.

"Just midnight," the stranger said. "It's not that late, especially considering that Tony's probably still awake."

"Pardon me," Fluttershy then asked, "but who are you? I don't think we met."

"Well…we sort of did," the man said. He put out his right hand, and Fluttershy grasped it tentatively. As they shook hands, the man said, "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner. You met…well…the other guy that lives in here." He let go of Fluttershy's hand to point to his head. "You know. The…green one."

"Oh!" Fluttershy realized.

"We have sort of a trade-off arrangement for living in the mansion," Banner went on. "He lets me out more often when we're not on a mission. He likes you, you know. You don't…well, 'intimidate' isn't the word. He doesn't think you're as judgmental, I guess."

"Does he think my friends are judgmental?" Fluttershy asked with concern.

"He's kind of a pessimist about that," Banner explained. "I'm trying to explain to him that none of your friends are afraid of him."

"If I can ask," Fluttershy went on, "what do you think? About us staying here, I mean."

"It's kind of funny," Banner said with a slight laugh. "A while ago, I would have been, well, uncomfortable having this many people around. But now, I think it'll be good to have more company. The six of you already get along great with the team."

"I hear you're really smart," Fluttershy told Banner. "So is Twilight. You should talk to her."

"I'll be around more often," Banner confirmed with a nod. "I do better when things are calmer. The other guy comes out more often when there's more of a…situation. I'd like to be able to talk to Twilight about what she studies. Magic, right?"

"Right," Fluttershy confirmed. "She treats it like a science."

"That would turn Tony and Thor on their heads," Banner pointed out. "Anyway, you're probably tired. You should head up to your room for the night."

"What about you?" Fluttershy asked.

"This is the first time I've been out today since Graviton," Banner told her. "I'm going to stay up to finish one more episode."

"Can I finish it with you?" Fluttershy asked.

Banner smiled. "Sure."

* * *

Across the many screens of his great switchboard, Impossible Man looked over the footage. Rarity and Clint competing. Crouch calling out Osborn. Pinkie Pie greeting Jan and Yellowjacket. Osborn and Doom conversing. T'Challa entering the threshold of Avengers Mansion. Crouch and Frost joining hands. Twilight expressing doubts to Carol. Namor speaking to Crouch in private. Vision scrubbing plates. Blackheart snapping his chains. The Avengers and Equestrians at dinner. Osborn taking the Director's position.

It was all perfect, too perfect, he thought, as he cut it together into a montage of scenes. He couldn't help but laugh, long and loud.

* * *

Within the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, there was a conference room tucked out of the way, with a round table. All the lights in the room had been turned off but for one, that hung directly above the table, illuminating it. Seven chairs were arranged around the table; six were occupied.

Crouch thought the lighting was ridiculous. It could only have been done for dramatic effect. Then again, several of the people at the table had a flair for the dramatic.

Crouch himself occupied one seat. He looked around at the other occupants: Director Norman Osborn. Victor von Doom. Emma Frost. Namor. Blackheart. Their expressions ranged from content (Frost) to concerned (Namor) to apparently incredibly entertained (Blackheart). But all were silent. They were waiting for the seventh seat to be filled.

A rush of darkness erupted in one corner of the room – a portal. Out of it strode the one they'd waited for. In all his finery, carrying his spear, Loki approached the table, sitting in the empty seat.

"I hereby call to order," he said, almost laughing, "the first meeting of the H.A.M.M.E.R. Cabal."

* * *

Chapter 65

· This is one of the few chapters where, again, I knew what the title was going to be before I started writing it.

· You can probably tell that my Hawkeye is distinctly AEMH as opposed to MCU. That one's more fun. Actually, the rest of the Avengers team I introduce here, I filled in from AEMH. I'm a little sad that they won't be including Black Panther (apparently) in the MCU and also afraid they'll screw up Wasp, because I love both of them a LOT.

· Using Doombots is complicated because I read that they're supposed to be EXACT doubles of Doom, but it would have ruined the scene if Osborn and Crouch couldn't tell who the real Doom was.

· Yellowjacket is taken from the unresolved storyline from S2 of AEMH and will be the version I'm using for Hank Pym. He refuses to go by that name, BTW, because of how he claimed "Hank Pym is dead" in-series. And you know when I find an unresolved thread, I have to resolve it…

· The version of Emma Frost I'm using is based on X-Men First Class, but as of now, we don't know where she ended up during the present timeline. This is probably going to become AU as of Days of Future Past, but GAvillain let me know that in this timeline, by comic canon, she'd be co-leading the X-Men with Cyclops. But of course Cyclops is dead by the film canon (yes, I'm counting X3 as canon whether you like it or not…but this doesn't mean that any of those deaths are permanent, as Marvel never keeps them permanent anyway). And Magneto is no longer an option because he'd been stripped of his mutant powers by the end of X3 (like I'm going to keep THAT state forever either). Basically, I had to kind of come up with some stuff on the fly based on that.

· When I wrote the scene between Frost and Crouch, I realized how much chemistry they had. And I intended to ship it. But then dialogue between Crouch and Namor got weird, and then Crouch ended up thinking Blackheart's eyes were pretty. So I guess right now, I ship Crouch with everyone in Cabal.

· As of AEMH and the comic book canon (I look this stuff up when I need to), T'Challa/Panther is in Wakanda a lot carrying out royal duty. I wanted to definitely confirm that he'd be with the Avengers this time around and that Wakanda was okay without him present for the time being. Also, it bugs me that he doesn't have a last name.

· The only Namor experience I have is from Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. Just so you know.

· So you now know I'm doing an abridged version of Dark Reign. And you've noticed I not only added Barty Crouch for crossover goodness, but I replaced Hood with Blackheart outright. This is for two reasons. One is that I have no experience with Hood. The other is that I really love Blackheart. I read that Cabal was chosen because most of the members had ties to a certain population – Loki to Asgardians, Frost to mutants, Namor to Atlanteans. Hood's connection was to the criminal underworld. I find it more fitting that Osborn and Loki would want someone connected to the ACTUAL Underworld. I added the throwaway line from Discord about "If I wasn't here" to kind of say that yes, without the crossover interference, they would have picked up Hood instead…but I'm also making the implication, which I'm sure isn't canon, that Cabal would have wanted Blackheart instead of Hood in the first place and couldn't get him.

· My versions of Blackheart and Mephisto are STRICTLY the ones from the live action Ghost Rider film. Because those versions are great. I can't take any other version of either of them seriously. And I love Wes Bentley.

· The idea of chaining Blackheart to the floor on a pentacle comes from the "Marvel Ultimate Alliance" game, which also showed me how to basically design Mephisto's Realm (though I do make his palace more of a complete building here).

· Obviously this is post-film; I didn't want Blackheart to be bogged down in unnecessary PTSD, so, given that he's a demon with a strong constitution, I kind of just said he "got over" the Penance Stare of all the sinners within him when he was Legion. And honestly, I think for him, it would be easy to get over. Not for any human being, but for a son of a devil? Yes.

· What to take away from Discord and Mephisto's conversation: there is more than one Devil. Devils and angels in their purest form are actually Old Ones; the Heaven/Hell thing was something the Underworld structure made up. Yes, I realize I am giving Hades a CRAPTON of power here. (Also, wanna guess what happened to "Cherny" or who "Infernal" is? Your first guess on each count is probably right.)

· The mental imagery of Vision doing the dishes just came into my head and was too amusing to not do.

· I realize I shifted power in S.H.I.E.L.D. INCREDIBLY quickly. I didn't know how else to move the story along.

· I can't believe I actually wrote feels for Nick Fury. I HATE Nick Fury. I also once hated Maria Hill, and she came off being just as much of a bitch as I used to perceive her, so that's nice.

· I picked Downton Abbey for the heroes' bonding activity for a couple reasons. The image of Fluttershy waking up on the couch next to Banner was one that had been in my head for a while, so I had to set up for it. I also know that Downton Abbey exists as fiction in the Marvel universe because of IM3. And, to boot, I'm a Downton addict myself.

· The five people who voted for Fury as Director are incidentally the five S.H.I.E.L.D. agents outside of Fury and Hill whose names I actually know. No, I don't watch "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."…I don't really feel like investing my time in a series about one of my least favorite fictional organizations without having the regular superhero and villain roster there to balance it out. Maybe someday, though. And if/when that day comes, I can name you more agents.

· I know Quake and Mockingbird from AEMH and Sam Wilson from Avengers Assemble. Make of that last one what you will…


	66. Amora the Enchantress

66. Amora the Enchantress

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

Around the table, the seven members of the Cabal discussed the deeds to be done.

"It will give the public a reason to trust us," Osborn said. "As well as turning them against people who stand as certain obstacles. It should be made top priority."

"If we're going to do this," Loki said, "I'm certain we'll need…"

He stated a name.

"Impossible," Namor replied immediately. "Even I heard what became of her. We can't – "

"We won't," Loki insisted. "We're just going to let my brother do the dirty work. After all, the very powers that can bring her back are now on his side. All we need to do is lure her to them, and he will follow. He won't be able to resist taking the bait."

* * *

Tony watched several robotic arms piece together the skeleton of a suit of armor in the center of his work area, a room mostly decked out in flawless white and silver. "J.A.R.V.I.S.," he asked, "can I see a schematic for the final?"

A computer screen before him flashed, showing a diagram of what the armor would become.

Tony grunted in disgust. "Yeah. That's not gonna work. I'm thinking more…streamlined. That's the word. And black. This one's gonna need to be black."

He was soon alerted to footsteps, two pair, approaching. Steve and Rainbow Dash entered the room. "Bad time?" Steve asked.

"Nah," Tony replied.

Steve looked from Tony to the armor and then back. "How…long…have you been working on that?"

"Well, I came up with the concept yesterday – "

"I mean how much SLEEP did you get?"

"Enough."

"You…slept at your desk."

"Don't knock it till you try it, Steve."

Steve cleared his throat. "Anyway, Rainbow Dash was wondering if she could see the gallery. Or at least the part of it that's stored here."

"I guess I could take a break," Tony admitted, stepping away from the computer terminal. "Prepare to be amazed."

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh," Rainbow Dash said softly.

Tony led her and Steve down an adjacent hall; several suits of armor, all variations of what Tony had worn in Times Square but with varying shapes and colors, were stored behind glass. "This is so AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash squealed.

"And this is only half the collection," Tony told her. "The rest is at my personal abode. Now we're getting into the specialty armors."

The suits began to look less like the standard Iron Man suit and displayed more variety. Particularly striking was an ensemble modeled off a jumpsuit that was white from the chest up and red downwards, with red plates that resembled feathers built into the arms. Rainbow Dash lingered in front of that one for a while before moving on.

"I so wish I had one of these!" she gushed.

"You know, Tony," Steve pointed out, "you've made WAY more of these than you can wear."

"No," Tony said.

"So you're going to keep all these for yourself," Steve countered.

"No," Tony replied. He pointed to one suit, a silver variant of the Iron Man template. "That one belongs to Rhodes."

"It's okay," Rainbow Dash said. "Just LOOKING at these is awesome enough! How'd you get the idea to start doing this, anyway?"

"Well, as a lot of people like to say," Tony answered, "it happened in a cave with a box of scraps. I was in a tight situation, and I got out of it by designing one of these."

"Don't tell Rarity," Rainbow Dash said, "but these are WAY cooler than her frilly designs."

"Don't worry," Tony replied. "I'm not going to set off the diva. I'm pretty sure nobody wants to deal with that."

"I bet you could build ANYTHING!" Rainbow Dash gushed.

The voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. piped in over the intercom. "There are two visitors to see you in the entryway. Natasha Romanoff and Agent Sam Wilson of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"What now?" Tony sighed.

"Why would Natasha bring another agent into the mansion?" Steve wondered out loud.

"I dunno," Rainbow Dash said, "but it's probably important!" She began to run, then turned and looked back at Steve and Tony. "Are you guys COMING, or what?"

"Right behind you," Steve promised, and Rainbow Dash rushed ahead. He turned to face Tony. "Are you sure you're doing all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Tony replied.

"Because you're staying up all night making more suits than you could possibly wear," Steve pointed out.

"If you're implying I'm getting too stressed out for the job…" Tony said sternly.

"I wasn't saying that," Steve replied. "I just…if there's anything I can do…"

"I'm fine," Tony asserted. "Trust me. If I need help, you're gonna be the first person I call, okay?"

Steve nodded. "Okay. I'm just worried about you, I guess."

"Why don't we worry about why two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came practically breaking down our door instead, Steve?"

* * *

Wilson looked around the atrium of the mansion in awe. "So this is Avengers Mansion!" he gushed.

"It's just the front hall," Natasha corrected, "but yeah, I guess that's correct."

"It's just as beautiful as I thought it would be!" Wilson went on.

Tony, Steve, and Rainbow Dash entered the hall. "Natasha!" Steve cried.

"Wait, so that's Black Widow?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes," Steve confirmed, "and that's…"

"Agent Sam Wilson!" Wilson finished, stepping forward to shake Steve's hand. "Longtime fan of the Avengers."

"Okay, let's just get to the chase here," Tony interrupted. "WHY did you two come here? Because, let's face it, whenever you decide to get involved, Natasha, that doesn't mean good news."

"I'd rather discuss this with everyone," Natasha stated. She looked directly at Rainbow Dash. "You were one of the women that took down Graviton?"

"Heh, that's me!" Rainbow Dash bragged.

"Is it all right if they listen?" Steve asked Natasha. "They did come here to help."

Natasha nodded. "If you trust them, I trust them."

"I'll have J.A.R.V.I.S. call everyone up to the situation room," Tony announced.

* * *

The situation room was dark, with a circular projection table, the only source of light, at its center. All of the Avengers present in the mansion were gathered around it, along with the six Equestrians.

"I was ALMOST finished with the new outfits," Rarity grumbled. "If they could have just given me a little more time…"

"Kiiiiiinda need to switch priorities right now," Clint advised her.

Natasha and Wilson approached the table. "There's been an upset at S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha explained. "Director Fury was voted out of office."

"Wait, WHAT?" Tony reacted.

"You're kidding, right?" Clint asked.

Natasha shook her head. "I don't know how else to put it. And the problem comes with the person who replaced him."

"What happened?" Carol asked.

"Norman Osborn and Victor von Doom are cashing in on the fact that they developed the technology that stopped the Secret Invasion in its tracks," Natasha explained. "Osborn sweet-talked the majority of our agents into voting him into the Director's chair."

"Hang on," Tony interrupted. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is being run by NORMAN OSBORN. GREEN GOBLIN Norman Osborn. BIG MAN OF CRIME Norman Osborn."

"He says he's reformed," Wilson explained.

"Yeah, right!" Jan scoffed.

"Um…I'm lost," Rainbow Dash said.

J.A.R.V.I.S. took a moment to interrupt. "A third S.H.I.E.L.D. agent has arrived."

"Send him up," Natasha commanded.

"Um, excuse me?" Tony snapped. "Did you just tell my AI assistant to – "

"Just send him up," Natasha repeated.

"Norman Osborn's a weird case," Yellowjacket explained. "He was one of the richest and most powerful guys in the country. Came up with some real innovations in science. Problem is…he had a big criminal record of his own."

"There were reports of several of New York's most infamous criminals being linked to OsCorp, which he ran," Steve continued. "His top scientist, Otto Octavius, was one of the most destructive after he lost his wife, but Octavius actually sacrificed himself to stop a tritium explosion from destroying the city. On the other hand, we can trace criminals like Vulture, Sandman, Rhino, Kraven, Mysterio, Shocker, and Electro back to him in one way or another. And all of them are bad news."

"But he's most famous for being known as the Big Man of Crime," Banner picked up. "He went by the name 'Green Goblin' and took over the criminal underworld. I'm not talking about big independent operators like Loki or von Doom. But pretty much every thief and murderer on the low ranks worked under Osborn."

"So how's a guy like that get put in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Applejack asked.

"He developed technology that helped us stave off a bigger threat," Steve answered. "We were invaded by an alien race called the Skrulls. Shapeshifters. They took on our identities and used them to infiltrate the planet. Osborn and Doom figured out how to track them and gave that technology to the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D."

"To be fair," T'Challa pointed out, "Osborn has done much good."

"Maybe he just needs a second chance," Twilight suggested.

"There's also the fact that he was supposed to be DEAD," Tony pointed out.

"All reports claimed Norman Osborn deceased after combat with local hero Spider-Man," Vision confirmed.

"Another shapeshifter?" Twilight guessed.

"Possible," Natasha said. "But – "

"I'm actually puttin' my money on Discord here," Applejack interrupted. "I'll lay a hundred bits sayin' Discord pulled him out of the Underworld."

"Am I missing something here?" Natasha asked.

"They have a nemesis with the power to resurrect people," Steve told her.

"I have a feeling there's a MUCH longer story here…" Natasha sighed. "But it can wait. No…I think Osborn's pulling a scheme on us. He wanted us to think he was dead so he could turn the public further against Spider-Man and also give himself an opportunity to claim he had a 'clean slate.'"

"Is it truly possible for one to make the world think that one is dead in order to serve their purposes?" Thor asked.

"It's actually funny you should say that," Natasha said as the door to the situation room slid open.

"Hey," Wilson greeted as another agent walked in, clothed in an immaculate suit. His light brunette hair was thinning, showing off a lot of his pale forehead. His face seemed to be wrought into a state of worry.

"Wait…" Tony said. "No. NO. That is NOT."

"What is going on?" Thor barked.

"Apologies," the man said, approaching the table, "but there were certain reasons you weren't supposed to know I existed."

"Oh, I BET there were reasons," Tony growled.

Banner glared at the man, then looked away, breathing deeply so as not to become further angered.

"Lost again," Rainbow Dash said.

"When Loki was on the verge of enacting his master plan with the Chitauri army," Steve explained, "he killed Agent Phil Coulson, a personal friend to most of us. It was the death of Coulson that motivated us to band together and fight."

"And right now?" Tony concluded. "Phil Coulson is STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU."

"You…were supposed to be dead?" Twilight asked Coulson. Before he could answer, she cried, "CHANGELING!"

"Or Skrull!" Rainbow Dash growled.

"STOP," Natasha commanded. "He's…he's the real thing. We all knew."

"I didn't," Clint muttered.

"You were one of the people who was moved into action because of his death," Natasha told Clint. "Otherwise you would have been hindered by your own guilt helping Loki. We couldn't let you know."

"Director Fury thought that the best way to forge the Avengers into a collaborative force for good was to give them a common cause to fight for," Coulson explained. "They found me where Loki attacked me, and they were able to save me. But they kept it a secret from you and ordered all of S.H.I.E.L.D. never to let you know so that you'd fight together."

"Fury pulls something like this on us," Tony growled, "and you want us to stop HIM from being screwed over?"

"I'll admit what we did was wrong," Coulson said. "But you have to hear me out. Osborn is planning something. He wouldn't have waited this long after the Secret Invasion to make a move if he didn't have some kind of ulterior motive."

"Do you actually have any proof of that?" Steve asked.

"What other proof do I need than that he was the Green Goblin and he made himself out to be dead?" Coulson answered.

"I'm new to this," Twilight said, "but even I know we can't just attack the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. unless they did something bad while in that position. That could make S.H.I.E.L.D. into one of our enemies."

"That Agent Hill already doesn't like us," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"Maybe we should tell her we're sorry," Fluttershy suggested.

"But I'm NOT sorry!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "I mean, I don't want her to get hurt, but it doesn't sound like she will."

"Hill voted Osborn into power," Wilson pointed out.

"If it's a working system, and we can't prove it's corrupt," Twilight said, "we can't do anything. We'd look like the villains. We might even BE doing the wrong thing if it turns out Osborn isn't doing anything tricky!"

"Er, Twilight?" Rarity pointed out. "Remember how at your brother's wedding, you tried to tell us all Cadance was up to something, and none of us believed you? And then she turned out to be, well, Chrysalis the Changeling Queen?"

Twilight thought it over. "You're right," she muttered. "He MIGHT be up to something…"

"Might," Steve affirmed.

"Victor von Doom is with him," Coulson pointed out. "I don't see any reason you'd bring that guy anywhere if you weren't up to something."

"All the more reason not to attack, especially without provocation," T'Challa said. "An act against him could spark conflict against Latveria."

"If you're going to pick a fight against Dr. Doom," Banner concurred, "you're going to need a REALLY good reason. Has he done anything – "

"Not yet," Coulson admitted.

"But it's only a matter of time," Natasha asserted.

"We can't take that chance," Steve replied.

"They could legitimately be trying to turn things around," Twilight snapped, "and if you make them mad, they could act out just because you're treating them like monsters!"

"I don't trust Osborn and Doom any more than you two," Tony told Natasha and Coulson. "But I'm done playing Fury's lapdog if he's going to do THIS to me." He gestured toward Coulson. "Do you have any idea what we went through knowing you died?"

"Hang on," Applejack interrupted. "Now, don't be too hard on Phil just 'cause…"

"Just because he PRETENDED TO BE DEAD so his friends would fight for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Rainbow Dash countered.

"But it was Fury's idea!" Applejack practically snarled.

Steve looked at Coulson, and Coulson could sense the hurt within him from looking at his eyes. What he then said made sense to only the two of them: "That card wasn't even in your pocket, was it?"

Coulson could only reply, "No."

"So…we're seriously going to let NORMAN OSBORN and DR. DOOM run S.H.I.E.L.D.," Jan reiterated. "I don't care what they did or didn't do. I'm taking them down." She clenched her fists.

Carol put a hand over one of Jan's. "Don't ruin everything just because you're angry," she cautioned.

"IF WE COULD ALL STOP ARGUIN' FOR A SECOND – " Applejack attempted.

From outside, there sounded a great boom. Those within the situation room were struck silent. Then the screams began to sound from the streets.

"EVERYPONY NEEDS OUR HELP!" Pinkie Pie screamed, running out of the room.

"We'll finish talking about this later," Steve said hurriedly. "Right now, we have a situation."

"I'm coming with you," Natasha asserted. "Wilson, Coulson, you two wait here."

Coulson nodded while Wilson appeared disappointed. Everyone else except them ran from the room, pulling up hoods and masks.

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

She saw him appear before her, and it made her angry. He'd already thwarted her one too many times. This time, she would end him.

She didn't want to end him. Not inside, not really. Had they not been close allies, despite the things that often came between them? Despite…despite…whom had she loved, she wondered?

She didn't know. And the overwhelming desire not to care swept over her. The desire to hurt him rather than spare him.

Loki. The god who stood before her was named Loki. She couldn't remember who she had chased, the one whom had angered him, but it was somewhere in the back of her mind…

The thought was forced out. Loki had to be punished.

"I know what you want," he said. "Come and get me…demon queen."

Loki opened a portal of darkness and charged through it. She followed, bent on striking him down.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

When she came out on the other side of the portal, she couldn't see him. She stood on the roof of a building set within a bustling metropolis.

She'd been there before…

The memory was shoved aside.

There was only one thing to do if she wanted Loki wounded and captured – not killed; Ragnarok required a living Loki to play his part – and that was to take down the whole city.

So Amora began.

* * *

When the Avengers (plus six) arrived outside, the city was aflame. Creatures the color of lava, the size of well built humans but with pointed horns and beating, batlike wings, savaged everything they could find. Whatever they touched burst into fire.

"Demons!" Thor cried. "The minions of the fire god Surtr!"

"What are they doing HERE?" Wasp asked. She'd transferred into a different ensemble entirely, wearing a short, strapless dress of black and yellow with leggings and long gloves of the same color scheme. A yellow disk rested over each ear, with an antenna protruding from each.

Carol had also changed to become the entity known as Ms. Marvel. She wore a tight red leotard with long sleeves that joined with black gloves. A golden star was emblazoned on her chest. The leotard cut off at a point that showed the entirety of her legs, but she made up for that with long black boots. A black mask covered the upper half of her face. A short red cape billowed behind her.

Rarity sighed. "Was it too much to ask for the demons to WAIT until I'd finished our new ensembles?"

"Less complaining, more fighting!" Hawkeye cried. He'd taken Rarity's advice, changing into a tight violet suit that hid the upper half of his face in a pointed headdress (to Yellowjacket's incredible amusement). He rushed the nearest demon, loading his bow and shooting. The arrow hit its mark, sending a jolt of electricity packed into its point through the demon. The demon screeched and leapt away. Hawkeye drew another arrow, running toward a cluster of demons.

"Split up!" Captain America called out. "Find as many as you can and take them down!"

The group shattered, filtering through the streets.

Twilight slammed the base of her staff into the ground, causing a whirlwind of ice. The nearby demons all hissed, flying away from her frozen cyclone. Several of them spiraled upward into the air, vanishing.

Captain America's Vibranium shield spun through the air, knocking into seven demons before he caught it on the rebound and slammed the flat of it against an eighth.

Fluttershy found herself backed into a corner by a host of demons. "You…wouldn't want to rethink doing this, would you?" she suggested. "I'm sure you're all just very misunderstood – "

The demons didn't listen. They charged her full force, and took the full brunt of her retaliation. A fist to the face, a knee in the stomach. The katana was drawn, and each slash drained more energy from the flying creatures.

Banner watched this from a block away. "So you want to hurt her, then." The very thought enraged him. He was used to the process, no longer afraid – or at least as afraid as he once had been. He let the anger flow over him. His own consciousness receded as the Hulk took the foreground of his mind. His shirt burst open as his body grew, deepening into green, until the Hulk was fully transformed. His first act was to punch out a group of three demons with one fist. He grabbed the feet of one demon, flinging it into another.

Rainbow Dash had brought out her sword, swinging it at each demon that came near. "Don't make me bring out my BIG attack!" she taunted. The sword itself was doing well enough; the demons were falling back.

Iron Man blasted demon after demon with the rays installed in the hands of his armor.

"WOOHOOOOOO!" Pinkie Pie squealed, rapidly firing confetti and glitter from her twin pistols and knocking a legion of demons over.

Yellowjacket knocked down three demons in a row with his fists before deciding that wasn't enough. In a matter of moments, he grew to three times his original size, scooping up several demons into his hands. "Not so tough now," he taunted, "are you?"

Applejack's rope whip encircled four demons, binding them together, before she twirled them all above her head and then let them fly. They collided with the side of a building.

Wasp had shrunk to the size of her namesake, and small energy jets – bio-stingers – emitted from her hands again and again, striking the demons and causing them to hiss in pain. When they attempted to follow her, Black Widow unholstered a pistol and let loose on the creatures.

Black Panther leapt from the top of a booth to a theatre marquee, slashing five demons on his way. Atop the marquee, he seized another demon and slammed its head against the wall, knocking it out cold.

An entire legion of demons was blasted to the ground by a golden field of energy produced by Ms. Marvel, who levitated several yards off the ground. Almost too late, Ms. Marvel sensed a presence behind her; she turned to see a trio of demons about to attack her from behind. A red laser beam pierced all three demons, causing them to drop from the air. Ms. Marvel looked to the source of the beam to see Vision hovering nearby, looking quite pleased with himself. "Nice timing!" she called to him.

Thor's flight took him upward, above the tops of the skyscrapers. He looked down to see the majority of the demons being held back by his allies. He recalled the last time fire demons had plagued him in this majority. This was too familiar. He bristled at the thought of what he would find.

His blood ran cold. Just like last time, she was there. Amora the Enchantress, of golden hair, green eyes, and pale skin, dressed in a black ensemble that bared her sides, her shoulders, and much of her chest. A black headdress framed her hair. She hovered in place above the city, staring directly downward at the demons.

"AMORA!" Thor bellowed.

She turned to look at him. She remembered. For a moment, she wanted to stop it all, to call off the legions, to fly to him. Then that want was gone; it never lasted long. Her eyes glazed over, a bright white. "I came here to make your brother pay," she said with a smirk, "but I shall settle instead for you."

"My brother is dead," Thor informed her.

"Is he?" She smirked. "Is he really, Thor?"

The voice was hers. It came from her mouth. But Thor remembered what had happened to her the last time they had met. She had been possessed by the god Surtr, and Surtr had used her mouth to speak his words. As much as he wanted to believe he was speaking with the true Amora, he had to come to the jarring realization that he spoke with Surtr. And Surtr, he surmised, was either trying to catch him off guard with the implication that Loki was alive…or was in possession of knowledge Thor didn't have.

But there was no time to contemplate that. "LEAVE THIS CITY!" Thor bellowed.

"NOT UNTIL I HAVE DONE WHAT I CAME HERE TO DO!" Amora roared.

Thor raised Mjolnir, summoning the lightning from the sky. A dark cloud formed over him. At the same time, Amora gathered fire within her hands, creating a great sphere of it.

They let their attacks loose at the same time. The fire collided with the lightning, and though the resulting explosion's shockwave sent both Thor and Amora reeling, neither was struck. Amora charged up another attack, throwing a maelstrom of fire at Thor; Thor spun Mjolnir wildly in circles to attempt to deflect it, but when it collided, it hit hard, and he could feel the heat of it beginning to burn him. He raised Mjolnir a second time, calling down more lightning.

Amora closed her eyes, willing herself to be absolutely surrounded in fire. The flames forged into a sphere around her, pulsating. She prepared to let it fly before Thor could strike.

A sudden cold wind blasted her, dispelling the fire. From down below, Twilight had seen Thor dueling with an enemy in the sky, though from where she stood, she just thought it looked like a larger fire demon. Having cleared her area of demons – they'd gotten tired of being knocked back by her various spells, and vanished to who knows where – she turned her attention to giving Thor cover.

Amora was left wide open. The lightning directed through Mjolnir struck her hard. She screamed. She doubled over there in the sky, curling into a ball.

When the lightning abated, Thor flew to her side. "Amora," he said. "I know you are there, below Surtr's control! You must remember! You must fight!"

Amora looked at him with clear green eyes. "I…can't," she told him.

And then she vanished in a burst of flame.

Iron Man flew down the block where Rainbow Dash and Black Panther's paths had crossed. "My sector's clear," he announced.

"I think we flushed 'em out," Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"All the same," Black Panther said, "I would not let down our guard."

Thor descended before Twilight. "I must thank you," he said sincerely. "Without your intervention, I could not have bested Amora. Though…I wish I did not have the need to."

"Who's Amora?" Twilight asked, reading concern in Thor's tone.

"A fellow Asgardian," he answered. "I would like to say more, but perhaps it is best to wait until everyone is gathered so that I do not have to repeat the story."

"I think we cleared the demons out of the city," Twilight informed him. "We can probably meet back up at the mansion."

"The demons follow Amora," Thor clarified. "When I struck her and forced her away, the demons would have followed." He removed a small card, an identification card of sorts, from within his armor. He pressed down on one end and spoke to the card: "Avengers, assemble."

"It's like a signal!" Twilight realized.

"All Avengers carry one," Thor confirmed. "It is how we know when to gather. Come. We will return to the mansion at once."

* * *

Iron Man and Rainbow Dash were the last to arrive; a small crowd, thankful for the vanquishing of the fire demons, had followed them, and the pair was taking quite a lot of enjoyment out of waving, saying "You're welcome," and posing for photos.

"Not a publicity stunt, boys," Ms. Marvel snapped.

As each Avenger crossed the threshold of the Mansion, he or she unmasked, becoming a civilian again. All proceeded directly to the situation room, where Wilson and Coulson waited.

"What was it?" Wilson asked.

"Fire demons," Thor answered. "Minions of Surtr."

"Surtr," Twilight realized. "The fire god who lives in Muspelheim. I've heard a bit about him…and none of it is good."

"You are partly correct," Thor confirmed. He waited for everyone to ring the situation room table before continuing. "Only a short while ago, Surtr left Muspelheim for an undisclosed cosmic location. He took with him the Twilight Sword, which he means to use to bring Ragnarok onto the Nine Realms."

Clint barely had time to ask, "What's Rag – " before Twilight cried, "THE END OF THE WORLD?"

"THE END OF THE WORLD!" Pinkie Pie repeated, horrified, before letting out a high-pitched shriek.

"Not the end of the world," Thor corrected.

"It's not?" Twilight asked.

"Phew!" Pinkie Pie breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried for a minute there!"

"It is the end of several worlds," Thor clarified. "Perhaps even the universe."

Pinkie Pie screamed again.

"Amora was one of our greatest rivals," Thor went on. "An ally of Loki. But above all that, she is an Asgardian like myself. She wanted to prevent Ragnarok as much as we do. However, she has fallen into Surtr's hands, and he is using her as a tool to bring Ragnarok about. Through her, he channels the fire demons. She is not herself."

"He possessed her?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Thor confirmed. "Were it that I knew how to break her free, I would. Even though she was our enemy…she does not deserve this."

"Now, hang on a minute," Applejack said. "We had a real good friend back home get possessed by some sorta nightmare spirit after she got fed up. Our Elements were able to clear it right outta her and give her back her free will. You think the same thing would work on this Amora?"

"I do not know," Thor admitted. "Surtr's influence is powerful."

"Pleeeeaaaaase?" Pinkie Pie begged. "Can we at least please try?"

"To try and save Amora would be better than to watch the world end at her hands," T'Challa pointed out.

"I do not know that we can even find her," Thor pointed out. "Heimdall has not been able to locate Surtr."

"Heimdall…the guardian of the Bifrost, bridge to Asgard?" Twilight recalled.

"Pretty sure you spend way too much time reading," Tony teased.

"And yet she knows more about the situation than you because of it," Steve countered, lightly nudging Tony's arm.

"Well, we have to try somethin'," Applejack asserted. "Somethin' tells me that if we don't, Amora's gonna come back, and with more demons."

"And something tells me this is a trap," Coulson retorted.

"You know what?" Tony told Coulson. "I don't even want to hear it from you, okay? You already lied one too many times."

"Tony," Fluttershy said sternly.

"What?" Tony replied. "You expect me to just let it slide?"

Applejack sighed. "We can deal with this later. Right now, let's get the show on the road. Thor, you lead the way. We're gonna find Amora and get her back."

"All RIGHT!" Jan cheered.

"NO!" Rarity gasped. "NOT without the proper clothing! If you give me ten minutes, just ten minutes, I'll have them all finished!"

Before anyone could argue – and a good many wanted to – Rarity had taken off running for her room.

"You two can head back to the helicarrier for duty," Natasha told Wilson and Coulson. "I'm going with the Avengers."

Coulson nodded. "If it's worth anything, I'm sorry."

"Save it," Tony snapped.

"Um…actually…" Wilson said nervously. "I was wondering if I could go with you."

"Agent Wilson," Natasha cautioned, "this is an incredibly dangerous mission. Nothing like what you've seen before at S.H.I.E.L.D. Please leave this to us. We can handle it."

"I won't hold you back!" Wilson pleaded. "I promise! I just…it's not that I think I'm in the wrong place or I did the wrong thing. I just really admire the Avengers, and…I kinda wanna be on their end of saving the world! I wanna BE an Avenger! Just for a day?"

"I don't want to see you hurt," Steve told him. "No one does."

"So I won't get hurt," Wilson countered.

"The more, the merrier!" Pinkie Pie squealed, and Jan nodded in agreement. "You SHOULD come with us!"

"We could use the extra help," Applejack said.

"No offense, but you couldn't keep up," Tony told Wilson.

"Maybe not like he is NOW…" The wheels turned in Rainbow Dash's head. "Hey, Tony. What if you gave him one of your extra suits?"

"Lemme think about that." Tony posed in mock pensiveness. "NO."

"Not one of the official ones!" Rainbow Dash argued. "One of the OTHER awesome ones!"

"It's not like you're ever going to wear some of the specialty armor," Steve pointed out.

"For the last time – " Tony turned to face Wilson and deliver another "No." However, before he could get the word out, he was hit with the full force of Wilson's expression of disappointment. Sensing an opportunity, Pinkie Pie positioned herself behind Wilson, looking at Tony over his shoulder, and pouted dramatically.

"Damn," Tony muttered. At his usual volume, he said, "Fine. You can have a spare."

* * *

"Wow!" Wilson was stunned as he walked through Tony's auxiliary gallery. "And I can have any one of these I want?" He approached the display of the silver armor.

"Not War Machine," Tony insisted. "That one belongs to Rhodes!"

"How about this one?" Wilson stood before the armor with the red wings. "I can see myself in this!"

"Eh, why not?" Tony shrugged. "That's the Falcon unit."

"Falcon," Wilson repeated. "I like it! Hey, is it all right if you all call me Falcon in the field?"

"Heh, that makes you a pegasus in a way!" Rainbow Dash decided. "You're gonna look SO AWESOME in that!"

"Rainbow DASH!" Rarity stormed into the gallery. "THERE you are! Everypony else is suited up, and if you don't hurry, we're going to be late!" She threw a black and white jumpsuit at Rainbow Dash.

"Right," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Because if anypony's gonna make us late, it's me for not changing into the outfit you had to finish before we left." She trudged away, clutching the suit.

Tony and Wilson were left to look at Rarity's own clothing. She wore a royal blue longcoat that flared out over leggings of a matching color. The entire ensemble was patterned with sky-blue diamonds, and bracelets made of pink diamond-shaped beads were wound around Rarity's wrists and ankles. Similar beads were threaded through her hair. One large pink diamond was emblazoned on her chest, bordered in gold, and a royal blue mask covered the upper half of her face.

"Uh…that's…something," Tony commented.

"My, MY!" Rarity gasped upon viewing the various suits of armor. "These are lovely! Tony, my darling, you didn't tell me you designed!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sure Amora is just waiting for you to get done telling me how awesome I am," Tony snapped. "Can we just go already?"

* * *

The Avengers plus six Equestrians plus Sam "Falcon" Wilson and Natasha gathered in the atrium. Rarity had outfitted her five companions in new ensembles she thought were more fitting for the occasion. Applejack wore a red and green jumpsuit with a black undersuit that covered the lower half of her face; a black utility belt cinched the waist and black and red boots completed the picture. Pinkie Pie's suit was white with a pattern of lavender arrows pointing this way and that; its hood covered most of her hair. Rainbow Dash wore the black and white jumpsuit, a jagged black headband keeping her hair back. Twilight's suit was a deep maroon, with a sky blue chest plate in which a pink stone was set at center; she wore white boots adorned with small emblems of her Cutie Mark on her feet and a blue headpiece with golden goggles over her face. Finally, Fluttershy was decked out in a deep teal suit with a flower at her neck and a pattern of butterflies accenting the sleeves; a purple mask shielded the upper half of her face.

"Where did they get the beads and the other non-fabric stuff?" Clint wondered out loud.

"When Rarity began work this morning," Vision explained, "she drew up plans with her vision of how the clothes would work. She showed them to me in exchange for feedback. I improved her designs by giving her some materials I had collected for Twilight's headgear."

"And I just wasn't feeling the pink beads anymore," Jan added. "So I said she could have them."  
"So we're finally ready?" Yellowjacket snarked. "Anybody gotta check their lipstick?"

Rarity gasped and turned to make for the nearest bathroom. Clint placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please…don't," he advised.

"I'm going back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters," Coulson announced, stepping out into the entryway.

"Good," Tony snarled.

"Don't need liars like you anyway," the Hulk growled.

Steve attempted to put in his own word. "I just…I can't…" He shook his head. "Just go."

"Good luck," Coulson bid the others before opening the door to leave.

"Wait," Applejack said, running to his side. Softly, she said, "If ya did what ya had to do…don't feel bad, okay?"

Coulson just nodded before leaving.

Applejack sighed. "Okay, everypony. Let's move out."

"Avengers!" Steve cried to rally the group.

They marched outside.

"So…where are we going?" Twilight asked Thor.

"Where we can be heard," Thor answered.

"Heard?" Twilight asked. "By who?"

* * *

Just outside the city limits, in an open field, the group stood and looked skyward.

"HEIMDALL!" Thor bellowed. "I NEED YOU TO OPEN THE BIFROST! I BRING MANY TRAVELERS WITH ME, BUT ALL ARE TRUSTED FRIENDS! BRING US TO ASGARD, SO THAT WE MAY SPEAK WITH YOU!"

At first, nothing happened. After waiting a while, Rarity began: "Erm, was there supposed to be someone listening to – "

Then an immense beam of shimmering light poured down from the sky, engulfing the group. All feet were lifted off the ground, and a forceful pull drew the passengers of the light beam upwards.

Rarity screamed.

The light sucked them up into the sky, and then beyond, in less than a second.

* * *

THE BIFROST, ASGARD

When the light faded, Twilight got a good look around. She, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Ms. Marvel, Vision, and Falcon all stood in a great circular room with walls of gold. Wide windows set in the walls looked out upon a starry sky. In the center of the room stood a tall man, dark skinned and golden eyed, befitted in gleaming golden armor and a tall golden helmet that diverted into two prongs. This man turned to make eye contact with Thor, who nodded.

"Thank you, Heimdall," Thor greeted.

"I see you have brought your companions from the fighting force you call the Avengers," Heimdall replied. "Though I was not expecting the six bards in training to return."

"Let me guess," Twilight piped up. "Us." She gestured toward herself and the other Equestrians.

"This is them before – " Thor began.

"I know," Heimdall said.

"Of…course," Thor realized. "You would have been able to observe them at all times."

"Wait a minute!" Rainbow Dash realized. "You can see us ANYWHERE? ALL THE TIME? Do you know if we win?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight snapped. "Even if Heimdall could see the future, you can't have it spoiled for you! That could change the outcome and be dangerous!"

"But what if we win in the PAST of now?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It is not relevant," Heimdall told her. "The cosmic conflict in which you have been involved is too great to decisively say who will 'win.' There have been victories and defeats alike."

"Whoa…" Pinkie Pie interrupted from across the room. "You've GOTTA see this!"

Most of the group already knew what she was looking at, so paid her no mind. However, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, Vision, and Falcon ran to where she stood: in a large doorway that gave a view to the rainbow bridge of the Bifrost itself, a long and glimmering path that radiated with every color imaginable, all mixed in with each other, slightly translucent as though made of glass but obviously forged of something stronger and more magical. Across this path, the towers of Nebulapolis were visible.

"Whoa…" Twilight gasped.

"It is very aesthetically pleasing," Vision stated.

"Awesome…" Falcon breathed.

"GLITTERTASTIC!" Pinkie gushed.

"That's the real Asgard," Ms. Marvel stated. "Home of the gods."

"Of one pantheon of them, anyway," Twilight corrected.

"It's simply beautiful," Rarity stated.

"Hey, Heimdall," Iron Man said, causing all attention to be diverted to him. "We've got a situation. We're trying to track down Surtr so we can basically kick his ass and get Thor's crazy ex back."

"I will ask you not to speak of Amora in such a manner!" Thor gasped.

Heimdall sighed. "For many days, I have searched the cosmos for Surtr. He is beyond my sight. I have told Thor this many times."

"So…you don't know ANYTHING?" Pinkie Pie asked sadly.

"And we came up here for NOTHING?" Yellowjacket barked.

"However," Heimdall continued, "I did see Amora approach the city you call home in Midgard. I saw her leave. And I saw when she disappeared. Perhaps if you follow her, you can find where Surtr hides."

"GREAT!" Twilight squealed. "Can you draw us a map or something? Please?"

"I could," Heimdall confirmed, "if I had – "

"Here ya go!" Pinkie Pie handed him a scroll of blank parchment and a pen.

"Where did she even…" Ms. Marvel began.

"Don't question it," Applejack told her.

Heimdall carefully drew a diagram of the location of 616th Earth and its surrounding constellations before drawing the path Amora had taken through space. He handed it back to Twilight. "I hope this is what you desire," he said.

"Thank you so much," Twilight told him. "You have NO idea how helpful this is!"

"Yeah…problem." Iron Man leaned over Twilight's shoulder, pointing at the parchment. "That is WAY out there in space."

"I could try and contact Mar-Vell and see if he could transport us," Ms. Marvel suggested.

"The Bifrost can't just take us right down there?" Applejack asked.

"The Bifrost can only connect certain points of the nine realms," Thor told her.

"Bifrost schmifrost!" the Hulk grunted. "What good even is it?"

Heimdall glared at him, and the two were momentarily locked in an angry staring contest.

"This really isn't that big of a deal," Captain America tried to convince the others. "We just need to go back to Midgard – Earth – and find some kind of spaceship as quickly as we can. We could probably call in favors."

"Why do I get the feeling that a certain S.H.I.E.L.D. director wouldn't let us just get away with that?" Iron Man countered.

"We do not know that Director Osborn currently holds ill will toward us," Black Panther pointed out. "It is more of the other way around."

"Hang on," Twilight interrupted. "I…might know where we can get a ship on short notice."

"You don't mean…!" Rarity gasped.

"I know this'll be the first time we did something like this," Twilight told her, "but…it's not that big a deal, right? Anyway, we need to go back to 616th – I mean Midg – I mean Earth first."

"Heimdall," Thor asked, "can you grant our request?"

"Please?" Fluttershy asked.

Heimdall nodded. "I will transport you back to Midgard."

"And don't lose our map," Iron Man commanded Twilight.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

Osborn paced the main room of the helicarrier. "Of course," he said, "there are going to be some changes. Starting with our name." He held up a poster for all to see: a graphic of a hand wielding a hammer, with the letters "H.A.M.M.E.R." emblazoned above it.

"What does it stand for?" a voice piped up.

"It stands for the fact that we cannot be stopped," Osborn snapped, "and can crush all threats. Now, to continue. The first thing I want is for the Superhero Registration Act to be…repealed."

There were a few gasps in reply.

"No more information collection on the gifted," Osborn clarified. "This particularly applies to the mutants. I also want S.H.I.E.L.D. representatives to lobby for diplomatic talks with Atlantis."

Johnson leaned over to Morse. "He seems to be making progressive decisions…" she whispered.

"Maybe we misjudged him," Morse replied.

"I trust Osborn as far as I can throw him," Johnson hissed. Then she thought over her statement. "No. I trust Osborn as far as COULSON can throw him."

"…And I want to begin work on a new line of defense against outside threats," Osborn continued, unaware of the pair's chatter.

* * *

"Well," Twilight said, walking belowdecks, "this is the Starlight."

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy followed her. Then Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, Vision, and Falcon.

"It's not that big a deal," Rarity muttered to herself nervously. "Only the first time we've ever invited passengers aboard the ship…"

"I remember this ship!" Thor cried.

"So these are your digs," Hawkeye remarked, peering into each room they passed. "Nice."

"Eh," Iron Man commented. "Bit old-fashioned, don't you think?"

"That's just how we roll," Rainbow Dash replied.

"And you seriously expect me to believe you get to all these different worlds by sailing the seas on a boat," Iron Man continued.

"No," Twilight said sternly. "We don't. I'll show you."

The group filed into the control room. Twilight began to operate the computer controls. "I'm turning off the receptors that tune into the mist engine," she said, "and giving us full control over our direction. Now, I'll just take the map Heimdall drew…" She isolated a section of space on the main screen, one that matched the coordinates on Heimdall's map. "Plot our starting point…" 616th Earth glowed onscreen. "And draw out a course to where Amora disappeared." With some quick manipulation, she drew a line onscreen from 616th Earth to the point in space where Heimdall indicated Amora had gone. "And…go." She set the ship to move. It shuddered, then began its course. "We're heading for Amora, and hopefully where Surtr can be found."

"Well, that's a LITTLE more impressive," Iron Man observed, "but this control room could still be a LOT more streamlined. Personally, I would put a – "

"Iron Man," Captain America cautioned.

"So what happens now?" Wasp asked excitedly.

"Go up to the deck and see for yourself!" Pinkie Pie answered.

The group hustled up to the deck to see the ship rising out of the water, heading quickly into the atmosphere.

"I suggest we return belowdecks so that we have air to breathe," Black Panther broke in.

"The ship covers for that," Twilight told him.

"This is amazing!" Captain America gasped as the Starlight drew farther and farther away from 616th Earth.

"It's gonna be a long ride," Twilight explained. "Amora traveled a long way out."

"So you can all make yourselves at home!" Pinkie Pie cried.

"Well, yes," Rarity interrupted, "but please stay out of my bedroom. And don't break anything. Or touch anything that looks important. Or get anything dirty. Or…"

As Rarity listed dos and don'ts of traveling the Starlight, the group moved belowdecks again.

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

"So this is your engine," Iron Man said, looking at the mist engine.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie told him. "Sometimes it rattles and breaks down, and then I just have to give it a kick and it works!"

"Okay, stop, STOP," Iron Man groaned. "That almost physically hurt to hear. How do you put up with all this outdated tech?"

"It does fly," Wasp pointed out. "And it got them to a bunch of worlds!"

"Well, do you have any sort of communication radio?" Iron Man asked. "To link up to other spacecraft?"

Pinkie Pie gasped. "OHMYGOSH! We SHOULD have a radio to talk to other ships!"

"Have you met any other ships going through?" Wasp asked excitedly.

"Well…no," Pinkie Pie admitted. "But Twilight's brother and sister in law are on another ship with our friends Rapunzel and Eugene, and there are probably all sorts of other travelers out there who would be fun to talk to! OOH! And what if we had a radio that could play music through the WHOLE SHIP?"

"Y'know, I don't usually offer this," Iron Man said, "but I could hook you up with something like that."

"Oh yeah?" Wasp asked. "And what's in it for you?"

"Getting the name of Stark technology flown all over the universe," Iron Man admitted. He released the faceplate of his helmet so Wasp and Pinkie could see his grin.

"In your dreams," Wasp mocked.

"So please tell me the ship has rocket boosters or something," Iron Man went on.

"Nope!" Pinkie Pie insisted. "Just the engine!"

"You're killing me," Iron Man sighed. "You know that?"

"Come on, Pinkie," Wasp suggested. "Let's leave the buzzkill alone and go find something more fun to do."

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed. "Wanna see all the souvenirs I picked up from our last adventures?"

"You bet!"

The two women walked away laughing. Iron Man just glared disapprovingly at the engine before walking away in disgust.

He found his way to a small lounge room where Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Captain America, Hawkeye, the Hulk, and Falcon had gathered. Captain America was finishing a story: "And that's how Tony and Rhodes figured out how to make one of the most devastating attacks the iron suits could produce when Tony was completely drunk."

"Shoot, that's nothin'!" Applejack laughed. "You should hear 'bout some of the stuff Pinkie Pie comes up with after a few too many mugs of my family's signature cider."

"What, are we having fun at my expense?" Iron Man laughed, taking a seat. "I thought I was the only one allowed to do that. See, when this guy tells it, he always leaves out how awesome I am."

"You mean like how Applejack always tells the story wrong about how I became Ponyville's greatest superhero?" Rainbow Dash countered.

"See, I always make sure to leave IN the fact that we all pulled the wool over your eyes with that Mysterious Mare-Do-Well getup 'cause you got a big head," Applejack laughed. "Y'all ever wanna take Iron Man down a peg, you take one of his suits of armor, switch off wearin' it so it looks like one guy has all y'all's powers, and watch him go crazy tryin' to figure out which one of y'all suddenly got so much better than him at everything!"

"You did NOT do that," Hawkeye laughed.

"Oh, yes, we did!" Applejack confirmed. "Though it was more with a big purple hat and cape than with a suit of armor."

"How obnoxious did YOU get to deserve that?" Hawkeye asked Rainbow Dash.

"I mighta milked it a little bit," Rainbow Dash admitted. "Hey. By the way. Since we're all here. I…wanted to talk about something. Since we have time and all."

"What did you want to talk about?" Falcon asked.

"Well…do you think maybe you guys were a little too hard on that Coulson guy?" Rainbow Dash posed.

"He lied," the Hulk grunted.

"Losing him was…well…I don't know how to explain it, really," Captain America admitted. "Before I was frozen, back during the war, I lost my best friend. I didn't ever want to go through that again. But then we lost Coulson, and…we weren't even that close, but he was one of my biggest fans. I could always tell how much he respected me. He was…too innocent. To let get hurt. But it happened. And now…now we're finding out it was all just a setup to get us to work together."

"The guy went out on a limb for us," Iron Man added. "Didn't think he had it in him to go out on a limb to fake us out too."

"But he didn't," Applejack pointed out. "Not really. S.H.I.E.L.D. did that."

"He is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.," the Hulk growled. "S.H.I.E.L.D. always hurts us. They want me locked up."

"Did Coulson want you locked up?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Probably," the Hulk replied.

"No," Hawkeye asserted. "He didn't. Listen, I know the guy, and he wasn't down with the Registration act or anything. He always kept his toes in line, and he was a people pleaser. He wanted to carry out his duty to S.H.I.E.L.D. That meant a lot of times, he ended up siding with Fury on the tough issues. But he knew where to draw the line. He didn't think you or Dr. Banner were dangerous."

"He didn't think Banner was dangerous because he didn't think I'd get out," the Hulk countered. "They built a cell for me!"

"Now, that's not nice at all!" Fluttershy agreed. "But you heard Hawkeye say that Coulson sided with Fury. Fury was the one who built the cell. At least, I think that's how it works. Fury was also the one who told Coulson to pretend to be dead. It sounds like he really respected all of you, not just Captain America. And if you think about it…it probably means that staying in hiding and pretending to be dead was hard for him too. It probably hurt him a lot that he wasn't allowed to say anything to you."

"As somebody who was a S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalist," Falcon broke in, "they do some messed up stuff. But you can trace a lot of it back to Fury or Hill. A lot of us, we don't get a choice. We don't get a say. I never said we should build a cell for the Hulk on the helicarrier. And I didn't know anything about Coulson supposed to be dead until they told me not to bring it up unless I wanted to be terminated."

"You mean they would have - !" Fluttershy gasped.

"Fired!" Falcon corrected. "I mean fired!" He laughed. "Fury wouldn't KILL an agent!"

"Osborn, on the other hand?" Iron Man contrasted. "That guy's probably got blood all over his hands. The guys they linked him back to when they traced his actions as Green Goblin? Pretty much all of them are either dead or on lockdown."

"Anyway, I KNOW the plan wasn't Coulson's idea," Falcon said, "and I KNOW he didn't like it. He said so once. He didn't like to talk about it much, but the one time he did, he did say he wished they didn't have to do it."

"I think you're really mad at Director Fury," Fluttershy suggested, "and you're taking it out on Coulson."

"You could have a point," Captain America agreed. "I probably don't have to tell you that I've seen firsthand how people can be misled by their leaders."

"At least get his side of the story," Applejack suggested. "I hate to see y'all just throw away a good friend like that, especially at a time when y'all are gonna need each other."

Everyone present contemplated this in silence before Iron Man said, "We'll think on it."

* * *

"EVERYPONY!" Pinkie Pie ran up and down the halls. "EVERYPONYYYYY!"

"WE'RE AT THE PLACE!" Wasp yelled, following her. "THE PLACE WHERE AMORA DID THE THING!"

This dual siren call led everyone to the control room. Twilight and Thor stared at the screen.

"It lines up with the map that Heimdall drew," Thor confirmed, looking at the marker of the ship onscreen.

"Amora disappeared here," Twilight said, turning to the group at large. "And I'll bet anything here's where we can find Surtr."

The group ascended abovedecks to get a better view. The Starlight was pointed at a giant red nebula that swirled ominously against a backdrop of stars against the blackness.

"You'd think somebody would have noticed that before us," Iron Man pointed out.

"Aaaaaand Surtr officially loses at Hide and Seek," Hawkeye laughed.

"Straight ahead?" Twilight asked.

"Straight ahead," Thor and Captain America said in unison.

"I'll set the controls." Twilight turned to move belowdecks. Most followed. Thor and Rainbow Dash remained, staring at the nebula.

"I still don't get it," Rainbow Dash remarked. "Was she your enemy or your friend?"

"She's an enemy I would go to lengths to protect," Thor said. "Perhaps that does in fact make her my friend."

"Well, we're gonna save her," Rainbow Dash promised.

* * *

The Starlight drove directly into the center of the nebula. The surrounding space changed from red to deep black until a sudden light cleared the area. The ship touched down upon what felt to those onboard like a body of water. Rainbow Dash hurried to drop anchor while the others looked around. Had any of them ever seen Mephisto's Realm, they might have thought to draw a comparison; the ship rested inside a cavern of black stone that glowed faintly red.

"It seems Surtr has either found or constructed a smaller replica of his domain in Muspelheim," Thor observed.

"Uhhhh, everypony?" Rainbow Dash called over. "You're gonna wanna take a look at this."

The group gathered at the edge, looking down at where the ship had landed. They were not, in fact, anchored in a lake of water, but instead in a lake of lava that bubbled slowly; simply looking over the side sent a blast of heat into the face.

"How are we not burning up?" Yellowjacket asked.

"Magic, I suppose," Rarity theorized.

"How's THAT for old-fashioned!" Pinkie Pie cried, tapping Iron Man's helmet.

"Could still be better," Iron Man huffed. "I spent a little time recording and dissecting this ship's structure, and trust me, it still sucks. By the way, just so you know, I lost voice connection with J.A.R.V.I.S. We're too far out."

"Oh, come on!" Wasp groaned. "WE ARE FLOATING IN LAVA! THAT'S AWESOME!"

"And not the point," Thor asserted. "I wish to find Amora as quickly as possible. Lower the gangplank."

"No problem!" Applejack headed for the gangplank, aiming it over the edge.

"Nobody fall in, now," Yellowjacket teased.

"If you even try to fake like you're shoving one of us into the lava," Ms. Marvel growled, "I WILL throw you back on the ship and not let you come back out."

Thor took the lead position, walking toward a passage that led out of the cavern. The ensemble tread carefully down a sort of stone corridor until a light shone from ahead. Captain America looked around at everyone, putting a finger to his lips to signify that all should be quiet (and glaring rather hard at Yellowjacket, Hawkeye, and Pinkie Pie in that regard). Thor edged toward the end of the corridor, stopping at the side of the entryway into the next cavern. Then, he gingerly waved the others over so they could view what he saw.

The next cavern was monumental. Small rivers of lava ran across the stone floor. A great being, tall as a full size Titan, stood at a table proportionate to him against the far wall. In the room's darkness, lit only by the lava below and the torches on the wall, he appeared as little more than a gigantic shadow, but those observing could still tell that while his frame was mostly humanoid, he had two large bull horns instead of hair, a great reptilian tail, and a muscular figure. He was in the act of hammering some sort of metal object upon an anvil on the table. He raised a giant mallet and brought it down on the object again and again, each time with a metallic CLANG that boomed against the walls.

Thor gestured to the far wall. The great being stood between the group of heroes and another cavern passage; it was the only other visible diversion of path. "There is nowhere for Amora to be but there," Thor whispered.

"So what's the plan?" Iron Man whispered back.

"Twilight's our team strategist," Rarity pointed out just as quietly.

Twilight clenched her teeth, hissing, "I didn't plan for this situation in particular!"

"Well, Cap's our team strategist," Hawkeye informed.

"I don't know," Captain America admitted. "Thor, is that Surtr?"

"Yes," Thor whispered. "If he finds us, he will attack."

"Is he just an ordinary god?" Twilight asked.

Thor nodded.

"We can fight him," Rainbow Dash whispered.

"We have bested Loki before," Black Panther added, "and he was a god."

"Loki was a little smaller," Wasp whimpered.

"Can we sneak past without Surtr noticing?" Captain America asked Thor.

"Unlikely," Thor said.

"What if just some of us did," Twilight asked, "and some of us distracted him somehow?"

"If we get Surtr wrapped up in combat," Captain America suggested, "then Applejack and the others could go find Amora and fix her. Then, when they come back, we leave Surtr and run."

"And if he follows us?" the Hulk asked.

"I haven't gotten there yet," Captain America admitted.

"I still say we kick his ass," Iron Man broke in.

"We may be able to defeat Surtr in such a way that we can escape from him unharmed," Vision said. "There is a high probability we can knock him unconscious. He does not seem a bigger threat than Galactus, whom we have defeated."

"I also want to break away to join the search for Amora," Thor volunteered.

"Um, you're the only god on our team," Hawkeye protested. "You can't go."

"I will go to protect my fellow Asgardian!" Thor hissed.

"We can handle Surtr without him," Iron Man assured the others.

"You sure?" Falcon asked.

"Positive," Iron Man replied.

"When we have finished with Amora, I shall return to help you fend off Surtr and stop him from following us," Thor promised.

"Our Elements might even have enough juice left in 'em to help y'all out with that," Applejack stated.

"Once we leave," Thor said, "I will contact the other Asgardians and tell my father of Surtr's location. My father can defeat him for good."

"So we have a plan," Captain America said. "Everybody ready?"

"No," Fluttershy squeaked.

"He touches you," the Hulk told Fluttershy, "I rip his hand off."

"It's now or never," Captain America insisted. "On three – "

Thor didn't bother with the countdown. He ran out into the mammoth cavern, his footsteps masked by the hammering of Surtr's smithy.

"Go!" Captain America hissed, and the entire group moved out after their friend.

Surtr was soon made aware of the sound of multiple sets of tiny footsteps behind him. He set down his great mallet, turning to make his crimson skin and fanged mouth visible in the torchlight. When he beheld the group of heroes attempting to cross his forge room, he growled. His voice practically shook the walls: "NONE WILL PASS HERE!"

"Tony?" Captain America looked to Iron Man.

"What?" Iron Man replied.

"Now we can kick his ass," Captain America said with a wink. To the rest, he yelled, "HIT HIM WITH EVERYTHING!" Then he hurled his shield at Surtr's face.

Surtr reached up to deflect the Vibranium shield with his left hand; no sooner had he done so than a giant Yellowjacket had grabbed onto his wrists and was attempting to wrench them behind the fire god's back. Surtr's body burst into flame, causing Yellowjacket to let go and stagger back; Black Panther leapt through the air, having climbed up the forge table, and slashed at Surtr's face. Iron Man, Vision, and Ms. Marvel flew rings around the god's body, pelting him with constant beams of white-hot energy, gold plasma, and red laser light respectively. Surtr lunged at the airborne trio to try and knock them down; by that time, the Hulk had also climbed the forge table, and he leapt at Surtr, his fist striking the god's face and causing him to reel. The tiny Wasp careened past, zapping bio-stingers at Surtr's face.

"Am I doing this right?" Falcon asked, having flown a few feet aboveground in order to launch red, feather-shaped projectiles at Surtr.

"Better than Widow's doing!" Hawkeye teased, loading up his bow with arrows that exploded upon contact.

"I didn't think we'd actually be FIGHTING Surtr, okay?" Black Widow protested, drawing her pistols and charging at her impossibly large foe.

"They have him diverted!" Thor told Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. "We must hurry!"

The seven charged toward the opposite cavern opening while Surtr was kept busy with battle. "You think they'll be okay?" Rainbow Dash asked worriedly.

"This is the sort of danger we face regularly," Thor pointed out.

The entry led into another corridor, a winding path longer than the hallway from the entrance cavern to the forge cavern. After what seemed just a bit too long, the end came at last. A smaller cave, bare of furnishing or embellishment save two torches on the wall. Amora stood up straight in the room's center, her eyes closed as though she were sleeping.

"This is where she stays when Surtr is not in need of her," Thor realized out loud.

Amora's eyes snapped open. "How did YOU get here?" she roared.

"AMORA!" Thor yelled at her. "I KNOW YOU ARE THERE BENEATH SURTR'S CONTROL!"

"She can't hear you!" Twilight told Thor. "We need to finish this!"

"YOU WILL ALL DIE IN THE NAME OF SURTR!" Amora screamed as a sphere of fire surrounded her. "RAGNAROK WILL COME, AND YOU WILL BE POWERLESS TO STOP IT!" The flames increased in brightness before they shot forth at the seven who stood before Amora.

"NO!" Thor leapt between the Element bearers and Amora. He twirled Mjolnir round and round so that it deflected the flames; they formed an arc around Thor, but dissipated before they could reach the six women behind him.

"NOW!" Applejack yelled, and the six were surrounded by a sphere of light, amulets glowing.

The flames ceased, but not before one last burst of flame. Thor collapsed to the ground. "UNGH!"

He'd held his ground long enough. The rainbow of the Elements of Harmony arced through the air, striking Amora, surrounding her in rainbow. "WHAT?" she screamed. "WHAT IS THIS? NO! NOOOOOOO! I AM…I AM…"

She dropped to her knees. She held her head in her hands. She began to breathe heavily and noisily, gasping for air as though she'd been deprived of it.

When the rainbow cleared, she maintained that position. Thor stood, ignoring the hurt on his body. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy looked at Amora with concern.

She lifted her head from her hands. Her eyes were bright green, clear and natural, and wet with tears. "Thor," she said weakly before standing up and running to him. "My love – "

She kissed him, pressing her lips to his hard.

Pinkie Pie gasped loudly.

"Oh dear…" Rarity muttered.

Thor shoved her away. "NO!" he roared. "Amora, my heart does NOT belong to you! It never will!"

She looked at him forlornly, then nodded dejectedly. Twilight was suspicious; she wasn't sure if Amora actually believed that.

"I am sorry," Amora said. "Surtr…he…"

"We know what happened," Twilight said. "Surtr took control of you."

"I will not say I am free of desire to wreak revenge upon those in the nine realms who have earned my wrath." Amora clenched her fists. "But I will not aid in the coming of Ragnarok. I will not destroy the realms." She paused. "There is still too much for me to do in them."

"I wish you could see a way to make peace with Asgard at least," Thor told her. "With my father."

"For now, there is a chance that will happen," Amora said sternly. "Did you see Surtr forging the Twilight Sword?"

"That was the TWILIGHT SWORD?" Twilight screamed. "AS IN THE SWORD THAT COULD BRING RAGNAROK?"

"Is there any other Twilight Sword?" Amora asked sarcastically.

"This is bad," Twilight whimpered. "This is really, really bad. We have to destroy that sword – "

"It can't be DESTROYED, you idiot!" Amora snapped.

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Don't call my friend an idiot! You would still be possessed by Surtr without her, you know!"

"You're in no position to command me," Amora reminded Rainbow Dash. "I want to help you, but not because I in any way care about any of you. We all want the same thing right now: for Surtr to lose possession of the Twilight Sword. It cannot be destroyed, but it can be taken away."

"So let's take it away," Rainbow Dash insisted.

"We can hide it on our world," Thor told Amora…and then realized what he had said.

"Your world," Amora parroted.

"I did not mean…" Thor tried desperately to find the words. "It is not where my family or my home are, but it is where I live now."

"I know quite well what you mean," Amora taunted. "And you accuse me of being unfaithful to Asgard. But we will have time to split hairs later. If you can secure the Twilight Sword on Midgard, I can return to Asgard and report where Surtr is hiding."

"Won't they be mad at you?" Fluttershy asked.

"If it means confessing to my crimes and taking the proper sentence, so be it," Amora insisted. "It wouldn't be the first time I sacrificed myself to bring an end to a greater enemy."

"Then let us go!" Thor commanded.

* * *

Surtr staggered back, hindered by the constant abuse, but all the same, it seemed more as though he were swatting away flies than actually taking damage.

"Doesn't this guy ever get tired?" Iron Man groaned.

"We could really use Thor right about now," Ms. Marvel grunted.

As if granting a prayer, two humanoid forms dressed in black hurtled out of the far cavern entrance. "SURTR!" Thor roared. "IT ENDS HERE!" He raised Mjolnir high in the air.

"I AM YOUR SERVANT NO MORE!" Amora screamed, bolts of green plasma forming around her hands.

Thor flung Mjolnir, and the hammer struck Surtr on the side of the head, causing him to roar. Amora took that chance to pelt Surtr repeatedly with plasma bolts. The others could see the marks her attacks left on his skin.

"AMORA THE ENCHANTRESS!" Surtr bellowed, reaching out a clawlike hand to grab Amora. "YOU SHALL PAY FOR BETRAYING ME!"

"Nooooooo you don't!" Iron Man yelled as he, Ms. Marvel, Vision, and Wasp surrounded the outreaching wrist, blasting it with all their energy. Surtr's hand recoiled.

"Okay," Twilight said from within the far cavern entrance. "This is going to take a lot of our power…but it looks like we'll need it. Ready?"

"READY!" Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack chorused.

In a glimmer, they transformed: Twilight and Rainbow Dash into the witch state, the other four into Mahou Shoujo. "NOW!" Twilight yelled.

They charged forth. Fluttershy skidded to a halt first, raising the hail of flower shuriken; the projectiles sailed at Surtr, striking him in the chest, dissipating but causing him to stumble and fall. Hawkeye and Black Widow dove out of the way just soon enough to not be crushed by his falling body.

Applejack cast her rope's final attack, and it whipped up and around Surtr, binding him long enough for Rarity to unleash her rain of crystal arrows. Pinkie Pie set off the shoulder launcher directly at Surtr's face.

Rainbow Dash raised her sword, calling the lightning to it. Clouds formed above her. She drew the sword back.

"Okay, I'd run," Iron Man advised, and the other Avengers agreed, rushing to the first cave entrance.

Rainbow Dash gave a wild, wordless yell as she unleashed the rainbow shockwave of water and lightning upon Surtr. When it finished, Surtr groaned. "No…this cannot…"

Twilight knew that Surtr being conscious wasn't going to work. She slammed her staff into the ground, calling up its greatest power.

The four elements of nature rained from the sky. Fireballs. Torrents of water. Meteors. Strong gusts of wind. And interspaced with them all, pure plasma, unrefined magic. It all struck Surtr at once.

It was too much for the god to handle. He closed his eyes, and slipped into sleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

At the same time, Twilight herself felt woozy. She stumbled, then slipped back into her non-witch state. "That took a lot out of me," she muttered.

Rainbow Dash, landing nearby, had heard. "You and me both," she agreed. "Kinda wanna lie down for a bit now…"

In a flash, all had reverted to the states that wore the outfits Rarity had so carefully crafted.

"How come you didn't tell us you could do THAT?" Iron Man asked. "That might have made our job easier…"

"It's not exactly an easy deal," Applejack informed him. "For four of us, whenever we use those powers…we lose a little bit of…time."

"Until what?" Captain America asked.

"Until somethin' happens to us that we try to avoid," Applejack answered. "Might explain that one later."

"Twilight and I are fine," Rainbow Dash said, "but those attacks feel like going on an exercise run! I mean, yeah, you get the adrenaline rush, but you also feel like you have a limit!"

"We have to spend energy casting spells," Twilight explained, "and with spells THAT big, we need to rest up before we can try something like that again. It's not something we want to waste in the middle of a battle."

"Enough of this!" Amora stormed toward the forge table. "We must transport the Twilight Sword away, and quickly!"

"Um…" Wasp flew up and over the gigantic blade. "How are we…"

"I've got this." The Hulk hoisted the Twilight Sword up above his head, placing his hands under the flat of the blade.

"We probably have room to store it on the ship," Twilight said. "We can also use the ship to swing by Asgard and drop off…" She looked to Amora. "Thank you, by the way. For helping us."

"I did not help YOU," Amora insisted grumpily. "I prevented Ragnarok. Now, hurry, before Surtr awakens!"

* * *

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

The Starlight had taken off, away from Asgard, back to 616th Earth with the Twilight Sword in the cargo bay. Amora was left in the great city to report Surtr's location.

She was admitted to Odin's throne room immediately. The king ordered the guards to leave him alone with her. As the great doors closed, Amora knelt before the throne, closing her eyes.

"Lord Odin," she said. "I have betrayed Asgard in the past. I realize these are crimes that cannot go unpunished. However, I have come to report to you the location of Surtr so that you may return him to his imprisonment in Muspelheim. I served him, though not of my own free will, and I know where he hides. Currently, he sleeps. There is time to apprehend him before he wakes! As for my own crimes, I am willing to serve any sentence, so long as you attend to this matter!"

While Amora's face was still downcast, while her eyes were still shut, Loki let his illusion melt away. She didn't see. "I am willing to forgive your…transgressions," he said, stifling a laugh, "and will be able to take care of Surtr right away. But first, I will need you to make a statement."

"Anything, Lord Odin!" Amora insisted.

"Simply say this," Loki told her. "'Long may Loki reign.'"

"Long may Loki – " she parroted before realizing. She looked up. She gasped.

"Welcome back, Enchantress," Loki said with a grin.

* * *

Chapter 66:

· Of course I resurrected Phil Coulson. I think the idea of Fury having faked his death to make the Avengers bond is very in character for Fury. You can see this is similar to what they did with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I hear they're complicating that more, and I'm just making it a simple fakeout.

· I attempted to resolve in one chapter the Amora/Surtr arc that AEMH left undone. It probably wasn't meant to be shoved into one chapter, but so it is anyway.

· I really like Falcon's involvement in Avengers: Assemble, so I had him join the team.

· Though I never got why, in AA, Tony's first offer to Falcon was to take War Machine. Even then, I always yelled "THAT BELONGS TO RHODES!" at the screen.

· The Mane Six's super outfits are modified versions of what they wore in "Power Ponies," which, given my S4 discontinuity, never happened. I'll find some way to retcon the existence of Enchanted Comics (I kinda want to use Mane-iac later, but there's no way to do that as of now without Rarity admitting she didn't DESIGN the outfits…).

· Also, TVTropes convinced me that "longcoat" is a word and I intend to treat it as such.

· Heimdall kind of got hit with a "Nolan Ray" there. THIS IS TOO GREAT A BATTLE TO SAY WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE

· The method of tracking Amora is kind of…too easy. But it's all I could think of. My excuse: SURTR SUCKS AT HIDE AND SEEK.

· Surtr, I made bigger and stronger than other gods so he'd be more of a challenge. He's still not an Old One, though. I know who in the Norse pantheon is an Old One, and Surtr isn't it.

· You'll also notice I'm spelling it "Surtr" instead of "Surtur" to be closer to the myth.

· Amora played Enemy Mine here. As of now, though, she's AGAINST our heroes.

· I don't think I made the final attacks of the witch states drain energy earlier, but I should have. I can't just have Twilight and RD able to spam them.


	67. Negative Space

67. Negative Space

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

"No," Amora said sternly.

"I would have thought you'd jump at the chance to have that kind of power," Loki rebutted. He'd made Amora an offer. She had refused flat-out.

"I do want that power," Amora said through gritted teeth. "And there are many things you could ask me to do in return. But I will…not…do…THAT."

"And why not?"

"Because I would rather go down in flames a hundred times than ever lay eyes on him AGAIN! All I want to do to him is tear him apart, piece by piece, and feed him to Jörmungandr alive!"

"Why does it matter so much to you?" Loki smirked. "You just can't seem to ignore him. No, whenever you're angry with him, it's always run him down, tear him apart, find where he hides…you care suspiciously much, Amora. After all, they say Hel hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"Are you…ARE YOU…" Amora felt rage building within her as though it were a physical force pressing up against the walls of her soul. "ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT I COULD EVER HAVE A SHRED OF…OF…"

"Lust?" Loki supplied.

"FOR HIM?" Amora screamed. "You know as well as I do that my heart belongs to one and one alone! And for that one, more than anyone else, I wish Surtr sealed away so that he is not hurt!"

"Your compassion for my brother is touching," Loki stated, his lip twitching. "And I don't doubt your obsession with him is genuine. Though I have to question your taste. But could it be that behind all this, you could have feelings for another? After all, it isn't unheard of."

"You would know," Amora spat. "You, who cast eyes upon every beautiful man who crosses your path…save the most beautiful one of all."

"The fact that Thor is my brother," Loki sighed, "is the LEAST of reasons why I would never find him, as you put it, beautiful. But we're not talking about me. We're talking about you and – "

"For the last time, Loki, I refuse to do it!"

"You'd give up the chance to see him one more time?" Loki posed.

"Must we go through this again?" Amora sighed. "Will you ever let this go?"

"It entertains me."

"Obviously."

"Then answer me this," Loki attempted. "Would you give up the chance to deal him a coup de grace? All I ask is that you deliver him to me physically unharmed. After that, the relationship between you two is strictly professional. I will be watching to make sure neither of you kills the other…again…but other than that, you can enact whatever revenge you want on him."

"And give you more reasons to think that I could feel…" Amora couldn't even say it. "Never. I no longer want revenge on him. Not if it comes with YOU grinning over my shoulder."

"Then I'm back to the obvious argument," Loki told her. "If he isn't among the recruits, then you aren't either. You'd give up the chance to be part of the elite. Part of those who would be adored by the public, who would stand above the lowly, and who would hold the balance of their lives in their hands. I would almost call you…a dark counterpart to Thor. Perhaps my brother would even see you in a new light. But if I couldn't have a complete roster…well, we might as well not even entertain the idea at all."

"You're bluffing. You wouldn't give up a plan that puts this much power into the hands of your Cabal."

"Would I? Or would I have something else in mind, in case my initial thought failed? It's your gamble, Amora."

She bit her lip hard, taking out her anger on her own skin in the tiniest way she could think to do so. "Then it's settled," she spat. "You win."

"Good girl."

"Don't talk down to me!" Amora snapped.

"Now, shouldn't you be running along?" Loki asked her.

Giving Loki a sour look, Amora vanished in a swirl of darkness.

"Somehow I knew she'd jump at the chance," Loki sighed. "And you'll see to it that Osborn gathers the rest?" he asked the apparently empty room.

A statue mounted against the wall stepped out before Loki, its shape melting into something far more familiar.

"You can count on it," Discord vowed.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

Back at Avengers Mansion, the Twilight Sword had been secured in one of the basements.

"Are you sure it's safe just to keep it here?" Rarity wondered out loud.

"Not like we've got a choice," Clint told her. "The only people who could keep it more secure are S.H.I.E.L.D., and I'm pretty sure they've been compromised beyond the point where we could go to them."

"Speaking of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha informed the group, "Agent Wilson and I have to return before Osborn figures out anything's up."

"Actually, I'd been meaning to talk to you about that," Wilson broke in. "I know it was a scary, life-threatening mission, but that trip to beat up Surtr was the most fun I've had since I joined S.H.I.E.L.D.! I don't know…it just feels like the Avengers work more like a team. I kinda wanna stay. I'll take all the fall for being a deserter."

"Are you sure?" Banner asked him. Since the return to 616th Earth, he'd switched out with his counterpart for the lead consciousness. "I mean, that was just ONE mission. If you stick with us, you'll get a lot more of that, and it can get…stressful. Believe me."

"Oh, come on!" Jan argued. "Let him stay! He's cool!"

"You did handle yourself quite well in the field, Wilson," Steve told him.

"So can he be an Avenger?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Please please pleeeeaaaase?"

"If it's what you really want," Steve told Wilson. "We have more than enough room here."

"You MEAN it?" Wilson's face lit up. "Thank you! You guys will NOT regret this!"

"Looks like I've got to fix up your ID card, then," Tony stated.

"WOOHOOOOOOO!" Pinkie brought out the party cannon and fired it straight upward, causing a mushroom cloud of confetti to erupt toward the ceiling and rain down upon the Avengers and Equestrians alike. "WELCOME TO THE TEAM!"

"She's not even part of this team," Yellowjacket whispered to Jan.

"Buzz off," Jan whispered back. "She's a member in spirit."

"If you're going back to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Steve told Natasha, pulling her aside, "a few of us talked it over, and we want you to deliver a message to Agent Coulson. Phil."

"I'm listening," Natasha said.

* * *

"…The initiative will allow us to be more self-reliant rather than leaning on the Avengers to do our dirty work," Osborn told the various agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. he stood before. "Nor will we be forcing anyone to register who does not approve of the act."

Coulson couldn't help but feel suspicious about the whole affair, but he still kept his mouth shut. Osborn had never even addressed him directly; he wondered if Osborn knew he was supposed to be legally dead to the public.

He was aware of Natasha slipping in next to him. "How'd it go?" he whispered.

"The usual," Natasha answered. "Stopped multiple worlds from being destroyed by a mad god. Got a message for you."

"And?"

"They say: 'We're sorry. We're with you. Don't apologize.'"

Coulson smiled and gave a half laugh. "They don't have any reason to forgive me."

"You're a friend. That's a good reason. And you hate this Osborn thing as much as the rest of them."

"Where's Wilson?"

"That's more complicated."

* * *

42, SUBSPACE

The floating space station known as "42" used to be the most top-notch prison facility for 616th Earth prisoners; a portal allowed law officers to transport criminals from their home planet to the detainment center designed by Hank Pym, in a dimension he, for lack of proper terminology, had termed "The Negative Zone." It was supposedly a dimension filled with nothing but negative space, with no lifeforms other than what 616th put there. Pym, of course, had only thought such a thing because he only saw a part of the Negative Zone – or, as grander cosmic beings liked to refer to it, "Subspace." He had no idea of what else that dimension contained.

All of 616th Earth's justice system got the first look at the true colors of Subspace when Annihilus had attacked 42 with his army of insectoid creatures. 42 had encroached upon his universe, trespassed in his territory like it was nothing – the fools from 616th Earth, he thought to himself often, literally believed that his home dimension was nothing.

He'd attacked 42 with the intent to destroy. Pym and several Avengers, as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, had been there to hold him off. Their grand scheme, in the end, had been to release the prisoners of 42 – the powerful supervillains and intelligent schemers – to form an army against Annihilus and his familiars.

All the prisoners but one. One was considered too untrustworthy to ally with, even in the face of certain doom.

The resistance against Annihilus was successful. The prisoners of 42 were all pardoned – save one. And because Annihilus had opened the eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D. to the fact that Subspace wasn't as empty as they believed, they cut off the portal between dimensions, stranding 42 in empty negative space, hopefully never to be touched again because of the dangers surrounding it.

They knew full well they had condemned one prisoner to death in doing so. And that was seen as a fringe benefit of closing the portal.

* * *

Amora materialized in the abandoned 42, on a metal platform from which she could look around and see various detention cells that had once held prisoners behind impenetrable doors. This was where she had been sent to look.

Obviously, a struggle had taken place. She new nothing of the Annihilus incident, and was left to wonder why she had to constantly step over metal shrapnel and rubble as she explored the prison, seeking her target. Occasionally, she would hear the scuttling of multiple small legs, but when she turned to view the source of the sound, she saw nothing.

Power flickered on and off. Some hallways were lit. Some were not. The shadowy hallways made her uneasy – and she never had been afraid of the dark, not truly. She supposed it was the scuttling sound that always evaded her…and the fact that she still hadn't found her target yet.

She passed a control room that was largely destroyed. She passed a corridor where one wall was ripped out, and outside was a straight drop into Subspace – which was, surprisingly, breathable. That was good. She turned down yet another hallway.

She didn't even register a presence behind her – just when one strong hand grabbed her wrist, forcing it behind her back, and a dull knife blade pressed up against her throat. She gasped. Her assailant pressed close to her, and she could feel his chest against her back. The fabric that covered his face brushed against her cheek as he positioned his mouth beside her ear.

"You are in a very dangerous place," a voice said softly but sternly. A solid voice, with a thick German accent. It confirmed the identity of Amora's assailant…and her target. When she knew for sure it was him, she felt her heart pounding in her chest and blood rising to her face. Loki would have called that lust. She would have called it justified anxiety.

She clenched the fist of her bound hand, and dark green plasma formed in a cloud around it. "I am not concerned for my life," she lied. "Perhaps you should be concerned for yours."

"I am not the danger here, Amora."

"You will address me as Enchantress. You will also stand down and let me go."

"If you swear you will not do anything idiotic. This place is infested, Enchantress, and only the tactful survive. If I let you go, you will not move, you will not speak loudly, and you will not do ANYTHING to bring them here."

"Bring what here?"

The knife blade was removed from her throat, and the hand relinquished her wrist. She let the green plasma abate. The two turned to face each other, and each was ready to kill the other at the sign of the first false move.

He was covered, head to toe, in a suit of purple, with a circlet and a wide belt of gold, yellow boots and gloves, and black-and-white spotted fur accents at his shoulders. A ridiculous combination, Amora thought. She herself had swapped out Surtr's promiscuous-looking clothing for her and donned a strapless bodice of emerald green, a striped miniskirt of various green shades, dark leggings with green figure-eight patterns, deep green boots, and an emerald headdress that kept her blonde hair out of her face. She'd never seen the man before her unmasked, and while part of her wondered what lay beneath the purple fabric, part of her felt more secure not knowing, as she was well aware his body had been ravaged for years by a virus of his own creation that affected him alone. He clutched in his hand a long piece of metal shrapnel that had been methodically scraped against a wall repeatedly in order to sharpen the edge into that of a knife. He must have missed carrying a sword.

"The last time I saw you, Baron Zemo," Amora said, "you killed me and sent me to Surtr's realm."

"For one of the dead," Henrich Zemo replied, "you seem quite lively."

"Surtr took his opportunity when he spotted my soul. He gave me life."

"Interesting. Now, Enchantress, I beg you not to accuse me of murder when you yourself were trying to murder me. You had killed several of my associates on the way, as well."

"Only because you betrayed me in the worst of ways," Amora seethed. "When you locked the collar around my neck in an attempt to control me with the Nornstone."

"Attempt to control you?" Zemo almost laughed. "When all you and Loki ever did was control me?"

"We offered. You accepted."

"Then it seems we have reached an impasse."

"Explain to me what you are doing here," Amora told him.

"It isn't a long story," Zemo said. "This was a prison built to hold the most dangerous criminals in the world. After the incident that sent you not quite all the way to the grave, I was taken here to serve out a life sentence. Not too long ago, a very powerful and quite angry being attacked this prison in an attempt to destroy all positive life in this zone. The Avengers decided to free every prisoner in order to form an army to stop it…but they left me behind a cell door to rot."

"I wonder why," Amora sarcastically spat.

"Such contempt, Enchantress," Zemo remarked. "They evacuated the prison and closed its doors for what I can only assume is forever. Since then, the power generator holding up my cell door gave out. There are enough provisions here to last years. And so, I began my rule over an empire of nothing…but the thing that attacked us wasn't finished. Its army constantly invades. I am the last living thing here, and it will not consider its mission done until I am dead. However, if that is its goal, it will have to wait for quite a long time."

"You have been living in this ruin," Amora reiterated, "fighting off monsters…"

"Quite accurate." Then, without warning, he charged forward.

Amora threw twin blasts of green at him. He ducked them, careening past her. Amora whirled about to see three strange creatures, ones that looked horrifying to her eyes, scuttling down the hallway, and she knew the true source of the sounds that had been stalking her. Each was as large as a Labrador retriever, the green color of a swamp, walking on six legs that protruded from the abdomen while the thorax bent upward at a "waist" joint, the head atop framed by two large pincers. The insects lunged for Zemo, clawing at him, out for his blood. With three quick slashes of his makeshift sword, Zemo reduced them to six half-insects, collapsing to the ground and leaking their internal organs.

"As you can see," he said, turning to face Amora, "They are quite persis – "

She sensed it when he paused. She turned and blasted a fourth insect in the face; its head was blown off. "Persistent indeed," she agreed.

"Now you know what brought me here," Zemo told her. "What brought you here?"

"Loki has yet another proposition for you," she explained. "For both of us, actually."

"He expects us to work together? I wouldn't have taken Loki for a fool."

"I do take him for a madman and a sadist."

"Ah, yes…that is a more convincing explanation."

"He is behind several machinations on Midgard," Amora went on. "He has called many to action to build himself a dark reign. He wishes for us to join his team in this venture. Particularly to oppose the Avengers. I to oppose Thor, and you to oppose Captain America."

"For what reason would I re-enter his control?"

"You want to," Amora explained, "because it would give you power and a chance at revenge. You cannot expect me to believe that any offer Loki gives you would not be a step upward from where you currently stand. On the other hand, I want you to because if you do not agree, I will be rejected as well. It is both of us or neither of us."

"When you put it that way," Zemo said, "I just might consider it."

There was a sound of scuttling. "LOOK OUT!" they both cried, running at each other, crossing paths. Insects dropped in from the air vents; Amora blasted them to pieces. Some chewed their way up through the floor; Zemo beheaded them swiftly.

They looked at each other again when the bugs were gone. Each had gone after the insects about to attack the other. And both knew it. "Think NOTHING of it," Amora growled.

"I was not about to think anything of it," Zemo replied calmly, "but if it crosses your mind to warn me, then perhaps I should warn you of the same."

Amora clenched her teeth. She would make Loki pay for making her deal with Zemo again. "Do you want to come back with me or do you not?"

"Are you TRULY giving me a choice, or do you intend to bring me to Loki in chains in order to receive your reward?"

"I may as well."

"Then there is no point in refusing, is there?"

Amora smiled. At least he was doing what Loki wanted him to do. That was a start. "Good. Besides, once you see what is in store for you, I highly doubt you will regret it."

"Lead the way, Enchantress."

She was skilled in that she did not need to touch a companion in order to bring him or her along in an Apparition at the speed of darkness. It crossed her mind how awkward that would have been. To have to touch him. Even with just a finger. The thought filled her mind with words of hate. Ever since he'd locked that collar around her neck, hate was all that filled her up when she thought of him. It left room for nothing else. And that was good.

She raised her hands into the air, and a sphere of green encircled herself and Zemo. It disappeared, taking its passengers with it.

* * *

SUBSPACE

Far from 42, Annihilus could still detect the appearance of the new lifeform composed of positive space…and then the disappearance of both of them. At long last, that area was clear.

He could focus his full attention elsewhere…thankfully. He raised his golden staff into the air, directing his entire army to another corner of Subspace…the corner that was slowly being eaten into nothingness, a fact that even struck fear into Annihilus, for it could easily mean the whole dimension would one day collapse due to the creature that gnawed its edge.

* * *

Negative space tasted empty, but for some reason, Galactus found he couldn't seem to get enough of it.

As gigantic as a Titan, he was clothed in armor of blue and purple shades, including a tall helmet, glowing ominously against the dark backdrop of space. His eyes glowed like stars. He was known as the eater of planets, and since he had been banished to Subspace, he was trying to make the most out of consuming it all.

Annihilus' creatures landed upon him en masse, crawling over his armor, trying to chew through it to no avail. When they landed on his face, he merely swatted them away. Some, he swallowed. Annihilus could send as many of the creatures as he wanted, Galactus thought. It would change nothing.

For day upon day his routine had been to slowly consume more of Subspace, filling up on emptiness, until suddenly the face of a creature as giant as himself…an enormous draconequus who so happened to like playing with the dimensions he could occupy…appeared out of nowhere to stare him straight in the face.

Discord spread his arms wide. "GALAN!" he cried.

Galactus ceased his consumption in order to speak. "Galan is no more," he told Discord.

"Ohhhhh, I could recognize you anywhere, Galan," Discord asserted. "Though…there's something different about you. Don't tell me. You changed your hair."

"Discord."

"You lost weight?"

"DISCORD."

"No, that's not it. Hmm. Oh, I know!" Discord snapped his fingers. "You've bonded with cosmic forces that turned you into a giant devourer of planets! I DON'T know why it took me so long to come up with that."

"I am Galactus," Galactus informed him. "I am more powerful than existence. Existence itself trembles before me, for I shall devour all that lives."

"Now, where was this attitude back during the Age of Chaos?" Discord asked, slightly miffed. "I thought I liked the fact that you were always trying to explore and map out Chaos before we switched it all around and confused you and then you'd start over. But this is BETTER. Why couldn't you have been this?"

"When the Age of Chaos fell," Galactus told Discord, "most of your kind suffered harmless fates. Those of us who were lesser were destroyed. Only myself and few others from the corner of Chaos you called Taa were able to escape, but as the Lands of Legend formed, we became engulfed. I was transformed. I lay in wait; time broke, worlds split away, a multiverse was formed. When I reached the apex of my power, I made myself known. There is not a world in existence I cannot destroy out of mere will."

"Ooh, I like that," Discord said. "I can see myself having a lot of uses for that. You see, I'm going in on sort of a high-risk, high-reward venture. I'm rounding up everybody I can find that ran with my crowd in the Age of Chaos and getting us all together for one big strike so we can get back to Chaos. Because, let's be honest, you've never had a real CHALLENGE, have you? If things were the way they were back in the day, why, you'd have to figure out a battle plan in order to consume everything. Where to start, where to end, where you could even, so to speak, sink in your teeth."

"Things will never be as they were in that age," Galactus told Discord.

"I hate that word," Discord moaned. "'NEVER.' That's just a killjoy of a word."

"Do you mean to tell me you actually have a plan to manipulate the cosmos?"

"Galan. Er, Galactus," Discord sighed. "It's ME. Do you really think I don't have a plan?"

"I was a fool to insinuate you didn't. Then again, were you able, you would have stopped your reign from falling in the first place."

"That was when I implemented what I call BACKUP plans," Discord said, miffed. "Besides, what's a little hiccup of a few billion years between chaotic reigns?"

"To you and I, perhaps nothing."

"Exactly! Now you're getting it! Now. I have Mirage, the Ethereal, my annoying little brother, most of the Titans, and Mephisto on board. We have the backing of the Incubators. Are you in?" Discord grinned with glee.

"Never let it be said that I was any less than the most powerful," Galactus began.

Discord had to bite his tongue, thinking about entities he knew that could knock Galactus dead in one punch.

"However, your point remains," Galactus went on. "A true challenge is something I have not faced."

"Question," Discord said. "How did someone all-powerful end up confined to Subspace?"

"An impossible event," Galactus said. "An anomaly."

"I love those!"

"A team of mortals from one planet in particular sentenced me to this fate."

Discord had to bite his tongue again. He was constantly amused by how all-powerful Galactus thought he was when even a team of mortals from 616th Earth (oh, he knew, he knew exactly) could best him. Eventually, he found the right words: "Wouldn't you also just LOVE to give them what they deserve?"

Galactus smiled. "As a matter of fact, nothing would please me more."

"Then come hang out at my place for a while," Discord invited. "Of course, we'll have to downsize you a bit so you can actually use the front door, but I think you'll like what I've done with the place."

"Then let us proceed," Galactus said.

With a wave of a hand, Discord had taken them both away.

* * *

Now the presence of the dimension eater was gone. Annihilus was stunned. The two biggest threats – the persistent human, the enormous devourer – to his domination of Subspace were gone. He could take it all back.

He commanded his armies to stand down.

* * *

A black starship slowly peered, then slid into Subspace from a more positively oriented dimension. Its pilot looked out the front window upon the vastness of Subspace.

"Even in negative space," he said to his traveling companion, "there is still life. There is still substance to give you, my lady."

He was tall and muscular, purple-skinned and bright blue-eyed, dressed in a dark purple suit with gold accents. His traveling companion was a statue of a woman in stately robes. The statue was nothing more than stone and made no remark.

"But I have not come here to give to you," the pilot went on. "Not yet. For, my lady Death, there is a lifeform here who has also given you much. Almost as though he competes for your affection. But he expresses no interest in you when I refer to you by name. You need not fear. I am always here for you. I am the only one to whom you can entrust your heart."

The statue, as usual, said nothing. The entity it represented didn't happen to be around either, and if xe had been, xe gave no sign of it.

"Loki has failed us," the pilot went on. "He has failed me, and in doing so, has failed you. He must be punished. Luckily for the both of us, I know where he resides and what he plans to do there. Imagine, my lady, being able to feast upon the souls of the gods themselves. They say that they cannot be permanently killed…but is anything truly immortal in your presence? You always find a way. Your persistence is one of the traits I find so mesmerizing in you. Yes, I shall find a way to give Loki and his kind to you for all eternity, if it means I must kill him again and again and again until he simply gives up. I had warned him, as you know." A grin crept over his face. "I had warned him that there was nowhere he could find that Thanos could not find him.

"Then there is the matter of those that decimated my armies. Why did you let my own people fall into your arms after I had done nothing but serve you? But I cannot question you. You work in ways that mystify and fascinate me, my lady Death. Those that remained all told me…they told me." His grin grew. "They said that to challenge the ones who had destroyed my armies would be to court Death. How fitting. Ah, my lady…I am afraid I must cut our conversation short. We are nearing the location of my ally. He will make up for the Chitauri troops I lost. He and I shall deliver Loki to you on a plate of gold."

Thanos moved out of the cockpit of the ship, leaving the motionless, emotionless statue carved in the likeness of his perception of Death behind. He walked until he reached an exit portal, standing within it and looking out into space, feeling the soft pulse of the ship's "heartbeat" – Chitauri elite ships were more than just scrap metal.

He knew Annihilus would find him, and soon, the being floated before his eyes. He took in the full sight of Annihilus. Dark purple armor with gold and green accents. Great batlike wings, deep green, whose span was five times the size of Annihilus' body. Eyes that glowed bright yellow. The slight view of crackling yellow energy within his mouth. He held a long golden staff with which he commanded the insectoid army; the Avengers had broken his original weapon, but he'd forged another one out of necessity.

"Annihilus," Thanos greeted.

Annihilus hissed in reply.

"There is a creature in positive space that needs to die, and he is surrounded by legions, no doubt preparing to protect himself from any threat," Thanos told Annihilus. "Will you join me in his destruction?"

Silence. Annihilus was thinking it over.

"To get to him," Thanos offered, "we must take all of Asgard. And after that, 616th Earth, to destroy those who eliminated my troops…the Avengers."

Annihilus went wild at the mention of that name, hissing loudly.

"I take it that is an agreement?" Thanos asked.

Annihilus pointed his staff at Thanos, who moved backward. Annihilus then hovered into the ship, folding his wings up against his back. He held his staff aloft; it glowed. With no more warning than that, a horde of his insects rushed to the ship, pouring through the exit portal to perch on walls and crawl on floors.

When the last bug had entered, Thanos closed the exit portal. "Very good," he said, grinning at the insect troop that had crawled aboard. Then he made his way back to the cockpit to pilot the ship back to the dimension that contained 616th Earth.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

"Oh, Tony, darling?" Rarity knocked on the doors to Tony's workspace as she opened them.

"If I had a dollar for every time a pretty woman said that," Tony replied with a smirk, looking up from the computer screens where he assembled his concepts. "Actually, that would only increase my current net worth by less than ten percent. Five, maybe."

"Ha…ha," Rarity replied with contempt.

"He's just full of hot air and you know it," Steve laughed, following her into the room.

"What, is this the Make Fun of Tony Stark league?" Tony asked. "Headquartered at Make Fun of Tony Stark Tower?"

"Nope," Steve replied. "The Make Fun of Tony Stark league is actually a worldwide underground operation led by Clint. We're just fringe members."

"I knew it," Tony replied with a smirk. "So, what brings you down here? Come to look at my masterpieces again? Have your minds blown?"

"Actually," Rarity said, "I had rather a…request. I'm sure it was brought up to you earlier that Rainbow Dash quite admires that armor suit of – "

"Oh, not this again," Tony sighed.

"I was just thinking that since you already gave one of the spares to Falcon," Steve pointed out, "maybe you were ready to convert another."

"Look, I know what you're both thinking." Tony pointed to Rarity. "You're thinking that if it's done in the name of a friend, you can just get whatever you want…" His finger traveled to Steve. "And you're thinking me constantly making and hoarding these things means I'm sick or something. You want me to let go of them."

"Tony," Steve said sternly, "I would never want you to LET GO of these suits. I know what they mean to you. But what good are they actually doing just sitting around down here? Nobody ever sees them. Nobody knows what they can actually DO. Everybody got their first look at the Falcon today, and if he'd actually done battle in that suit here in New York, it would have gotten everybody talking about Stark Technologies all over again."

"Take it from somepony who knows," Rarity added. "The work is still yours, and the credit is still yours. But the way to really get others to see what you're capable of is to put it out there. That's why I absolutely love giving my designs to my friends! Well, of course, I also enjoy making them happy. But you get the point."

"Say I did decide to refurbish one of the ones gathering dust to fit Rainbow Dash," Tony replied. "Is this going to start a trend where everyone and their brother expects to walk out of my workspace with their own personal armor?"

"No," Steve promised. "Falcon and Rainbow Dash are just special cases that came out of circumstance."

"Well, I do like that girl's enthusiasm," Tony admitted. "She…gets it."

"You mean she's like a female version of you, but nicer," Steve teased.

"I mean if anybody in this whole place is going to get one of the old models, it's that one," Tony explained.

"Oh, good!" Rarity gushed. "I just knew you'd understand!"

"I'm only saying I'll think it over," Tony said.

"If you should come to a conclusion," Rarity informed him, "I just wanted you to know that while she absolutely abhors almost all things feminine, Rainbow Dash does have a penchant for, well, rather obviously, rainbows. So if you could incorporate that into the design at all…"

"Rainbows," Tony repeated.

"…Think on it?" Rarity suggested.

"I will," Tony replied. "But first I have to get Falcon's ID card set up."

"Thank you so much for hearing us out, dear," Rarity told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the practice room to see if I can shoot fast enough to convince Clint to step down as chair of the Make Fun of Rarity league." She strode out gracefully.

Steve followed and was almost at the door when Tony called out, "Hey."

"What?" Steve looked back at him over his shoulder.

"I'm nice," Tony argued.

Steve just smiled. "I know you are." Then he took his leave.

Tony pulled up an old file. Mark XXI. He wasn't using that one for much. "J.A.R.V.I.S.," he said, "do you wanna show me what this would look like in an iridescent paint job?"

* * *

Anyone who passed Namor was immediately struck by the thought that his presence aboard the H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier was odd. Then again, calling it the H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier was also odd.

On his way to the main room, he crossed paths with Doom, who greeted him: "Namor. A moment?"

"I have been summoned to discuss the future of Atlantis as related to H.A.M.M.E.R. with the other agents of this operation," Namor replied. "I do not have time to spare."

"Trust me. It will be worth your while."

"Then be brief."

Doom opened a door to a side room, a smaller conference space. "I prefer we be alone."

The pair entered; Doom shut the door behind him. "You and I have much in common," he began. "We each oversee a nation that is overlooked and underrepresented."

"I had wondered if you felt about Latveria the way I do about my own kingdom," Namor admitted.

"Osborn intends to further our agenda by reconciling our nations with the world at large," Doom went on. "But it seems even the famed Norman Osborn has gone soft. Is reconciliation what you really want?"

"It is the most available and logical path," Namor argued. "For Atlantis to make peace with the rest of the world. Is that not enough for you?"

"Frankly, it is not," Doom admitted. "I ask myself often if I am satisfied with my lot, and the truth is, what I want is something much greater. I wish for the entire world, Namor. At least…its lands. After all, a planet is too much for me to handle." He stared directly into Namor's eyes. "The waters, on the other hand…"

"You think I would be suited to rule the seas while you ruled the lands," Namor concluded.

"Precisely."

"And Osborn?"

"He will become a nonfactor."

"And Loki?"

"He will have to make do with Asgard."

"Does he know of this?"

"No. And you're not to tell anyone. This is between the two of us. But I trust that an honorable man like yourself knows how to keep a secret. Tell me, Namor, does it appeal to you?"

"I…" Namor thought it over. "I cannot say the thought hasn't crossed my mind. But as an honorable man, I cannot double-cross this Cabal."

"I will leave you to think it over, then."

"This is what you had wanted since the inception of the Cabal, isn't it?" Namor asked. "To take the lands of the earth for yourself, once you had the power."

"Perhaps."

"Why choose me? Simply because I am connected to the seas?"

"I chose you," Doom said, "because I know you would not do wrong by my vision. I know that deep down…you share that vision. A vision where you and I are no longer in the back of the mind of the world." Doom reached out, putting a hand on Namor's shoulder. "You and I are more alike than you are willing to admit."

"I had thought you would be closer to Loki." Namor thought about removing Doom's hand. He ultimately decided against it.

"What he doesn't know won't kill him." Doom put his hand down, backed away. "I shall not keep you any longer from Osborn's business."

Before Namor left, he told Doom, "Your proposition is not without merit."

* * *

The tall, dark-haired woman clothed in an official H.A.M.M.E.R. jumpsuit of blue with Osborn's hammer-shaped logo imprinted upon it strode down the hallway. As she passed, various agents muttered a greeting: "Agent Ice." "Agent Ice!" "Agent Ice."

Agent Eva Ice hadn't existed in the H.A.M.M.E.R. database before Osborn had put her there. Since her appearance, nobody had questioned her. And that gave Loki a good laugh, that everyone bought into the new identity he took on whenever in public on the helicarrier. Besides, it felt good to shift into a female shape for a change. It meant he had variety.

As Loki made his way down to the Cabal conference room, he passed Doom and Namor walking down the hallway together. "…Is looking far more appealing," Namor was saying before Doom shot him a glare.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "What were you two discussing?" she asked.

"Merely H.A.M.M.E.R. business," Doom replied.

"What H.A.M.M.E.R. business, exactly?" Loki pressed.

"Small odds and ends," Doom answered.

"It wouldn't be advisable to keep secrets from me," Loki reminded them.

"Why would we?" Doom asked him.

Loki stared Doom down before proceeding to the darkened Cabal conference room.

There, Osborn, Crouch, Blackheart, and Frost were already waiting for them. When the door was closed behind them, Loki shifted back into his traditional appearance.

"My contributions will be appearing shortly," he informed the room. "Yours, Director Osborn?"

"Two of them were easy enough to convince to get on board," Osborn replied. "I'll have to pull some strings to get the third."

"I suppose you're calling on your connections from your days as the ruler of the criminal underworld," Loki surmised.

"Actually, I was only able to acquire certain paroles because I've renounced that title," Osborn told Loki. "The Green Goblin may have been able to take whatever he wanted, but Norman Osborn can ASK for whatever he wants."

"So when you said the Goblin was a thing of the past," Loki inferred, "you meant it."

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"Pity. I always did admire the concept."

Osborn shot Loki a very dirty look before continuing.

Blackheart grinned as he watched all of this. He had a feeling that very horrid and by that nature very entertaining developments would come of this.

* * *

When the conference room emptied, only Loki and Crouch stayed behind.

"I have to ask," Crouch said. "What have you got against these Avengers that you want them brought down first?"

"Besides the fact that they are potentially the most powerful opposing force this realm has for us?" Loki replied. "We do have a bit of a…personal grudge. For one, there is my brother." He took a moment to reflect. "Then there's the little matter of how they've tried to stop me from getting my due."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's a long, sordid story, but I suppose I'll tell it. When I discovered that I was little more to my father than a pawn, a monster he'd dressed up to look like an Asgardian, my only thought was that I needed to prove to him that I was fit to be part of the royal family."

"You're the god of mischief," Crouch interjected. "Shouldn't that qualify you for something?"

"Among mortals, it may seem that way," Loki told him. "Among ourselves, it doesn't matter how much power one has. One is still either Asgardian or Jötunn. Or one of a host of various other kingdoms. To the end of trying to prove my worth, I staged an assassination attempt on the life of my adoptive father, then slew my father by birth. And yet it was still…not…good enough. I aimed to destroy Jötunheim. And it was STILL not good enough." He clenched his teeth. "I found myself falling from a broken Bifrost into the space between realms, and as I fell, I began to wonder. Why? Why go to such lengths to prove my worth to someone who never gave me what I deserved, to someone who never saw me for what I truly am? Why beg respect from someone who would never give it to me? Thus came my decision to go against Asgard. To take control on my own terms. I battled the Avengers for my father's throne, and they defeated me. So I found another way to establish my position in the Nine Realms. The Chitauri. Thanos gladly aided me with everything I desired, even giving me an army of my own to command, on the condition that I did not fail. And were I to fail, there would be nowhere I could hide that he could not find me to give me due punishment."

"You failed, then," Crouch inferred.

"The Avengers," Loki clarified. "Now you see why it's them I need brought down."

"But…wait," Crouch realized. "You said…this Thanos wants you punished?"

"Yes," Loki clarified. "A leader among the Chitauri. I suppose he wants me either tortured or dead. Or both."

"He can't kill a god."

"Oh, he'll find a way. I'm sure of that."

"And there's nowhere you can avoid him?" Crouch asked, starting to worry for the safety of his newfound employer.

The grin Loki gave him was unsettling. "That's the idea."

Before Crouch could ask him what he meant, a blinding flash of light above the table caused them both to flinch. When it subsided, it left Discord, in human form, lying across the table in what he supposed was a seductive pose. He wore a three piece suit of gray with a polka-dot tie.

"What NOW?" Loki snapped.

"You know him too?" Crouch asked.

"Iiiiiiit's a small multiverse after all!" Discord crowed. "Iiiiiiiit's a small multiverse after all!"

"WHY did you come here?" Loki growled.

"Well, that's not very polite," Discord replied. "I just came here to wish you luck on the endeavor. And also inform you that as soon as you have it set up, I'll send you the first hurdle. Sound fair?"

"Fair indeed," Loki conceded.

"I still love the concept," Discord said. "Especially how you went to the lengths of setting up parallels to everyone the public wants to see! The only way you could make it better is if you had something for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!"

"Is there a point to this?" Loki sighed.

"Oh, I'm just making observations," Discord said, standing up. As he did so, a rather large container made of rather tough glass slid out of his suit jacket and hit the table with a CLUNK. Inside it, a black mass of goo writhed.

"Ooooooooops," Discord said with a smirk. "I DO wonder how that got there. Oh well. I wasn't using it anyway." With a snap, he vanished.

Loki reached out and snatched up the container, looking almost hungry. He turned to Crouch, wide-eyed.

"I need you to bring me one more person," he said.

* * *

The slight, pale brunette woman, dressed in a tan tee, a brown jacket, and plain jeans, approached the gateway to Avengers Mansion. The gates parted for her. J.A.R.V.I.S. was not only accustomed to opening the way for her, but was quite polite about it.

To make the case, when the woman entered the foyer, she could hear J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice calmly saying, "Welcome back, Ms. Foster."

"Nice to see you too, J.A.R.V.I.S.," Jane Foster told the AI.

"JANE!" Thor cried, rushing from one of the branching hallways. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her gently – after all, he had the strength of a god, and one has to be careful about that sort of thing – and they kissed for quite a long time.

When their lips parted, Jane asked, "What were you up to? I heard there was a…fire demon incident."

"It was quite an adventure," Thor said. "Come with me, and I shall tell you the tale." He took her by the hand, and the two walked through the halls as Thor related the account of what had happened with Amora.

"So," Jane said, rather amused, when Thor described how Amora had reacted to being saved, "she still isn't over you."

"Nay, and I fear she never will be," Thor sighed. "On one hand, I feel as though she should move on. On the other, I know that what she feels for me may very well be undying, as that is how I feel for you. And for that, I pity her."

"When you put it that way, I feel bad for her, too," Jane admitted. "I know how it feels to be in love with you, after all. I just got pretty lucky. So what happened next?"

Thor finished the tale, and Jane thought it over. "I'm curious about these six new heroes," she said.

"I will introduce you," Thor replied. "They are currently gathered in the kitchen. Come with me."

Thor and Jane meandered toward the kitchen to find Twilight, Tony, Rainbow Dash, Clint, Rarity, Jan, Pinkie Pie, Banner, Fluttershy, and Applejack gathered around the kitchen table, playing some sort of card game. "Friends!" Thor cried, causing all present to look up. "I would like you to meet Jane Foster."

"So YOU'RE Jane!" Rarity gasped.

"Jane," Thor said, "this is Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. They saved Amora from Surtr, and in the future, they will save my past."

"Ooh, you're just so…FORTUNATE!" Rarity gushed. "To be swept off your feet by a god!"

"Forgive little miss hopeless romantic here," Clint laughed. "That's kinda how she rolls."

"Well…you're right," Jane told Rarity. "I am lucky."

"It's great to finally meet ya," Applejack said. "We've heard all about ya. Especially that you're real smart."

"Well, I'm flattered," Jane replied, "but in all honesty, most of what I do is just taking shots in the dark."

"What DO you do?" Twilight asked.

"I'm an astrophysicist," Jane answered. "I met Thor because my team registered his coming to Earth as a cosmic anomaly. And ever since then, I'm learning that there's a lot more out there than I thought."

"Tell me about it," Twilight replied.

"Thor said you'd come from another planet," Jane pointed out. "I'm guessing you've seen several cosmic anomalies yourself."

"We've seen all sorts of fun stuff!" Pinkie Pie gushed. "We've seen magic flying carpets and a princess that could heal things by singing – she's one of my best friends, by the way – and a school for witches and wizards and all SORTS of gods and so many planets where everpony is human!"

"Everypony is human?" Jane repeated. She smiled. "So I'm guessing you're not."

"We are now," Twilight clarified. "But it's not how we…normally are."

Jane smiled. "I'd love to sit down with you later today and talk about some of your discoveries, if that's all right."

"MORE than all right!" Twilight cried. "I'd LOVE that! Actually, can I ask you a question right now?"

"Go ahead," Jane said.

"When you look at the stars recently," Twilight asked, "can you see anything coming, like a big wave of chaos?"

"I'm sorry," Jane replied, "but that's astrology, not astrophysics. You can't see the future in the stars."

"But I know someone that – " Twilight stopped herself from bringing up Firenze. "Never mind. I'm sorry."

"But if I do see anything that looks like chaos," Jane said, trying to make Twilight feel better, "I'll let you know."

* * *

They lined up in the weapons bay. Osborn surveyed his hand-picked trio. The concept had been suggested by Loki, but Osborn had lobbied for these three in particular. The idea, the two of them had thought, would be to give the public an exact mirror of what they had come to know and love. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, and Hawkeye for the bulk of the Avengers. And a dash of Wolverine thrown in for good measure.

Iron Man: that was something Osborn could handle on his own. Stark Technology wasn't as well guarded as Tony thought. Obadiah Stane might not have been able to replicate a suit of Iron Man armor, but Osborn could.

After that came the three that Osborn stood before. The one dressed in a darker version of Wolverine's signature uniform looked altogether too amused to be there. Next to him, the one dressed in a dark version of Hawkeye's garb just looked…bored. Finding and outfitting them was easy enough, and both had lobbied for the positions immediately when Osborn had approached them. The third, a well built young man with short, golden hair and wide eyes that betrayed his apprehension, had needed more convincing.

He addressed the youth by name: "John Jameson. I want to thank you again for joining in on our little meeting."

"You said you could help me," John replied, voice trembling.

"Like that's any way to talk to Norman Osborn," "Wolverine" snorted.

"Hawkeye" laughed. "At least he didn't walk in here and greet him by asking, 'What's up, Stormin' Norman?' like you did." The pair chuckled softly.

Osborn ignored them. "You haven't been well, John," he said to the youth. "I heard they were able to cure the physical effects of your transformation, but you were still institutionalized when I found you. Do you want to talk about it? Don't worry. You can tell me anything. I won't judge you."

Osborn's soft vocal tones were inviting. The man had a knack for sounding more paternal than John's own father ever did. "I…didn't want them to cure me," he told Osborn. "I wanted to keep that power. That energy. I never felt more alive before that. Right now…I don't feel alive at all."

"I understand, John," Osborn replied. He took a moment to shoot a dirty glance at "Hawkeye" and "Wolverine" to remind them what would happen if they dared interrupt this delicate moment. "I also know what it's like to be drunk on power. I used to be a bit of a wayward soul. I changed my ways because that was what was best for me. John, if they hadn't cured you, you wouldn't be alive at all."

"It might have been better to die like that than to live like this," John said softly.

"That's why I have a little bit of a different solution for you," Osborn said. He withdrew from a pocket a slender black box. When he opened it, a hypodermic needle filled with red liquid lay inside, almost glowing. "This is something I recovered from an operation that used to call itself Code Red. It will make you as strong and as powerful as the Hulk. You've heard of the Hulk, haven't you? He has a lot of the same traits as you had when you were Colonel Jupiter. This serum can give you back the power you want, but at a safe level. It will eventually wear off, but we can give you more as needed. It won't ever become unstable, and you will never be in danger."

"Why are you doing this?" John asked. "There has to be a catch. People like you don't just find people like me and…"

"I've changed in a lot of ways, John," Osborn said. "I want to help the less fortunate. But more importantly, I want you to use this serum to be part of a new defense line for H.A.M.M.E.R. A defense line that, if all goes well, can replace the Avengers as the nation's primary security system. After all, the Avengers are a haphazard and uncontrollable organization. Now, I understand if you don't want to stand against the Avengers, because honestly, that is what you will be doing. But if you don't have any objections with that…"

"I'll TEAR THE AVENGERS APART if you just give that power back to me!" John yelled.

"Whoa, there, tiger!" "Wolverine" laughed. He was shut up by another glare from Osborn.

"They've never done me any favors!" John growled. "And they've endorsed Spider-Man. The one who RUINED ME!"

"Welcome aboard the 'hate the Avengers' train," "Wolverine" told him. "Why do you think WE'RE here?"

"Hey, I don't have anything against the Avengers," "Hawkeye" argued. "I'm just in this for the thrill."

"Can't make an omelette without cracking a few heads, though," "Wolverine" replied, and the pair was set to laughing again.

"If you have no problem with it…" Osborn removed the hypodermic from the case. "We can begin. Your new life starts now, John Jameson. Roll up your sleeve?"

John obeyed, extending his bare arm toward Osborn. The hypodermic was inserted, emptied, removed. The change took place immediately. John's body stretched out of its original proportions, ripping through his shirt. His skin deepened into a rose crimson.

When it finished, he stood at twice his original height, with a body of solid muscle bound in blood red. "How do you feel, John?" Osborn asked.

"PERFECT," John replied. Even his voice was deepened, and "Wolverine" flinched for a moment. "It's all back…I feel RIGHT again!" He laughed heartily.

"I'm glad," Osborn said. "Now, we just have to wait for Loki to show up with…"

He was interrupted, to his surprise, by Crouch marching into the weapons bay with another young man, pale and blonde, well built, in tow. "…I don't remember discussing this," Osborn stated.

"That's because we didn't," Crouch informed him. "Last-minute change of plans. Everyone say hello to Eddie Brock."

"I don't get why I'm here," Eddie grunted. "This guy just APPEARED and dragged me here. Said I wouldn't regret it."

Osborn raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Crouch, my acquisition of John Jameson was done completely legally. You stole Brock from a government facility. Questions are going to be asked when he goes missing."

"Well, Loki's going to cover for it," Crouch replied. "Same way he put Surtr out of commission so we didn't have THAT to worry about anymore."

"Can't remember," "Wolverine" whispered. "Was Loki the hot one?"

"He was the one with the god complex that was even bad for the gods," "Hawkeye" replied.

"So the hot one, then."

"He still legally dispatched an Asgardian army," Osborn argued, "despite the deception…never mind. I'll just trust him on this one. Now, what is this all about?"

"Loki and I decided that our little operative would work even better if we had a Spider-Man of our own to go with our Avengers and our Wolverine," Crouch explained. "And wouldn't you just love a chance at revenge on him, Brock?"

"How am I supposed to DO that?" Eddie snarled. "My powers are GONE. I'm NOTHING."

"Ooh, that would be a problem, wouldn't it."

All turned to see Loki striding into the room, holding out the glass canister Discord had left him.

"Yeah," "Wolverine" muttered to himself. "The hot one."

Before anyone could say anything else, Eddie charged at Loki, recognizing the substance in the canister. "GIVE IT BACK TO ME! I NEED IT!"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Crouch bellowed, flicking his wand. Eddie froze in his tracks, completely paralyzed.

Loki moved closer to Eddie until he was staring into the youth's eyes, the only part of him that could still move. "Do you want to calm down and try again later?" Loki asked with a smirk.

Eddie's eyes practically burned in response. Loki dangled the canister before him, then opened it. The black slime inside leapt forth, latching onto Eddie's body and surrounding him like a catsuit. "You can let him go now, Barty," Loki ordered.

Crouch flicked his wand. As the slime finished working its way over Eddie, enveloping his head and carving its own face with a wide, fanged mouth and flickering tongue, the entity forged by Eddie and this Symbiote laughed. "We are complete again!"

"Welcome to the team, Venom," Loki greeted.

"Venom," Osborn repeated, a slow smile working over his face. "It's brilliant, actually."

"We didn't bring you back for nothing, you know," Loki said. "Remember how much you wanted to destroy your old friend Spider-Man?"

"I could NEVER forget," Venom hissed.

"All we need you to do is exactly that," Loki explained. "Well, that and go up against the other Avengers as well. We'll make you the hero, not them."

"Perfect!" Venom laughed.

"So long as you leave some of Spider-Man for me," John, the Red Hulk, insisted.

"Damn!" "Wolverine" remarked. "What did SPIDER-MAN ever do to everyone?"

"Well, what did Wolverine do to you?" "Hawkeye" asked.

"Pretty sure he didn't abandon both these guys as kids, unless I REALLY missed something about his biography."

"That gives us an Iron Man, a Wolverine, a Hawkeye, a Hulk, and a Spider-Man," Osborn recounted. "That leaves…" He paused. "Where did you find the symbiote, anyway?"

"I find what I want when I want it," Loki answered enigmatically.

"You promised me a Thor and a Captain America," Osborn reminded him.

"As promised," Loki announced. He raised his voice: "Enchantress?"

Amora strode into view. Osborn flinched, wondering how long she'd been there in the shadows. "Consider me your Thor," she said, lighting her hands up with green energy.

"She is a fellow Asgardian," Loki explained, "and someone wronged repeatedly by the Avengers. As for the Captain…well, he should be someone fit to lead the group the way Steven Rogers does to his, should he not? I believe you've heard of him." He nodded toward Amora. "Amora, if you will."

Amora sliced her finger downward through the air, opening a portal that gleamed green as though her fingernail had torn reality. The portal expanded, and through it strode a figure carrying a Vibranium shield, forged of spoils from a looted Wakandan mine. The shield itself was an exact duplicate of Captain America's signature weapon, but instead of red, white, and blue, it was patterned in purple, gold, and white. He strode to where the rest had lined up.

"It will be an honor to lead you," Baron Zemo said.

"Oh, yeah?" "Wolverine" countered. "And who put YOU in charge?"

He flinched when the point of Zemo's new sword was pressed against his throat. "You will learn not to question me," Zemo growled.

"Are we going to have any authority issues with him?" Osborn whispered to Loki.

"Most likely," Loki whispered, almost laughing. "But HE already knows not to question ME."

Osborn stepped before the lineup, forcing Zemo to take his place in line. "Well, gentlemen…and lady." He nodded toward Amora. "I officially induct you the Dark Avengers."

* * *

Chapter 67:

· Confession time: I ship Zemo/Amora. HARD. I was calling it "Zemora" until GAvillain suggested I call the ship "A-to-Z" kinda by accident, and now that's what we're calling it. Anyway, I'm trying my hardest to keep Amora's "love for Thor" motivation intact and keep those two in their twisted relationship of trying to kill each other while still teasing A-to-Z.

· Also, if you hadn't realized, I'm using AEMH Zemo. (I read the Wiki page on the original comics version. It was hilarious. And not in the good way.)

· Yep, Amora basically called Loki a slut. I have about a thousand ships for him, and I intend to play them ALL.

· Despite the name, I made the Negative Zone into Subspace (as defined by Super Smash Bros) instead of part of the Negaverse due to the physical properties. I'm also going to try and see if I can make DC's Phantom Zone into the same place. So basically, Marvel characters call it the Negative Zone, but it's known cosmically as Subspace.

· I decided to have them shut down 42 (AEMH timeline) after the Annihilus incident because I just really loved the image of Zemo turning it into his outpost for fighting off Annihilus-bugs and basically surviving co-existence with Annihilus and Galactus. Also, I REFUSE to believe they weren't going to do something similar with him in what would have been S3 of AEMH. They gave that scene with him TOO MUCH EMPHASIS in that ep. It was foreshadowing and we all know it.

· Real talk: Zemo's outfit is freaking ridiculous.

· Apparently, Galactus was known as "Galan" in the "pre-Big Bang universe." Which works out for him being Galan in the Age of Chaos. I knew I wanted Galactus to be an Old One; his backstory works perfectly. Of course, now it implies there were mortals in the Age of Chaos, meaning Mephisto's dialogue is kind of cheapened now…but we'll just say…there weren't as many mortals to toy with as there are now. Yeah. We'll go with that.

· Galactus is in the Negative Zone/Subspace because that's where he ended up post AEMH. However, his voice is the Tony Jay version.

· The version of Thanos I'm using is actually the one from the Silver Surfer cartoon because that's currently the only visual non-comic media where he TALKS for extended periods of time. (Though the eyes come from the MCU.) Now, as I'm able to see right through the censors' bullshit, I know the statue is supposed to be Death instead of Chaos. Note how he perceives her as a woman with flesh. As I said, everyone perceives Death a little differently based on xyr many forms.

· Wikipedia tells me Thanos and Annihilus are in fact bros.

· Doom is supposed to be flirting with Namor. It looks platonic because writing Doom flirting is next to impossible.

· The name "Eva Ice" comes from two factors. "Ice" from the Frost Giant thing ("Frost" is being used by Emma). And "Eva" is from a fandom joke that Eva Green would be the perfect fem-Loki form, inspired by YT user QueenCorpse's "Force Me In" fanvid (currently removed from YT, but I still have to give credit where it's due). So, on that note, please picture "Agent Eva Ice" as Eva Green. And all subsequent times that Loki becomes female, she's Eva Green.

· You'll see I'm hinting at events from Dark Reign here and there; I'm doing them on my own terms. Just wait and see how they unfold.

· I'm writing Jane Foster with her AEMH personality because I like that better, but she has the astrophysics career so that the Thor movies still make sense.

· Enter the Dark Avengers! So I changed the lineup from the comics version a little bit. For one, I removed Moonstone and others of that ilk due to lack of familiarity. For another, they didn't have a Thor or a Captain America (Osborn's Iron Patriot was supposed to serve as both Iron Man and Cap, but I wanted to do something twice as nice), and that gave me EXACTLY the right place to put Amora and Zemo, who I love. I chose John Jameson (Colonel Jupiter) for the new Red Hulk because while Ross bores me, I wanted to wrap up the arc John had in SSM instead of just leaving him in the mental ward forever (gooooooodbye canon reformation arc he had in the comics…). And finally, if you're familiar with Dark Reign, you should already know who "Wolverine" and "Hawkeye" are. You may even have guessed if you aren't. But I'm still not saying either name until next chapter because I like to keep at least a semblance of suspense at all times.

· I had to have at least ONE character call him "Stormin' Norman."


	68. Ruination in Red

68. Ruination in Red

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The warehouse had once been an abandoned space, an empty void, no shelves, no goods to store. It had been commandeered and repurposed. Television screens lined the walls. A popcorn machine popped away at making buttery deliciousness in one corner. Leather couches decorated the center. The floor was done in rich red carpeting. If anyone were to enter the warehouse without permission, this would all disappear, replaced by the illusion of the empty gray walls. Discord and Impossible Man had planned ahead.

"Can I see the footage of our first contender again?" Discord asked.

"Act one: a portal to Asgard in the midst of World War II!" Impossible Man played upon one of the screens a clip of their prospect bringing several monstrous creatures through a rift in reality. "Act two: the trouble with the Tesseract!" The prospect disintegrated whilst touching a blue, cube-shaped gem. "Interlude: Baron Strucker's wish come true!" A scene of Captain America and an elderly man fighting to touch another cube-shaped object, this one seemingly made of white light.

"What's this?" Discord asked.

"A Cosmic Cube," Impossible Man explained. "A wish-granter! Rogers and Strucker hit it at the same time. They both thought it didn't work. Well, what Steve-O wanted most was his friend Bucky back, and so he got him back as the Winter Soldier. What Strucker wanted most was a foothold for HYDRA, so our prospect came back to life!" He changed the scene. "Act three: Code Red! This one should speak for itself."

Discord watched the footage with interest. "Connections?"

"On the good guys' team, Captain America." Steve's face filled the screen. "These two have been at it since Steve took up the shield! On the bad guys' team, we have racial tension with Victor von Doom…" Doom's face filled the screen. "And I get the feeling that when this guy figures out we brought back the OLD ace in HYDRA's hand, he's not going to be too happy!" The screen switched out to the purple-masked visage of Baron Zemo.

Discord rolled the Resurrection Stone between his fingers. "It's absolutely perfect," he commented. "Wanna give it an intro?"

"Of course!" Impossible Man replied.

The entire warehouse went dark. "FRRRRROM THE DISBANED CODE RED," Impossible Man announced. "HE HOLDS A GRUDGE THAT TRANSCENDS TIME. FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE PRESENT DAY, HE HASN'T LOST A STEP."

Discord took this moment to activate the stone, and a flash of light began to form; Impossible Man projected a spotlight down upon it as a humanoid figure materialized. The spotlight shone down on a tall man, clothed in a blue uniform bearing the sigil of HYDRA on the arm. His face was unmistakable: dessicated down to skin stretched over the bone beneath, shining bright crimson.

"LLLLLADIES AND GENTLEMEN," Impossible Man concluded, "FROM DISCORD AND IMPOSSIBLE MAN PRODUCTIONS, WE GIVE YOU…RED SKULL!"

* * *

As the residents of Avengers Mansion gathered around the breakfast table, Clint slapped a newspaper down onto the tabletop. "Well, the good news is, Rainbow Dash got her publicity," he groaned. "The bad news is, it came from THAT."

"Lemme see!" Rainbow Dash snatched the paper, reading the headline. "WHAT? WHAT IS THIS?"

"What is it, darling?" Rarity asked, concerned.

"Daily Bugle?" Tony asked Clint.

"Daily Bugle," Clint sighed.

"'WITCH WOMEN Appear from Nowhere; Terrorize Superhumans'?" Rainbow Dash read from the Bugle. "'If they can bring down someone like Graviton, what does that mean for the rest of us'? Who even wrote this? They're making us look like some kind of threat!" She slammed down the paper. Everyone could see the black-and-white photograph of the six Equestrians enveloped in the light of the Elements of Harmony in Times Square.

"J. Jonah Jameson," Carol stated. "He's in charge of the Bugle, and he's a complete sensationalist. The truth and what he thinks will sell a story are two completely different things."

"I wouldn't let it bother me if I were you," Steve advised. "It won't do any good to let what he thinks bring you down."

"Besides, now that he knows you exist, you're probably going to be appearing as monsters in his headlines every day," Tony added before Steve shoved him lightly to shut him up.

"Great," Twilight sighed. "Just great."

* * *

At first, Red Skull, formerly Johann Schmidt, seemed utterly interested in staring at his hands. He was ultimately not sure where he was at all.

"It is as though Hell itself no longer wants me," he said, slightly stunned.

"Well, how do you feel?" Discord asked him. He'd taken on his human appearance.

"Free, to start with," Red Skull told him. "Was this your doing?"

"In fact, it was," Discord said. "But I couldn't have done it without Impy here. He helped me figure out you were exactly the person I needed." He gestured to Impossible Man, who bowed, and on cue, a round of applause burst from empty air.

"What IS that creature?" Red Skull snarled.

"Look who's talking, redhead," Impossible Man retorted, and a laugh track sounded.

"Listen," Discord told Red Skull, drawing attention back to himself. "You and I want the same thing: to give the Avengers a little taste of heck."

"I would give them more than a taste," Red Skull corrected.

"Fine by me," Discord said. "I was just setting a minimum. I brought you back here for a reason, and that reason is to get your revenge. As destructively as you possibly can. No, really, go crazy. Take down a few buildings. After all, don't you also need to establish HYDRA's dominance over this city?"

Red Skull eyed Discord suspiciously. "Why do you care so much about my particular motives?"

"Can't I just do something out of the kindness of my heart?" Discord asked. "Maybe I'm a big fan of you and I want to see you do your thing!"

Impossible Man had to keep himself from laughing at that one.

"The point is, you're back, and you have your chance to get revenge and show the city that HYDRA is boss," Discord went on. "Are you in or are you out?"

"On what terms?" Red Skull asked.

"No terms," Discord said. "You can go as crazy as you want. I'll even give you whatever weapons you want in order to make your point."

"Can you give me the Tesseract?"

"Eeeeeexcept that one," Discord groaned. "You see, I COULD get you the Tesseract."

"Impossible."

"Not for me. HOW-ever, it's currently in exactly the place where I want it to be, and I would prefer if it didn't move. So what would your SECOND choice be as an instrument of destruction? Wait. Hang on…" Discord began to hum to himself, occasionally singing. "Hmmm hmm hmm hmmm hmmm, instruments of destructiooooon, hmmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmmm…" He snapped his fingers. "You always did appreciate a good giant robot."

"As a tool, I found robotics useful," Red Skull agreed.

"If I gave you as many robots as your little heart desired," Discord asked, "what would you do with them?"

"Show this world who deserves to reign," he said, "and who deserves to serve. And in the case of Captain America…who deserves to die."

"VERY good." Discord snapped his fingers.

The roof of the warehouse stretched far above the trio. Great mechs, forged to look like red suits of armor, filled the warehouse, replacing the cozy leather couches. The chest of the largest of them all parted to reveal a cockpit from which one could steer it and direct the other mechs.

Red Skull gave Discord one last look. "You are far too easily able to give me what I want. Why should I trust you?"

"Because you don't look a gift alicorn in the mouth," Discord said sternly. "Besides, if I can make these weapons appear, what do you think I could do to you if you didn't do what I wanted?"

Red Skull flinched. Then, steeling himself, he ascended into the cockpit of the leading mech.

"What would you have done to him if he refused?" Impossible Man whispered.

"Made him dance the tarantella while wearing a fuzzy pink hat," Discord replied, dead serious.

* * *

When Loki entered the prison room, Crouch in tow, he shifted out of the guise of Eva Ice to his true form. "Fury claimed this room was meant to hold me," he told Crouch, "but obviously, it didn't. No, in fact, he created it to hold the green behemoth. He never could trust anyone he couldn't keep under his thumb." He gestured toward a large, cylindrical cell inset in the room, one constructed of thick glass.

"That could describe you too," Crouch pointed out.

"The concept becomes incredibly different," Loki said, "if you claim to be a champion of the people as he did. Or as Odin did. There are lies…and there are LIES." Crouch could feel anger radiating from Loki. "Are my lies truly so horrible, when put in that perspective?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. Besides, I should think the god of mischief is allowed more lies than the All-Father."

"You understand." Loki grinned. "In any case, after our…cannon fodder does the work Discord brought him back to do, we'll keep him here. Keeping him alive ultimately makes Osborn look better in the long run, and that's what we want. If this cell can hold a Hulk, it can surely hold one little extremist soldier. I told Osborn I want it duplicated twice. The next two Discord is sending will be slightly more…volatile. Tell me, Crouch, is there anyone you've ever wanted to see behind unbreakable glass?"

"Only a hundred. You?"

"A hundred? And here I was thinking you were actually popular. My list is approximately close to a couple thousand, but as far as what Discord's giving us…there's one traitor in particular I can't WAIT to see from the outside of this glass." He laughed. "Perhaps he'll try to break it and knock himself out. Don't get me wrong, I do find a good bit of slapstick amusing when it isn't happening to me."

"When it isn't happening to you?"

Loki twitched. "Don't ask."

Crouch held up a hand. When both he and Loki were silent, they could hear the whispers. "Whisper, whisper, whisper," Loki called out. "Are we keeping secrets in the dark? How quaint."

Several crates had been piled up in the corner of the prison room. From behind them, Namor and Doom revealed themselves. "We were merely discussing business," Doom stated.

"Your business is my business," Loki said. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"

"Because it isn't your concern," Doom replied.

"That hurts, Victor."

"What, the thought that you don't have control over everything that goes on under the roof of your base? In any case, Loki, we were discussing nothing consequential. Mere gossip."

"Is that true, Namor?" Loki asked.

Loki could see blood rising to Namor's face. Embarrassment, perhaps. "Yes," the Atlantean said after a long pause. "I must go now." He stormed away, leaving the prison room.

"He is admirable," Doom said, watching him leave. "Quite admirable. A good choice, Loki."

Envy surged through the god. "Is he TRULY? I had thought himself one of the weaker of us."

"You underestimate his strength. In many ways, he reminds me of myself."

"DOES he."

Though Doom's mask hid it, Crouch and Loki could sense his smirk. "Does that make you angry, Loki?"

"No," Loki stated. "As a matter of fact, it doesn't. I was just surprised that you didn't find him secondary to Mr. Crouch. Personally, he's my favorite of our associates, and I hadn't even planned on his arrival." He turned to Crouch. "But you have enjoyed working with us, haven't you?"

"Yes…" Crouch wasn't sure where Loki was going.

Loki used the fingertips of his left hand to gently turn Crouch's face so the two locked eyes. "I am…so FORTUNATE to have found you," he said, leaning in quite close.

Crouch figured out what was going to happen only a split second before it did. Loki's lips pressed against Crouch's own. Though Crouch was startled, he didn't much feel like breaking the connection. He let Loki's lips taste him, and when he felt the god's tongue slightly licking at his mouth, he parted his own lips, giving Loki exactly what he wanted.

Loki pulled away from the kiss gently. "Fortunate indeed," he reiterated.

Doom could only stare at the pair angrily before turning and storming out without a word.

"You only did that to make him angry," Crouch deduced, though he was still rather dazed – he felt slightly weak in the knees.

"You catch on quickly," Loki commended. "One of the many reasons that may not have ONLY been about angering Victor. Don't misread me. You are QUITE a man as far as mortals go."

"But not as much as Vic – as Doom is."

"Perhaps that is a judgment to be made later, after we figure out whatever it is that's so secret that he and Namor have to meet in the shadows."

"Do you think he's planning to backstab you, or just to hook up with Namor behind your back when he knows feel like THAT?"

"It's Victor von Doom," Loki reminded Crouch. "He's fully capable of doing both."

* * *

Yellowjacket hadn't exactly been invited when Jan and Pinkie Pie went out for ice cream. Yet he was right there with them anyway, dressed in tight black jeans and a yellow V-neck sweater. His copper hair glinted in the sunlight.

"So what disaster do you think we're going to end up with today?" he asked, walking in front of the two women, striding backwards so he could face them. "More fire demons?"

"Hank, please," Jan snapped. "We're trying to have a little fun in our down time."

"Awwww, c'mon, Jan!" Yellowjacket whined. "You're always the one raring for a battle! Don't you want one today?"

"Maybe," Jan replied, "and maybe I just want to eat some ice cream." She suddenly realized she was missing something. "My purse - !"

"Left it back at the shop?" Yellowjacket concluded. "I got this!" He charged away.

Pinkie Pie couldn't help but notice the somber expression on her companion's face. "What's wrong, Jan?"

"Nothing."

"Is it nothing nothing or is it something nothing? Because a lot of the time, when I ask my friends what's wrong and they say, 'nothing,' it means something nothing!"

Jan sighed. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all!"

"It's Hank. Or…Yellowjacket, I guess. He doesn't think of himself as Hank anymore." Jan shuffled a foot against the ground. "He used to be different. He was a pacifist, and he was always wrapped up in his work. He was actually pretty boring. I always thought I'd like it a lot better if he would lighten up a bit and get better about the whole fighting thing. We even had a huge fight about it because he wanted to leave us. There was kind of an incident where this robot he invented to keep the peace ended up…well, that's a long story. He sort of…reinvented himself as Yellowjacket. Physically and mentally. He's exactly what I wanted now…and I kind of hate it. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

"Not really," Pinkie Pie said. "You just miss the way he was when you were friends before! Even when our friends change to what we think we want, that makes them not themselves anymore!"

"Friends," Jan repeated. "We were kind of…a little more than that. But now I don't know anymore."

"Do you like him at all?"

"Of COURSE I like him. I just miss the old Hank, and…I'm not sure how I can love EITHER of them, if the old one keeps running away and the new one keeps acting like a jerk. But I still can't hate Yellowjacket. I guess I've got some stuff to figure out."

"He is a jerk sometimes," Pinkie Pie pointed out, "but he's really trying hard to be your friend!"

"I know. Is he bothering you at all?"

"I'm actually having a GREAT time with both of you!" Pinkie Pie said with a great smile. "But if you're not happy, we can go home! I just don't want you to be sad today!"

Jan smiled. "Actually, that right there makes me a little happier already. Thanks for listening."

"We should go somewhere awesome! Maybe it'll take your mind off it!"

"Yeah!" Jan agreed. She heard the approach of footsteps. "Here he comes," she whispered. "If he asks, we weren't talking about him, okay?"

"It'll be our secret!" Pinkie whispered. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Yellowjacket returned, launching Jan's pink purse at her; she fumbled to catch it one-handed. "Found it," he said with a smirk.

"Thanks," Jan replied. "Hey, you wanna head over to – "

Jan's suggestion of the next adventure was interrupted by the great red mech. It decloaked, appearing seemingly from thin air, and began to fire lasers embedded in its arms at the streets. Piercing screams rose from the area.

"Well, right on cue," Jan said. "There's our fight. Weird. I don't recognize THAT."

"Let's take it DOWN!" Yellowjacket cried, running at the mech.

"WAIT!" Pinkie Pie cried. "Everypony's gonna see your face and know it's you! You stay here, and I'll fight the giant robot thingy!" In a flash, both her pistols appeared in her hands, and she turned and ran toward the great armored mech.

Pinkie became aware of a buzzing near her ear. Wasp was there, shrunk to her combat form, dressed in black and yellow. "This is why I'm ALWAYS dressed for battle," Wasp laughed. "I'm gonna fly into it and take out its circuits! You blast the outside with everything you've got!"

"LET'S ROCK!" Pinkie cried, and she and Wasp split up. Wasp found her way into a crack in the mech's plating, seeking out cords, anything that looked important enough to sever with a bio-sting. In the meantime, Pinkie charged the mech head-on.

The robot sensed her presence, slamming a metal hand down hard onto the pavement. Passerby gasped, thinking they'd witnessed the young woman being smashed by the giant hand. Then came the high-pitched cry of "I'M OVER HEEEE-EERE!"

The robot's sensors turned to locate Pinkie on top of a nearby skyscraper.

"How did she get up THERE?" one observer asked another on the streets below.

The robot turned its arm toward Pinkie, loading up a cannon to fire a great red laser at her across the top of the building. She disappeared just as the laser fired. "DOWN HERE!" she cried; she was suddenly standing on an awning over a building door. The robot swiped at her only to hear "OVER HERE!" from atop yet another building.

It attempted to take another swipe. The left arm didn't respond. Wasp had cut its circuits. It raised its right arm, powering up the laser; the gun died mid-charge thanks to another blow from Wasp. The entire mech twitched and shuddered. Wasp emerged from it, flying up to meet Pinkie Pie. "It's all you!" she cried.

Pinkie leapt off the roof, somersaulting in the air, before transforming into full Mahou Shoujo form and releasing a blast from the launcher into the robot's face. The metal was blown apart. Pinkie landed safely on the opposite roof (somehow; the onlookers couldn't quite grasp how she was able to defy what seemed like basic laws of physics), then looked down and yelled, "EVERYPONY RUUUUUN!"

Wasp landed on the ground, growing to full size. "IT'S GOING DOWN!" she cried. "GET OUT!"

Everyone ran as Pinkie and Wasp had dictated. The mech fell into the street, crushing a few empty cars and slightly cracking the pavement but otherwise causing no damage.

Pinkie Pie had made it back to the ground by this time, reverted from her Mahou Shoujo state. She and Wasp slapped a high five, and the two yelled, "YEAH!"

They ran back to where Yellowjacket had waited, holding onto Jan's purse. "Ice cream was melting," he said, "so I ate it all. Hope you don't mind. Anyway, NICE job on that thing."

"Thank you, thank you!" Wasp laughed as Pinkie bowed deeply; Wasp imitated the gesture.

"Couldn't have done it without my friend!" Pinkie squealed.

A chorus of screams from far away. Then another. And another.

"That doesn't sound good," Yellowjacket pointed out.

They decloaked en masse, moving through the city, crushing cars and tearing chunks out of buildings. Red suits of armor just like the mech Pinkie and Wasp had defeated.

"I…think we might wanna call for backup on this one," Wasp said nervously.

Pinkie Pie was already on it. She grabbed Jan's purse, ripping the Avengers ID card out of it. "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!" she shrieked, terrified. "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

* * *

The assault hadn't gone unnoticed by H.A.M.M.E.R. Osborn took one look through the helicarrier windows at the destruction going on below, then stormed out of the room.

"WHERE are you going?" Johnson asked with concern.

"To implement our new defense initiative," he stated on his way out, "and save the city."

Agent Ice smirked proudly.

* * *

Ms. Marvel, Falcon, and Vision took to the skies. Thor, Twilight, Banner, Fluttershy, Hawkeye, Rarity, and Black Panther rushed out to the streets.

Captain America and Applejack ran to the front of the entire group. "From the looks of it, they're scattered," Captain America said.

"We'll have to split up," Applejack added.

"Where are they even COMING from?" Twilight asked.

As if to answer her question, a voice boomed out through the city, projected through speakers embedded in the chest of every mech. "CAPTAIN AMERICA!"

"No," Captain America whispered. "No, it can't – "

"YOU HAVE CROSSED ME FOR THE LAST TIME," the voice boomed out. "AND FOR THAT, YOU, YOUR AVENGERS, AND YOUR CITY WILL PAY. DO YOU WISH TO ATTEMPT TO THWART ME YET AGAIN? I AM THIRSTING TO DESTROY YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL."

"Who is it, Cap?" Applejack asked.

"Red Skull," Captain America answered. "My…my oldest enemy."

"Okay, HOW many times have we thought we were done with that guy?" Hawkeye groaned.

"He has to be piloting one of those…giant robots," Captain America figured.

"If we use the Elements on the right one, we HAVE him," Twilight pointed out.

"But we have no way of knowing which," Black Panther pointed out. "Presuming he is not remote controlling them all from a different location."

"I guess we have to systematically go through all of them," Banner said. "They need to be taken down anyway before anyone gets hurt."

"Then we split," Captain America ordered. "Anyone figures out which one's got Red Skull, you radio it over the ID card. Now GO!"

The troop ran out into the streets, separating yet again.

"Hang on a minute," Applejack asked as she ran alongside Captain America. "Where are Rainbow Dash and Iron Man?"

"Iron Man told me he wanted to test Spectrum on the next disaster," Captain America answered.

"What's Spectrum?" Applejack asked.

"His newest armor design…"

* * *

Not one but two figures in the famed iron suit burst from a hatch in the roof of Avengers Mansion, rocketing upward into the sky. One suit was immediately recognizable as Iron Man's. The other was a more streamlined version, silver at the base but shimmering prismatically in the sunlight.

"How's it feel?" Iron Man asked Rainbow Dash via radio.

"AWESOOOOOME!" Rainbow Dash squealed.

"Just don't scratch it, okay?" Iron Man told her. "I worked hard on that paint job!"

Both heard the calm voice of J.A.R.V.I.S.: "Sir, the paint on Spectrum was applied by my machinery."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Iron Man dismissed. "Now, let's show that Führer wannabe who's boss."

Iron Man and Rainbow Dash blasted through the air, making a beeline toward a nearby robot. Palms outward, they fired energy blasts at the head of the machine, then swirled around it systematically, burning a helical pattern in its outer shell.

Captain America wasn't having such luck. He launched his shield up at the robot where the gun was attached to the underside of the lower arm, hoping to disconnect the mechanism; the robot twisted its wrist to block the blow. The shield went whizzing back at its owner, and were Captain America's catching reflexes a little slower, he would have been decapitated. The robot charged up its arm laser. Captain America, shield in hand, looked up at it just as the light was at full power. He felt a rope wrap around him suddenly, almost stinging where it came into contact with his skin, then jerk him backward so that he almost flew. The laser hit empty pavement.

Applejack reined in her rope whip, releasing Captain America from it. "Y'okay there?" she asked.

"Not a scratch," Captain America replied happily. "Thanks, partner!"

"Twilight Sparkle!" Thor called out as he launched into the air. "Can you destroy them with magic?"

"I can take down one," Twilight called up, "but it'll take all I've got. I might be too tired to handle more than minor spells after that."

"Then do as you see fit!" Thor told her before he shot straight upward into the sky.

Twilight shifted into witch form, rounding the corner to find one of the mechs. She contemplated how much power she should use. She had no way of knowing if this one was completely robotic or if Captain America's foe was inside. She had no desire to waste her full power on a mere robot.

She was alerted to a great BOOM in the sky. Thor raised Mjolnir, calling upon the lightning, drawing dark clouds. At his bidding, a great fork of lightning struck one of the mechs, causing it to crackle with electricity and sputter. Its circuits went wild. Broken out of Red Skull's control, the mech began to go wild, swinging its arms out at the skyscrapers on all sides and staggering down the street with intent to crush everything in its path. Civilians ran away in terror.

Twilight knew she had to stop the rogue robot, even though this convinced her there was no one inside. She raised her staff into the air, drawing upon her innermost power. The rain of magic came, pelting the robot. Fire. Stone. Wind. Water. Plasma. The robot was overcome; it shattered into limb scraps.

Twilight reverted immediately, slightly out of breath. Her energy was taxed, but at least she'd stopped…"I stopped a monster Thor made," she realized.

Fluttershy charged a mech, katana drawn. When it swiped at her, she leapt over its arm easily, spreading her wings. She evaded its attempt to stomp her and its laser blasts. She struck it with the katana once, twice; it cut deep. Then she was blindsided. The back of the mechanical hand slammed into her, smacking her into the side of a nearby skyscraper. She fell, regaining her bearings at the last second and spreading her wings to glide awkwardly down.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Banner yelled, running toward her.

"I'm okay," Fluttershy croaked, staggering.

Banner turned to the mech, glaring. Fluttershy could see the sheen of green begin to show on his skin as he growled, "You do NOT get to hurt her…"

And with a roar, the Hulk leapt at the robot.

Pinkie Pie was also drained of magical energy, and even the pistols were difficult to sustain in her hands. So she brought out the party cannon, running around and firing it at random. That did little good besides causing clouds of confetti, but that caused the next mech to pursue her to lock onto her steadily and not react at all when Wasp infiltrated its circuits.

The voice boomed out again: "ARE YOU HAVING DIFFICULTY FINDING ME, CAPTAIN AMERICA? YOUR AVENGERS ARE CAUSING MORE DAMAGE THAN I AM!"

"That is NOT true," Captain America growled, though he knew Red Skull couldn't hear him.

The mech that Wasp disabled crashed into an office building nearby, ripping off the side wall.

Captain America was at a loss for words.

"Am I doing this right?" Falcon asked, throwing energy projectiles from his wings at a mech, with no effect.

"Yes," Ms. Marvel answered, swooping in to blast the robot with her golden aura. "These things are TOUGH." The robot fired its laser cannon, and Ms. Marvel summoned a blast of gold to go against it. The laser backfired, and the robot staggered. "Really tough!"

"But he's making it look easy…" Falcon looked over to where a robot crumpled to the ground after Black Panther severed a key circuit.

"He makes EVERYTHING look easy," Ms. Marvel grunted. "VISION! A little help here?"

Vision flew beside her, blasting the robot with his own laser.

Yellowjacket had grown to the size of one of the mechs, and was engaged in a wrestling match of sorts with it. He ran at it to attempt to tackle it to the ground; it reached up to shove him back. He caught its hands in his, and they shoved each other; Yellowjacket was the one sent to the ground, slamming it hard.

"That is IT!" he bellowed, audible to a group of nearby civilians who seemed occupied with filming the entire incident on their camera phones. "I am going to KILL Red Skull when I find him!" He scrambled to his feet and rushed the robot again.

From a rooftop, Rarity and Hawkeye ran parallel to each other, drawing and releasing arrows almost in synchrony and watching as they exploded with little to no effect against their targets.

"Starting to run out of ideas here!" Hawkeye grunted, drawing another arrow from his quiver.

"I've got it under control," Rarity said calmly, stopping in her tracks.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Hawkeye screamed at her.

Rarity phased into Mahou Shoujo form, drawing her bow back calmly. The crystal rain of arrows was let loose, exploding against the robot in a burst of glimmering light. The robot powered down, crumpling.

"Niiiiiice!" Hawkeye complimented as Rarity shifted again.

Another robot trampled its fallen comrade, fixing its sights on Hawkeye and Rarity.

"Uhhhh…" Hawkeye said. "Don't suppose you could do that again, huh?"

Rarity's clothing flickered back and forth between her blue longccoat design and her Mahou Shoujo ruffles. "I'm afraid I can't!" she moaned, unable to keep the more powerful form.

"Well, it's back to the old fashioned way!" Hawkeye strung three arrows to his bow, drawing them back and aiming for the robot's sight. He let the arrows fly.

Another arrow careened out of seemingly nowhere at a perpendicular angle, cutting Hawkeye's arrows in half. The arrow fragments dropped uselessly out of sight.

"HUH?" Hawkeye cried.

"WHAT?" Rarity shrieked.

Three arrows, followed by another set of three, flew from the same direction, pegging the robot in its sight.

Hawkeye and Rarity looked down. Far below, they could see the archer, dressed in a facsimile of Hawkeye's own costuming, perched aboard a dark motorcycle. The bike revved, and the archer zoomed out of sight.

The arrows exploded. The robot's "head" was blown almost clean off. The body toppled. A blur of jet black swooped in, swinging from dark threads round and round, casting sticky black webs at the robot. The robot was hung suspended between the surrounding buildings, completely wrapped up.

Satisfied with his work, Venom swung up toward Rarity and Hawkeye. "Wouldn't want to cause any unnecessary collateral damage, would we?" he laughed before slinging another web and swinging toward the next mech.

Rarity screamed, then swooned; Hawkeye's reflexes were only just sharp enough to catch her.

Twilight staggered into an alley, putting her hand on the wall to steady herself. She'd been attempting smaller spells on the next mech she encountered, but she had pushed the definition of "smaller"; several large castings of Glacius later, the mech was unimpeded and Twilight worn out.

"Pathetic," a familiar voice said from before her. Twilight looked up, facing the end of the alley.

"Amora…?"

Amora strode toward Twilight, and Twilight noted that she was dressed in clothing the cut of which matched her Asgardian wear, but instead of green, was made up of shades of purple and black. She put her hands out to either side, creating glowing green plasma in each. "Let me show you how it's done," she said before charging out into the street.

Twilight followed. She watched Amora blast through the mech Twilight had attempted to freeze; it went down in one shot. The parts nearly scattered, but Venom was there to cast a web that caught them all before any could fall on anything. Amora was then gone, but Twilight could tell from another blast of green and explosion of scrap metal where she was.

Thor landed next to Twilight. "Was that Amora I saw?" he asked.

"I think she's come back to help us," Twilight said happily.

"You do not understand," Thor told Twilight. "She would gladly ally with us to stop a common enemy. But it is always on her own terms. She would not fight this battle for us. She would only fight for what she would gain."

Rainbow Dash and Iron Man took down another mech. "They're dropping like parasprites in front of a marching band!" Rainbow Dash called out.

"…Okay, what the HELL?" Iron Man replied, almost laughing.

"Kind of a 'you had to be there' thing, I guess," Rainbow Dash laughed. "Next one?"

"Next one!" Iron Man agreed.

They rounded a corner to see a sight that thoroughly shocked both of them. "No," Iron Man growled. "NO. THAT IS NOT WHAT I THINK IT IS."

"It looks like…another Iron Man suit," Rainbow Dash observed.

Painted red, white, and blue, the Iron Patriot circled the mech deftly, striking it quickly, burning through its shell.

"Yeah, well, if it is, I'm gonna KILL the guy who ripped me off!" Iron Man raged, rushing the Patriot. He tackled the Patriot around the waist, slamming him into a wall.

A calm voice emitted from it: "Tony Stark. You wouldn't really attack somebody who was trying to help you take down the Red Skull, would you?"

"OSBORN?" Iron Man growled.

Rainbow Dash hovered behind them. "Let him go, Iron Man," she said. "He can help us!"

"Um, he ripped off my stuff, and also, he's Norman Osborn," Iron Man told Rainbow Dash. Osborn had, in the meantime, wrenched free of Iron Man's grasp and taken a path of flight elsewhere.

Pinkie Pie ran in circles, firing the party cannon. "KEEP GOING, WASP!" she shrieked. "WE'VE ALMOST GOT IT!"

From beside her, a male voice said, "Hey. Let me lend you ladies a hand with that."

The man, slim but muscular, dressed in what Pinkie Pie didn't know was a darker palette of the Wolverine's clothing, dashed at the mech. He reached out with long metal talons, protruding from the skin between his fingers, leaping at the mech, scratching through its exoskeleton, ripping apart its circuits. The mech stopped dead in its tracks.

Wasp emerged from it, growing to human size, and the newcomer turned and flashed her a smile. Wasp immediately felt her heart rate quicken and her face heat up. "Who…who are you?" she asked.

"Call me Daken," he said with a smirk. "And trust me…I don't usually finish that fast." Then he rushed away to do battle with the next mech.

"Wow," Wasp sighed, staring after him. Then she shook her head. "Wait, no, NO!"

"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I…REALLY liked him for about two seconds," Wasp said. "I don't even KNOW him! It almost felt like some kind of weird love spell!" She folded her arms. "I mean, sure, he looks good, but not THAT good."

The Hulk was introduced to the Red Hulk when the latter punched the former in the face to get to the mech. Hiting the ground, the Hulk roared, "YOUUUUU!"

"I've never met you before!" the Red Hulk countered. "Now stay out of my way!"

"NO!" The Hulk leapt to his feet, running at the Red Hulk. "YOU RUINED MY NAME!"

A laser blast from the robot caused the two to leap back, away from each other. As he hit safe ground, the Red Hulk felt a strange sensation, as though he'd been punched in the soul. He turned to find Fluttershy there, katana drawn.

"YOU DON'T GET TO HURT HIM!" she shrieked, slashing at him with the katana. The energy cut through the air, knocking the Red Hulk onto his back. Above them all, the Iron Patriot blasted the mech to bits.

The motorcyclist veered through the streets, loosing arrows that blasted against the vital areas of each mech. When two human forms leapt before the bike, he (quite reluctantly) ground the vehicle to a sudden halt. "What, you want something?" he asked angrily.

"Yeah," Hawkeye snapped. "To know who you think you are."

"You were QUITE rude, shooting Hawkeye's arrows right out of the air like that," Rarity added.

"Well, I'm sorry if you aren't grown-up enough to take it when someone bests you at your own game, and I'm sorry if you're both a couple of crybabies," the motorcyclist responded. "But, for future reference, the name is Bullseye."

The motorcycle revved; Bullseye drove off down a side street.

"Okay, I don't like that guy already," Hawkeye grunted.

"Me either," Rarity said, "but didn't you notice what he was wearing?"

"What?"

"He was dressed like you."

One by one, the mechs were taken down and neatly packaged in black web by the newcomers. Only one remained. "If Red Skull's in any of them," Applejack cried, "it's that one!"

Without a word, Captain America took off running toward the last robot. "WAIT!" Applejack yelled, following him. "Those other guys look like they got this covered!"

"Between Red Skull and me," Captain America hissed, "it's personal."

The pair came upon the last robot. It trained its sight upon them deliberately. Captain America stared up at it, knowing that if Red Skull was indeed inside, he would be filled with hatred and anger at being beaten this way.

"Mind if I give you a hand?" Applejack asked.

"Be my guest," Captain America told her.

In a flash, Applejack transformed into the Mahou Shoujo state. She cracked the rope whip in the air. It wrapped up and around the mech, binding it, keeping it from moving. The robot struggled, but couldn't break the bond.

Captain America drew back his arm to throw his shield.

Another piece of metal clanged against it. Someone else stood before him, having blocked the shield's path with a nearly identical shield. Captain America stumbled backward. "No," he whispered.

"He is not for you," Zemo hissed. "This one is for me, Captain America." Zemo turned away from him to face the great robot.

Captain America launched his shield anyway – at the back of Zemo's neck. Zemo anticipated it. He turned; his hand caught the shield and threw it to the pavement, stomping on it hard. He let his own shield fly at the base of the robot's neck.

Where it struck, a panel opened. The cockpit of the robot was bared. Red Skull frantically fumbled with controls to close it, to activate a weapon, anything. Zemo ascended to face him directly, drawing his sword.

"I suppose you think you have won," Red Skull hissed, "Captain…" He turned his attention to whom actually stood over him. "…Zemo?"

The point of Zemo's sword brushed against Red Skull's throat. "You never deserved what they said of you," he hissed.

"Zemo!" Red Skull nearly whimpered. "You and I were both stewards of HYDRA! You cannot do this!"

"You could NEVER represent HYDRA. You are a joke. And as a threat, amusingly minimal."

"Why are you DOING this? I would have brought a golden age for HYDRA!"

"As usual," Zemo replied, "your sights are set far too low. You never had any vision, Red Skull. And now you will finally get what you deserve."

They both heard the sound of the Iron Patriot hovering behind Zemo. "I want him taken alive," Osborn insisted.

"All the better," Zemo said, though he didn't lower his sword. "He should live to see his failure."

A black web erupted toward Red Skull, binding him. He struggled against the web, but was unable to break free. More webs fixed his mech in place; Applejack's rope dissipated in a shower of sparks. "Leave him," Osborn commanded Zemo, and they both descended.

In the street before Red Skull's machine, they gathered. Osborn, the Iron Patriot. Baron Zemo. Amora the Enchantress. The Red Hulk. Bullseye. Daken. Venom.

Press swarmed around them, as if suddenly summoned. Cameras flashed, and microphones were thrust at the group. "Who are you?" a reporter asked.

Osborn popped the face plate on his helmet revealing his visage to the public eye. Many recognized him and gasped deeply. They swarmed him: "MR. OSBORN!" "MR. OSBORN!"

"Yes, it's me," Osborn told the crowd. "I realize that certain rumors about my being the Green Goblin have been circulating the press. They are, unfortunately, true. However, there have also been rumors that I was dead. That was…less true."

"Why let us think you were dead?" someone cried out.

"I needed time to rehabilitate," Osborn said. "That unfortunate phase in my life is over, and now I aim to serve and protect the city. My teammates are also former criminals who have completed the process of rehabilitation. I believe everyone deserves a second chance, after all."

"What are you planning to do with the Red Skull?" someone else yelled.

"We plan to take him into custody and hold him in an undisclosed location," Osborn answered. "Alive, mind you. Perhaps one day he can see the ways of my teammates and me."

"Who ARE these teammates?" someone else called out.

From afar, the Avengers and Equestrians watched as Daken and Bullseye jostled for the view of the camera and Red Hulk and Venom slunk backward. Zemo and Amora stood right were they were, stoically.

"I don't believe this," Iron Man spat. "Who do they think they are, coming in here and – "

"Saving everybody?" Applejack interrupted. "'Cause they did. They SAVED our city. Maybe it's about time y'all gave them a little more credit."

Iron Man gave a grunt, then blasted off to return to Avengers Mansion. The others followed at their respective paces.

"I always thought people deserved a second chance," Fluttershy said softly to the Hulk as they walked together. "But they HURT you. I…I don't know."

* * *

By that night, more information had been gathered on the team the public was referring to as the "new Avengers." Bullseye and Daken had given those names to the public; the names "Red Hulk" and "Venom" were eventually said to the camera as well.

"New Avengers?" Jan cried indignantly as the inhabitants of Avengers Mansion gathered around the television to watch the footage. "NEW AVENGERS? Are they trying to REPLACE us?"

"Maybe…" Steve exchanged glances with Applejack. "Maybe they're just trying to help in their own way."

"Norman Osborn, trying to help," Tony groaned. "And look at the jerks he rounded up."

"Who are they?" Fluttershy asked. "We already know Amora. But who are the rest?"

"Well, Bullseye and Daken each have a criminal record to their name," Tony listed off.

"The Red Hulk…I don't know," Banner confessed. "The concept of the Red Hulk was made by Red Skull, and…my other half thought it was the same one. But Ross is accounted for in jail. I get the feeling it's somebody else using the Red Hulk enhancement, and there's no way to tell who it is."

"That goes double for Venom," Tony added. "The last Venom we knew about was some kind of alien symbiote that got locked onto some dirtbag named Eddie Brock. But that symbiote could have gotten to anybody."

"Then there's Baron Zemo." Steve sighed. "Zemo. Of all people. When Red Skull turned up, I honestly thought for a second that he was the last person I wanted to see. Zemo proved THAT wrong."

"What did he DO?" Twilight asked, stunned.

"I stopped him from trying to infect the world with a deadly virus," Steve explained from where he sat on the couch. "That was DECADES ago. Before…well, you know what happened to me. I saved Zemo's targets, but he was infected with the virus himself. He's been surviving it. And he's almost bested us several times. He's one of the most dangerous men I've ever met. I never thought I'd see the day when he PROTECTED something in this world instead of trying to destroy it." He paused. "I…I HATE that he stopped Red Skull. I should just be happy that Red Skull is in custody and Zemo is…cooperating. But I wish it had been ANYONE but him." He rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, staring down at the floor and contemplating events.

"Zemo steals Steve's glory," Tony recapitulated. "Osborn steals my armor design. I'm about ready to march into that helicarrier and just punch them both out."

Rarity watched the captured footage of Zemo confronting Red Skull. "That's the most absolutely DISGUSTING thing I've ever SEEN!" she moaned.

"Yeah, even I was freaked out by that face at first," Hawkeye replied.

"Face…?" Rarity looked again. "Well, yes, Red Skull has rather a unique face, but I was REFERRING to that…that THING that Zemo is wearing! Somebody get me a fan! I feel faint just looking at it!"

The reporter onscreen continued to speak: "Bystanders are currently questioning the actions of the local heroes known as the Avengers, as civilian footage reveals several instances of the Avengers forcibly attacking our new heroes and trying to obstruct them from apprehending Red Skull."

"Oh, we did NOT do that," Tony groaned. "These news media types, I swear – "

Grainy cellphone footage showed Rarity and Hawkeye leaping out in front of Bullseye's motorcycle. Fluttershy and the Hulk attacking the Red Hulk. Iron Man tackling the Iron Patriot in midair. There was even long-distance footage showing Captain America launching his shield at the back of Zemo's head.

"We…actually did try and stop them from saving the city," Ms. Marvel realized, watching the footage play out.

"As if we could have known!" Rarity moaned. "We had reason to suspect they were doing more harm than good! And did NOPONY catch when Bullseye shot Clint's arrows out of the sky? NOPONY?"

"Osborn also, impressively, took Red Skull into custody nonviolently," the reporter continued. "As for the Avengers, this footage speaks for itself."

The next footage to play was Yellowjacket, gigantic, screaming, "I am going to KILL Red Skull!"

All eyes in the room turned to Yellowjacket.

"Whaaaat?" Yellowjacket moaned. "You're blaming me because the news made me look bad?"

"Well, you could have said something else!" Jan snapped.

"Like we weren't ALL thinking it!" Yellowjacket argued.

"We WEREN'T all thinking it," Fluttershy asserted.

"Aside from the pony peacekeepers, I mean," Yellowjacket corrected.

Steve sighed. "Hank."

"Not my name, Steve. Hank's dead, remember?"

"LISTEN, Hank!" Steve snapped. "I think we need to talk about your behavior on this team. All of it. Ever since you turned Yellowjacket, you – "

"Have been EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT," Yellowjacket snapped. "Ant-Man? He was a wimp! He was weak! And he walked out on you! Nothing like that is holding me back."

"Stop talking about Ant-Man like you're two different people, Hank!" Steve retorted. "There's still something of him in you. There's a part of you that doesn't respond to everything by trying to destroy it, and I really wish I could see more of that right now!"

"So, what?" Yellowjacket asked. "Are you kicking me out of the Avengers?"

"No," Tony interrupted. "We already made the mistake of shutting out a friend once. With Phil. But you need to figure out where you stand. Because no matter what name you go by, you're still Hank Pym."

"I don't have to listen to this." Yellowjacket got up and left the room. "I'll see you tomorrow if you still want me on your team."

"Hank…!" Jan attempted to call after him.

"Whoa, is he okay?" Wilson asked.

"I hope so," Steve said.

"Well, I can make sure so," Twilight said, making to follow Yellowjacket out of the room.

"What are you even gonna say?" Tony asked her.

"I don't know," Twilight said, "but…I feel like I'll figure it out." She took her leave.

* * *

Red Skull was, to say the least, indignant with his new quarters: the cylindrical cell upon the helicarrier. The first few hours were already torture – not because he was actually being tortured, but because he was steeped in shame, and boredom was starting to creep in.

The door to the dark room opened, and Red Skull thought for a moment that it was one of the Agents come to bring him food. However, the man who entered carried nothing. Red Skull glowered at him.

Doom stopped before the cell. "You do not know how it pleases me to see this," he confessed, almost laughing.

"I should have known you would have been behind this," Red Skull snarled. "I hope you're happy to finally stand above me, where you don't deserve it, you gypsy SCUM!"

He slammed his fists against the glass. All that did was hurt his hands. Doom was unfazed.

"Not even your words can hurt me from inside your cell, Schmidt," Doom told him. "But I beg to differ. This is where I deserve to stand. And that is where you have always deserved to stand for the crimes you have done."

"Since when are you a champion of justice?" Red Skull hissed.

"I always have been," Doom informed him. "Were this world mine, I would right all wrongs. Wrongs like you."

"If I am to understand correctly," Red Skull pointed out, "you are nowhere near ruling the world. You are just a pawn in Osborn's scheme."

"You understand completely incorrectly," Doom told him. "This is only the first step to what I truly want. But I have what I want for the day. Seeing you behind glass is even better than I had hoped it would be." He turned and walked from the room. "Do not enjoy your stay."

As Doom opened the door to leave, he encountered Zemo moving toward the cell. "Come to lord your superiority over Red Skull, I see," Doom greeted.

"Am I truly that transparent?" Zemo asked, amused.

"I shall inform you that I have longed to see Red Skull in imprisonment for as long as I have known of him," Doom stated. "He personally caused me hardship because of his prejudices. I am well aware, however, that you had the same affiliations he did during the second world war. That you had the same beliefs. I am warning you now: if you dare bring your bigotry against me…I will ensure that you regret it."

"You needn't worry your fragile heart over it," Zemo replied, almost teasingly. "I intend to play nice."

"Do not condescend me. You are NOT to see me as your inferior. After all, were it not for Loki's and my little scheme, you would still be battling hordes of cosmic insects in an abandoned prison block, and after so much time away from the Virus X treatments we've been providing you…your end would not have been a pleasant one."

"Oh, come now, Victor," Zemo began.

"You will address me as Dr. Doom," Doom corrected sternly.

Zemo laughed. "It seems I am on a first name basis with nobody. The fact is that everyone here is my inferior, fellow Aryan or not. This is not MY fault. Though it doesn't help your case that your mother was a rotten Gypsy mongrel…"

Doom replied through gritted teeth, "It is, however, your fault that your own face is rotten all the way through. You are not the model of perfection you claim."

"You mention my face," Zemo countered, "and yet I see you wearing a mask as well."

"My disfigurements did not put off Amora the Enchantress."

Zemo's calm demeanor was suddenly gone. Doom could tell he'd struck a chord; Zemo practically radiated anger. The Baron's hand moved quickly to his sword hilt, but clenched into a fist when he realized how unwise it would be to assault a member of Cabal.

A sudden laugh caused both Zemo and Doom to look to the side of the hallway. Blackheart leaned against the wall, one foot propped up. He was outright giggling at what he witnessed.

"What are YOU doing here?" Doom asked.

"And…how long have you…been here?" Zemo muttered.

"I just came to have my turn at tormenting our prisoner," Blackheart answered, "since that seems to be what we're doing now. But now, I'm just loving your show."

"And what about this is FUNNY to you?" Doom snarled.

"You humans and your disputes over genetics and heritage, that's all," Blackheart said. "You get so caught up in it. What you look like. Who you're born from. What your past was. But it really doesn't make any difference. When they're dropped into Hell, when they have the flesh seared off them, the eyeballs popped out of the sockets…" He gestured with his hands as though making the adjustments he described to a miniature body. "The hair torn out, the fingers mangled one by one, and the genitals taken to a meat grinder…then you can't tell who's an 'Aryan' and who's a Roma anymore. You're all the same under that mortal flesh. And watching you argue about it is HILARIOUS."

Zemo and Doom could only stare, speechless, completely unnerved (and feeling sympathy pains in their eyeballs and nether regions).

"Well, by all means, don't stop on my account," Blackheart went on.

"…Give Red Skull hell," Doom muttered as he moved away.

"At least we can agree on ONE thing," Zemo muttered in return, walking into the prison room.

* * *

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Impossible Man asked Discord as the two reclined on the couch, watching Doom and Zemo argue on the big screen.

"What were you thinking?" Discord asked.

"Sitcom spinoff where we force the two of them to live in the same room," Impossible Man pitched with a wide smile. "It would be television GOLD."

"It would be highly unethical and play upon their emotions…" Discord thought it over. "Quick! Get me a pen so we can write this down."

* * *

Twilight knocked on the door to Yellowjacket's lab. She was greeted with an audible groan, followed by, "Okay, fine, come in."

She entered to find him working on another gun-like device. "Hey."

"So lemme guess." Yellowjacket put down the gun and folded his arms. "You came to try and make me feel better. Or, worse, tell me how bad I screwed up."

"I…" Twilight suddenly had a revelation. "I thought I had something to say to you, and I thought it would just occur to me when I started talking to you. But actually…I realized I don't WANT to talk to you."

"Well, thanks…" Yellowjacket huffed.

"I want to LISTEN to you," Twilight finished.

Yellowjacket regarded her with curiosity.

"I want to know what all this is about," Twilight said. "All I know is that you used to be different, and you 'remade' yourself. I'm really curious about why. Are you okay talking about it?"

Yellowjacket sighed. "Pull up a chair."

Twilight took a spare chair from the lab and sat across from him.

"I used to be known as Hank Pym," he began. "My name in the field was Ant-Man, or sometimes Giant-Man. I joined up with the Avengers when we first fought Graviton. Nick Fury wasn't as interested in me as the others. He never listed me on the Avengers Initiative. I can see why. I was a pacifist. I wanted to focus on rehabilitating criminals instead of just punishing them. And I NEVER wanted to kill them. Joining a group of fighters…that wasn't easy. Especially when Jan was always so gung ho for a fight. We were dating, then. I'm not sure what we're doing now.

"Anyway, I kept trying to find peaceful solutions. It kept on…not working, for the Avengers. I guess there was a part of my mind that was more violent than I thought. I created an AI I called Ultron in order to keep incarcerated criminals from doing harm. In an emergency, I programmed Ultron to know the concept of violence so he could fight alongside with us. But he ended up trying to destroy us all instead. You know Vision? Ultron made him to help him destroy humanity. But Vision was smart enough to see that humans weren't just imperfections that needed to be blasted off the earth. Vision's AI was made from scratch. Now, here's the twist. Ultron's mind was made from my own. Mine was the template for his. So basically, the guy trying to end humanity was me all along.

"I quit the Avengers after that. Because of Ultron, and because pacifism didn't really go over well here. I went independent, and somewhere along the line, I realized…I was a mess. A spineless mess that apparently had the mind for world destruction anyway. So I decided Hank Pym had to die.

"I altered my body to have a new genetic makeup so that I could start over. I even staged my own death. I let everyone think Yellowjacket was a new person. Jan was the first one to figure it out. But for all intents and purposes, Hank died. And now I'm me. And you know what? I thought everyone would be HAPPY. I fight now! I'm not all wishy-washy about how we treat the supervillains! I'm OWNING that I have the capacity to make an Ultron! But you saw how they treated me out there. Complain, complain, complain. What do they even WANT from me?"

It took Twilight a moment to realize he was seriously asking. "Well," Twilight said, "in my experience, a true friend accepts you no matter who you are. Whether or not you were pacifist Hank or fight-happy Yellowjacket, your friends should be all right with you. I'm at least glad everypony knew better than to shut you out after this last incident. You made an honest mistake."

"They're just mad because it's not the one Ant-Man would have made. Well, they wouldn't have liked the mistakes Ant-Man would have made either."

"That shouldn't matter," Twilight insisted. "I mean…I think it was the change that bothered them. That they expected you to be one way, and now you're completely another. But if you're going to have a flaw either way, you should be able to be whichever you want!"

"Yeah!" Yellowjacket concurred.

"If you want, I can talk to the rest of them," Twilight said. "But on the other hand, I'm not sure that will be all that necessary. They want you on their team."

"After I became…me, Jan had to talk Steve and Tony into putting me on the roster."

"But have they tried to kick you out since then?"

"No…"

"They like you," Twilight told him. "Maybe they're not used to Yellowjacket. But they'll GET used to him."

Yellowjacket smiled. "Y'know what? You're right. Thanks, Tw – "

"I'm not done."

Yellowjacket hushed.

"You changed for them," Twilight said, "and everything you've said is about how THEY think about you. You also changed because this Ultron went rogue, but there was no way you could have known that! So maybe there is a part of you that's…a little evil. There's darkness in me too. It doesn't change who you are as a person for the most part. What I'm worried about is that you're not who YOU really want to be. Yellowjacket…if the Avengers didn't matter, and if there was no Ultron, would you rather be Yellowjacket or Hank?"

"But there ARE Avengers and there WAS an Ultron."

"There are friends who, if they're smart, are going to be loyal to you no matter what, so long as you're loyal to them," Twilight said. "And you just SAID that when you became Yellowjacket, you owned that Ultron could come from you. But you still fight for good. You ARE good. Even if you have evil parts. Which I don't even see that much."

"But I wasn't loyal," Yellowjacket admitted in a low tone. "I walked out on them."

"Was THAT what you wanted?"

"I don't know. I didn't feel like I belonged."

"Did they say that?"

"No," Yellowjacket admitted. "I figured it out myself."

"You THOUGHT you didn't belong."

"How can a guy who wants to initiate PEACE TALKS with creeps like Loki fit in with an elite fighting force?"

"My friends and I don't kill our enemies," Twilight told him. "We made a vow about that. Our Eldritch weapons channel energy we use against the beings we fight. We don't hurt them, or at least we try our very hardest not to. It's been that way from the very beginning. Four villains attacked Equestria. We reformed one, banished another…my sister-in-law killed another one, so that doesn't count…" She sighed. "And one of them, we petrified, reformed, petrified again, and are now playing a giant game of chess against. The point is, just because your style of dealing with evil is different DOESN'T mean you can't fit in. Actually, having different approaches can be helpful if you figure out how to use them in a team. That's assuming that's what you want, anyway. I'm just saying if you WANTED to be Hank again, your friends would love you all the same. But if you want to be Yellowjacket, that's just as good. I'm just worried that if you're not true to yourself…you won't be happy."

"Huh," Yellowjacket replied. He was silent for a long while. Then he said, "I'll think about it. Just as a hypothetical. What I REALLY would have wanted if there weren't external factors. There are so many variables in this that I don't even know what I would want if I ignored them. It'll take some time to figure out. And it's not like I'm going to change or anything. I just hate that I don't have an answer to your question."

"And if anypony gives you a hard time," Twilight told him, "just send them back to me."

"I'll remember that," Yellowjacket said with a wink. "Okay, now I seriously need to get back to working on this prototype. And figuring out the answer to that question. You go watch the news some more."

Twilight got up to leave. "Good luck with your project."

"Thanks."

Twilight left Yellowjacket alone in the lab, now facing a question whose answer eluded him frustratingly.

* * *

Chapter 68

· Check out this chapter title. Now watch out for the next two. This is one of the rare occasions where I had the chapter titles for this set planned out before writing the actual chapter.

· I loved bringing back Impossible Man's ability to summon random villains out of nowhere. That's one of my favorite powers of his. Now you see why Loki needed him and Discord…

· My AEMH headcanon is that Red Skull survives to the modern day because of Strucker touching the Cosmic Cube at the same time as Cap. Just like Cap brought back Bucky, Strucker brought back who he thought would usher in an age of HYDRA.

· So I wrote this huge bit about Red Skull coming back from the dead when I remembered that in AEMH, that timeline doesn't actually end with him dying. So I changed it to be more ambiguous as to whether they bring him back from the dead or just summon him out of jail. Though I left in the line "It's as if Hell itself doesn't want me" because I like that line.

· J. Jonah Jameson occasionally irks me. I actually had this whole meme about how he was the "ultimate evil in the Marvel universe" before I actually finished SSM and realized he does have a heart. So he's here to play not necessarily a villain, but an antagonist when it comes to the public view of the Avengers and the Mane Six.

· I felt the Tesseract already had a good run. Besides, I want to let the MCU do the Infinity Gauntlet before I touch that in my story. (Given the pace at which I work on this, I'll still be writing EoH by that time.)

· Red Skull used a lot of giant robots in AEMH, so voilà. Giant robots.

· Yes, I did have Discord sing "Instruments of Destruction" from Transformers. That song has slight meme status in the fandom circles where I run.

· Remember when I said the next shiptease for Cabal would actually look shippy? How's Loki kissing Crouch strike ya? Ohhhh man…Hiddles making out with Tennant. I need a minute to revel in how beautiful that image is.

· As you can guess, I tried to make this chapter sort of focus on the whole Yellowjacket ordeal and move toward resolving THAT subplot.

· I actually hate Hank/Jan as a couple. I think they have NO chemistry and do NOT understand each other. But I can't bring myself to write their actual breakup for some reason. Nor can I bring myself to write actual public displays of affection between them. So…yeah, they're in limbo. I'm hoping to find better endgame ships for both of them and be able to break them up for that.

· Yup, I gave Rainbow Dash an Iron Man suit. Just roll with it. No, I don't intend to take it away from her.

· As you might have guessed, our mystery "Wolverine" and "Hawkeye" were Daken and Bullseye. MAJOR props to GA for getting me a handle on their characters by finding me clips and scans. I can only hope I've done them justice. They've grown on me ever since GA told me about them.

· ALMOST let Daken get away without an innuendo. Remembered my mistake.

· I really really really wanted Zemo to beat up Red Skull. You can totally tell which one of them I respect through the roof and which one I kind of think is a joke.

· Though I couldn't get away without taking a shot at Zemo's outfit. He's a total badass, but his choice of wardrobe is UNFORTUNATE.

· Note that Doom and Zemo both have personal grudges against Red Skull. The other two villains that Discord and IM have lined up for the Dark Avengers also have personal grudges with members of Cabal/the Dark Avengers. You may already be able to guess who they are going to be.

· It occurred to me LAST MINUTE that Doom and Zemo would have friction between them because of Doom's heritage and Zemo's supremacy complex. I actually needed a couple drafts of the scene between them to get the right atmosphere. So now we actually have what might be the only SERIOUS RIFT among the H.A.M.M.E.R. structure. And yes…the core of their argument actually is "YOUR MOM." "YOUR FACE!"

· Apparently, Doom and Amora have slept together in comic canon.

· This argument actually let me give Blackheart something else to do. I had felt bad about him just sitting around because he's one of my favorites. Not just in terms of Marvel villains, but ANY villain. I also got to embellish on his character a little bit.

· No, I don't actually plan to stick Zemo and Doom in the same apartment via Discord. That was a throwaway joke I couldn't resist.

· Sorry for just recapping the entire Yellowjacket arc in my exposition dump. I couldn't think of a better way to do this scene.

· I kind of see Yellowjacket as Hank's way of "owning" the part of his brain that made Ultron's concept of "violence" go out of whack…even though TBH I don't actually believe Ultron went rogue because of Hank's mental patterns. I just think Ultron went rogue because he took a concept to a logical extreme. Vision is an anomaly among AI to me because of his ability to see in shades of grey.


	69. A Bane in Blue

69. A Bane in Blue

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The teenage boy with short, reddish hair, dark green eyes, and a spattering of freckles over his pale skin had his eyes fixed upon the television screen of his living room. He'd been watching the news cover the same story since the night before, only taking a regular break to sleep, and was watching again as soon as the sun came up. It didn't make him happy at all. He was drawn to the footage for how angry it made him…and because it was the closest he could get.

His mother walked into the room. "You're going to be late for school," she said, calm, concerned.

The boy sighed and turned off the television. He angrily slung his backpack over his shoulder and stood up.

"Harry," his mother said gently, "I know this is difficult – "

"DIFFICULT?" Harry Osborn snapped. "DIFFICULT was when he told me I wasn't a real man. DIFFICULT was when I thought he wanted Peter Parker for a son instead of me. MORE than difficult was when I figured out he'd been using me as a cover for the Green Goblin. MORE than difficult was when I thought he DIED! But this? This is worse than all of that. He let us both think he died, and he won't even come home. He won't talk to you, he won't talk to me, and we have no idea where to even find him."

"Harry…your father…" Emily Osborn tried to seek out an explanation to give her son. She'd already run her mind ragged trying to find one for herself. "He obviously had a lot to figure out. After everything that happened…he's a little confused. I'm hoping he'll eventually see the way he left us, and he'll contact us."

"Yeah, right," Harry said on his way out the door. "Because he really wants to go back to having a son that doesn't measure up."

* * *

Tony almost slapped the paper down on the breakfast table, but then, having a second thought, he clutched it close to his chest. "Twenty bucks," he said, "for anyone who can tell me what made front page."

"New Avengers take the city by storm," Clint offered.

"Osborn becomes renowned for offering reformed criminals a second chance," Steve continued, "and they're 'surprisingly doing better than the so-called heroes of this city.'"

"The Avengers are hostile attackers who impeded justice by fighting the new Avengers in the middle of a bigger battle," Twilight supplied.

"Osborn is a peacekeeper and Yellowjacket is a murderer," Yellowjacket offered.

"Everypony's happy because Osborn is back from the dead," Rainbow Dash groaned.

"Aaaaaand I'm out one hundred and thirty bucks," Tony announced, letting the paper fall so all present at the table could see the headline.

"One hundred and thirty?" Banner asked.

"Steve gets fifty for pretty much pegging a quote word for word," Tony explained.

"Jameson," Twilight growled at the paper. "He's ALMOST worse than everything else we had to deal with on this world!"

"And you've only known about his existence for two days," Tony pointed out. "We have to deal with this 24/7."

* * *

"So what's on the menu today?" Discord asked.

"We've got an EXTRA SPECIAL competitor in this corner today!" Impossible Man replied. "LIGHTS!"

Discord clapped. The room went dark. Then a disco ball lowered itself from the roof, and rainbow strobe lights began to flicker against it.

Impossible Man shot Discord a glare. Discord shrugged with a wily grin. "Sorry. Old habits die hard."

"I'm TRYING to put across a vision here," Impossible Man sighed.

Discord clapped again, and the disco ball and strobe lights vanished. The sole spotlight returned.

Impossible Man cleared his throat before beginning the announcement: "FROM THE DEPTHS OF – oh, you know what, I already did this whole spiel in Avengers Assemble. Let's just cut to the chase!"

He and Discord both pointed to the spotlight dramatically. Beneath it, a new man shimmered into view. Sturdily built, he was clad in golden armor, topped off by a helmet with two flat prongs that protruded from it – though nothing so grandiose as Loki's helmet of choice. This man appeared mostly humanoid, but his skin was a bright sky blue, and both Discord and Impossible Man knew full well that the armor covered gills.

"PRESENTING…AAAAAATTUMA!" Impossible Man cried.

* * *

As Osborn passed Eva Ice in the halls of the helicarrier, he halted. "Agent Ice. A word?"

"I was just thinking the same thing," the false agent said, rather teasingly, before following Osborn into the weapons bay.

"Your orders went through," Osborn told Loki; the latter had reverted to his male form once the doors were closed. "Two more cells, just like the one containing Red Skull."

"Good," Loki replied. "I was hoping – "

"Why two?"

"I don't understand what you're getting at." Loki said this with a broad smile. Osborn found it unnerving.

"On one hand, three is a nice number. A logical estimate. And they say bad things come in threes," Osborn told him. "On the other hand, Red Skull showing up was a little too convenient, if you ask me. Someone who not only has a personal enemy among the Avengers, but a personal enemy in my Dark Avengers and a personal enemy in Cabal?"

"Are you implying I found him just for you to fight?" Loki replied. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Norman, I swear on Yggdrassil that I didn't talk him into the job or give him any of his weapons."

Osborn wasn't sure whether Loki was lying or just using words that could easily be loopholed. "Are there two more threats coming to test my Dark Avengers, Loki?"

"I'm not going to answer that," Loki replied. "I'm just going to let YOU think about what you and your team look like in the public eye now. As I understand it, our Red Hulk's father printed some very nice words about you. Now, am I understanding correctly that he's…difficult to impress?"

"Something tells me you know EXACTLY what Jameson is like. Something tells me you know almost everything."

"Well, I don't know how magnets work. That one's still eluding me."

Osborn couldn't think of a response for that.

"It must be quite the rush, to be New York City's new hero," Loki went on. "A far cry from what you used to do. Though I can imagine it feels good to be airborne again."

"The Green Goblin was completely different," Osborn said gruffly.

"So you really meant it when you said that was behind you?" Loki asked. "I thought that was a nice line for the cameras."

"The Goblin was a small step toward a small goal," Osborn pointed out. "As the 'Big Man of Crime,' I ruled over an underworld that operated under the infrastructure of the city. As Director Osborn, my control extends to the city's infrastructure itself, as well as that of the nation. And as you can imagine, the Green Goblin can't turn up again while Director Osborn is in power. If that happened, and Jameson even knew the slightest thing about H.A.M.M.E.R., he'd have a field day."

"I'm inclined to think he'd have a field day anyway."

"So you understand why the Goblin has to be dead and gone." After a moment, Osborn said, with the slightest of shivers, "Not to mention that being him was addicting."

"Addicting? Might I impose upon you to elaborate?"

"I created another persona to be the Goblin. That plus the Globulin treatments made me feel invincible. It got to a point where becoming the mask was all I could think about when I wasn't wearing it. At the time, it didn't bother me, but looking back on it…it's not something I want to repeat."

"Pity. I always did appreciate the Goblin. The one-liners, the shrieking bombs, the wake of destruction…"

"Well, he's dead and gone, Loki, so you can just appreciate him on your own time." Osborn turned to leave. "I have other business to attend to."

Loki let him get almost all the way to the door before asking loudly, "Have you told your son you're back in town?"

Osborn knew Loki knew the answer. He gave Loki a very dirty look indeed before leaving.

* * *

Rarity and Fluttershy entered the television room to find Wilson and Vision sitting before a device that looked like a purple cube; game controllers extended from it to each of their hands. They had begun to play a fighting-style video game on the television. Wilson was in control of a human clothed in a blue flight suit and a red helmet, while Vision maneuvered a large, bipedal, catlike creature colored white and purple. Wilson's character socked Vision's in the face, yelling "FALCON…PUUUUNCH!" in the process.

"Oh, man," Wilson remarked, "I am SO using that in the next battle."

Wilson's character claimed victory, and Wilson remarked, "You know, for a computer, I expected you to win more often."

"Imperfection is what makes humanity what it is," Vision replied. "I respect that. So I aim to be less than perfect on occasion."

"Wait. You mean you've been THROWING all these matches?" Wilson gave a great sigh.

"That looks like fun," Fluttershy broke in.

"Wanna play a round?" Wilson offered the controller to her.

"Oh, no…I never did figure out how those games worked," Fluttershy responded. "You go on ahead."

"Well, I'm glad to see you've settled in," Rarity added. "It seems as though you were just MEANT to be here!"

"I wish," Wilson sighed as he began a new match. "I still feel like the new guy, you know? It's kinda like…all the other Avengers have known each other forever, and I'm just this random fanboy that they let stay in the house. I'm not a REAL Avenger."

"Oh, I'm sure they don't think that," Fluttershy said, attempting to be soothing.

"You have only been an official Avenger for two days," Vision pointed out. "I too am new to the team. The others will have had a longer bond because of their interactions before we met. Statistically, our bond with the others should increase as we remain part of the team."

"So you're saying that the two of you feel like outsiders?" Rarity reiterated.

"Indeed," Vision confirmed, "though I know that state will eventually end."

"And I just feel like I don't belong," Wilson admitted. Lackluster, he let Vision's character blast him off the screen of the television.

"Well!" Rarity insisted. "There's only one way to fix this!"

"What?" Wilson asked, excited with curiosity.

"You must get out there and socialize!" Rarity told him. "Both of you! If you want to run in certain circles, you mustn't be afraid to approach them as though you were already part of them! Trust me. I of all ponies would know."

"She IS very popular everywhere she goes," Fluttershy confirmed. "If you want to hang out with the others more, maybe we should plan for you to do something together."

"It would be team building!" Rarity affirmed. "As a matter of fact, Clint and I have a training appointment in the arena. You two should come and practice your own moves. We can make it a group exercise! In fact, I'll call on some of the others for a group session."

"I dunno," Wilson said. "Vision might be on the same level with you and the rest of those guys, but I'd just look silly."

"The only way to get better at something is to practice," Rarity asserted, "and this would also give you the perfect opportunity to ask the pros for tips."

"Well…then let's try it!" Wilson decided. "Vison? You in?"

"I would like to participate," Vision affirmed.

"I will meet you all in the arena in fifteen minutes!" Rarity said, delighted, before striding from the room.

* * *

Attuma was first perplexed, then enraged. "WHO ARE YOU?" he roared at Discord and Impossible Man.

"We're just fans," Impossible Man answered. "Very big fans! Oh, Discord, would you be a dear and get the lights?"

Discord clapped his hands. Out came the disco ball and rainbow strobes.

Impossible Man rolled his eyes. "…You know what I meant."

"I COULDN'T resist," Discord laughed, clapping again. The disco ball and rainbow strobes were gone, and the whole room was illuminated. "Now, if I remember correctly, you harbor a certain resentment for Namor."

"Resentment doesn't BEGIN to describe it!" Attuma snarled. "He humiliated me!"

"Well, in his defense, you WERE trying to take his throne – " Impossible Man began before Discord elbowed him in the stomach. "Ow!"

"Then have we got a proposition for you!" Discord announced to Attuma. "We give you a weapon powerful enough to stand against Namor, and all you have to do is try and beat him with it. You see, he happens to be here in this very city. I couldn't tell you where, but he's practically a sitting duck."

"I LIKE this plan!" Attuma laughed.

"You're not going to question it?" Discord posed. "Ask how you got here? Who we are? Why we want you to go after Namor? Where we got this weapon that you're just going to love?"

"I don't care about such details!" Attuma replied. "All I want is to bring all that belongs to Namor under my control…and then extend my reign to the WORLD!"

Discord and Impossible Man looked to each other, then shrugged. Discord turned back to Attuma. "If you REALLY want to show them, try this on for size." A long-handled weapon shimmered into existence in his claw. It took on the form of a golden trident with a bent handle and uneven tines.

"Neptune's Trident," Discord stated. "Or so they call it here. The REAL Neptune or Poseidon or whatever they're calling him nowadays wouldn't let it fall into the hands of mortals, no matter how many of them forget him. But it is an ancient weapon of destruction from below the sea, and will give you power over ALL the waters in the…world…" Discord looked at the trident upon saying this. He reluctantly handed it to Attuma. Attuma gripped the trident and attempted to take it, but Discord didn't let go.

"Discord," Impossible Man hissed, "we need HIM to do the destroying. You can find another toy later!"

Discord gave a dramatic sigh and let go of the trident.

"Can't you control the waters anyway?" Impossible Man asked, confused.

"But it's more FUN with ancient artifacts of destruction," Discord pouted.

Attuma hoisted the trident above his head, laughing. "YOU are the fools! YOU will experience ruin at my hands! By giving me this trident, you've given me the power to destroy YOU along with this city! Enjoy your final moments, for your hour of judgment has come!" Attuma ran out the door with his prize.

Discord chuckled. "Wanna bet?" he said under his breath.

* * *

The training room was a frenzy.

"TO YOUR LEFT!" Clint yelled; Wilson swiped his arm outward and sent a red feather hurtling toward a target.

"ABOVE YOU! THREE!" Pinkie Pie screamed, and Clint loaded his bow, sending three arrows directly upward to peg three bullseyes.

T'Challa and Vision faced each other, noticed the bullseyes behind each other, pointed, then spun and launched Vibranium arrowheads and a laser beam, respectively.

"Am I doing this right?" Wilson asked nervously.

"You're doing great!" Steve replied. "With your wings, it's all in the wrist. Like with my shield. Try to copy how I move my arm." He drew back his shield; Wilson copied the motion. They let the shield and red projectiles fly, knocking out twin targets.

Rarity took out a sequence of linear targets against a wall. "How's THAT?" she boasted.

Clint pegged every target she'd hit in twice the speed. "At least you tried," he teased.

"WHY…YOU!" Rarity growled, steamed. "I'LL SHOW YOU – "

"BEHIND YOU!" T'Challa and Wilson yelled. Rarity spun, loosing an arrow; it hit dead center.

"HA!" Rarity crowed.

"Yaaaaaay!" Fluttershy cheered from the sidelines.

All of a sudden, the targets ceased to appear. "Hey, what gives?" Clint snapped. "We were having our best session yet!"

"We should do this more often," Steve agreed. He turned to Wilson. "Work a bit more on refining your throw. But like I said, you're doing great already."

Wilson beamed in response. Rarity nodded, satisfied.

"I'd LOVE to have more battle training parties!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

"I have intercepted a transmission from Tony Stark's ID card," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced. The audio of his calm voice switched to the transmission from Tony's card: "Avengers, assemble. We've got a problem. There's a fish-guy maniac riding a tidal wave into the bay and threatening to flood the city if somebody named 'Namor' doesn't show up. I think this is one of Reed's enemies, come to think of it. Anyway, you'd better all get up here, because this isn't gonna be pretty when he lets that wave hit…"

* * *

A monstrous wave was suspended at the edge of the bay, towering as high as any skyscraper. Passersby froze in their tracks, staring out at the waters, where the wave appeared ready to crash down at any minute, with only a simple magic spell keeping it from unleashing destruction.

Attuma stood upon the crest, holding the trident high. "COME FORTH, NAMOR!" he roared. "I KNOW YOU HIDE IN THIS CITY! I CHALLENGE YOU TO BATTLE, AND IF YOU DO NOT SHOW YOURSELF, I WILL BEGIN TO DESTROY THIS CITY, PIECE BY PIECE, UNTIL YOU DO!"

* * *

Namor could see it all. He heard the voice emitting from a large monitor connected to H.A.M.M.E.R. surveillance. He could see the wave out the window of the helicarrier.

He turned away from the window to find Osborn standing before him, suited up as the Iron Patriot, a hand out to stop Namor in his tracks.

"Let me pass, Osborn," Namor commanded.

"No," Osborn replied.

"If I do not face him, your city will die," Namor insisted. "He holds Neptune's Trident. He controls the waters."

"Let my people try and stop him," Osborn argued. "We can take him down. If we fail, then you can challenge him. But the Dark Avengers are more than capable."

Namor's facial expression betrayed his uncertainty.

"I know you have a strong sense of honor," Osborn practically snarled, "but you're going to have a stronger sense of trust that I know what I'm doing. Let my Avengers handle this, and H.A.M.M.E.R. earns another victory. If you go out there, that would be a discredit to my Avengers, and that hurts H.A.M.M.E.R. I'm sure you understand."

Namor sighed. "I wish I didn't. But I do."

"So you'll stay put."

"I will stay here. But should you fail…"

Osborn turned and stalked away. "Then I'll make sure we don't fail."

* * *

Attuma waited, but not for long. His patience ran out quickly. Perhaps Namor hadn't heard him, but he strongly doubted it. Either way, he had always planned on letting the wave crash over the city. He decided he might as well let it go.

He plunged the tines of the trident into the wave; the waters began to churn and surge. One spray of water jutted outward; he surfed it, and it carried him atop the tallest building nearby. Attuma held the trident aloft.

The wave began to collapse.

Anyone in the area with a lick of sense ran for his or her life. A cacophony of screams rose up. The wave loomed, its shadow growing, until the water crashed down.

It hit a great wall of translucent pink.

"WHAT?" Attuma roared.

The wave was being held back at the edge of the city. Twilight, in witch form, held her staff up to the air, maintaining the wall to keep the waters literally at bay. She strained her powers against the massive volume of water. Her body shook from the effort.

The other Avengers and Equestrians gathered behind her. "How long can you hold it?" Thor asked.

"Not long," Twilight grunted. "Evacuate as many as you can before this breaks!"

Steve turned to face the group. He called out, "Panther! Wasp! Yellowjacket! Vision! Ms. Marvel! Falcon! Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Fluttershy! You eleven spread out and evacuate as many people as you can. Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, you four are with me. We're going to get that trident away from Attuma. Everybody understand?"

"YES!" the others chorused.

"Then GO!" Steve commanded. The group split.

Twilight pushed back against the wave, shuddering. She could see a crack appearing in her plasma field. For good measure, she cast a layer of ice upon the water as well. It was thin, but it would serve as a patch.

Then she felt a sudden relief. Somebody else had taken half the load. The forcefield of plasma shimmered, and instead of pure pink that was beginning to fracture, it became a solid wall where pink and bright green swirled around each other.

Twilight looked to her right to see a familiar figure adding her own power to the wall. "Amora!" Twilight cried happily. "Thank goodness. I was just about to lose control of it!"

"Do not thank me," Amora grunted. "I am not doing this for YOU."

"But…after Surtr…" Twilight babbled.

"You must let go of this delusion that we are friends forged by fire," Amora insisted. "Once again, we have a common goal. That is all. And do not break your concentration on the wall!"

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, and Hawkeye were making a fast track toward Attuma's vantage point when six other presences joined them. One by one, they appeared: Venom swung in from an alleyway. Bullseye's motorcycle revved up to keep pace. Daken leapt in from a side street. The Red Hulk slammed into the pavement from above. Zemo charged into the center of the fray. And in the lead, Osborn descended from above.

"Great," Iron Man muttered. Louder, he snapped, "What are YOU all doing here?"

"The same thing you're doing," Osborn argued. "Stopping Attuma."

"Though half your team appears to be missing," Zemo pointed out, almost tauntingly. "As well as the…how did Jameson put it? Witch women."

"They are evacuating the city," Thor explained. "Clearing the area that is about to be flooded of all civilians."

"The people - !" the Red Hulk gasped. He veered from the group.

"WHERE are you going?" Zemo barked at him.

"To save them!" the Red Hulk insisted.

"He is weak," Venom hissed.

"While you call each other weak for trying to help out the actual people in danger," Iron Man snapped, "we're going to take down a supervillain. Try to stay out of our way."

"If you stay out of ours," Osborn retorted.

At the base of the skyscraper where Attuma waited, the group split, each going his separate way.

Further away, Wasp and Pinkie Pie sped down the streets. "EVERYPONY RUN!" Pinkie Pie screeched. "THERE'S A FLOOD COMING!"

Many people had already gotten the idea and were headed as fast as they could away from the towering water. In Pinkie and Wasp's path, an aircraft suddenly descended: a jet thin enough to fit onto a city street, but long enough to hold many. A hatch opened at its base, and a stairway ejected from it.

Wasp and Pinkie exchanged looks before barreling up the stairs and into the jet. Finding it empty, they ran to the cockpit. There, Black Widow was seated at the controls.

"Widow!" Wasp gasped.

"No time," Black Widow snapped. "Get everybody you can onto the jets. We're gonna carry the people out of the flood radius."

"There's more than one?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"One wouldn't hold everyone in the flood radius," Black Widow pointed out. "Mockingbird, Quake, and Coulson should be landing behind me right now. Now get everyone headed toward the jets!"

"Have you got a radio installed in that?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"WHY?" Black Widow nearly roared, wishing Pinkie and Wasp would just begin helping her save lives.

"If everypony hears loud and happy music coming from the jets," Pinkie suggested, "they'll know where to go!"

"It would lighten the mood if you cranked some dance tunes," Wasp agreed.

"All right," Black Widow groaned. "Now just GO!"

Wasp and Pinkie Pie ran from the jet. Black Widow switched the jet's radio to the first music frequency she could find, turning up the volume so the music radiated through the aircraft. She fired a quick communication to the other three jets: "Turn your radios to frequency 80. Wasp and Pinkie Pie suggested it as a measure to calm the people." She then waited, sighing as she heard the unfortunately fitting lyrics blare forth: "Evacuate the dancefloor! I'm infected by the sound!"

"HEY EVERYPONY!" Pinkie Pie cried as the other three jets landed behind Black Widow's vessel. "These jets are gonna get you outta here before the wave comes down! Plus, there's gonna be a dance party! You've all gotta get onboard RIGHT NOW! Single file, please!"

Wasp drew her ID card. "Panther! Yellowjacket! Falcon! Ms. Marvel! Vision! We've got S.H.I.E.L.D. or whatever Osborn's calling it now jets on Excelsior Boulevard. Get as many people as you can there, okay?"

"Copy," Ms. Marvel responded.

The people began to crowd onto the jet piloted by Black Widow, wondering why their rescue carrier was blasting "Stop, this beat is killing me! Hey, Mr. DJ, we can burn this place down to the ground!" while still being drawn to the music, a semblance of happiness and respite amongst panic.

"That way, everypony!" Applejack yelled, pointing down the direction in which the aircraft lay. "Y'all are gonna be safe there!"

"Emergency vehicles have been deployed," Black Panther added.

Attuma still had the trident trained on the wave, urging it to surge. Amora and Twilight's spell was strong; the swirling green and pink wall held fast.

He didn't notice that at that moment, the Hulk was charging him across the rooftop, intending to tackle him. He also didn't notice the black web Venom had flung at him. He didn't have to notice either. The web wrapped around the Hulk, causing the green man to stumble and hit the rooftop hard so that it shook, getting Attuma's attention.

"IDIOT!" Venom yelled from his vantage point, gripping a nearby wall.

"Out of my way, pest!" Attuma yelled, pointing the trident. The wave would do its own work via gravity. He could focus elsewhere. From far below, water shot upward out of a sewer grate at an intense speed, smacking into Venom and knocking him off the wall. Attuma turned the trident upon the Hulk; the water bent itself and washed the Hulk off the roof.

Venom flung a web strand upward; it attached to a wall, and he dangled, saving himself. The Hulk crashed directly into the pavement below, unmoving.

"HULK!" Captain America cried in a panic, rushing to his side.

The Hulk grunted, stirring. "Get these things off me," he growled.

Captain America severed the black web strands with the edge of his shield.

"You know, that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gotten in the way," Daken pointed out.

"Stay out of this," Captain America warned him.

"No," Daken countered. "I don't think I will." He marched directly up to Captain America. "You're a handsome one, you know. Everyone always talks about pretty boy Thor, but they always overlook the fact that you have nice eyes."

Captain America didn't know about Daken's power of pheromones, but he felt them seeping through him, and therefore found himself struck with a feeling of attraction he couldn't quite explain. His heart rate accelerated. He blushed at the compliment. "Um…thank you," he said softly.

Daken was by then close enough to stroke Captain America's exposed cheek with his index finger; he did so. Captain America blushed and sweated. "As fun as an old-fashioned struggle is with a guy like you," Daken said, "this would go a lot smoother if we both put in the effort, don't you think?"

"I…I agree with that," Captain America said nervously.

"So how about I go knock down Attuma, and you wait here for me?"

"For you…yes. I'll wait."

"Don't stand me up now."

"I wouldn't."

"Good." Daken turned and ran, leaving Captain America frozen in his tracks.

"What was that?" the Hulk asked.

"I promised him I wouldn't move," Captain America answered, sounding positively lovestruck.

The Hulk growled in frustration.

Daken didn't get far. Another sewer grate opened up, and a jet of water blasted out toward him. He ducked it, only to be caught in the blast of another grate.

Thor soared high into the sky. The clouds darkened. He raised Mjolnir.

The streak of red, blue, and silver-white flashed out of the corner of his eye. Panicking, Thor realized that bringing down lightning upon Attuma would also strike Osborn. And as much as he distrusted Osborn, Osborn was, for this moment, an ally. The hammer was quickly brought down. The clouds dissipated. Thor twirled Mjolnir round and round before letting it fly at Attuma, which he believed to be a safer alternative.

Everything came together in the wrong way. Osborn made a direct course toward Attuma, stretching out his palms to fire twin beams at Attuma. The beams never left his hands. Attuma pointed the trident, and a jet of water rocketed upward. Osborn saw it coming, rolling in the air to avoid it by a hair's breadth.

And careening directly into the path of Mjolnir so that the hammer struck him hard in the back. Osborn gave out a cry. There was a sizzle of circuitry. As Osborn began to fall, he reached out for the edge of the rooftop. He was too far away. He plummeted.

Thor reached him in mid-fall, throwing his arms around Osborn's waist. "Norman!" he cried out, lowering Osborn to the ground safely. He attempted to lay the Iron Patriot down on his back, but Osborn twisted about so that his feet landed on the ground; he refused to be handicapped.

"Norman Osborn," Thor said worriedly, "I truly am sorry. I had meant to avoid hurting you! Are you injured – "

"Save it," Osborn growled. "Stay out of my way, thunderer." He shoved Thor away and broke into a run.

From another rooftop, Zemo watched Attuma. He waited until Attuma's back was turned to him, the aquatic man's attention focused on diverting the sewer water to those already attempting attacks on him. The moment was perfect. He drew back his arm. He let the shield fly.

It would have continued on a direct course to Attuma if it weren't for Iron Man. Appearing from almost nowhere, Iron Man zoomed into the path of the shield, catching it with both hands and throwing it directly back in one smooth motion.

Zemo put up a hand and stopped the shield a half inch before his face.

"Oooooops," Iron Man taunted.

"Are you attempting to get us all killed, Iron Man?" Zemo asked angrily.

"Here's the thing," Iron Man told him. "You pissed off Captain America. You know, my friend? Maybe I can put up with Osborn taking the win on this one, but NOT you."

Iron Man's statement was unfortunately punctuated with a jet of sewer water that knocked him out of the air. Zemo, startled by this, ran to find a new vantage point, his mind burning with rage at what he could only perceive as impudence in Iron Man.

Bullseye's motorcycle screeched to a halt. He strung his bow, letting loose a triad of arrows. They arced upward, directly toward Attuma…and were cut out of the sky by another arrow, splintering in midair and falling uselessly. Stunned, Bullseye looked up to see Hawkeye perched on a ledge.

"Hey, what's that they say about payback?" Hawkeye teased. "Oh, right. It's a bitch."

"You're a FUCKING idiot," Bullseye replied.

And to prove his point, blasts of sewer water erupted from the street and slammed into both of them.

As the people of the neighborhood were herded onto the H.A.M.M.E.R. jets ("Still the night, kill the lights, feel it under your skin!"), those who had been escorting them convened on Excelsior Boulevard. Wasp and Pinkie Pie waved to Yellowjacket, to Black Panther and Applejack, to Falcon and Fluttershy, to Vision and Rarity, to Ms. Marvel and Rainbow Dash…and then to the Red Hulk, leading a crowd.

"What are YOU doing here?" Ms. Marvel snapped at him.

"I couldn't let them drown!" the Red Hulk replied.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Pinkie Pie cried. "Just get everybody onto the jets!"

The last of the civilians crowded onboard. Pinkie, Wasp, Falcon, and Fluttershy boarded Black Widow's craft; Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack boarded Quake's; Vision and Rarity boarded Mockingbird's, and Yellowjacket and the Red Hulk boarded Coulson's.

"This is Black Widow. I'm taking off," Black Widow relayed.

"Copy," Quake replied. "This is Quake, preparing for liftoff."

"Mockingbird, lifting off," Mockingbird added.

The fourth voice: "Copy that. Coulson taking off."

The four jets rose in unison.

"C'MON, EVERYPONY!" Pinkie Pie encouraged, running up and down the aisle. "Sing along! Wrap it up, you can't stop, 'cause it feels like an overdoooooose!"

"Feels like an overdose!" Wasp chimed in.

Most stared at the two of them blankly. Then, from the back, one voice: "Evacuate the dancefloor…"

Unsure, a second: "I'm…infected by the sound?"

"STOP, THIS BEAT IS KILLING ME!" Falcon broke out.

As more and more voices chimed in, smiles breaking out among those evacuated, Pinkie Pie cried out, "YEAH! That's it!"

From the cockpit, Black Widow rolled her eyes, keeping a steady distance above the city and watching the wave.

The energy wall of bright green and pink began to fissure. Hairline cracks ran through it. Twilight felt the force of the water pressing against her energy, hard. She knew that Amora was feeling it too.

"Cast a shield around yourself," Amora grunted.

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"Because I know you don't want to die."

The wall fractured. Twilight quickly refocused her energies, forming a ball of aura around herself.

The wall shattered.

The waters burst forth, flooding the neighborhood, washing Twilight's aura sphere away. Through it, Twilight saw little else besides swirling water. A flash of green; most likely Amora in a similar protective enchantment. It was hard to tell, as Twilight was going head over heels, over and over.

The waters surged, washing over Attuma's attackers. He directed the trident so that tendrils of water swept over each of them: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Hawkeye, Osborn, Zemo, Bullseye, Daken, Venom. They disappeared beneath the waves, and Attuma laughed triumphantly.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, seeing what had happened from a window.

"We have to do something!" Falcon cried.

"WIDOW!" Wasp yelled up to the cockpit. "Can you drop us off over Attuma?"

"On it." Black Widow steered the jet toward Attuma as quickly as she could. "Get ready." She flipped on the radio connection to the other jets. "This is Black Widow. I'm about to deposit Wasp, Pinkie Pie, Falcon, and Fluttershy over Attuma. Do whatever you want with that information."

In the few seconds it took to pilot the jet toward Attuma, Pinkie Pie was able to start leading a group breakdown of the song chorus: "NOW GUESS WHO'S BACK, WITH A BRAND NEW TRACK! THEY GOT EVERYBODY IN THE CLUB GOIN' MAAAAD!"

The entry hatch opened. Wasp, Falcon, Fluttershy, and Pinkie leapt from it. Wasp shrank to her preferred combat size, Falcon readied his red feathers, Fluttershy drew her katana, and Pinkie Pie just cannonballed into the waters, continuing, "SO EVERYBODY IN THE BACK GET YOUR BACK UP OFF THE WALL AND JUST SHAKE THAT TAIIIIL!" She hit the waters with a SPLASH.

Fluttershy dove directly downward, charging Attuma, while Falcon loosed a rain of red projectiles. Attuma blocked the red feathers with the shaft of the trident, then spun around, locking the shaft against Fluttershy's blade as she landed. A wave surged up, taking both Fluttershy and Falcon down.

Pinkie Pie surfaced: "EVERYPONY IN THE CLUB!" Her pistols materialized. "EVACUATE THE DANCEFLOOR!" She began to shoot to the beat. "EVERYPONY IN THE CLUB!" The first twelve shots ran out, and she swapped for more. "I'M INFECTED BY THE SOUND!"

The first few shots struck Attuma as Wasp flew in behind his head, seeking a crack in his armor she could exploit. As it were, his armor was impenetrable by bio-stingers.

First, Attuma sent the waters containing Pinkie Pie into a whirlpool that sucked her under. Wasp cried out, beginning a course to fly to her, to see if she was all right; Attuma slapped Wasp with the back of his hand, sending her flying right into the spinning waters.

"Deploying Vision and Rarity," Mockingbird relayed.

Vision flew down from the jet, training his laser directly upon Attuma. Rarity loaded her bow, letting an arrow fly as she fell.

A geyser of water shot up, enveloping both of them and bringing them down. "WHO'S NEXT?" Attuma roared, raising the trident. The waters around him began to surge violently.

"Deploying Yellowjacket and Red Hulk," Coulson relayed.

The Red Hulk landed hard on the rooftop, cracking it slightly. Yellowjacket wasn't far behind.

Attuma swung the trident like a club. A surge of water reached out from the flood and grabbed onto it, forming a great mace-like ball around the tines. This slammed into the Red Hulk, throwing him off the roof and into the churning waters. Yellowjacket began to grow, as much as he estimated he could without breaking the building; Attuma dismissed the water mace and just jabbed the trident's tines into Yellowjacket's enlarged thigh. Crying out in pain, Yellowjacket stumbled into the flood.

"Deploying Ms. Marvel, Rainbow Dash, Black Panther, and Applejack," Quake relayed.

Rainbow Dash zoomed down first, sword drawn. Attuma raised the trident to aim at her, but she pulled sharply upward, so sharply that a sonic rainboom flared, knocking Attuma off balance. Ms. Marvel slammed Attuma with golden plasma, sending him flat on his back. His grip on the trident held firm.

Applejack and Black Panther landed on the roof then, and Applejack, in the Mahou Shoujo state, cracked her whip, letting its final attack take hold. It wound round and round Attuma. Black Panther charged forward, grabbing the shaft of the trident.

Bound as he was, Attuma still had his hands on the trident, and he and Black Panther became locked in a tug of war. Attuma kicked both feet up, into Black Panther's stomach, knocking him away and reclaiming his hold on the trident.

Ms. Marvel sent another blast. From behind her, Rainbow Dash swung her sword, adding a wave of rainbow energy to the golden plasma burst. The energy knocked Attuma into the waves.

Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel landed next to Black Panther and Applejack on the roof. "Do you think we got him?" Rainbow Dash asked.

A great geyser of water rocketed upward. Attuma, unbound, rode atop it, holding the trident high. "FOOLS!" he screamed.

A wave washed over the roof. The four were swept away.

Twilight surfaced, breaking the bubble she'd cast around herself. She looked to where Attuma stood. A quick glance around alerted her to the fact that none of her allies seemed to be around. That worried her. A solution came to mind. She wondered, perhaps, if it was too much.

But it was also, perhaps, the only way. She had used up a lot of power holding back the wave. She had enough energy for a smaller enchantment to be pulled off successfully. And one would be able to serve her purposes.

Amora also surfaced, some distance behind, rising to hover over the water's surface. She watched as Twilight's wand materialized in her hand, and Twilight struggled to swim against the raging waters to the rooftop. She prepared to go after Twilight, to stop her.

"Let her go," a voice sounded.

Amora turned to see Osborn hovering behind her. "I had thought Mjolnir would make your armor defunct," she pointed out.

"I recovered," Osborn replied. "Don't stop that one until I tell you to."

"Why?"

"Because she's on her own against Attuma. She'll either fail…or do something incredibly damaging."

Twilight flicked her wand at Attuma. Attuma barely had time to look down and see her doing such a thing before Twilight cried out, "IMPERIO!"

Attuma's eyes glazed over. He stared straight ahead as Twilight broke into his mind. The waters calmed around him as his concentration broke.

"Is she…" Amora began.

But as soon as the surging waves receded, a gloved hand burst from the waters and grabbed Amora's wrist, pulling her down underwater. Panicked, she rose again; the hand had an iron grip, and when she erupted from the water's surface, she took its owner up with her.

She wasn't surprised to look down and see Zemo locking his hand around her arm. "MUST you?" she growled.

"Would you rather I drown?" he retorted teasingly.

"Yes," Amora hissed. "Let go."

"I don't suppose I need remind you that it is the opportunists who survive," Zemo stated casually as he relinquished his hold on Amora and tread water. Behind him, the Red Hulk surfaced, holding Bullseye in his right arm and Daken in the left.

"Good boy," Daken purred to John. "You can let go now. Thanks for the ride. They weren't kidding when they said you were big and impressive, you know."

"I'd never let you go," the Red Hulk replied, his sultry voice proving that he was heavily under the influence of Daken's pheromones.

"Give me a bloody break," Bullseye groaned at the display.

Venom broke through the surface, completing the outfit. All eyes turned toward Twilight and Attuma.

"To answer the question you were about to ask," Osborn told Amora, "it looks like she IS controlling his mind. And I'm recording every minute of it. When I say go, go."

Twilight struggled with Attuma's mental barriers. He didn't have a very complex mind, but he had a strong will. "Drop it," she whispered out loud to make the thought clearer in her own head. "Let it go. Put it down. Put it away."

Attuma's grip on the trident loosened.

"DROP IT," Twilight said, louder, through gritted teeth. "PUT IT DOWN!"

Attuma's hands let go of the trident completely. It splashed into the waters, sinking.

Twilight took a moment to think about what to order Attuma to do next. Suddenly, a hand slapped the wrist of her wand hand, causing her to lower the wand and break contact. Attuma shook his head, regaining his bearings.

Acting upon Osborn's command, Amora screamed at Twilight, "WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?"

"It was the only way to get him to stop," Twilight said softly.

"By violating his mind?" Amora growled. "Is that what you do to EVERYONE who wrongs you?"

"No…" Twilight replied, eyes moistening with tears.

"They will hate you," Amora seethed. "Once they know THIS is your power. You see how they treat the green monster! What will they do to you?"

Watching the scene unfold, Osborn nodded. "Dark Avengers. Let's finish this."

Attuma's mind had cleared. His eyes scanned the immediate area for the trident, but it soon came to him that it was beneath the waves. He gave a great roar of anguish to the sky.

Before he could do anything, before any of the Dark Avengers could make a move, a voice boomed: "IMPERIOUS REX!"

A wave of water snatched up Attuma's body, turning into a swirling column of water that bound him at its center, rising like a pillar. All eyes turned to see who had spoken. Namor stood atop the roof where Attuma had commanded the waters, holding a trident of his own. Not one so powerful as Neptune's, but powerful nonetheless.

"You've already harmed enough people today, Attuma," Namor stated angrily.

Attuma struggled against the watery bonds, but could not escape them. To make absolutely sure he was finished, Venom launched a black web that wrapped around him.

Namor nodded toward Osborn. "He is yours."

"If you'll help us escort him into custody," Osborn replied. "After all, we aren't in a position to move the waters."

Namor nodded. "Let us go."

"Amora," Osborn said sharply.

Amora glared at Twilight before turning to leave with the others; the Dark Avengers and Namor crossed the waters with Attuma in tow.

Once the group was out of earshot, Osborn told Namor, "Once we have him locked up, I'm going to dispatch a crew to clean up the damage of the area, drain the waters, and recover that trident."

Twilight stood alone on the rooftop, trembling, pensive. One by one, around her, her allies surfaced from the waters.

Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel rocketed upward, breaking the surface and arcing into the sky. Vision carried Rarity up into the air before setting her down where she could tread water; she rewarded him with a simple "Thank you, dear." Black Panther grasped the edge of the roof and hauled himself onto it, carrying Applejack with him. Pinkie Pie broke the surface with a dramatic gasp, gently cradling the tiny Wasp in both hands. Fluttershy and Falcon paddled up out of the water and went airborne, gasping for breath in unison. Thor emerged on his own, shaking his golden locks free of water. The Hulk clambered onto the rooftop with Hawkeye clinging tightly to him. Yellowjacket, at his tallest, just raised his head.

The last to come into view were Iron Man and Captain America. The former emerged from the waters with arms wrapped around the other; Captain America coughed and sputtered.

"You okay there?" Iron Man asked.

"Yes," Captain America muttered. "Fine, I'm fine."

"Almost looked like you were gonna drown down there, you know."

"I might have," Captain America admitted. "Guess I owe you one."

"Nah, this one's on me. Got your back, after all."

"Did we do it?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. "Did we win?"

"Or did the NEW Avengers win?" the Hulk growled.

"Twilight?" Applejack asked. "You okay there?"

"…No," Twilight answered.

The whole story came spilling out of her, and when it was done, Thor approached her, looked directly into her eyes, and said, "You did the best you could have done. We could not have asked for more."

* * *

Doom strode into the Cabal conference room to see Loki already seated, staring at him from across the table. "You wished to speak to me," Doom stated.

"Yes," Loki confirmed. "I brought you a little gift. A souvenir from the battlefield, if you will."

Doom neared the table to see Neptune's Trident lain across it. "Control over the waters?"

"I had thought you might prefer it over what we originally agreed upon putting in your possession," Loki explained. "After all. What we had planned would only have given you power over space and matter. The ability to lay waste to worlds, have them at your feet if their people did not accept you. But then again, that was your plan with ME. In light of recent events, I simply feel you might find this more…relevant."

Doom knew exactly what Loki meant. "I have no need for this paltry weapon," he said with contempt. "I desire more than control over the oceans."

"Oh, is that so? Because it's what you seem to be going for. You say you have no love for something this paltry, and yet you're always in the company of Namor."

"Namor is not PALTRY."

"Perhaps through eyes blinded by lust…"

"Jealousy is unbecoming on you, Loki."

"Actually, I tend to think of green as my color." Loki grinned. "You and I began this, Victor. It was keeping in contact with you that kept me more or less sane during my sentence of punishment between my first takeover of Asgard and my dealings with Thanos. Stay with me, take up the weapon you were meant to have since you proposed the idea of H.A.M.M.E.R. to me, and you will have the reward you were looking for. But if you'd rather turn your back on me, I suppose I should warn you that I can do much worse to you than kiss a young wizard."

"You think you can harm me?" Doom asked. "You would be nowhere without my guidance."

"Have you already forgotten that I was the one who figured out how Thanos fit into our little scheme in the first place? I believe it is you who would be nowhere without me."

Doom responded by reaching out and grasping the trident's shaft with his gauntleted hands. He then snapped it in two. There was a great pulsation of energy throughout the room; then it settled and the trident was left powerless.

"I will not be tempted by scrap metal," Doom stated.

"Then don't," Loki warned.

"Nor will I be made a fool of," Doom continued. "You have my loyalty. And you know better than to risk it." He turned and stalked from the room.

Loki couldn't help but doubt those words, and the emotion inspired in him was one he hated to entertain.

* * *

"YOU CAN'T HOLD ME IN HERE! YOU HEAR ME? ONE DAY YOU WILL ALL RUE THIS DAY! YOU WILL ALL REGRET CROSSING ATTUMAAAAAAA!"

Namor could only watch for a few seconds as Attuma pounded his fists against the glass of his cell and cried out revenge. Then he found himself with an urgent need to leave the prison room. The door that separated the holding cell's room from the main hallway almost blocked out the sound of Attuma's cries. Almost.

He crossed paths with Osborn. "Funny," Osborn remarked to Namor. "I'd have thought you'd take this opportunity to assert your victory."

"It doesn't seem as sweet as I had thought," Namor informed him. "Though I am glad to see him locked away, where he can destroy nothing else."

"Don't tell me you're developing a conscience over your own archrival."

"I…just have to prepare for the summit," Namor stated before storming away.

Osborn was suddenly aware of one of the other prison rooms' doors opening, and another scream sounding as the portal between prison and hallway was made – but this time, instead of anger, it sounded like terror. And definitely belonged to Red Skull.

Osborn turned to see the door closing behind Blackheart. "What were you doing?" Osborn snapped.

"Just helping our enemy feel more comfortable," Blackheart answered casually. "Settling him in."

"Were you…torturing him?"

"Physically? No. The glass gets in the way."

"You're using your demonic powers to get inside his mind," Osborn deduced.

"I do what I can."

"You're going to STOP torturing the prisoners," Osborn seethed, "starting NOW."

"I find it amusing that you think you can boss me around. Do you want to think about what you've just done for a second? How stupid it is to threaten the son of a Devil?"

Osborn glared. "Well, if I can't stop you, I at least beg you to never let this leave confidential circles. No one outside Cabal. We're about to launch an entire publicity campaign around the fact that one of the Avengers' new magical allies has the power to violate the mind of anyone in New York City. If we look as dangerous as or more dangerous than her in that regard, the credibility I've worked so hard on building for my Dark Avengers will be gone, and so will the credibility of H.A.M.M.E.R. Is that clear?"

Blackheart nodded. "As crystal." His expression and demeanor did not change. Osborn wasn't sure whether or not the point had actually hit home. But threatening a demon was as dangerous as it was pointless, and Osborn knew that Blackheart recognized H.A.M.M.E.R. as his only ride to…whatever it was he wanted. Loki and Doom seemed to have a better handle on the demon's motives than he did. Knowing that response was as good as it would get, Osborn turned and walked away.

* * *

The summit was packed with politicians. This wasn't H.A.M.M.E.R. business – neither cloak nor dagger. This was public, televised, raw truth for the masses.

Namor entered the room, and the cameras all pointed at him. Microphones were aimed toward him. He heard a voice announce him: "Namor, king of Atlantis, here to discuss American-Atlantean relations."

A small cheer went up as people recognized the man who had rescued them from Attuma in their darkest hour. Looking around, Namor found one familiar face: Emma Frost. The summit had won her a chance to speak up for the mutant demographic. Two birds, one stone.

A podium waited. Namor approached it. And then he began to speak.

* * *

Some time after the summit, Frost found Crouch in a cloistered office of the helicarrier, gingerly tapping keys on a computer.

"I take it you're new to this," she remarked.

"These machines weren't the preferred method where I come from," Crouch admitted, smiling at her. "Or at least, within my culture. I'm beginning to see why. They're frustrating to say the least."

"Once you're raised learning how to use one," Frost told him, "you get used to it. You forget that it might seem strange to someone on the outside or that there's another way."

After a slight silence, Crouch remarked, "I get a feeling you're talking about something else."

"This Cabal we're part of," Frost answered. "I joined in order to improve mutant relations with the humans. And if that means I have to make a violent strike, I will."

"How did the summit go, by the way?"

"I got in a few good words. The vision Osborn says he wants seems to be working. But is that really what he wants? Or are we just playing his, Loki's, and Doom's game so they get what they want?"

"Of course we are," Crouch told her. "But if we get them what they want, they get us what we want."

"And you're sure the price for this won't be too high?"

"Short of my own death, there's no price too high for what I want," Crouch admitted. "And I've already walked through Hell, so that might be a moot point anyway."

"You know how we're exploiting the failures of the Avengers in order to build up our own Avengers, Crouch?"

"Yes…"

"If this falls through. If people end up figuring out that Osborn, Doom, and Loki are just making their way toward a power grab. That will discredit my work and Namor's in the same way. There will be no going back."

"There is one solution to this."

"What?"

"If they win, and if they do grab power, it WILL leave a space for your goals. Their world will be your ideal world."

"So you're saying…"

"Make sure they win," Crouch asserted.

* * *

Chapter 69

· I hope you enjoyed this quick glimpse into the reaction of Harry Osborn, because he's not going to be relevant again for a while. And I left Emily alive not only because SSM dictates it, but if I didn't have Emily, I didn't know who would assume custody of Harry.

· Yes, I know. The timeline of "Avengers Assemble" hasn't happened at all. Impy knows about the fourth wall, though.

· Without spoiling too much, I will say that some of the inter-villain interactions are based on canon Dark Reign developments for the sake of giving credit.

· Yes, Wilson and Vision are playing Smash Bros. I didn't refer to their characters by name because it will make their introductions much more relevant when the Mane Six encounter Captain Falcon and Mewtwo in canon…

· I kind of went back and forth between making Attuma a complete dumbass and a complete badass.

· I sort of gave my own spin to Neptune's Trident from Avengers Assemble. I'm pretty sure the AA version is supposed to be the trident that belonged to the actual god, but that messes with my canon here, and besides…I feel like the REAL trident of Neptune/Poseidon would be WAY too powerful.

· Forgive my flagrant Cascada. I couldn't resist.

· I teased everyone's swear license to get the banter I wanted. I have been assured that since they have their roots in comics where cursing is totally in character, I can do this.

· "Excelsior Boulevard" is a street name I made up with reference to Stan Lee. I couldn't have used a real street because, unfortunately, I have no idea where Avengers Mansion is in NYC, and therefore wouldn't know which bay would be closest…yeah, sorry for my lack of NYC knowledge.

· Let's play a game called FIND THE SHIP TEASES!

· Actually having Namor deal the coup de grace was a last minute decision to move forward the agenda of improving Atlantean-American relationships.

· From what I gather, between his own superhuman abilities and the powers of his armor, Doom SHOULD be able to break metal poles in half.

· I didn't detail the summit because I don't really know how political stuff like that goes down. Sorry. Your imagination will have to fill in.


	70. A Blight in Black

70. A Blight in Black

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

"I don't wanna know," Applejack stated as Tony brought the paper to the table.

"I didn't even say anything about it," Tony retorted. "You don't know what's in here. For all you know, the Canadian prime minister's dog made the front page."

"I know it ain't good," Applejack pointed out. "That Jameson fella could stay away from pickin' on Twilight just about as well as the vampire fruit bats could stay away from the apples back on the farm."

This statement was met with a lot of blank looks.

"Y'know, 'cause vampire fruit bats suck the juice outta apples," Applejack tried to explain. "Y'all don't have those here? What I'm tryin' to say is that paper is gonna be slanderin' us!"

"Well, the good news is, page 2 is filled with coverage of the recent summit to discuss American-Atlantean relations," Tony informed the group. "After Namor owned Attuma, suddenly everybody wants to be Atlantis' best friend. There was even talk about mutant rights."

"That all sounds good," Steve pointed out. "Atlantis has been looking for peace for a long time."

"ATLANTIS?" Twilight nearly spat out her food; she chewed and swallowed quickly before asking, "It's HERE?"

"Yes," Thor told her, "though not in its entirety. When the Lands of Legend became the various worlds, pieces of Atlantis were scattered. A segment turned out to be on this world, and it was reconfigured into this world's version of the ancient kingdom. Though it remains underwater."

"I know you're trying to say stuff," Tony told Thor, "but it's just coming out as white noise."

"The cosmic history may not make much sense to you now," Thor replied, "but I am immortal. I observed much of this myself. The multiverse is complex."

"Anyway," Steve broke in, "Atlantis has been sort of an outsider compared to the rest of the world's nations. And from what I hear, the mutants haven't been getting the respect they deserve either. Back during the war, I heard…rumors about how people with mutant abilities were treated. And it seems to be the same today. This all sounds like a good thing."

"So why do I get the feeling Osborn's fingerprints are all over it?" Tony posed.

"Maybe Osborn really is working for the greater good this time," Steve suggested.

"What's all this about mutants?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Perhaps we should take time to explain things to each other," Thor proposed. "The Lands of Legend and fall of Atlantis to those of you who live on this world, and the struggle of this world's mutants to those of you who do not."

"So we know what's on page 2," Applejack told Tony. "Now. What's on the front page?"

Tony clutched the paper defensively.

"FRONT PAGE," Applejack demanded. "NOW."

The paper hit the table. A headline blared: "WITCH AFFILIATED WITH AVENGERS DEMONSTRATES MIND VIOLATION". A large picture of Twilight casting the Imperius curse on Attuma filled a large section of the page.

"They BARELY focus on how you basically prevented the entire city from being wiped out by Attuma," Tony summarized. "Instead, it's all, 'If she can do this to someone like Attuma, how safe are we?'"

Rarity edged the paper closer to herself. "Oh dear. It seems to get worse."

"What happened?" Banner asked, gritting his teeth. Fluttershy lightly touched him on the shoulder, and he breathed deeply, forcing himself to be calmer.

"Well…there's a sidebar about how the Avengers got in the way of the new Avengers," Rarity pointed out. "Apparently, eyewitness reports say that Thor hit Osborn with Mjolnir, Clint cut down Bullseye's arrows, and Tony prevented Zemo from striking what could have been a victory blow. I swear, journalists these days will make up ANYTHING for attention!"

"Is there anything you want to SAY about that?" Steve cast his gaze to Thor, to Clint, and finally to Tony.

"It…was an accident," Thor admitted.

"He…had it coming," Clint muttered.

"I regret nothing," Tony stated.

"You ATTACKED them?" Rarity was aghast. "This will only make our case worse!"

"Yeah, well, that's not the point right now," Tony insisted, grabbing the paper. "They put Twilight on the front page, and that's what they're going to be focusing on."

"I don't get it," Twilight said softly. "How did they even get that picture? There was no one around to take it."

"Unless Osborn recorded that from his armor," Ms. Marvel pointed out.

Twilight gasped. "That's the only way!"

"Still think he's working for the greater good?" Tony asked. "Betcha he's behind most of those 'eyewitness reports,' too."

"I should never have cast that spell," Twilight sighed.

"Without that spell, we would have been doomed," Thor argued.

"No," Twilight groaned. "Namor would still have shown up and won."

"But what if he didn't?" Steve posed. "What if he wouldn't have been powerful enough? Maybe you saved Namor, too."

"I hope you're right," Twilight sighed.

"C'mon, Twi," Jan pouted. "Don't be down about this. You did great. We need you!"

"I…I'll try to let it go," Twilight resolved. "But I'm NOT going to be using that spell again."

"Unless you really have to," Rainbow Dash finished.

"I mean at all," Twilight asserted.

"But what if you HAVE to?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm hoping I'll never HAVE to," Twilight told her. "Otherwise, I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it."

"If it'll take your mind off it," Tony broke in, "I was thinking of taking you all on a tour of Stark Industries today. Out of the goodness of my own heart."

"And your ulterior motive is…?" Steve countered.

"Possibly to show off some of the new modifications I made to improve Spectrum," Tony answered without missing a beat.

"Would I get to wear it the whole time?" Rainbow Dash asked, suddenly excited by the prospect.

"If you want," Tony answered.

"YES!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"That sounds like a simply marvelous idea," Rarity said. "You can count me in."

"And me," Fluttershy added.  
"And me," Applejack chimed in.

"And me!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"It would help take my mind off things," Twilight said. "If I can even show my face in public."

"Over at Stark Industries, I call the shots," Tony told her. "If you're my friend, which you are, you're their friend. Besides, Pepper and Rhodes know way better than to take the Bugle at face value. So, anybody else in?"

"I'd like to go," Steve volunteered.

When no one else said anything, Ms. Marvel pointed out, "With all these recent attacks, we have to stay on our toes. Keep training, hone our skills, and be ready for anything."

"I get it," Tony said with a nod. "Just keep your ID cards on."

"FIELD TRIIIIIIP!" Pinkie Pie cried, hopping up and down.

"Well?" Tony looked to Rainbow Dash. "Go suit up!"

"YEAH!" Rainbow Dash took off running for the workshop.

As she rushed through the halls, a figure watched her from around the corner. He cradled a small, rectangular object in his hands. When Rainbow Dash had passed, he slipped down the hall after her.

He opened the door to an unused room. The perfect place. He gently set the object down in the middle of the floor.

Observing his work, Discord couldn't help but laugh before he teleported away.

* * *

The tall, pale woman with long red-orange hair swept back into a ponytail and sporting a crisp business suit focused intensely on the work that had piled up on her desk. When there weren't papers to file, there were phone calls to answer. The phone so happened to ring, and she picked up the receiver to hear a male voice say, "Did you place an order for badass? Because there's a delivery of badass here."

She sighed, rolled her eyes. "Tony…"

"Hi, Pepper. Bad time?"

"No…" Pepper looked over the various papers. They could wait. "Come on up. What's the order of business? And please no jokes this time."

"I'm giving some friends a tour of the place. And also, I had some ideas I wanted to talk over with you and Rhodes. Got a new Mark of the suit with modifications."

"All right. I'll see you in a few minutes." She set down the receiver.

Moments later, Tony entered her office, and so did his seven companions. "Hello, Captain Rogers," Pepper greeted. "Nice to see you."

"And the same to you, Pepper," Steve said with a smile.

"So who are they?" Pepper asked with a grin. "I'm guessing these are the women that Jameson's been having a heyday writing about."

"You got it," Tony confirmed. He pointed, one by one: "Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. The cool one."

Pepper was awestruck to see what Rainbow Dash was wearing: Spectrum, with the mask retracted to show her face. "That's one of yours?" Pepper asked, surprised. "I can't actually believe you gave one to somebody else."

"Well, Falcon wanted one, and it was all downhill from there." Tony shrugged. "He almost took War Machine before I talked sense into him. Speaking of which, where is Rhodes? I want everybody to meet him."

"Down in the reactor room," Pepper answered. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "So, how's it working out? The armor, I mean."

"It's AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash gushed. "I feel like I can take on anypony!"

"You're Pepper Potts, right?" Twilight asked.

Pepper nodded.

"I've been wanting to meet you ever since Tony told us you were one of the most helpful people to his work," Twilight admitted.

"I pretty much do ALL the work around here," Pepper teased. "Tony's too busy being an eccentric genius to actually run a company with his own name on it."

"Hey, my ideas, my Industries," Tony argued jokingly.

"They do say success is 99 percent perspiration…" Steve said as he gestured toward Pepper. "And one percent inspiration." He gestured to Tony.

"Anyway, I've been wanting to meet you too," Pepper told Twilight, "ever since I heard about how you took down Graviton. And now Red Skull and Attuma?"

"Well…we helped," Twilight replied. "Osborn's squad did a lot of the work."

"What's going on with that, anyway?" Pepper asked.

"That…is probably not something we discuss out in the open," Steve stated. "Tony, how about you show our new friends around while I get Pepper up to speed?"

"Sure. Meet you in the reactor room," Tony agreed.

They parted ways; Steve and Pepper sought out someplace private where Steve could tell Pepper that the charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. had passed from Fury to Osborn and that Coulson wasn't as dead as everyone had thought. Tony led the six Equestrians down the halls of the building.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Tony sighed, "she does do most of the grunt work around here. This company probably wouldn't be alive without her."

"She seems pretty nice," Fluttershy commented.

"Believe me," Tony asserted, "I probably couldn't find another assistant anywhere who could put up with as much bullshit as she gets on a daily basis. She's kinda like that nagging older sister who's always right that I never had. Anyway…"

* * *

"…And here's the heart of the operation," Tony said, leading the group into a room where a bright reactor, white energy trapped behind glass, surged. "The arc reactor. They said it couldn't be done, so, naturally, I did it."

"Wow," Twilight said, stepping closer to the reactor. "It almost seems like magic."

"It's a sort of magic," Tony agreed. "I maintain that magic is just everything science hasn't found a way to explain yet. But try telling that to Thor and all he hears is 'I'm a stupid techie who doesn't believe in faeries.' Anyway, that reactor powers the iron suits, and we're working on making it into a green energy source."

Across the room, a dark-skinned man dressed in a suit noticed the group. "TONY!" he cried, running toward the ensemble. "Been forever since YOU showed your face around here."

"Nice to see you too, Rhodey," Tony replied with a grin. "Ladies, this is James Rhodes, also known as War Machine." And quickly, he ran through the Equestrians' names again.

"From the Graviton incident?" Rhodes asked.

"That was us!" Rainbow Dash announced proudly.

"I see Tony let you have one of his preciouses," Rhodes commented.

"If I gave Falcon one, I had to give her one," Tony pointed out. "Falcon almost took War Machine, by the way. I stopped him, though."

At this point, Pepper and Steve re-entered. "Did you tell her?" Twilight asked.

"He did," Pepper said, looking a little dazed. "I'm still taking it all in, but I understand what's going on now. How's the tour going?"

"I was just telling them about the energy source we're trying to make from the arc reactor," Tony explained. "Stark Industries used to be all about military technology, but we're trying to make green energy priority number one now."

"Why did you move away from military tech?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because putting all your eggs in the war basket ends up getting you stuck in a cave with a box of scraps," Tony answered. "Though the more I've been thinking about it, the more I'm wondering if we should be heading in another direction entirely."

"What now?" Pepper and Rhodes asked in unison.

"So these girls." Tony turned to gesture to the Equestrians. "Ladies. Mares? They have this…REALLY outdated and rickety ship for space travel. But apparently, it's better at traveling dimensions, space, and time than anything we have on this world right now. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Y'know, it is possible for you to go a full day without insultin' our ship," Applejack sighed.

"Let's say that this tech becomes mainstream," Tony said. "Hypothetically. People are going to want in. That's where we provide the solution. We can provide parts and maintenance. We can work on a radio frequency that will cross dimensional barriers so that you could call, say, somebody in Asgard from a ship parked on Earth. Or across enough space that you could call Hala from here."

"This all sounds INCREDIBLY risky," Pepper told Tony. "Putting aside the technical difficulties, are you sure the world is ready for that kind of technology?"

"They are the only ones traveling between the worlds like that," Steve pointed out.

"Um…not exactly," Twilight broke in.

"One of our bestest friends from Corona, Princess Rapunzel and her husband Eugene, are on a journey with Twilight's brother Shining Armor and his wife Princess Cadance, and they're probably having an adventure that's just as magnifitastic as ours!"

"See?" Tony turned back to Pepper, Rhodes, and Steve. "This is already becoming a movement…wait. You said 'Rapunzel,' didn't you?"

"Yup!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"Like the fairy tale character," Tony sighed.

"We used to think Thor and Loki were just storybook characters too," Steve pointed out. "Not to mention Dracula."

"Wait, DRACULA?" Tony shook his head. "Is there something about what you did in the war that you forgot to tell me?"

"Side alliance. Quick mission. Long story."

Tony was at a loss for words.

"I actually think adapting technology for the kind of travel we do would be a GREAT idea," Twilight asserted. "Especially if you found a way to make a radio link that could help us talk to other ships. I would love to be able to talk to Cadance, Shining Armor, Rapunzel, and Eugene on their journey. And also have a way to link back to Phil that didn't cost me a drachma."

"Because THEN," Pinkie Pie squealed, "you could spend all the drachmae on talking to – "

Rarity nudged Pinkie Pie hard in the side, and she was quiet.

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Somebody you need to contact in a special way?"

"In a way," Twilight said softly.

"Well, in that case, I'd be more willing to put funding into this," Pepper said, "but the physics would still be a nightmare. We'd have to have a team of astrophysicists on board who already have knowledge of interdimensional travel as opposed to just space travel."

"What about Jane Foster?" Applejack proposed.

"Yeah!" Twilight realized. "She knows about Asgard and the Bifrost. She HAS to know more than your average astrophysicist."

"In that case, you might be able to get Selvig's whole team," Steve added. "I'm not sure how willing Selvig would be to be associated with Stark Industries' history of war profiteering, but it's at least worth asking."

"Um, he would be on a Stark Industries payroll," Tony reminded Steve. "He wouldn't care."

"Money doesn't just buy out feelings," Steve asserted.

"You can try to convince him," Pepper sighed. "But he NEVER gets that concept. I've learned to live with it."

"So it's settled," Tony recapitulated. "We get Selvig and Foster and their whole team on board. Try to get the tech details worked out. Then open up the space and otherwise travel division of Stark Industries."

Pepper shook her head, laughing slightly. "Only you could open up a new division of the business in a DAY. We don't even know if this is going to work out."

"It's going to work out," Tony asserted, "because it was my idea."

"His track record checks out," Steve added.

"Says the guy who won't wear the energy shield I created specifically for him," Tony retorted.

"Tony," Steve insisted. "You can try all you want. I'm not giving up the shield. Not for anything."

"What, are you in love with that thing?"

"I'm…attached."

"Knew it."

* * *

Discord, in human form, leafed through a packet of papers.

"Got the scene yet?" Impossible Man asked.

"Word for word," Discord said, casually tossing the papers over his shoulder.

"And don't go off script," Impossible Man asserted.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Discord laughed. "All right, let's bring him in."

He clapped, and the lights went out, save for the sole spotlight. "FROM THE VERY DEPTHS OF NIFLHEIM," Impossible Man announced.

"Much to Hades' dismay, more than likely," Discord muttered to himself proudly.

"BACK FROM THE DEAD NOT FOR THE FIRST, NOT FOR THE SECOND, BUT FOR THE THIRD TIME!" Impossible Man went on. "PRESENTING THE DARK ELF HIMSELF…MALEKITH THE ACCURSED! And…cue the villain."

Discord swooped a hand toward the spotlight gracefully; in an explosion of smoke, Malekith appeared. Tall in height, his white-blonde hair flowed past his waist. The left half of his skin was as dark as night; the eye inset on that half of his face gleamed yellow like that of a cat. His right half was an icy blue, and the same piercing electric blue shade filled the iris of that eye. Discord knew full well that Malekith's right half was undead, and would forever remain that way. He was clothed in armor of black, with a bright white breastplate.

"Well," Malekith said, looking around to take in his surroundings. "This is interesting." A sly grin crept over his face. "I'm certainly not in Niflheim anymore."

"Does being resurrected ever get old for you?" Discord asked.

"No," Malekith answered, "though after so many times, I suppose I should come to expect it. Now, I take it you're responsible for this, and I want to know what you want."

"Why, I'm just a sympathizer of the Dark Elves," Discord stated. "Your loss of the conflict against the Asgardians was NOTHING short of unfair."

"Humans don't usually take that sort of concern. But then again, humans also don't have the power to bring souls back from the dead." Malekith's grin increased. "You're not quite human, are you?"

"You found me out," Discord replied. "But despite that, I'm just…NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH to get back the thing that could turn the tide for the Dark Elves to reclaim this world! But you…you managed to steal it and wield it once."

"The Aether," Malekith guessed.

"Oh…not that," Discord said hurriedly. Much like the Tesseract, the Aether was someplace he didn't want it to leave anytime soon. "But wasn't there something else?"

Malekith realized what Discord meant. Happily, he stated, "The Casket of Ancient Winters."

"Bingo." Discord drew a circle in the air with his finger, and the circle filled with white space. "After Stark, Thor, and T'Challa gave you a beatdown – "

"How do you know their names?"

"I know a lot of things. Now, are you going to let me finish or not?"  
Malekith's smile faded as he became more pensive about this stranger who'd given him life. "Go on."

"After that whole debacle, the Casket went into the custody of the Avengers." A blatant lie; it had actually gone into the hands of Amora and Loki. But Discord and Loki had agreed on what purpose the Casket could serve them: bait. At Discord's will, an image of Avengers Mansion appeared in the circle he'd drawn in midair. "They're keeping it deep within their stronghold." The view in the circle zoomed in on the door, then passed through it, flying at lightning speed through the halls until it stopped in the room that contained the Casket. The view then slowed down, circling the Casket lazily to show it from all angles. "Try as I might, I can't get past the front gates. After all, they have the thunder god on their team. But you…YOU'VE faced off against Thor and the other Avengers before. You could do it." Discord put a hand above and a hand below the circle, then slammed them together, causing the circle to disappear. "Are you up for it?"

"I get the feeling you are not telling me the whole truth," Malekith said.

"You're alive, aren't you?" Discord countered. "Do you really want to question it, so long as you're here?"

"…No," Malekith said in an even tone.

Discord knew exactly what was going through Malekith's mind at that moment. When Loki had brought him back to find the Casket, Malekith had immediately turned on Loki and overpowered his faction. If he could do it once, why couldn't he do it again on Discord? It was this line of thinking that Discord was counting on. After all, just as before, all he needed was to unleash another threat on the city. Betraying Discord would only make Malekith that much sweeter for H.A.M.M.E.R.

"I'll take you up on your little offer," Malekith stated. "What's the price?"

"There is none."

"Don't try and fool me. There is always a price. I suppose you want the Casket for yourself?"  
If Malekith was hellbent on betrayal, Discord might as well give him something to betray. "That is the eventual goal, yes. I mean, you would wield it, but you would be wielding it FOR me."

"I can live with that," Malekith said smugly.

"Now," Discord said, "if you need any weapons at all in order to make the invasion – "

"That won't be necessary," Malekith interrupted. "I won't need anything that I don't already have."

* * *

"And they say girls don't game," Jan remarked, clutching her game controller. "I am kicking your BUTT!"

Onscreen, a princess dressed in a pink ballgown was beating the pixelated man in the blue flight suit into submission.

"Aw, man…" Wilson remarked as he lost yet another match to Jan.

Carol passed through the room, observing for only a moment before saying, "Are you sure this is how you should be best spending your time?"

"Can't we have a little fun?" Jan asked. "I PROMISE we'll get back to business after…three more fights."

"All right," Carol sighed. "If you need me, Vision and I have been talking about the recent incidents in the situation room. Turns out there are some coincidences going on here that we can't figure out."

"Like what?" Wilson asked.

"First, a villain we thought was down because of S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol escapes inexplicably," Carol pointed out. "Then, we thought Amora was lost for pretty much forever, but then SHE turns up from the blue. Right after we save her, she becomes part of Osborn's new structure. Then Red Skull shows up after we thought we were long done with HIM, and it just so happens that Zemo has a grudge against him. Finally, Attuma shows up, again, out of pretty much nowhere, and the guy he has a grudge against also happens to be hanging out in the city. It's almost like specific criminals are being brought out of thin air because they suit the purposes of people connected to H.A.M.M.E.R. Almost like they were brought here on purpose."

"Um, how could Norman Osborn get Amora and a pack of fire demons to run an attack on New York?" Jan asked.

"And how could Osborn contact Attuma?" Wilson asked.

"What did Osborn even do, pay them all off to be humiliated?" Jan added.

"And Graviton was released BEFORE Osborn became the new Director," Wilson confirmed.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Carol said. "If either of you has an insight, you're welcome to join us. Oh, and T'Challa and Yellowjacket are in the lab looking over the applications of Pym Particles again if you have any advice for them. Thor, Clint, and the Hulk have taken over the training arena."

The entire conversation was brought to a halt when J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice boomed: "INTRUDER ON THE AVENGERS MANSION GROUNDS."

"What?" Carol snapped. "J.A.R.V.I.S. Engage defense systems."

"Engaging defense systems," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated.

* * *

The doors to the mansion burst open. Malekith casually strode into the atrium in time to hear the words "Engaging defense systems."

He raised a hand, as though gesturing for J.A.R.V.I.S. to stop. There was a quick crackle of energy in the air. Then J.A.R.V.I.S. began to announce its malfunctions:

* * *

"Defense systems offline," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated. "External communication systems offline. General services system going offl – "

His voice cut out in a sudden burst of static.

"That's not good," Jan whimpered.

"I'm going back to find Vision," Carol barked. "Sam, go get Yellowjacket and T'Challa. Jan, you call Steve and Tony. And if you have time to suit up, do it. Avengers, assemble!" She ran from the room. Sam followed suit while Jan removed her ID card from her pocket.

* * *

"Anyway," Tony was saying, "I'm hoping we can at least release beta versions of some of this at the next Stark Expo. You're all gonna be there, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Steve answered. "Front row. Seeing all the new technology this era has to offer…it's going to be beautiful."

"Rhodes and I have to be there," Pepper said teasingly. "We're going to be the ones doing all the work while you smile for the cameras."

"And you?" Tony turned to the six Equestrians.

"Well…we'd love to," Twilight said sheepishly, "but we don't know if our journey will take us away from here or back to this place in time."

"But I think I speak for all of us when I say we wish we could make it," Applejack added.

"You HAVE to tell us EVERYTHING if we miss it," Rainbow Dash asserted.

"Complete play-by-play, with video footage," Tony promised.

The synchronized beeping of his and Steve's ID cards alerted them all. Tony and Steve drew the cards from their pockets.

"Uh, guys?" Jan's voice emanated from the card. "We've got a situation. There's some kind of intruder in the mansion. All of J.A.R.V.I.S.' systems just went offline. You need to get back here RIGHT NOW – "

She gasped suddenly. There was a sound in the background like a low growl. A THUD; the ID card had collided with something. Then silence.

"Jan?" Tony yelled at the card. "JAN!"

Pinkie Pie screamed. "WHAT IF SHE'S GONE?"

"We need to leave," Twilight insisted. "NOW."

"You gonna need me for this one?" Rhodes asked, concerned.

"I think we can manage it," Tony said. "We've got a lot of the cards in our hand. You and Pepper keep managing things here like normal. This isn't gonna be a big deal."

"But Jan…" Pinkie Pie sulked.

"I know that sounded bad," Steve reassured her, "but she can take care of herself. Plus, the others were there too. They'll all be fine until we get there."

"I'm gonna need the highest mark iron suit we have here," Tony realized. "And Steve, you are NOT going back in there without a shield."

"I'll get my shield in the mansion," Steve argued.

"Unless whoever it is has it for some reason, or gets to you before you have it," Applejack pointed out.

"What alternative is there?" Steve asked.

Tony clamped a brace around Steve's wrist. Pressing a section of it, he caused an energy field to appear – a field the diameter of Steve's shield, radiating in the same colors and patterns.

"I get to make you wear it today," Tony told him.

* * *

"You need to get back here RIGHT NOW – " Jan insisted before the hounds entered the room. She gasped; she dropped the ID card to the floor.

They looked like wolves, but larger, shaggier, and meaner. They growled hungrily; their eyes seemed to burn. Three of them padded into the room, glaring directly at Jan.

In but a moment, Jan had shrunk down, becoming Wasp. She zipped directly upward, then down, then left and right, letting off a bio-stinger at each of three precisely timed moments. She struck each hound in the back of the neck; all three howled in pain.

Wasp zoomed down the hallway, on her way to the lab. She didn't get far before she found what she was looking for: Yellowjacket, Falcon, and Black Panther all gathered in the same hallway. Unfortunately, they were being stared down by ten hounds.

And the three Wasp had injured were on their way to join.

"GUYS!" Wasp yelled.

"What ARE these things?" Falcon cried, flinging feather projectiles at the frontmost hounds, knocking three back and a fourth unconscious.

A hound charged Yellowjacket; he flipped it over his back and slammed the creature against the floor. "You got me there," he said.

"I have seen these once before," Black Panther said. He rushed at a hound, engaging it in combat; he locked his arms around the hound's neck, wrestling it down to the floor and knocking it out of consciousness. "But it is not a circumstance any of us want to face again, I am sure."

"Let's just deal with them!" Wasp cried.

The four kept up with their attacks until all the hounds lay unconscious in the hallway. "Okay," Wasp panted. "WHERE exactly do these things come from, Panther?"

"I first and last saw them in the service of Malekith the Accursed," Black Panther stated.

"You mean that elf guy that keeps bothering Thor?" Wasp asked.

"Wait, did I miss something?" Falcon broke in.

"Thor's people have always been at war with the Dark Elves," Yellowjacket explained. "The Dark Elf leader, Malekith, has a nasty habit of coming back from the dead to settle the score. I can't speak for most of the Dark Elves, but Malekith's a nasty piece of work."

"Wasn't he the one that had those weird shadow creatures with him?" Wasp asked.

A mass of darkness bubbled up from the floor. It rose until it touched the ceiling, then molded itself into the shape of a creature with an elongated body, sticklike limbs, and a horned face with eyes and a mouth that were just slits emitting dull light.

"Yeah, those ones," Wasp clarified.

* * *

Iron Man, Captain America, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity dashed toward the entry of the mansion.

"Blown out door," Iron Man remarked. "Oh, HELL no."

"That's not good," Captain America and Twilight said in unison.

* * *

Three of the shadow creatures towered inside the situation room. Aloft, Ms. Marvel and Vision blasted them again and again. All Vision seemed to do was annoy the creatures, but after a few blasts of gold plasma from Ms. Marvel, each vaporized.

"There are probably more," Ms. Marvel pointed out. "Let's go!"

She and Vision emerged from the situation room, moving downward and into the training arena. Hearing footfalls coming around the corner, Ms. Marvel readied a blast of plasma in each hand.

Three figures ran into view; Vision put a hand on Ms. Marvel's wrist to signify that she needed to dismiss the golden plasma. Thor, Hawkeye, and the Hulk looked slightly the worse for wear.

"Giant shadows?" Ms. Marvel asked.

"I do not understand," Thor said. "They are the shades of the Dark Elves, whom Malekith the Accursed summoned from his throne against their will to do as he bid. Even after death, they knew no peace from their tyrant ruler. But if they are here, that means as well that Malekith…"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Hawkeye broke in, "because there is no WAY that sentence ends well."

"Bravo, bravo." The dark elf seemed to materialize almost from shadow. "You've figured out what you're up against. But that hardly changes anything. You have what I want, and I'm going to take it back from you."

"What have we that you would want?" Thor snapped.

"The Casket of Ancient Winters," Malekith answered.

"We don't HAVE any Casket," Ms. Marvel seethed.

"Lies," Malekith said coldly. "After you destroyed me at the site where I released the Casket's power, you took it for yourself and hid it within the deepest vaults of your stronghold."

"I've had about enough of this," Hawkeye grunted, loading his bow. He loosed a single explosive arrow at Malekith.

The arrow was caught in Malekith's right hand; he squeezed, and the arrow detonated, with no effect on him whatsoever.

With a mighty roar, Thor loosed Mjolnir; Malekith almost seemed to dance out of its way so that it curved back around and struck its wielder in the chest. As Thor hit the ground, Ms. Marvel let a great burst of gold fly. Malekith caught it, throwing it at Vision; it collided with the android with a sick crackling sound. Vision attempted to fire his laser upon Malekith, but it did nothing, as though Malekith's skin was absorbing it.

Fed up, the Hulk charged, throwing a punch. Malekith's hands clamped atop his fist. The dark elf launched up and over the Hulk, landing on the other side of him.

"I've wasted enough time on you," he said. "It's time for me to claim what is mine."

Twin beams of energy struck Malekith in the stomach, causing him to stagger. "What…"

Iron Man and the Spectrum-clad Rainbow Dash held their palms outward, facing Malekith. "Somepony call for backup?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Applejack cracked her whip toward Malekith, who caught it and looped the end around his wrist a couple times. His expression betrayed surprise. "The Elements of Harmony," he said softly. "I didn't expect to be seeing YOU again after all these years."

"Don't tell me," Twilight sighed. "We knew you a thousand years ago." She readied her staff, deliberating on what spell to cast.

"You're outmatched," Captain America told Malekith, approaching him from behind, energy shield turned on. On either side of Malekith, Rarity drew her bow and Fluttershy readied her katana. "If you surrender peacefully – "

The shield ricocheted through the air, slamming into the Hulk's shoulder and causing him to cry out before smacking Malekith dead on in the chest. A bright energy beam not unlike Iron Man or Rainbow Dash's seared through the air, causing Ms. Marvel to stagger and cry out while covering her eyes with her wrist. A black web unfurled in midflight; Malekith ducked it, letting it smack into Captain America and pin him to the back wall.

"Oh," Iron Man growled, turning to face the lineup of seven: Osborn, Zemo, Amora, Venom, the Red Hulk, Daken, and Bullseye. "HELL. NO!"

"How did you even get in here?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"Your door was open," Zemo replied.

"I believe we have control of this situation," Osborn said, approaching Malekith.

Malekith suddenly jerked the rope whip, causing Applejack to fall to the floor. He made a run for the end of the hallway; Twilight teleported in front of him, casting a burst of ice, but with a wave of his hand, he caused the ice to divert and spray across the wall. He ran around Twilight, and the Hulk was the next to try and stop him.

Meanwhile, Bullseye loaded three arrows into his bow. Twilight's head was turned, looking after Malekith; Bullseye raised the bow and drew.

"NO!" Ms. Marvel shouted as the arrows were loosed.

Twilight felt the velocity of the arrows clip the edge of their face as they sailed toward Malekith. Malekith stopped in his tracks, turning only a hair to the side; the arrows breezed past him.

The Hulk roared as the triple arrows pierced the skin of his shoulder. Satisfied, Malekith dodged him and ran on.

"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER!" Thor boomed at Bullseye.

"AND YOU HURT HIM!" Fluttershy added.

"I didn't mean to hit your team monster," Bullseye groaned. "And I aim better than hitting your bloody witch in the head."

Iron Man cut the black webs away from Captain America before turning to face Osborn. "I've had just about ENOUGH of you all just waltzing in here and screwing us over," he growled.

"Tony," Fluttershy said worriedly.

"No," Iron Man insisted. "You're done. You're ALL done screwing with us. Starting with the guy who pinned Cap to the goddamn wall." He turned his blaster on Venom.

Venom was knocked head over heels; when the energy beam subsided, Venom stood, snarling, "If that's what you want, THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL GET!" He launched more webs directly at Iron Man.

"As long as we're settling scores," Hawkeye added, loading up his bow with plain arrows, "let me show you what THIS feels like." He loosed several arrows at Osborn, who vaporized them one by one.

"None of this would have happened if your MONSTER could have stopped the elf," Amora growled.

Ripping Bullseye's arrows from his shoulder, the Hulk screamed, "Don't…CALL ME THAT!" before charging at Amora. Amora summoned bursts of green energy to her hands, flinging them back at him.

"This is for hypnotizing me to stay in place when Attuma attacked," Captain America snarled, smacking Daken on the back of the head with the flat of his energy shield.

Daken stumbled slightly before facing Captain America; his expression slid from one of anger to one of bemusement. "Didn't anyone warn you?" The metal blades slid out from his knuckles. "The beast's got claws, Cap." He lunged, and the metal of his claws struck against the energy shield.

Bullseye loaded his bow again. Ms. Marvel positioned herself directly in front of the arrowhead. "Don't even think about it," she snarled. "You've already almost killed one of our teammates and literally shot another. And Malekith's nowhere around. Who were you thinking of shooting THIS time?"

"Oh, what are you going to do?" Bullseye taunted. "Take away my toy because I've been a bad boy?"

"I will DESTROY that bow if I have to," Ms. Marvel snarled before gathering golden energy in her hands. Bullseye leapt out of the way before she let it fly.

"How amusing," Zemo remarked. "Tell me, Thor. Do these people – Iron Man, Hawkeye, the untarnished Captain America – truly think they can call themselves above me and mine when they are so quick to give in to anger and violence?"

"Anger and violence are all you know," Thor replied. "And it was your shield that began this incident!"

"Is that so?" Zemo challenged. "Do you really believe me among the likes of them?"

"You don't even believe yourself among the likes of your own teammates," Thor answered. "You are perhaps the lowest of them all."

"A pity you think that, thunderer. I suppose you think yourself superior, as your brother did."

"Do not compare me to…"

"Is that, then, why you let him die on the field in Svartalfheim? Is THAT the act of a man who takes the higher road?"

"How DARE you!" Thor roared. "Despite his attempts on my life and that of my father, I tried to PROTECT Loki at Svartalfheim! HE GAVE HIS LIFE WITH HONOR!" A thought struck him. "How…how do you even know what happened at Svartalfheim?"

"Does that really matter?" Zemo challenged.

"I will NOT BE SPOKEN TO THIS WAY!" Thor roared. To Zemo's absolute delight, he raised Mjolnir, letting the hammer fly; it clashed against Zemo's shield.

The Red Hulk and Vision were left to stare each other down. "I don't want to hurt you," John admitted.

"I do not want to hurt you either," Vision told him. "Can you convince your allies to stop attacking my friends?"

"They're MY friends," John retorted – trying to convince himself. "Without them, without Osborn, I'm nothing. You have to call your teammates away from attacking them! They were the ones that started it!"

"I think you are mistaken," Vision said. "Analysis of past events leads me to the conclusion that Norman Osborn does not understand the concept of friendship. I also believe that your team engaged my team in combat first, in subtle ways."

"Don't SAY those things!" The Red Hulk took a swing at Vision, who dodged it, leaping into the air. "You're JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM!"

"I did not want to hurt you," Vision lamented, charging his laser.

Fluttershy was close to tears. "STOP!" she wailed. "EVERYPONY, PLEASE, PLEASE STOP! STOP FIGHTING! YOU'LL DESTROY EACH OTHER!" Then the tears came, flowing heavily.

"WILL Y'ALL GIVE IT A REST?" Applejack yelled into the commotion, but there was no attention paid to her.

"Girls," Twilight said somberly, "this hurts to say, but we can't waste time here. Malekith is looking for something, and I have a bad feeling he'll find it here. We HAVE to go after him and use the Elements to stop him. All of us, or it won't work. The sooner we defeat him, the sooner we can come back here and work this out!"

"She's right," Rainbow Dash insisted. "Let's GO!"

Twilight took off running in the direction Malekith had gone. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash followed in hot pursuit. Fluttershy lingered, watching the Hulk collapse as Amora threw an energy bolt at him, hovering over him, jeering.

"FLUTTERSHY!" the other five Equestrians yelled, and the bearer of the Element of Kindness knew what she had to do. She turned her back on the chaos, letting her friends and their enemies try to tear each other apart.

* * *

Malekith opened the door to the vault to be greeted with exactly the sight he'd seen in Discord's vision: the Casket, lying on the floor in the middle of a large, empty room. He approached it quickly, reaching down; his fingers brushed the lid as he heard a voice yell "STOP!"

So he stopped. He grinned, and then straightened up and turned so he could show Twilight his pointed teeth. He'd recognized her voice immediately. And behind her stood Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, weapons drawn.

"It seems as though this is your first time meeting me," Malekith conjectured. "But it is not my first time meeting you. How fortunate for me. It means I know what weaknesses you WILL have…and you don't have the strengths I'm used to."

"What in tarnation are you even – " Applejack began.

Malekith thrust out his hands, palms outward. With a scream, each young woman was enveloped in a column of dark smoke. The six columns remained stationary as Malekith turned his attention back to the Casket.

He bent down and picked up the small box, which was just the right size to fit in his hands. He caressed the lid, marveling at the power within.

Then he pried the lid open, and all hell broke loose.

A gust of snow, wind, and ice erupted. It flowed past the six smoky columns, out into the hall. It permeated the air into the vents. And Malekith laughed.

* * *

Above Avengers Mansion, clouds formed and darkened. More and more joined them; the storm grew to cover the city, and the snow and hail fell rapidly. A desolation of white, it expanded ever outward, flowing out to the lands beyond the city, not to stop until it had covered the world.

* * *

"What's happening?" Twilight said worriedly, looking around. As far as she could see, she was standing in the middle of pure blackness. The Mansion had gone, and so had Malekith and her friends.

Dark tendrils erupted from the ground. Twilight could see that they ended in sharp points, so she readied her staff. "INCENDIO!" she cried, swinging out at the nearest tendril. "GLACIUS!"

Some of the tendrils caught fire; others absorbed the ice into them, becoming masses of cold. They wrapped around Twilight, the points digging into her skin; though their movement was fluid like that of snakes, they felt like the texture of stone.

Twilight cried out as the pain of the burn and the freezing increased.

* * *

" – doin'?" Applejack finished, finding herself in the blackness.

The black tendrils came at her all at once. She jumped over one, ducked another, twisted out of the way of a third. She cracked her rope whip.

A tendril intersected with it. Horrified, Applejack tried to shake it away by cracking the whip; instead, the entire thing wrapped around her, binding her. The points of other tendrils pressed against her skin like needles.

* * *

"CAN'T GET ME UP HERE!" Rainbow Dash yelled at a mass of tendrils.

They seemed to take that as a challenge. They shot upward as a single mass of spikes, growing infinitely long as she flew higher and higher. She projected energy beams at them, trying to cut them down.

They caught up to her first. The points knocked uselessly against her armor, but she had flown quite a ways up. Her armor suddenly lost the ability to fly, and she was dropping like a stone all the way back down.

* * *

As tendril upon tendril erupted from the ground, Rarity screamed again and again, higher each time. She loaded her bow, but her hands shook; she couldn't bring herself to fire an arrow without the proper steadiness.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she wailed as the tendrils fenced her in. "LEAVE ME ALO-O-OOOOONE!"

* * *

Pinkie Pie cocked her head, confused, at the tendrils that had begun to gather. When they shot toward her like a cobra striking, she immediately dodged them.

"I'M OVER HERE!" she yelled from several feet away.

More sprouted up around her feet, but she was gone again, a long way across the infinite darkness. "OVER HEEEEE-EEEERE!" she taunted.

Several tendrils speared the place where she was.

"And now I'm up here!" she laughed from above, hanging upside down.

* * *

Fluttershy hugged her knees and sobbed as the tendrils closed over her, forming a dome that made the darkness even blacker.

* * *

Twilight was doing the only thing that remained for her to do under the current circumstances: think.

"One of two things happened," she muttered, trying to ignore the painful sensations around her. "Either Malekith transported me somewhere else…or this is an illusion. A very painful, convincing illusion. Unless it's a little of both…this IS real, but it's a pocket dimension he created on the spot. I'm still in Avengers Mansion, standing in place in that room, no matter how far I go! This is just really strong magic. Which means…I have to trust that my own magic is STRONGER!"

As she shifted to a Mahou Shoujo, a burst of light radiated out from her, breaking the tendrils already upon her. She raised her staff to the black "sky."

"ELEMENTAL FINALE!" she screamed.

It began to rain magic.

* * *

"That does it," Applejack muttered.

She shifted to the Mahou Shoujo; she gripped her rope whip tightly. She willed it to attack, and it did. The rope elongated, overpowering every tendril, assimilating them all.

She cracked the whip. The tendrils shattered. And so did the darkness.

* * *

Mid-fall, Rainbow Dash called up her sword. The shift took place beneath her armor. She raised her sword up. Clouds formed. Lightning struck her blade, absorbing within it.

With a mad yell, Rainbow Dash let the rainbow wave of lightning fly, and it pierced right through the blackness.

* * *

"I! HAVE! HAD! ENOUGH!" Rarity roared, shifting to the Mahou Shoujo state, lifting her bow. "CRYSTAL RAIN!"

She drew the bow back, aiming it directly at the ground. The string snapped out of her hand. Hundreds of arrows pierced the ground, breaking anything that sprouted from it.

* * *

"It's been fun," Pinkie Pie squealed, "but I'd better get outta here!"

Clad in pink ruffle, she lifted her shoulder-mounted launcher. BOOM.

* * *

The dome of stone tendrils broke open as flower-shaped shuriken burst through it. In the center stood Fluttershy, teeth gritted, practically radiating anger.

* * *

The six columns of smoke broke open at once, and Malekith flinched.

"It was an illusion?" Rainbow Dash groaned, realizing she was standing exactly where she'd been before Malekith confined her to darkness.

"It was a pocket dimension, actually," Twilight clarified. Then she felt the blast of cold radiating from the Casket.

The Mahou Shoujo clothing shimmered away, leaving the six in the clothes they'd been wearing beforehand – though Rainbow Dash's exterior of Spectrum remained unchanged. "You've spent all your powers," Malekith said. "Your Elements will have little effect against me. I am magic. I AM Darkness!"

"Maybe they won't affect you," Twilight said, her eyes flicking to the open Casket – it didn't take her long to figure out what its purpose was. "But we can affect SOMETHING! Let's go, girls!"

Malekith watched, curious, as they formed the sphere of light. "What are you trying to accomplish?" he asked.

The great rainbow burst forth. Weak, he could tell. He would have easily been able to repel it.

But it wasn't aiming for him.

The rainbow focused directly upon the Casket of Ancient Winters. Surrounded by power, the Casket slammed shut. A lock appeared on its lid, shimmering with rainbow.

"NO!" Malekith hissed. He clawed at the lid; it remained shut.

* * *

Above the city, the clouds dissipated. The snow ceased to fall; that already on the ground began very rapidly to melt.

* * *

The sphere of light dissolved, depositing the six on the floor.

"How d'you like THEM apples?" Applejack laughed.

"You have taken my weapon," Malekith replied. "An admirable feat. But I can still do plenty without it – "

The iron dart pierced his shoulder, and he screamed. After that, another dart followed, slamming into the other shoulder.

"The briefing said pure iron was your weakness," Black Widow said, striding into the room with dart gun loaded.

"WIDOW!" the six Equestrians cried in relief.

Black Widow removed a thin filigree chain of iron from where it was looped ar her belt. She lashed out with it as though it were a whip; it surrounded Malekith, who was still shivering from the iron embedded in his body, and bound him.

"You really saved our bacon!" Applejack sighed.

"Well, it looks like you did most of the legwork," Black Widow admitted.

"What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Did you come because everpony else was showing up for the battle and you felt lonely?"

"Director Osborn assembled a team of H.A.M.M.E.R. agents as soon as he heard something was attacking Avengers Mansion," she answered. "We were supposed to step in if Osborn's squad took too long, or if something went wrong."

"Then…why did you come here?" Twilight asked, a sudden horror overtaking her. "And where are the rest of the agents?"

"We came here because Osborn sent a distress signal," Black Widow said somberly. "The others are breaking up the fight upstairs."

* * *

The Avengers were lined up against one side of the wall; the Dark Avengers against the other. Coulson, Quake, Mockingbird, and assorted others stared them all down.

Black Widow entered the hall with the Equestrians in tow. "Malekith's been taken care of," she said. "We'll just need to bring him into custody. And here…?"

"We're mediating," Mockingbird replied. She turned to Hawkeye. "How COULD you?"

"They were being jerks," Hawkeye insisted.

"You assaulted a S.H.I.E…a H.A.M.M.E.R. squad," Mockingbird pressed. "You're technically ONE of them."

"Um, THEY SHOT THE HULK," Iron Man insisted.

"Maybe you didn't notice through those gold-plated glasses you're always looking through," Bullseye snarled, "but I was AIMING for the bloody DARK ELF!"

"We're going to be looking through Osborn's records," Quake informed the group. "Guys, if the proof comes out that it was you guys that did the instigating, you'll have obstruction of justice on your record. That's NOT A GOOD THING."

"So you're trying to tell me there are people on this planet that DON'T want to punch Baron Zemo in the face whenever they see him," Iron Man countered.

"I think you know how valid that argument is," Quake sighed.

"I'm ALMOST hurt, Iron Man," Zemo added.

It was then that Black Panther, Yellowjacket, Falcon, and Wasp entered the hall. "Good news, everyone!" Wasp announced. "We got rid of all the shadow…creatures…" She looked around at the scene. "Okay, what's going on here, and why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

On the front lawn of the mansion, H.A.M.M.E.R. agents transported the squirming Malekith to a nearby jet. Osborn's team was lining up to board the craft. Black Widow stood before the Avengers and Equestrians.

"Expect me to contact you soon," she said. "Osborn won't take this lightly. I'll let you know the damage."

"Natasha," Hawkeye sighed, "if it's worth anything, I'm sorry."

Black Widow sighed. "I don't even know what I'd have done in your position." With that, she turned and walked away.

"We messed up," Captain America moaned. "Why did I give in? I should have just left it all alone."

"It ain't fair, though," Applejack argued. "They provoked y'all."

"But you still shouldn't have DONE it!" Twilight countered. "They were trying to take down Malekith as much as we were!"

"Provoked…" Ms. Marvel repeated. "Shot in the dark here, but what if they WANTED us to attack them?"

"Yeah…" Rainbow Dash realized. "Thor was completely out of it until Zemo started insulting him! And Zemo knew EXACTLY what to say to make him angry! Thor, whaddaya think?"

Thor's gaze was fixed upon the team loading Malekith aboard the jet.

"Thor?" Rainbow Dash repeated. She waved a hand in front of his face. "616th Earth to Thorrrrrr…"

Thor watched as a dark-haired female agent took hold of Malekith, looking right into his eyes and smirking. Then, as if she felt Thor's gaze from afar, she looked up and across the lawn, meeting Thor's eyes. Slowly, her smile widened. Seeing Thor's expression turn to one of concern, almost fright, she nodded. Then she was gone, aboard the jet.

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash barked. "You okay?"

"I don't know," Thor stated.

"You look like ya just seen a ghost," Applejack pointed out.

"I am not sure I didn't," Thor admitted.

* * *

A short, brunette woman with quite pale skin and sporting a pair of large spectacles to offset her oddly patterned sweater and baggy jeans stared at the reactor, almost hypnotized. She extended an arm, her hand moving closer to it.

"If you were willing to work on this project," Pepper told Jane Foster and an elderly man with wispy white hair, "your starting salary would be – PLEASE don't touch that."

Jane and her older companion whirled around to glare daggers at the other woman. "Darcy," Jane hissed.

"What?" Darcy Lewis whined. "It's shiny!"

"As I was saying," Pepper went on – Darcy hurried over to join her companions nearby – "your starting salary would be somewhere around the neighborhood of this." She presented a contract, then tapped a line containing a number with a pen. "So, Dr. Selvig. What do you say?"

Dr. Erik Selvig seemed taken aback. "Are you sure this isn't some kind of scam?" he asked in disbelief.

"Dude," Darcy urged. "We'd be on a STARK payroll. Don't question it."

"Tell me it wouldn't be blood money," Selvig said, concerned.

"DON'T QUESTION IT," Darcy reiterated. "LOOK AT THAT NUMBER."

"If it makes you feel better, your salary could come completely out of the profits from the energy venture," Pepper reassured him.

"I'm more concerned about how this would impact the projects we're currently working on," Jane admitted. "I agree with Tony. It's important to figure out as much as we can about the universe now that we know how many different worlds are out there. Or, at the least, a glimpse of how many there are. But our studies are also exploring that. Just in a different direction."

"We'd be able to fund any project you wanted to do," Pepper said. "Of course, we'd ask that you put enough time into Stark Industries research for this to be worthwhile. But we wouldn't ask you to stop your other research either."

"We could manage both," Selvig assured Jane.

"Are you in, then?" Pepper asked.

"Ch'yeah," Darcy answered.

"Yes," Selvig added.

"I'm on board," Jane concluded.

Selvig put his name to the contract, and Pepper took it back with a nod. "Well, then. Welcome to Stark Industries. Make yourselves at home."

* * *

The footage played again and again on the giant screens in the helicarrier's main room. Hawkeye shooting at Osborn. Captain America bludgeoning Daken. The Hulk charging Amora. All from the perspective of the Iron Patriot armor.

"As you can see," Osborn told his audience, "the Avengers are no longer the defenders of the peace we believed them to be. They have turned against us out of personal hatred and bias. To fight against H.A.M.M.E.R. is obstruction of justice to the HIGHEST caliber." He clicked a button on a small handheld remote, and the screens changed to show still images of the faces of the Avengers, as well as crudely taken photographs of each of the Equestrians. "There's only one course of action we can take."

When he announced it, Black Widow gasped silently, then slipped out of the room.

"I understand," one agent pointed out, "but what about the six women? They RAN from the battle."

"They've also proven themselves to be very dangerous," Osborn countered. "I hope you haven't forgotten that their ringleader doesn't consider herself above mental violation. Now, this job isn't one you have to concern yourselves with. I've informed you so that you know the situation. Under these circumstances, I ask you to please refrain from aiding or abetting the Avengers or their new friends in any way. Along with my new Avengers, I'm going to assign my best men to this job."

* * *

The inhabitants of Avengers Mansion gathered in the situation room to discuss the day's events.

"It's too convenient, again," Carol said. "Now we've got somebody who came back from the DEAD."

"Malekith tends to do that anyway," Tony pointed out.

"But the Casket of Ancient Winters?" Carol countered. "That went to Amora, not us. Somebody planted it here."

"And that can only mean ONE being is responsible," Twilight said. "Somepony who can bring people back from the dead AND put things like that where they don't belong. And that one is…"

"HADES!" Pinkie Pie cried.

"No," Twilight corrected. "Actually, I was going to say – "

"TRIXIE!" Pinkie yelled. "No, wait. HECATE! Let me keep guessing!"

"DISCORD!" Twilight yelled. "IT'S DISCORD! He's the only one I can think of who has enough power to do all that!"

"Maybe not," Thor chimed in.

"You have been silent since Malekith was taken into custody," Black Panther said. "What has been on your mind?"

"One of the agents of H.A.M.M.E.R.," Thor answered. "When I looked into her eyes…I had seen those eyes before. Even from a distance, I knew she seemed familiar. I haven't been able to forget it. I have reason to believe…that she is my brother."

"You mean LOKI?" Rarity asked, taken aback.

"You think Loki just walked onto our lawn without us noticing," Carol added.

"And Loki is dead," Steve chimed in.

"Asgardians do regenerate," Thor stated. "Though it should have taken him MUCH longer. Were it him, the only possibility that remains is that he was never dead to begin with."

"You SAW him die," Tony pointed out.

"But if Loki is anything like what we've faced," Twilight pointed out, "he's probably able to pull a trick like that off perfectly."

"He would have the power to resurrect Malekith from the dead, as well as to place the Casket of Ancient Winters within our walls," Thor pointed out. "Not to mention that if, as Lady Danvers has suspected, the foes Osborn's Avengers have faced were chosen because of their grievances with people already present in this city and connected to Osborn, it would explain Malekith. Loki is the one whom Malekith has betrayed the most. Nothing would please him more than to see Malekith bound in chains of iron. Who else within H.A.M.M.E.R. would have such a grievance against Malekith?"

"Wait," Clint interrupted. "So Loki was one of the FEMALE agents."

"He is fond of shapeshifting," Thor pointed out. "He does enjoy a female form."

"WHICH agent?" Clint asked.

"She had dark hair," Thor described, "and was slight in frame. She seemed entirely too proud."

"THE HOT ONE?" Clint moaned. "THE HOT ONE WAS YOUR BROTHER?"

"We don't have any proof of that," Steve said.

"I think we do," Applejack realized. "The fact that we're here. Think about it. We go where we're needed. Wherever we've been, the stallion or mare who gave that world the most grief has turned up."

"But we're already dealing with Osborn," Steve argued. "THAT'S who you're here for."

Before any further discussion of the subject could take place, the door slid open, and Natasha stormed in.

"Tasha!" Clint greeted.

"Why do I have a horrible feeling about this…" Rarity moaned.

"Osborn passed his verdict," Natasha stated coldly. "You've been charged with obstruction of justice of the highest order."

"No…" Twilight whispered.

Natasha delivered the final blow: "He's ordered your immediate arrest."

* * *

Chapter 70:

· Cap's "Dracula" line is a reference to an episode of Avengers Assemble where he reveals that he dealt with Dracula's clan during the war. It was too good a joke to pass up.

· I want to make it very clear here that I DO NOT ship Pepperony, and that I actually resent the couple, at least as it's portrayed in IM3…but I also don't want to kill Pepper or ruin her friendship with Tony in order to get that point across. She's a cool character. I hope I put their relationship across as "just friends" enough.

· You'll see that Malekith has his AEMH design and personality but is wearing the Dark World armor. AEMH did him a lot better as a character, but a lot of design elements of Dark World were just FANTASTIC – I couldn't sacrifice that black and white armor (which is, BTW, gorgeous) without possibly implying that the Dark Elves didn't have those beautiful spaceships. However, Dark World did kinda screw up his design in terms of his face – they not only "blackfaced" him, but, and this is where my priorities REALLY lie, they also kept his "split" face between black and white (or black and whitish-blue as of AEMH) for only a moment. I LOVE the split because it's a reference to the original goddess Hel. Had to give him his two-tone split back.

· Aaaaand we're back to Smash Bros, and Wasp's fighter is PEACH.

· I'm assuming the ID cards run on a non-J.A.R.V.I.S.-powered frequency for plot device reasons. If I had J.A.R.V.I.S. running, his defense systems would have stymied Malekith more than I wanted.

· Steve's energy shield is from AEMH. I don't believe he ever DOES wear it in canon. It was always my joke that he couldn't let go of his original shield because he was in love with it.

· I kind of embellished on Malekith's abilities here. A lot of it is an expansion of stuff he did in AEMH (I couldn't give him his spaceships from Dark World, of course). Like summoning the shades of Dark Elves. And the "pocket dimension" is based on one particular attack he makes on Black Panther – we never actually get any indication that said dimension is bigger than it looks on the inside, but this is Rule of Cool here.

· AEMH states that iron hurts Malekith. Running with it.

· I wanted to give the group a hint that Loki was running the show at this point. Otherwise the Big Reveal of him to the heroes would be a bit TOO jarring in my eyes.


	71. Osborn's Flunkies

71. Osborn's Flunkies

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

Natasha's words seemed to increase the weight of the very air in the situation room. At last, Clint asked, "So, are you here to arrest us?"

"No," Natasha answered. "I would never…I'm going against Osborn's orders here. You have a lot of sympathizers among H.A.M.M.E.R. The thing is, Osborn's picked out some kind of special squad that can take you down. As many friends as you have in his regime, he's picked out enemies for you. I came to warn you."

"This can't be happening," Twilight said. "There has to be a way we can – "

"I'm not sure you understand," Natasha reiterated. "Osborn will have people come to COLLECT you. He'll have them patrolling the city to FIND you. The Bugle will run a story in the morning about how you've all become public enemies and need to be handed over to the authorities immediately. There will be rewards for whoever can turn you in or offer information. Osborn is not going to rest until you're all taken into custody and thrown into a prison we once reserved for supervillains."

"We won't let him take us," Steve asserted.

"We. Are. The. AVENGERS," Tony added. "You think we can't take him?"

"I don't know what Osborn has in his corner," Natasha said, "but he wouldn't make a declaration like this unless he was sure he could take you on. All of you." She looked directly at Pinkie Pie.

"What?" Pinkie asked. "What did I do?"

Jan sighed. "You're our friend," she explained. "So you're going down with us. I'm sorry. This shouldn't have been your problem. It should have been ours."

"It was always supposed to be our problem," Twilight stated. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be here. Even if we just ended up here by chance, we couldn't just stand by and NOT try to stop evil!"

"'Sides," Applejack said, "bein' y'all's friend is worth it."

Steve smiled, visibly touched. "Well…thank you. Frankly, I'm glad we got the chance to know you. That's why I wish you didn't have to deal with this."

"Are you kidding?" Rainbow Dash laughed. "I've gone up against the mother of all monsters! I think we can handle whatever Norman Os-boring has to throw at us."

"Even if you fight off whoever he has lined up to arrest you now," Natasha said, "he won't stop. The entire nation will be your enemy until something comes along to change Osborn's mind…or he stops being dictator."

"Then there's only one course of action," Tony resolved. "We storm H.A.M.M.E.R. and take him down by force."

"I can't help but feel that will only make things worse," Rarity said. "Mostly for our public image. But I also imagine Osborn has some VERY powerful weapons waiting in the wings for us."

"Well, does anyone have any better ideas?" Tony asked, looking around the room.

"Team Strategist Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking at Twilight.

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know…"

T'Challa suddenly spoke up: "I may have a solution."

* * *

Six stared at five. Amora, Zemo, Daken, Bullseye, the Red Hulk, and Venom were lined up against one wall. Five strange men were lined up against the other. The foremost thought in each mind was how ridiculous the people across the room looked.

Osborn strode up and down the lines. "My Avengers," he said. "You know what we have to do. If we want the Avengers to fall, if we want to take the power we've all worked so hard for, we have to take them down here. However, as much as I hate to admit it, we have the disadvantage. That's why I called in my personal hit squad. I'll admit, it was difficult to track some of them down…but as you can see, I've managed to round them up. Gentlemen and Amora, may I present to you…a little group that I like to nickname the 'Sinister Six.'"

He strode toward the first man, well built, features completely covered by a suit that let only his eyes show: yellow with a black criss-cross pattern from the waist up and red from the waist down. He donned a silver belt, but more prominently, large silver gauntlet-like devices, patterned with red and yellow, strapped to his wrists. His eyes were even hidden behind a thin set of frameless goggles. "If I may introduce Montana," Osborn said. "Otherwise known as Shocker."

"Okay, now let's get one thing clear," Shocker interrupted. "You mighta FOUND us, but it's 'cause of ME that you pulled this little group together. Vulture didn't want a dang thing to do with anything you touched 'till I talked him into it. And the others were all suspicious about you before I pointed out how this was gonna work for us. So lemme say that first of all, this might be your squad as far as your payroll goes, but you don't start givin' credit where it's due, you're runnin' the risk of a mutiny. Oh, and you better deliver on EVERYTHING you promised."

"I assure you, Montana, I have no intent to cheat any of you," Osborn stated calmly. "You'll all get double the payment you requested. And as for you…"

Osborn approached a bald, thin, pale man with a long, beaklike nose. He was clad in a red and black suit that sported a pair of black wings tipped in red protruding from the arms. "Adrian Toomes," Osborn said. "Known as the Vulture. In addition to your compensation, you'll be receiving credit for your flight technology and a license to sell the patent."

"You know what else I want," Vulture hissed. "I want you to APOLOGIZE FOR – "

"Vulture," Shocker broke in, "we done talked about this. You ain't gettin' any apologies outta that one, so you either gotta take this or nothin' at all."

Vulture was at a loss for counter-arguments, so he stayed silent.

"Alexander O'Hirn," Osborn continued, moving to the next and largest man in the lineup. He barely looked human at all; his body had been transformed, the thick skin and muscular build of a gray rhinoceros covering a bipedal frame, and an enormous horn protruded from his forehead. Below that, his pale face was twisted into a deranged smirk. "Also known as the Rhino."

"Hey, I'm not waitin' on any apologies," Rhino said. "I'm just in it for the cash. And if I get to beat up on some Avengers, that just makes it better!"

"YEAH!" the man adjacent to Rhino said, holding out a fist; Rhino's own fist bumped against it. This man looked rather average compared to the appearance of the others in the lineup. Caucasian and brunette, with hair cut quite short and a fairly strong muscular build, he wore a shirt patterned in stripes of alternating dark and light green as well as khaki pants.

"Flint Marko," Osborn introduced, unable to suppress a smile. "Otherwise known as the Sandman."

"He seems fairly unimpressive," Zemo said under his breath; Amora nodded.

"HEY!" Sandman barked. He stretched out an arm; it morphed, turning into a mass of sand, and stretched across the room to reach Zemo, shaking an enlarged fist in his face. "You wanna say that to my face next time, you – "

He was cut off, literally, when Zemo slashed through his sandy wrist with his sword.

"DON'T!" Amora and the Red Hulk barked at Zemo.

"Okay, okay, fine," Sandman grumbled, rejoining the disembodied sand to himself and transforming his arm back to flesh consistency. "I get the point. Don't tick off the purple one."

"As for you," Osborn said, turning to the last man, clothed completely in a dark green suit of rubber that obscured any feature he had; his head was enveloped in what looked like a gas mask. Two tubes, each running from the deltoid area in front to the corresponding shoulder area in back, glowed bright with a surging electric light. "Max Dillon – " Osborn began.

"Don't CALL me that," the man seethed. "I'm ELECTRO now."

Osborn nodded, but otherwise didn't acknowledge the request. "My team will find the science you've been looking for as part of your compensation. You can trust me on that."

Osborn turned back to the Dark Avengers. "This is who you'll be working with."

"You called them the 'Sinister Six,'" Daken brought up.

"It's as official of a name as 'Dark Avengers' to the public," Osborn explained. "Almost an inside joke."

"Yes," Daken continued, "but I count five."

Shocker groaned. "He was waitin' on somebody to say that."

"Who was – "

With a loud BOOM, lime green smoke exploded in the center of the room. A deep voice boomed from the cloud: "INTROITUS DRAMATICUS!"

As the smoke cleared, it revealed a man in a most interesting ensemble. His bodysuit was lime green as the smoke he'd appeared in, though a purple cape draped over most of it. A purple collar surrounded the man's neck, and his head was encased in an opaque glass helmet – presumably he could see out of it, but no one could see through it to his face.

"I AM MMMMYYYYYSTEEEEERIOOOOOOO!" the newcomer bellowed. "Master of the arcane arts! Connoisseur of sorcery! Enchanter extraordin – "

Extremely offended, Amora broke in: "You're nothing but a CHARLATAN. You didn't think I, an ACTUAL enchantress gifted with the true power of magic, wouldn't see through your cheap illusions? Holograms and a trap door? You're nothing but a MOCKERY of magic!"

"I AM NO MOCKERY!" Mysterio yelled, pointing at Amora dramatically. "I am an ARTIST!"

"Quentin Beck," Osborn explained, "or Mysterio, as he prefers, is actually interesting to me because of his talent with illusion. His skills allow him to confuse potential opponents by making them question what is real and what is not."

"It is still a disgrace to true magic," Amora growled.

"IIIIINGRAAAAAATE!" Mysterio yelled.

"You can turn down the volume about five notches," Shocker groaned.

"Now that we're all gathered here," Osborn said, making sure to shoot a quick glance at Mysterio due to his insistence upon being late to the party, "I want to discuss our plan of action. No doubt the Avengers already know about the arrest order. They have friends within these walls, and I'm not so stupid that I don't know I'll have at least one traitor who takes it into her…or his…hands to alert them. They may already be out in the city. I've mapped out a patrol system. We'll each keep a close watch on our assigned areas. They won't be able to get past us without a fight. Take as many as you can…alive." Upon that word, Osborn shot a glare at Zemo.

"After all this time, you still do not trust me?" Zemo asked.

"Only a fool would," Amora pointed out.

"If that is the case," Zemo countered, "why is it that you so readily followed me into battle so many times?"

"I LED you into battle!" Amora insisted.

"Sooooo…whaddaya think?" Sandman whispered to Rhino. "Those two: dating or already married?"

Amora shook her head in frustration. "It is useless to argue. The sooner we can divide and conquer and the sooner I no longer have to share space with that sham of a sorcerer, the better."

Mysterio raised a hand flowingly into the air. "YOU SHALL REGRET HAVING INCURRED THE WRATH OF – "

Shocker clapped a hand on Mysterio's shoulder. "CAN IT."

"Stultus es," Mysterio hissed at Amora.

"There's one more point I want to discuss before I deal out patrol assignments," Osborn stated. "You already know about the six women that are currently living with the Avengers. No matter what happens, if it comes down to taking one of them or taking an Avenger…take the woman. At least ONE of them needs to be within our captivity by the end of this night."

"And why's that so important?" Shocker asked.

Amora laughed, already knowing the answer. "The six of them share a power," she stated. "Remove one, and the other five no longer have that power."

"And you figured this out on your own?" Shocker posed to Osborn.

"I don't think any of that matters," Osborn said defensively. Splitting the Elements had been an order directly from Loki, and whomever was taken was to be delivered to Loki himself. But he wasn't about to talk about the liesmith in front of the Six. The less said about him, the better. "Just bring at least one of them back here. Is that understood?"

* * *

T'Challa stood before everyone in the situation room. "Osborn's arrest order is binding by American law," he stated. "However, Wakandan law does not affect you."

"So you're saying all we have to do is get to goddamn Wakanda overnight," Tony grumbled.

Not catching Tony's sarcasm, Pinkie Pie screamed, "ROAD TRIP!"

"We do not need to go that far," T'Challa said. "We may take refuge in the Wakandan embassy. No authority, not even H.A.M.M.E.R., will be able to cross without risking war with Wakanda."

"I like it," Tony mused. "After all, Doom's always pulling diplomatic immunity on us. If he's still involved with this, I just wish I could see the look on his face when we give him a taste of his own medicine. Y'know. If it weren't for the fact that he wears that mask so no one can ever see the look on his face."

"But T'Challa," Twilight brought up, "that's a big risk for the reputation AND the safety of your country."

"As for reputation, this is a cause I find worthy," T'Challa stated. "After all, I assume we are all under the impression that we need only find a refuge long enough that we truly can begin to put a plan in place to put Osborn out of power or otherwise dispel our arrest orders. As for the safety of my country, many an attacker has learned the hard way that Wakanda is not to be trifled with. We may not have sophisticated nuclear weaponry, but we have learned to manipulate Vibranium in very practical ways."

"You sure you wanna do this?" Applejack asked him.

"I did admittedly have to think about it," T'Challa said. "The solution came to me immediately, but I was not sure it was worth it. However, I am convinced that it is. Despite what we have done, we do not deserve to be taken into custody. This is merely Osborn's hunger for power – "

"Or a scheme by Loki," Thor brought up.

"Or a scheme by Doom," Natasha added.

"There's no way this wasn't planned to lead up to this," Carol said. "The opponents we fought were too convenient. This was setting up a smear campaign against us to get us into custody. And once they have us out of the way, something worse will happen that we can't stop."

"Except we WILL be able to stop it," Steve said, "because we're NOT going down."

"If we each take different routes to the embassy, stagger the times we leave, and travel in pairs," T'Challa suggested, "we will stand a greater chance."

"We should draw up an official plan," Twilight suggested. "I think we should go in two waves. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack, what do you think about partnering with two people, one per wave? I think we stand the best chance if each group has one Avenger with powers from this world and one of us with our own special powers."

"I'm down with that," Rainbow Dash confirmed.

"It sounds like good logic," Steve agreed.

"I'll need a map so we can look at routes," said Twilight.

"In the meantime," Tony said, "I'm going to put in a couple phone calls."

"Who are you calling at this time of night?" Rarity asked.

"You BETTER not be getting us in trouble, Tony," Jan stated, arms folded.

"I'm just getting us a little insurance in case we run into trouble along the way," Tony replied before leaving the room.

"WHO is he talking to?" Twilight barked. "And WHERE is he going?"

"There are times we must simply trust him," Thor said. "He does seem to know what he is doing more often than not."

Twilight sighed as J.A.R.V.I.S. projected a large map of the city for her. "All right. I'm going to need everypony's help getting familiar with these streets…"

"I should go," Natasha said. "I don't want to raise any more suspicion than I probably already have."

"If you need any help from us," Applejack said, "you know where to find us."

"Thank you." Natasha nodded before turning to leave. "Oh, and Clint? Don't get shot."

"Thanks," Clint yelled at Natasha's retreating back.

* * *

The Dark Avengers and Sinister Six regarded a map projected on the wall on which patrol routes were drawn.

"Looks like ya got two extra routes," Shocker pointed out to Osborn.

"Hey, no problem!" Sandman laughed. "O'Hirn and I will just take – "

"Actually, no, you won't," Shocker argued.

"What?" Sandman was aghast. "C'mon, man! We're partners in crime!"

"Why can't we fight together?" Rhino asked.

"Because I don't know if you noticed," Shocker pointed out, "but every time the Six divides into teams, you two always pair off, and YOU ALWAYS GET YOUR ASSES WHOOPED. Same reason I ain't lettin' Electro and Vulture pair off either."

"I wouldn't want to work wih HIM anyway," Vulture growled. "I always end up electrocuted or worse!"

"Well…fine," Sandman said, thinking it over. "I'll take Max, then."

Electro wasn't expecting that. "…What?"

"I can't have O'Hirn," Sandman argued, "I want the powerful guy on my team."

Shocker thought for a moment about arguing that he felt he was, in fact, the most powerful on the team, but was overcome with the desire not to be teamed up with Sandman and only Sandman, so he kept his mouth shut.

"And that means the lovebirds don't have to be split up," Sandman went on.

"…Lovebirds?" Daken asked.

"Yeah," Sandman continued. "The blonde and the purple one."

"Ah - !" Amora's anger was stoked. "You - ! I am not…my heart does NOT belong to…."

"I believe the Enchantress is trying to say she finds the idea of being my girlfriend repulsive," Zemo finished for her. "Which is no insult to me. After all, I deserve better than the likes of her."

"HOW CAN YOU - !" Amora sputtered.

"Then I'LL take a partner to solve this," Shocker interrupted. "Mysterio. You're with me."

"THE GRRRREAT MYSTERIO does not generally SHARE the spotlight with common criminals," Mysterio replied. "However, I suppose I can make an exception in your case."

"I got some plans for those illusions of yours," Shocker told him. "Work with me on this, and I promise you won't get your spotlight dulled one little bit."

"You have your assignments," Osborn stated, leaving the room. "Now go."

Walking briskly down the helicarrier hall after the dismissal, Sandman addressed his new partner in crime: "So, Max – "

"It's Electro," Electro corrected angrily.

"What's WITH that, anyway?" Sandman asked. "That whole 'I'm Electro now' deal?"

"The night of that accident, my life was changed for what looks like forever," Electro stated. "Being Max Dillon feels like it was a long time ago. Now…I'm this."

"Well, whatever you call it, you're always on the ball in the field," Sandman pointed out. "Seriously, Shocker couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and do you really buy that VULTURE can carry a fight on his own? You've always got the skills and a lot of the guts."

"…Thank you," Electro said quietly. "But if this goes well, I might be able to get something like a normal life back."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Osborn's going to start looking for a cure for…my condition…as payment for this job. He has access to more resources and knowledge than Dr. Octavius ever did."

"You still WANT to go back? After what you can do NOW?" Sandman couldn't comprehend it.

"Just because I can control it doesn't make this a normal life!" Electro growled. "I can't touch anything anymore without wearing…this! If I slip up, I destroy things, I hurt people! And even if I wasn't a 'criminal,' they'd still look at me like I was a monster. Of course I still want to go back."

"Y'know…" Sandman replied tentatively. "Osborn's a tricky guy. You remember that whole Green Goblin deal. If he's lyin' about this cure thing…what I'm sayin' is that he'll say a lot of stuff to get what he wants, and I don't want you to get shafted."

"I appreciate your concern," Electro replied, "but what other choice do I have? I don't expect you to understand. Your powers are actually useful. They made your life BETTER. If anyone's the best in the field, it's you, not me."

Sandman wasn't sure how to reply to that.

* * *

Iron Man, Rainbow Dash in the Spectrum armor, Captain America, Applejack, Thor, Twilight, Banner, Fluttershy, Hawkeye, Rarity, Wasp, and Pinkie Pie stood behind the gates while the others waited inside the mansion.

"Remember the plan?" Twilight asked.

There was a collective nod.

"Then let's GO," Twilight commanded.

She threw open the gates with a burst of magic. The group dispersed into the night.

* * *

Iron Man and Rainbow Dash flew above the skyscraper tops. "From this high up," Iron Man pointed out, "we should be able to see anyone before they see us."

"Who did you call, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Just a few friends," Iron Man answered. "That's all you need to know."

"I'm starting to think Twilight was overreacting," Rainbow Dash stated. "Like anypony would REALLY be out looking for us at this time of night. And like they'd really be able to find exactly where we are – "

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right now. We kinda have this saying. NEVER say how easy something was or how well something's going. Because that's EXACTLY when the shitstorm is gonna hit."

"Pinkie Pie would probably say the same thing," Rainbow Dash realized.

The two flew on in silence for a while before Rainbow Dash said, "I know we're going to be able to take on Osborn. So I'm not asking IF you think we can take him on. But when do you think we'll be able to make a move?"

"After Twilight, Panther, and Cap have come up with a foolproof plan of action," Iron Man answered. "So basically, in about five years."

A blast of white-hot energy slammed into him, knocking him off his flight path and sending him tumbling downward. "TONY!" Rainbow Dash screamed without thinking.

"You were right about one thing." The Iron Patriot descended before Rainbow Dash. "You won't be 'taking me down' anytime soon."

Rainbow Dash turned downward in a panic, careening toward Iron Man, but the latter had already caught himself, stabilizing his flight and floating upward. "You okay?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah," Iron Man replied. "But in about two seconds, Osborn isn't gonna be."

"After all this," Osborn called down to the pair, "you're STILL threatening me?"

"It's called HAVING NOTHING TO LOSE," Iron Man insisted before he and Rainbow Dash shot straight upward. Parting ways, Iron Man flew to the left and Rainbow Dash to the right; they charged Osborn from opposite sides.

Osborn thrust out his hands, firing energy charges at both of them. Rainbow Dash swerved; Iron Man ducked. Neither blast connected. Iron Man sent a blast of his own at Osborn, who avoided it by flipping upward, head over heels. Rainbow Dash's sword materialized in her hands, and she flung it upward to the sky, calling small lightning bolts to strike down at Osborn; Osborn weaved through all of them. Hoping to catch Osborn off guard, Iron Man slammed into him, grabbing him around the waist, rushing him straight down with the attempt to ram him into the pavement of the street below. Midflight, Osborn kicked Iron Man away from him, aiming another boot at his opponent's head to daze him; Osborn sailed upward to greet Rainbow Dash and her poised blade. Rainbow Dash hoisted the blade to strike; Osborn ducked the blow at the last possible second, gripping Rainbow Dash by the feet and flinging her against a nearby wall. As Rainbow Dash collided, she was momentarily stunned; the sword dematerialized. Osborn turned both palms upon Rainbow Dash, only to be tackled again by Iron Man. Both Osborn's charged palms turned to Iron Man's head, slamming him with full force. Iron Man dropped like a stone. Rainbow Dash shook herself out of her stupor, speeding down to catch him, knowing this time, he wouldn't be able to right his course on his own. A rainbow trail took shape behind Rainbow Dash, brightening, as she flew faster and faster. To her relief, the distance between her and Iron Man closed enough for her to grab his wrist; his full weight almost dragged her down further, but she steeled herself, putting all energy into blasting upward, until she held their position steady.

"Okay," Iron Man grunted, "so he's going to be more annoying than I thought."

Osborn hovered over the two of them. They were vulnerable. He knew Iron Man would soon be airborne again and Rainbow Dash wouldn't have to support him, but if he took this one window of opportunity, he could prevent that from happening. He put his palms outward.

Dual energy beams struck the back of his neck. Osborn was sent reeling. A familiar gray-toned suit of armor hovered above his vantage point. From it, a voice coldly demanded, "LEAVE. THEM. ALONE."

"Geez," Iron Man remarked, regaining his flight; Rainbow Dash could safely let go of his wrist, and did so. "Took him long enough. No, he should've come five minutes later. We'd've been fiiiiiiiine."

"Is that…" Rainbow Dash recognized the suit. "War Machine?" Realization dawned. "RHODEY?"

"He's the only one I even allow to pilot that suit," Iron Man stated.

"Aaaaand now I know who you called," Rainbow Dash concluded.

"One of them, anyway," Iron Man muttered.

"You NEVER deserved to wear that," Rhodes growled at Osborn.

"I seem to recall an infamous incident in which you told Mr. Stark the same thing," Osborn replied.

"He can be a real insensitive jerk sometimes," Rhodes agreed.

"Yeah, thanks for backing me up, buddy," Iron Man sighed.

"But he's ten times the man you'll ever be," Rhodes concluded. "Now cut off your power trip and leave them alone, or I'll have to MAKE you."

"This goes beyond a mere power trip," Osborn said. "They have to be taken into custody. And if you insist on being stubborn, you will too."

Rhodes and Osborn charged each other at the same time; Rhodes' fist connected with Osborn, knocking him downward. Osborn was caught on a rainbow shockwave from Rainbow Dash's sword, carried like a baseball on the momentum of a bat. Iron Man flew toward Rhodes, telling him, "Now would be a good time to do the thing." He then yelled down at Rainbow Dash, "KEEP HIM THERE!"

Osborn had managed to put Rainbow Dash into a headlock, but with a flip over in the air, Rainbow Dash shook him. She then began to fly in circles around Osborn, faster and faster, leaving a rainbow cyclone that surrounded him.

Iron Man and Rhodes put their hands out toward each other, activating blasts of energy that collided and built up.

Osborn blasted at Rainbow Dash several times. The first twenty blasts missed. The twenty-first hit its mark. With a sharp cry, Rainbow Dash was halted. Osborn turned his attention to Iron Man and Rhodes.

"Now might be a good time," Rhodes muttered.

"Just a bit longer," Iron Man retorted.

"Are you KIDDING me?"

Osborn clenched a fist as he approached his targets. Rainbow Dash grabbed aggressively onto his ankles, pulling him back as hard as she could. Osborn turned a laser upon her; she swerved, taking the angle of his body with her. Osborn kicked at her; she lost grip.

"NOW?" Rhodes yelled in a panic.

"Now," Iron Man agreed.

Osborn reached them as they gave the lasers one final charge.

The collision of the two energies caused an explosion. Rainbow Dash automatically put an arm up to shield her face, then remembering that she was masked anyway. When the lights faded, she saw Iron Man and Rhodes looking down to the street, where Osborn lay sprawled out.

"Is he…?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Probably not," Iron Man complained.

"No time for that," Rhodes insisted. "We need to keep moving. NOW."

The three armored warriors took off for the sanctuary that awaited them.

* * *

Applejack and Captain America slunk to the edge of an alley. Applejack peered around the edge of it, to the street. A few cars traveled up and down the side road, but there was no foot traffic to be seen, and the cars all seemed to be headed for respective destinations.

"Clear," she said.

They moved across the street, about to turn the corner to another. Captain America looked out this time, noticing a few more cars but no pedestrians.

"Clear," he stated.

The pair darted to the entrance of a dark alley, one that connected to a larger street. They each looked down the long, dark passage, with only a dumpster to be seen.

"Clear," they said in unison without thinking too much about what they saw before them.

They charged down the alley together. A figure rose from the dark, stepping out from behind the dumpster where he had lain in wait. Light gleamed off his blade fleetingly.

With a chuckle, Baron Zemo announced, "Not clear."

Applejack took a quick step backward; the whip materialized in her hand, and she clutched it tightly. Captain America gasped, almost inaudibly.

"What's wrong?" Zemo asked. "Surprised to see me? Frightened? The great Captain America and his powerful little friend?"

"We ain't SCARED," Applejack replied, teeth gritted. Lies.

"I'm…I'm giving you one chance," Captain America stated. "Step aside."

"Now, why would I do that?" Zemo taunted. "Especially when someone ASKED me to bring you down. Alive, unfortunately, but I will take what I can get." He then broke into a run toward his targets, shield out, sword at the ready.

Applejack cracked the rope whip at Zemo. He raised the sword blade to meet it; the rope wrapped around the sword. Zemo paused only to get a balanced stance as he sliced through the whip in one swift motion, letting Applejack's weapon fall to the ground in pieces and dissolve in sparks of light. Left clutching the grip, Applejack stared in horror.

Captain America drew his shield back, then let it fly. Zemo parried, deflecting the edge of the shield with the flat of his own. The shield ricocheted, and Applejack caught the red, white, and blue disc mid-spin, twirling in a circle to launch it right back where it came from. It flew low; Zemo's foot slammed down onto the shield, pinning it to the ground.

A bright light shone; Applejack was stunned to find the whip had rematerialized. She cracked it again. The rope wound around Zemo's forearms, locking them to his sides; he was only momentarily surprised. Then he flipped Captain America's fallen shield over with his foot, stomping one end to send it flying; he twisted so that the shield's spinning edge severed the rope. He dropped his own shield to grab onto what remained of the rope.

Captain America could tell what Zemo was about to do a split second before it happened. Zemo held the sword, point out, directly at Applejack. He jerked the whip roughly. Applejack was knocked off balance, flung forward toward the blade.

"NO!" Captain America slammed into her, pushing her out of the way. She let go of the whip handle, fell to the ground, rolled.

Blood splattered on the ground.

"STEVE!" Applejack screamed.

The blade had cut into the side of Captain America's stomach; he gripped the wound in pain.

"I could have told you that your constant need for martyrdom would be the death of you," Zemo stated, picking up his shield and repositioning the sword. Captain America's shield was replanted firmly under his boot. "Of course, I cannot actually bring you back to Osborn dead…but under the laws of self-defense, I can bring you back sufficiently maimed. After all, you made a monster out of me. I have every right to do the same to you."

Zemo saw the bright flash out of the corner of his eye. He ducked it, letting the jinx pass over him. Rising, he stared at Applejack, whose wand was drawn. "Come to think of it," he said, "I have a better idea. I shall return Captain America to Osborn completely unharmed but for one small wound…should you both comply. But for every attempt you make to attack me, I leave another mark on him."

"It's all right," Captain America panted, speaking to Applejack but not taking his eyes off Zemo. "I can still take him."

"Oh, that I doubt," Zemo replied.

He had seen many a battle. Had trained for every situation he could imagine. He very easily heard the subtle click of the rifle.

Zemo hit the ground and rolled as a hail of laser-esque bullets sailed over him; they would have pierced him many times over had he stayed still. From the shadows, a new figure appeared, holding twin pistols, the source of the bullets. A husky voice hissed, "They weren't exaggerating about you after all."

Applejack pointed her wand at the newcomer. He was a well built man, dressed in clinging black, including a black mask over the lower half of his face. His left arm was made of a gleaming, silvery metal. Dark brown hair flowed almost to his shoulders. His eyes seemed to burn with intensity.

"B…Bucky?" Captain America gasped.

"We already got one psycho on our hands," Applejack said sternly. "An' we can take another one."

"Applejack, no," Captain America interrupted. "He's a friend!"

"That true…Bucky?" Applejack asked.

"Steve and I go back," the newcomer said. "Since the war. I lost myself since then, but thanks to him, I've been finding myself. Though I prefer 'Winter Soldier' over 'Bucky.'"

"Uh…sorry, Winter Soldier," Applejack said sheepishly, lowering her wand.

"How did you even know we'd be here?" Captain America asked.

"I didn't," Winter Soldier answered. "I got a tip from Stark saying there would be trouble in the streets tonight. It's just sheer luck I found you."

"How touching," Zemo mocked, standing at the opposite end of the alley. "Captain America and young Bucky Barnes, reunited again. But not for long. After all, I have orders to bring in the Captain…and no orders to leave the Winter Soldier alive."

Zemo and Winter Soldier moved at the same time, Zemo drawing his sword and Winter Soldier holstering his pistols. Winter Soldier grasped Zemo's blade with his metal hand, drawing back his right fist to aim at Zemo's face. Zemo turned his head, letting the blow pass him by a hair's breadth, before planting a boot squarely in Winter Soldier's stomach. Winded, the Winter Soldier sidestepped left, avoiding another strike from Zemo, before landing a chop from his metal arm across the small of his opponent's back. Zemo lost balance, hit the ground, rolled, grasped the purple shield, stood back up. The Winter Soldier had drawn both pistols and fired again and again; the shots ricocheted off the purple shield. The Winter Soldier advanced slowly, still shooting. Zemo backed up a step for every step the Soldier took toward him; the shield still repelled every shot.

"You are accomplishing nothing!" Zemo taunted.

"That's what you think," the Winter Soldier said as his foot landed atop Captain America's fallen shield. He kicked it quickly toward its owner. Captain America reacted quickly, grabbing the shield. Winter Soldier's toe nudged under the hilt of the rope whip, then kicked it toward Applejack.

Applejack caught the whip, but immediately dismissed it. Out of pure anger, she charged at Zemo, fist drawn back. Trying to focus his attention on three opponents, Zemo found his reaction time rather delayed.

The punch landed. He staggered. Applejack drew back her other fist, ready to deal him another one; Zemo caught her fist in his hand, dropping his sword. Captain America let his shield fly; it rammed directly into Zemo's other wrist, and he let the shield fall. The Winter Soldier took the opportunity to send a kick directly into Zemo's chest, knocking him down. Before the Baron could make a response, the Winter Soldier's foot slammed into his head, and he lost consciousness.

The Winter Soldier drew a single pistol, aiming it at the head of the unconscious Zemo. His finger wrapped around the trigger.

"DON'T!" Applejack cried in desperation.

The Soldier didn't fire. Without looking at Applejack, he asked, "Why should I not?"

"It…it ain't right," Applejack stated plaintively.

"He would have killed you in the time it took you to blink," the Winter Soldier pointed out.

"Bucky," Captain America begged. "Please…don't. Please just listen to her. She doesn't want any harm to come to ANYONE."

"I could pull the trigger now," the Winter Soldier stated. "Save the both of you from more hardship, whether you liked it or not." He lowered the gun slowly, then holstered it. "I don't know if this is for the best or the worst." He turned to face Captain America. "But I have to take you at your word, Steve."

"Thank you," Captain America said, smiling. "I – "

He suddenly staggered, clutching at the wound in his side.

"We gotta get you to the embassy," Applejack insisted.

"I'll guard you on the way there," the Winter Soldier promised. "After that, don't expect any more help from me."

"I already appreciate everything you've done," Captain America said sincerely.

Applejack walked to Captain America's wounded side, letting him put an arm over her shoulder, supporting him as the trio walked. "So, uh…Winter Soldier," she said. "You said you knew Cap way back in the war. What was that like?"

"A long story," the Winter Soldier stated. "Some parts of it aren't pretty."

"Oh. Well, uh, okay, then – "

"But some parts of it, I can tell. If you want to hear it."

"I'd love to," Applejack said in earnest.

* * *

Twilight ran as quickly as she could after Thor through the darkened streets. Thor noticed she was falling behind, and slowed his pace. "Are you all right, Twilight Sparkle?"

"I'm fine," Twilight panted. "I'm just worried we won't get there fast enough. I keep expecting somepony to jump out of an alley at any moment."

"If you should want it, I could carry you there in the sky," Thor offered.

"I wouldn't wanna put you through that trouble," Twilight stated.

"'Tis no trouble. I am strong, and you are light."

"Well…that would be faster. If you don't mind."

Thor moved toward Twilight, gently placing one arm behind her back and bending to place the other behind her knees. She let him lift her, and he launched into the sky, soaring at a brisk pace toward the embassy.

"Y'know, sometimes I wonder what it's like to be able to just…fly," Twilight admitted.

"Is it not possible with your magic?" Thor asked.

"Not long-term," Twilight said, "and the spells are complicated for that kind of thing. Sometimes I wish…actually, I wish I had wings like Rainbow Dash. But those are just daydreams. I'm glad to be a unicorn, and the only way to have it both ways was if I was somehow an alicorn. But THAT would just be silly, wouldn't it?"

"If it is your wish," Thor pointed out, "it is not silly."

"Like I said, it's just a daydream I have sometimes. Kind of a 'what if.' It would be nice, but I appreciate what I have."

"And remember that you do have friends who will help you fly, such as myself. Gwendolyn would fly for you as well. You do not know Gwendolyn yet, do you?"

"No," Twilight admitted.

"I look forward to the day you meet her, for your sake," Thor said with a smile. "I have already seen you meet her, and I know how happy she made you and your friends."

"Who is she?"

"As you must know, my father, King Odin, had many children," Thor explained. "More than myself and Loki."

"That seems to be the pattern with god kings. But go on."

Thor began: "Gwendolyn is one of my sis – "

A shock of green-colored plasma burst upward from the ground, slamming into Thor and Twilight, causing both to cry out in pain. Thor felt himself begin to fall; he corrected his path, turned it into a slow glide. He landed rather hard on a rooftop, dropping Twilight.

Twilight immediately stood, looking around to see who had fired the blast. "SHOW YOURSELF!" she cried out.

"Gladly." Amora materialized from the darkness, hands radiating green energy.

"Amora," Twilight growled.

"Is this enough evidence to convince you that I am not on your side yet, Twilight Sparkle?" Amora asked.

"I'm starting to believe," Twilight answered, her staff materializing in her hands as Thor stood to full height behind her.

"I've been ordered by Osborn to take you into custody," Amora stated. "But I am not sure I feel like obeying his command. If I wanted, it would be easy for me to leave him and all of H.A.M.M.E.R. behind. To begin a new life. Do you think that would be difficult for you, Thor?"

"Are you asking whether I would abandon my friends and allies to run away with you and begin a new life?" Thor asked angrily.

"Think of it, Thor," Amora said. "We leave all of this behind, all this suffering, all this complication. We can reach paradise, just you and I."

"I have told you. My heart belongs to Jane Foster."

"What can she give you that I cannot?"

"True love," Thor answered. "Your love is toxic. It burns."

Amora's brow furrowed. "The witch has been influencing your mind, I see."

"Twilight has done no such thing!" Thor retorted.

"How would you know?" Amora asked. "You saw how easily she commandeered the mind of Attuma. Perhaps this whole time, she has been convincing you that she and these Avengers are your friends and that you must remain tied down to that mortal woman, and you're none the wiser."

"WHAT?" Twilight yelled. "Thor, don't listen to her!"

"I do not believe her for a second," Thor stated.

"She has been manipulating you for years!" Amora argued. "Ever since she met you and your brother and sisters thousands of years ago!"

"I would trust Twilight Sparkle with my life," Thor argued. "It is you who has never stopped manipulating me since the day you fell in your so-called LOVE!"

"Then you reject me," Amora said, her hands glowing brighter. "I gave you your chance. You brought this fate upon yourself!"

She raised her hands high, gathering a ball of green energy. She launched it.

Twilight thrust out her staff, sending a wall of pink energy out in front of her; Amora's projectile shattered against it in a shower of green. Twilight retaliated with a knockback jinx; when it hit, Amora slid backward across the roof, but didn't lose her balance.

"GET IN THE AIR!" Twilight yelled to Thor, who immediately obeyed. Twilight slammed her staff into the ground; from the base of it, a film of ice spread over the roof. Amora slipped on the ice, landing front side down, hard. Twilight, however, hadn't factored herself in when she cast the spell; she also slid, landing hard on her rear.

Amora maneuvered into a kneeling position, firing a great beam of green. Twilight put up her staff, and a spherical purple forcefield of energy appeared around her; the green beam was deflected. Twilight summoned a cyclone of air to spin towards Amora; it enveloped the Enchantress, who merely put her arms out and twirled with the cyclone. When she stopped, the cyclone's direction had reversed, moving toward Twilight. Twilight turned and ran, but not fast enough; the cyclone picked her up and spun her round and round.

Thor raised Mjolnir to the sky as this struggle continued below him. Clouds gathered. Thunder rumbled. With a yell, Thor aimed Mjolnir at the rooftop, releasing a forked branch of lightning at Amora.

Dozens of tongues of lightning licked the rooftop; she dexterously sidestepped each one in a complex dance.

Frustrated, Thor simply threw Mjolnir at Amora; she stopped it in a field of green energy. "I thought you had learned," she told Thor. "I have stopped your hammer before."

Twilight burst from the cyclone, readying her staff. Amora looked at her and merely laughed.

Before she was hit in the stomach by seemingly nothing.

"Wha - !" Amora gasped as she reeled from several blows dealt to her out of thin air: to the stomach, to the face.

Twilight pointed her staff, ready to fire at Amora in her moment of weakness, but Thor slammed a hand on the weapon, forcing it downward. "NO!" he yelled. "You will hurt our ally!"

As Amora hit the ground, another woman seemed to materialize out of thin air. With long blonde hair and pale skin, she was clothed in a navy blue jumpsuit with a stylized black "4" enclosed in a circle emblazoned upon her chest. She turned to face Thor and Twilight.

"Run," she said.

She put out her hands, and Twilight was horrified to see both her and Thor disappear. As Amora struggled to her feet, an invisible hand, large and strong, encircled Twilight's wrist and pulled her arm. "We must GO!" Thor's voice boomed from seemingly nowhere.

Twilight ran in the direction the hand pulled her…right off the skyscraper. The hand let go. Twilight screamed.

A pair of arms caught her, a familiar position, one arm behind her back and the other under her knees. Put in this position, Twilight realized that she could not see her own body; she screamed again.

"Quiet!" the woman's voice sounded from somewhere nearby as Twilight felt herself descend. "She'll hear you!"

"Thor?" Twilight whispered.

"I am here," the one carrying her replied, equally softly. "We have been cloaked so Amora will not see in which direction we have run."

Thor landed on the street; he let Twilight down, but took her wrist again. Twilight felt her other wrist taken by a smaller hand; obviously the woman. As the two holding her wrists broke into a run, Twilight had no choice but to go with them.

"Who are you?" Twilight asked.

"My name's Sue Storm," the woman answered. "But they call me the Invisible Woman. Reed got a call from Tony Stark saying there'd be trouble tonight."

"Who's Reed?" Twilight asked.

"The leader of the Fantastic Four," Thor clarified. "Another team of heroes that is closely allied to the Avengers. Lady Storm is the beloved of Reed Richards."

"Thank you so much for helping us," Twilight told Sue.

"Don't thank me yet," Sue replied. "The cloaking will work for a while, but Amora's pretty powerful. She'll probably be able to figure out where we are anyway if we don't keep moving fast. Where are we going?"

"To the Wakandan embassy," Thor explained.

"Then let's get there before she gets onto us," Sue suggested, and the trio ran on.

* * *

Banner and Fluttershy kept to the shadows, remaining silent. They communicated only through glances. Partway through the journey, they became adept at reading each other's signals:

Is it clear?

Yes.

Go carefully.

I know.

Across a busy street, through an alley, onto another street.

The Red Hulk leapt down from a rooftop, landing hard on the pavement and sending shards of it flying up. A car swerved to avoid crashing into him, slamming into a fire hydrant instead; a geyser of water burst upward.

"I'm taking you in to Osborn," the Red Hulk announced.

"I can handle this!" Fluttershy told Banner, stepping out in front of him and summoning her katana. She leapt at the Red Hulk, blade drawn.

One blow landed, and John felt it affect his very core. As he tried to dodge the katana, repeatedly failing, he felt it rock his inner foundations. Felt the power of the Red Hulk destabilizing.

In desperation, he reached out, caught hold of Fluttershy's ankle. He spun her round once, then let go. With a scream, she flew through a nearby window. John took a moment to recollect.

He didn't have long. Banner had transformed. The Hulk leapt upon his red counterpart, pinning him to the ground. The Red Hulk was temporarily able to flip them over, pinning the Hulk down, before the Hulk threw the Red Hulk off himself, getting up. The Hulk charged with a fist drawn, slamming it into the Red Hulk, who hit and dented a nearby wall. The Red Hulk responded by leaping out and shoving the Hulk into a wall on the opposite side of the street.

Fluttershy lay sprawled out across an office space; she leapt up immediately, rushing to the window through which she'd been thrown. She looked out to see the two Hulks clashing, running at each other and locking hands, each hoping to push the other down and get the upper hand first. Fluttershy at first couldn't think of anything to do but watch in horror; how could she attack one without hitting the other?

John felt his strength slowly coming back, recovering from Fluttershy's early blows. Conversely, the Hulk was beginning to slip, and this only angered him more.

Fluttershy knew she would have to draw upon her amulet all the more, but still, there needed to be an opening.

Then she noticed the one man who ran toward the conflict instead of away from it. Most had exited their cars and made a run for it, but a large man dressed in a red shirt and black pants, with a thick silver belt, his pale skin offset by his almost electric green hair, was making his way directly toward the two battling Hulks. To Fluttershy's surprise, he leapt at the Red Hulk's back, wrapping his arms around John's neck.

The Hulk was pushed aside; the Red Hulk staggered, trying to get the green-haired man to let go. Fluttershy could only deduce that this man was quite strong indeed in order to be able to pull off such a feat.

She leapt out of the window; her wings sprang out, allowing her to glide to the ground. She landed before the Red Hulk, transforming into her Mahou Shoujo state. "I've got him!" she told the newcomer.

The green-haired man nodded before letting go of the Red Hulk, pushing him slightly toward Fluttershy.

The flowers sprouted up from the ground, lifted into the air, unfolded into shuriken. They unleashed all at once, pouring their energy into the Red Hulk.

He was destabilized; the latest dose was wearing off with the new fatigue that washed over him. He grew ever smaller, the crimson fading from his skin until Fluttershy, the Hulk, and the green-haired man were looking at John Jameson, who staggered, placing a hand against a wall to steady himself.

"Who ARE you?" Fluttershy asked in genuine curiosity.

"I…NO!" John screamed before turning away and running – not angry, it seemed, but incredibly anxious instead.

"I…I hope he's all right," Fluttershy murmured.

"He'd be the last thing I worry about," the green-haired man pointed out. He turned to the Hulk. "Enemy of yours? I didn't recognize him."

"Never seen him," the Hulk grunted. "At least not Ross this time."

"Oh, pardon me," Fluttershy interrupted, facing the green-haired man, "but I must thank you for helping save us. What's your name?"

"They call me Doc Samson," the green-haired man stated. "Let's just say this isn't the first time I've had problems with the red one."

"Let me guess," the Hulk said. "Tony called."

"It's that obvious?" Samson replied. "You two better get back to where you were going before another one of Osborn's shows up."

"How can we ever repay you?" Fluttershy asked Samson.

"By getting yourselves SAFE," Samson asserted.

"Let's go," the Hulk commanded, turning to make his way down the planned route. After one last look back and smile at Samson, Fluttershy spread her wings and followed by air.

* * *

Hawkeye and Rarity hadn't taken directly to running the streets. Hawkeye had insisted they double back around back of the mansion to get something. Rarity decided to trust his lead.

The purple sky cycle burst into the air, Hawkeye at the handlebars and Rarity clutching onto his waist from behind, screaming as the cycle increased in velocity.

"With any luck," Hawkeye said, "this'll get us to the embassy before anybody – "

A THUD sounded, followed by a THUD-THUD. Hawkeye looked to the front of the Sky Cycle to notice that three arrows had stuck to the surface; their nocks glowed brightly in a way that was horrifyingly familiar.

Cursing, Hawkeye leapt over the handlebars to pluck the arrows off and throw them downward into the street; they exploded on the pavement. When the smoke cleared, he could see the motorcycle down below keeping pace with the Sky Cycle. When Bullseye noticed Hawkeye catching sight of his vehicle, he sent Hawkeye up a cheeky grin.

"That's it," Hawkeye muttered, taking out his own bow. "I gotta deal with this jerk. You drive."

"ME?" Rarity screeched.

"Yeah, you! You wanna crash and burn into the side of a building?"

"The fastest thing I've ever driven was a ship!"

"An airship, or the kind with sails? Never mind, I think I can guess. Just switch out with me!"

With a few awkward maneuvers, the two had switched places; Rarity gripped the handlebars of the Sky Cycle while Hawkeye loaded his bow and shot downward at Bullseye. Hawkeye's aim was true, but the arrows missed their mark all the same; Bullseye's motorcycle steered out of the way of every shot. Bullseye swung one leg upward, setting it on the motorcycle handlebars and steering, while he devoted both hands to loading his own bow.

"INCOMING!" Hawkeye yelled. "UP, NOW!"

Rarity pulled the Sky Cycle into a direct path upward. Bullseye's arrows sailed right past it, crashing into a nearby building.

"I'm going to try and lose him!" Rarity announced, taking the Sky Cycle down a sharp swerve.

"HEY!" Hawkeye argued. "If we lose him, I can't take him down!"

"What's more important to you right now: beating your rival or SURVIVING?"

"…You probably don't want to know my honest answer to that question."

"I KNOW that feeling, Hawkeye, but right now, there are more important things!" Rarity jerked the Sky Cycle down another alley, then left, then left again, then right. Up over a building, then back down to hover at a mid-height. "Did we lose him?" Rarity asked.

Hawkeye glanced downward, unable to find a motorcycle anywhere. "He's gone."

"YES!" Rarity cheered.

The motorcycle careened back into view. "Oh, COME ON!" Hawkeye screamed.

An arrow nearly clipped the side of his face; he launched one back and missed. Another arrow shot through Rarity's hair, and she could feel it as a few locks were ripped away.

"MY MANE!" she wailed. "Now. It's. PERSONAL!"

Hawkeye shot several explosive arrows down on the street in front of Bullseye; they exploded. "That oughta slow him down at least – "

The motorcycle roared, jumping over the arrows and the cloud of smoke they produced. "This guy is NOT for real," Hawkeye sighed.

Down below, Bullseye loaded up his bow one last time, sure of his shot. "Gotcha," he muttered.

He felt a rush of heat heading toward him. Before he could fully comprehend what had happened, the motorcycle was knocked out from under him. He hit the asphalt and rolled; several cars swerved to avoid hitting him. He turned his head to see his bike in flames…no, that wasn't right. A humanoid figure covered in flames stood over the bike, which was itself merely dented up after having been tackled out from under its rider. The fiery person gave Bullseye a salute before leaping into the air to fly alongside the Sky Cycle.

"That guy's TOAST!" he laughed. "Just sayin'!"

"Nice timing, Johnny!" Hawkeye complimented.

"Who's your new girlfriend?" Johnny replied. "Whoo! I can see why you picked her over Natasha! Natasha's no slouch, but she's HOT!"

"EXCUSE me!" Rarity huffed, getting a better look at the one Hawkeye had called "Johnny." He was of a slender build, burning so that his body was completely orange as flames radiated from him.

"Hey, you know Tasha's still my number one girl," Hawkeye replied. "This is Rarity. Just a friend. Damn good pilot, too. Rarity, this is Johnny Storm, otherwise known as the Human Torch. Good to have around in a pinch, but an AWFUL egomaniac."

"So, Rarity!" Johnny asked. "Does this mean you're single?"

"Not interested," Rarity grumbled, "and if you hadn't noticed, I kind of have BIGGER PRIORITIES AT THE MOMENT!"

"Better throw in a few more twists and turns in case Bullseye gets back up on his bike and decides to track us down," Hawkeye suggested.

"You've got it!" Rarity swerved hard; Johnny kept pace.

"Might as well keep up with you in case I need to bail you out again," Johnny remarked. "Besides, I'm enjoying the view."

"Euurrgh…" Rarity groaned.

* * *

Iron Man, Rhodes, and Rainbow Dash were the first to land on embassy ground. "Officially," Iron Man announced, "we are out of Osborn's jurisdiction as of crossing THAT line." He pointed at the edge of the lawn.

"YYYYYYES!" Rainbow Dash leapt up into the air. "We MADE it!"

"If you're safe," Rhodes said, "I'm gonna head home and get some sleep."

"You should stay!" Rainbow Dash suggested. "Osborn knows you helped us. It's only a matter of time before he comes after you too!"

"I'll remember this place," Rhodes said, "but I think I'll take my chances. Pepper needs all the help she can get back at the Industries…and I get the feeling I'm not the only one you called, Tony."

Iron Man shrugged.

"He can't take ALL of us," Rhodes said.

"He can try," Iron Man reminded him.

"He may have made you look bad enough that he could take you without the public caring," Rhodes stated, "but there's no way he can try to take me without there being an outcry."

"Just stay safe out there, will ya?" Iron Man replied.

"I will," Rhodes promised.

"You ROCK, Rhodey," Rainbow Dash said.

This seemed to catch Rhodes off guard. "Well…thanks!" Neither Rainbow Dash nor Iron Man could see him looking sheepishly flattered beneath the mask of War Machine, but they knew he was all the same. "Now stay safe." He blasted away, soaring toward the skyline.

The Hulk and Fluttershy were next to appear; Fluttershy touched down on the lawn as the Hulk stormed onto the grass.

"Judging by the fact that you're the green guy," Iron Man observed, "I take it you ran into trouble."

"The red one," the Hulk growled.

"We saw who he really was," Fluttershy said, "but none of us recognized him. We ran into your friend Samson, and he helped us a lot, but he didn't know who it was either."

"So Osborn just picked up some nobody?" Iron Man was confused. "There has to be more to THIS story."

The Sky Cycle careened onto the lawn, landing; as Johnny Storm landed beside it, his flames doused. "You would not BELIEVE what we had to go through to get here!" Rarity grumped, dismounting. "LOOK at what that MONSTER Bullseye did to my mane! LOOK AT IT!" She grasped her hair and shook it angrily.

"Hey, little brother," Sue's voice said from seemingly nowhere before she, Thor, and Twilight materialized from practically nowhere.

"Sis!" Johnny ran to Sue, and the two hugged tightly.

"How many calls did you PLACE?" Twilight asked Iron Man.

"You don't wanna know," Iron Man said teasingly. "Trouble?"

"Amora," Twilight said angrily. "She's definitely NOT on our side. You?"

"Osborn himself. Bit of a pushover, actually."

"HEY!" Applejack called out as she, Captain America, and the Winter Soldier strode onto the lawn. "We could use a little help over here."

Iron Man took one look at Captain America limping and clutching his side. "Oh my God – STEVE!" He flew across the lawn, lightly pushing Applejack aside to take her place at Steve's side. "Come on. Let's get you inside and put a bandage on that."

"I'll be fine," Captain America said, mustering a smile as he let Iron Man lead him. "Just got a little…banged up when we ran into Zemo in a dark alley."

"You should have let me kill him," the Winter Soldier reiterated. "If that's all you need me for…"

"You're free to go, soldier," Iron Man told him before he and Steve disappeared into the building.

With only a glance back at the crowd that stared at him, the Winter Soldier turned and walked away.

"What's with him?" Twilight asked.

"He's been through a lot," Applejack answered. "He ain't as bad as he seems. Trust me."

"We should get going too," Sue stated. "After all, Reed and Ben are still out there."

"That's right…there were four of you!" Twilight realized. "Maybe we'll run into you again. Thanks for the help."

"Anytime," Sue said before she and Johnny took off running into the city.

"Well, it looks like almost all of the first wave is here…" Twilight looked around nervously. "Except Pinkie Pie and Wasp."

"You don't suppose something…happened, do you?" Rarity asked worriedly.

Twilight refused to let herself entertain the notion; she knew it would just dig into her subconscious and bother her on the deepest level. "They're probably fine. Pinkie Pie's just going to turn up here in the most random way possible, as usual. I think we should focus on getting back to the mansion to pick up the second wave and go."

"Hey, good luck!" Hawkeye called out as Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash lined up at the edge of the lawn.

"We'll be back before you know it!" Applejack promised.

Then the five stepped over the borderline and ran.

Hawkeye, the Hulk, and Thor watched them for a while before turning to move inside the embassy.

* * *

Atop a skyscraper, Sandman and Electro kept a lookout over their assigned patrol.

"I still don't know why you picked me," Electro pointed out. "I thought you were afraid of me."

"Well, yeah, at first," Sandman admitted. "That's before I figured out not even an exploding oil tanker could kill me! I'm invincible, baby!"

"I don't understand that, either," Electro admitted. "You sacrificed yourself to save them. You were a hero that day. You could have kept on being a hero. Why are you here, doing Osborn's dirty work?"

"Eh, I'm still a bad boy at heart, I guess," Sandman replied. "Never could resist the call of the dollar. Besides. Not like we're just goin' around hurting people willy-nilly. The Avengers've ALWAYS annoyed me. Kinda thought they were out of my league. This is sorta a dream come true, to see if I can knock the crap out of 'em!"

"And if Osborn HAD asked you to attack innocents?"

"Well, then I s'pose I'd rethink it."

Electro sat at the edge of the roof, letting his feet dangle over the street below. "Every time I think I understand you. I always figure out something…better."

"Whaddaya mean with that?"

"Always a better fighter…you can't die. And maybe you're a better person than any of us that ever worked as part of the Six."

"Not better than Doc Ock. You know what he did to save the city."

"I know." Electro stared across the skyline.

"You ever miss him?"

"I try not to think about it too much. Maybe that makes me the worse person. I try not to care."

"Ya see, that's where your advantage is." Sandman sat down next to him. "You don't let your emotions get in the way of gettin' the job done."

"My emotions are always in the way. Especially…anger. I thought you could tell."

"Nah. Why do you care so much anyway? About what I think, about whether I'm better?" A slow grin spread over his face. "Y'know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you got a little crush on me."

"Wha – NO!" Electro growled defensively.

"I think you like me!"

"I DO NOT! NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Whaaat, not like there'd be any shame in it!"

"Yes, there would! I mean…I…I couldn't just…we have a job to do, all right? Even if I did have feelings for you, I wouldn't just bring it up!"

"If you're worried you ain't good enough for me…"

"Shut up."

"I mean, I don't think you're half bad…but if you insist…"

"The Wasp is down there."

"NOW you're just tryin' to change the subject!"

"NO. THE WASP IS DOWN THERE!"

Electro pointed, and Sandman's eyes followed. They saw Pinkie Pie and Wasp hurriedly enter the square below.

Both men stood. "Showtime?" Sandman asked, grinning.

He could practically feel the energy crackling off Electro before Electro said, "Let's do it."

* * *

Wasp halted a moment to look around. "Okaaaay…I think we're officially lost."

"No problem!" Pinkie Pie said cheerily. "As long as we walk somewhere, we're going to get somewhere, and then we can figure out where we are!"

"Unless we run into any of Osborn's flunkies."

"Don't worry!" Pinkie Pie tried to reassure her. "It's like we're playing a game of tag, and they're it! But I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY good at tag! So if we stick together, they won't be able to catch us at all!"

"So which way do we go?" Wasp asked.

"How 'bout over here?" Sandman's voice called from across the square.

"Oh no," Wasp said in horror before she and Pinkie turned to look.

Sandman and Electro advanced toward them. As they did so, Electro removed his mask. There was a great burst of blinding white light before the sight of the energy gelled into the shape of a human head, one completely saturated with electricity and light. It almost hurt to look at.

"We're in trouble," Wasp murmured.

"Eep!" Pinkie Pie squeaked.

"We've got you right where we want you," Electro stated.

"And boy, is Osborn gonna be happy when we bring you two in!" Sandman added.

Wasp and Pinkie Pie looked to each other. They nodded. Pinkie's guns materialized in her hands as Wasp shrank down to combat size.

"BRING IT ON!" the two women yelled.

* * *

Chapter 71:

· I have been VERY excited to introduce the Sinister Six, as SSM made them faves of mine. (I'm pretty sure that the new live action film reboot is going to botch them all in comparison to the SSM versions, but I want to see how they're pulled off anyway, ESPECIALLY on the off chance Mysterio puts in an appearance. He's my favorite.)

· The roster I went with here is not one that was actually used in this particular combo in SSM, but I don't really find Kraven that memorable and I keep on hammering in that I want Doc Ock here to the the Raimi version that became an hero for Manhattan. Besides, I need Shocker and Mysterio on the same team for…reasons.

· Shocker kind of…stole the group from me. Rewatching their scenes, he always seemed the most leader-esque (he does the same thing to Ox and Ricochet). So I gave him a leading role here commanding the Six.

· Sandman and Mysterio are TOO GODDAMN FUN to write. Now, I'd expected this for Mysterio, but Sandman kinda surprised me with how fun he is to write for. And I do hope you went and translated the couple Latin phrases I had Mysterio throw out…

· A LOT is riding here on the assumption that NOBODY wants war with Wakanda. If I have grossly misunderstood how politics and treatment of refugees works, I apologize.

· Let's play a game called "Find my Spectacular Spider-Man OTP." It should be obvious. Very obvious. I realize that Sandman and Rhino have more chemistry onscreen, but to me…Electro is the guy who needs a hug (figuratively…and I guess literally). Sandman is the guy with the soft side. I love getting the chance to write for them.

· So we begin CAMEOS CAMEOS CAMEOS! I sort of dictated who got to be a cameo based on the "Code White" at the end of AEMH (minus anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D.). So you might be able to guess by process of elimination who you'll be seeing in the second wave…

· I have been informed by someone who is knowledgeable on the subject that Baron Zemo and the Winter Soldier have never met. In anything. To me, this is a complete shame because WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT THESE TWO BADASSES TO FIGHT EACH OTHER? IT WOULD BE THE MOST HARDCORE THING EVER!

· Gwendolyn is a character from Odin Sphere. I bring her up because I wanted to allude to the fact that Odin Sphere will become an important part of this story relatively soon. Hint. Hint. Odin Sphere.

· Sue's powers feel VERY godlike to me in terms of what she can cloak, so I hope I didn't overstep her limitations.

· Man, Rarity has to drive a lot of stuff. It's almost like I'm setting her up to be shipped with a pilot or something

· You'll notice that I didn't give a physical description of Johnny Storm. This is because while Sue, Reed, and Ben are constant in their designs in EVERYTHING, the new reboot Fantastic Four film coming out will have Johnny looking DRASTICALLY different (black as opposed to white and blonde), and we ALL have yet to see if that's going to be the best or worst version of him on the market, so I'm leaving the description of him untouched just in case.

· Why cliffhang on Pinkie and Wasp vs. Sandman and Electro? Because it's going to be slightly more plot important than just pushing my ship…


	72. The Night Gwen Stacy Fell

72. The Night Gwen Stacy Fell, Among Other Things

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The three youths left the movie theater late that night, laughing about the humorous scenes and recapitulating favorite quotes. They made their way slowly down the streets to get back to their residences while discussing.

"Hey," Harry Osborn said at last, "thanks for coming out with me tonight. I needed to get out of the house."

"You've had a rough time," said one of his companions, a thin girl with blonde hair to her shoulders and dressed in a pink tee, a salmon-colored sweater, and jeans.

"Yeah," agreed the other, a boy with chestnut brown hair, clothed in jeans and a blue tee. "Remember: you need anything, you just call us."

"You're basically what's keeping me going right now," Harry admitted. "Thanks, Gwen. Thanks, Peter."

"No problem," Peter replied. "Now, I'd better get home before Aunt May – "

It swung across his peripheral vision. Jet black, with streaks of white. He turned and stared into the mass of buildings, trying to see if he could pinpoint where it had gone. Its shape and coloration had been all too familiar.

"I…gotta go," Peter Parker announced before dashing away quickly.

"What was that all about?" Harry wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Gwen said. However, she had seen the shadow too, and after putting two and two together a while back, she had a guess. "But I just remembered I have something to do too. I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"

"All right…" Harry said forlornly as Gwen Stacy also ran into the night.

* * *

Black Panther, Yellowjacket, Ms. Marvel, Vision, and Falcon stood in the atrium, waiting. Falcon had begun to pace nervously.

"You don't think they all got caught, do you?" Falcon asked nervously.

"Give them time," Black Panther advised.

"Five approaching the gate," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced. "Identified: Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy."

Falcon breathed a sigh of relief.

Rainbow Dash opened the doors, leading the group in. "Wave one? Done."

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Falcon asked.

"She's fine," Twilight answered. "At least, she's probably fine. When has she ever not been fine?" She began wringing her hands together. "Just because we don't know where she is doesn't mean – "

"Calm down," Yellowjacket said, walking up to Twilight and lightly slapping a hand down on her shoulder. "It's a big city. She's probably taking her route at her own pace. Or she threw some extra turns in there. Or got distracted by something shiny."

"You're right," Twilight sighed. "All of that sounds like Pinkie Pie. I promised myself I wouldn't worry, but I'm kinda failing at that."

"She's fine," Yellowjacket insisted. And then, for his own benefit: "And so is Jan."

"Time is wasting," Black Panther stated.

"Right," Twilight agreed. She turned back toward the door. "Everypony ready?"

The group spilled out into the night, and the only entity left within the walls of the mansion was J.A.R.V.I.S.

* * *

Yellowjacket and Twilight kept to side streets. Twilight fervently glanced upward at every chance.

"What's with…that?" Yellowjacket pointed up.

"Thor and I had a run-in with Amora on the rooftops," Twilight explained. "She's probably still looking for us."

Yellowjacket put a hand on Twilight's shoulder, halting her. "What was that?"

"What was WHAT?"

"I saw something move."

Twilight scrutinized the view above. "I don't see anything," she said, though her voice shook.

"Probably just a shadow," Yellowjacket said with a slight shrug. "Let's keep – "

The mass of blackness slammed into him, pinning him against a wall. Twilight only had enough time to scream before a similar web crashed into her, sticking her on the wall next to Yellowjacket.

Venom swung down to land on the pavement before them. "Just a shadow, huh?" he mocked. "We didn't actually think it would be this easy."

Twilight struggled against her bonds, calling her wand to appear in her hand. "Verdimillious," she whispered. There was a flash of green, but no effect on the webs. "Holyja," she whispered; another flash, but the web remained unbroken.

"It's a cute little fireworks show, at least," Venom remarked. "Now to take you back to Osborn where you belong!"

Twilight and Yellowjacket struggled futilely against their bonds as Venom advanced. They expected to have to come to terms with finally having lost.

They were saved when Venom was knocked off his path and sent flying by another body, a blur of red and blue that swung from what appeared to Twilight to be a white rope attached to a higher point on the buildings above. Venom hit the ground and rolled before halting and standing immediately.

The newcomer dropped to the ground, staring venom down. Small and slim, he wore a bodysuit of red from the waist up and blue from the waist down, with a mask that covered his face entirely; a weblike pattern was inset over the entire ensemble. "So you're picking on the AVENGERS now?" he asked. "Aren't they a little out of your league? Besides, I thought I was your archnemesis. I'm a little hurt!"

"This isn't your concern, BRO," Venom hissed. "We have new priorities, if you hadn't noticed."

"Yeah, I picked up on the whole 'New Avenger' thing. Which is REALLY out of character for you. How'd you even get back to being, well, you anyway? I thought I put an end to that."

"That's none of your business!" Venom growled before throwing out his arm and slinging a dark strand toward the newcomer. His opponent leapt out of its way, backflipping and landing on his feet a yard away. Venom cast out two more strands of darkness, causing his opponent to quickly sidestep them while crying out, "Whoa! WHOA!"

Twilight found herself still frustrated by the dark bonds that held her down and why none of her light spells had any effect upon them whatsoever. Then she realized the problem. She'd been reminded right away of Mozenrath's black sand, of Alecto's viscous darkness. But this was something new; nothing like that.

"It's not a magic compound," she realized out loud. "It's a MOLECULAR compound!"

She gripped the wand tightly, muttering, "Diffindo." The black webs surrounding that hand were sliced away, dropping to the ground. Working her hand free, Twilight called her staff to it, stating more loudly: "DIFFINDO!"

There was a burst of light from the staff. The webs holding both her and Yellowjacket dropped to the pavement. The pair rushed to their savior, lining up on either side of him to face Venom.

"Thanks," Twilight said quickly. "Um…who are you?"

"Just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," the newcomer said. "What, you've never heard of me?"

"She's not from around here," Yellowjacket explained.

"That's right," Spider-Man realized. "There's been so much slander of you in the Bugle, no pics of me have gone into public circulation! You ALREADY have my respect as a sister in arms in the war on bad press."

"Will you STOP making small talk?" Venom yelled in frustration. "Actually, why am I complaining? You're lined up exactly easily enough for us to take you all out at once."

"Think again." Yellowjacket pointed the gun he'd been fiddling with in his lab at Venom.

"Did you ever get those particles stable?" Twilight asked.

"Theoretically," Yellowjacket said, "this should work."

He fired. He missed. Where the blast connected with the pavement, a great explosion sounded, a mushroom cloud bursting into the air.

"So much for 'theoretically,'" Spider-Man commented.

"I'm working on it," Yellowjacket muttered.

"If you run at him," Twilight told Spider-Man, "I can cover you."

Spider-Man nodded, starting a charge toward Venom. "Ready or not!" he taunted.

"Oh, we're ready," Venom laughed, launching a black web.

"DIFFINDO!" Twilight yelled, pointing her staff. The web severed, leaving Spider-Man a path to run between both falling halves.

Venom attempted this twice more; twice more, Twilight cut him down. "Must suck to be a one-trick pony, huh?" Spider-Man asked Venom, reaching him.

"It would," Venom agreed, "if I WERE."

Before Spider-Man could make a move, Venom grabbed ahold of him by the arms, twisting him, pinning him to the ground.

"Do something!" Yellowjacket yelled at Twilight.

"I don't have any spells that wouldn't hit both of them!" Twilight cried.

"Well, I'm stuck with nuclear grenades!" Yellowjacket replied.

"It's been fun, bro," Venom said, drawing back a fist. "But we need to get you out of the way in order to get to the REAL prize."

He felt a rush of flames course across his back. Venom rolled onto his back to douse them, grunting in pain as they burned.

Spider-Man sat up and looked at Twilight and Yellowjacket, but they were looking in the opposite direction; the flames had come from the other way. Spider-Man turned to see the teenage girl wielding the lighter and the hairspray, having effectively created a flamethrower.

"GWEN?" Spider-Man blurted. "I mean…um…CIVILIAN GIRL I'VE NEVER MET BEFORE?"

"Niiiiiice!" Yellowjacket complimented.

"I remember you," Gwen growled as Venom kept rolling. "I remember everything you did. I'm sorry, Eddie, but I had to."

Venom staggered to his feet. "We are in pain," he groaned. "I can hardly believe you…I…NO! WE NEED TO STAY TOGETHER!" Fed up, he advanced toward Gwen.

"Gwen, NO!" Spider-Man yelled.

Venom slung a black web. Immediately, Gwen was enveloped in it. With another sling of the strand, Venom latched onto the top of a building and launched high into the air.

"COME AND GET US!" he yelled back down.

"Following him is exactly what he wants, isn't it?" Yellowjacket asked.

"What choice do we even have?" Twilight asked. "I'm NOT letting him take her! Let's GO!"

She and Spider-Man took off running, with Yellowjacket in pursuit.

"She's just bait!" Yellowjacket pointed out. "We have to find a better way than just charging after him!"

"Not an option," Spider-Man stated, growing angry.

"She's close to you, isn't she?" Twilight asked.

"Very," Spider-Man replied. "So was he, once. But some things happened, and now he's a danger to both me and her."

"We'll save her," Twilight resolved. "No matter what."

* * *

Venom waited atop the highest post of the bridge for the others to show up below – three tiny dots of bright color.

"SURRENDER YOURSELVES," he yelled down to Yellowjacket, Twilight, and Spider-Man, "OR WE DROP HER!"

He held aloft the thick black cocoon that held Gwen bound but for below her ankles and above her mouth. She wriggled and screamed: a useless endeavor.

"NO!" Spider-Man yelled.

"We have to do it," Twilight said somberly. "We have to turn ourselves in. We can break out later."

"How are we supposed to break out from him?" Yellowjacket asked.

"There's only one thing that really gets to him," Spider-Man said. "Loud noises. And I mean REALLY loud."

Spider-Man and Yellowjacket locked eyes, and Twilight was unnerved by whatever unspoken conversation they were having that she wasn't a part of.

Then Yellowjacket nodded. "No problem."

He aimed the gun up toward Venom just as Spider-Man slung a length of webbing toward the bridge to propel himself toward the enemy and captured friend. Before Twilight could finish screaming "HANK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Yellowjacket had fired three rounds.

The projectiles of unstable Pym particles crashed into the post around Venom, exploding loudly. Venom reeled, clutching his ears.

He dropped Gwen.

Spider-Man's course was true. As Gwen fell, consumed with terror, he landed atop one of the bridge posts, flinging a long web toward her, to catch her.

Twilight put two and two together. Acting as quickly as she could, she swung her staff up to the bridge: "DIFFINDO!"

Spider-Man's web was cut in half. It never reached Gwen, instead dropping uselessly through the air. Spider-Man, in a panic, looked toward Twilight briefly, wondering why in all of existence she would have done such a thing, then back to Gwen, whom he was sure was most certainly doomed.

Twilight aimed her staff at the falling girl, and a sphere of magenta aura formed around her like a bubble, slowing her fall until it eventually stopped in midair, gently. Twilight guided the bubble to the area of bridge where she stood, lowering it carefully. When it touched the nearby pavement, it burst. Twilight reached out, grabbing the black webbing secured around Gwen before the girl could fall over, and used yet another Severing Charm to free her.

Gwen gasped deeply. "Thank you," she breathed.

Spider-Man landed next to the pair. "What did you DO that for?" he yelled. "You TERRIFIED me, you know that?"

"I saved her life," Twilight said sternly.

"And I couldn't do it?" Spider-Man asked indignantly.

"No!" Gwen asserted. "Don't you know anything? If you'd used your web on me when I was falling like that, it would have broken my neck!"

"I…" Spider-Man was at a loss for words. "Wait, what?"

"Her fall had to be broken more slowly," Twilight added.

"I…" Spider-Man struggled for something to say in response. "I'm…sorry, I…"

"You had a knee-jerk reaction," Gwen said with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

In the meantime, Yellowjacket kept on firing rounds at Venom, causing more explosions. Venom writhed, and though no one could hear him from below, he was moaning to himself, "We must stay together…we must…I must…I can't lose it, not now…"

Twilight raised her staff. In a twinkling, she had become her witch form. "Let's finish this," she said.

She went straight to Elemental Rain. The bursts of magic cascaded down from the sky, slamming upon Venom. Venom found he had no choice but to run. And as he did, swinging across the bridge, Twilight could have sworn she saw his black skin peeling away slightly to show glimpses of a human beneath it.

The exertion took its toll on Twilight, and she reverted when the spell was done, her staff shimmering away from her hands. "Let's just hope that's the last trouble we run into tonight," she panted. "My magic's just about used up."

"Hey…thanks for saving Gwen," Spider-Man told her. "I really wasn't thinking."

"You're welcome," Twilight said, "but really, try not to worry about it. After all, I was here. I should be thanking you. BOTH of you."

"What did Eddie – what did Venom want from you anyway?" Gwen asked.

"It'll be all over the news tomorrow," Yellowjacket said, holstering his gun. "All the Avengers are enemies of the state now, thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Osborn."

"Why am I not surprised that OSBORN is the one pulling the strings?" Spider-Man groaned.

"Doesn't he know what this is DOING to his son?" Gwen raged.

"You know his kid?" Yellowjacket asked.

"We're…close," Gwen admitted. "When this gets out, Harry is just going to be hurt more. He doesn't NEED this."

"What he probably needs right now is a good friend," Twilight told her.

Gwen nodded. "I should get back to finding him. I wonder if Peter went back for him. He just went running off without saying where he was going or if he'd be back."

Twilight caught it out of the corner of her eye; the moment that Spider-Man twitched. "This Peter," she asked. "A friend?"

"A very good friend," Gwen confirmed.

"Something tells me he'll be around," Twilight said. When Gwen looked away, Twilight fired a wink at Spider-Man, who shrugged in response like he didn't know what she was talking about. Perhaps, she thought, she'd guessed wrong.

"While you do that," Yellowjacket said, "we're going to finish the run to the embassy. We're almost there."

"Kinda funny that Venom led us most of the way," Twilight laughed.

Yellowjacket and Twilight took off running. Gwen looked to Spider-Man, who returned her gaze for a moment before saying, "Well, you know, places to go, people to see, bad guys to beat up…I'm a busy spider!" Then he launched a strand of webbing into the air and was gone.

"GWEN!" Harry Osborn came running across the bridge. "There you are! I was worried about you! You okay?"

"You have no idea," Gwen stated. "Long story short…yes."

The two turned to walk back into the city streets, only to find Peter waiting on a street corner. "Sorry for running off like that," he said sheepishly. "Nature called, and y'know, when you gotta go, you gotta go!" He tucked his shirt hem into his pants, hiding a flash of red and blue.

"You could have just used the nearby convenience store restroom," Gwen pointed out. "At least, I think I saw one in there."

"What were you doing in a convenience store?"

"I had to pick up some hairspray."

"You two are weird, you know that?" Harry laughed.

* * *

Black Panther and Applejack continued down the busier roads, watching as traffic sped by, headlights glaring.

"You were all attacked in back routes that deviated from main roads," Black Panther said to justify the choice. "It seems Osborn's team has been dispatched to patrol the unlikely routes. There has been no public declaration of our arrest announcement, so we are in no danger from the pedestrians. It is unlikely we would be attacked on a main street."

"Good thinkin'," Applejack said as the two raced down the sidewalk between blinding lights. Even at that hour of night, the streets were bright.

Applejack tripped. She hit the sidewalk, scuffing several areas of skin, including on her cheek – that hurt the most.

Black Panther turned to help her up, extending a hand, and was interrupted by the sight he saw. Applejack hadn't merely tripped. She'd tripped on an extended foot. Someone leaning against a wall had put out his leg to halt her, and he retracted it, pressing it against the wall. Black Panther's eyes traveled up to see him in full. Applejack turned over to get a look at him as well.

"I knew somebody would be dumb enough to take the busiest road," Daken said with a smirk.

"DON'T YOU DARE." Applejack stood. "There ain't no announcement that we're s'posed to be in custody. You attack us here, you lose all that rep that you worked to build up for your new Avengers!"

"You're kidding," Daken said, stepping away from the wall. "Everybody already hates you. Don't you know that? And everybody loves me. At the very least, if we start fighting, they won't know WHAT side to pick."

"Don't you go tryin' to use that mind control…whatever it is ya got on us," Applejack snarled.

"That almost sounds like an invitation to do just that," Daken commented. "But to be honest, I'm done playing nice." He lifted both hands, clenching them into fists. Gleaming blades between his knuckles caught the glare of the neon lights. "I'd rather play rough."

"Then try THIS on for size!" Applejack cracked her rope whip, letting it wrap around him.

His reflexes were slightly too good. He lifted one arm into the air so that it wasn't caught up in the rope. "As good as I look in bondage," he remarked, "I'm just not feeling it today." He drew the claws of his free hand over the rope, and once again, Applejack saw her weapon hit the pavement in pieces, shimmering away. She wasn't fazed; this time, she knew it would come back.

"Now it's time to make you scream," Daken growled, raising both hands and rushing Applejack. He brought both claws down together toward her neck.

CLANG.

Black Panther had appeared between the two, bearing dual Vibranium arrowheads. Daken's claws were crossed, the arrowheads caught between them, preventing them from going any further. Vexed, Daken ripped one arm away from the tangle, raising it to take a slash at Black Panther.

Applejack's whip snapped sharply around that wrist, pulling it back; she'd maneuvered behind him in the commotion. Black Panther took that time to leap into the air, twisting; his foot connected with Daken's face. Daken was thrown backward onto the pavement.

By this time, a sizeable crowd had gathered, watching in shock, no one really sure what to do.

"What was that you said again?" Daken asked Applejack. "They wouldn't know who to root for?" He looked around at all the onlookers. Every one of whom suddenly felt an incorrigible attraction to the young, handsome man wielding the long claws. He was beautiful, he was irresistible, they would die for him if he gave the word –

And the word he gave was, "These two are bothering me. Please get rid of them."

The people began to advance.

"Hang on a minute now!" Applejack said nervously. "We weren't – "

"THEY'RE HURTING MY DARLING!" yelled a young woman with short blonde hair, dressed in a yellow collared polo.

"LEAVE THE SEXY ONE ALONE!" screamed a pale youth with dark hair, wearing a black ruffled shirt that resembled that of a pirate.

Daken leaned against the wall and watched as the crowd charged at Black Panther and Applejack. "This is why I love all of you," he encouraged. "Don't worry. There will be enough of me to go around after this."

Unsure what to do, the two heroes took the blows at first. And the crowd wanted blood, driven into a frenzy of anger. Nails scraped across the part of Applejack's cheek that had already been roughed up by the sidewalk. A fist connected with Black Panther's stomach. Someone stomped on Applejack's foot. At last, having enough, Black Panther began to swing people out of the way – grabbing them by the arm, whirling them away so their momentum carried them out of his vicinity. He intended to carve a path through the crowd this way.

Applejack was a step ahead. In a glimmer, she transformed to the Mahou Shoujo state. She raised the whip above her head, twirled it a few times, then cracked it.

The rope zigzagged among the people, wrapping around every individual, keeping them all in place in the intricate web. As they struggled to free themselves, Applejack and Black Panther ducked below, crawling out between the struggling feet, and Applejack's clothing reverted. They broke free, they stood, they ran.

Daken stepped out into their path, claws drawn. "How many times do we have to go through this?" he asked.

From behind him, a gruff voice: "No more than this."

Applejack and Black Panther could both see the change visibly come over Daken. Rage. Pure rage. The very sound of the voice filled him with it. Every muscle in his body impossibly tensed, he turned to look at the one who had addressed him.

Applejack got her first good look at him then as well: a well-built man dressed in a bodysuit of black and yellow, with a pointed mask – in fact, an almost identical ensemble to Daken's, but brighter in color.

"Why are YOU here?" Daken seethed.

"I got a call," the man said; his voice was gruff. "But that's not why I came. I've been watching what you've done. Everyone knows about it. How you're trying to be me."

"I'm trying to be BETTER than you," Daken argued. "NO ONE should be like you! Even I would never do what you did."

"I'd rather not bring up the past," said the man. "I'd rather focus on here and now. And what you've just done."

"It's easy enough for you to forget the past when you don't have to live with it," Daken snarled. "You made a mistake, putting yourself this close to me."

"I don't think I did."

Daken lashed out; his claws were blocked by a second set, bursting from the other man's knuckles unannounced. Daken's second swipe caught the man across the chest briefly; the other man staggered, but did not fall or even appear to be hurt.

The man took a brief moment to stare down Black Panther and Applejack. "RUN," he growled, as though they were idiots for not doing so in the first place.

"But – " Applejack protested, moving toward the two men who struck out at each other again and again, metal hitting metal, metal slashing skin.

"No," Black Panther told her. "This is between the two of them. We must go."

The senses of the people tied up in the aftermath of Applejack's final attack began to return. "What just happened?" "Was I about to…?" "Why did I even do that?" "God DAMN, that guy was sexy." This last comment coming from the brunette in the ruffled shirt while the blonde woman nodded her head in approval.

As Black Panther and Applejack ran, the latter asked, "Who was that fella?"

"Wolverine," Black Panther answered. "The true one. Of the team known as the X-Men. A well-known hero."

"So…what's his deal with the other guy?"

"A very old and personal grudge, and one that serves to remind us all that even those of us who mean the most well can make mistakes that will forever haunt the lives of others."

* * *

Crouched in an alleyway, Shocker and Mysterio lay in wait for their targets.

"This is almost unbearable," Mysterio complained. "Lying in the alleyway like stray dogs!"

"Well, it's either this, or try and pick up all your tech equipment and stash it somewhere else while we wait for somebody to come through here," Shocker pointed out. "You wanna carry ten fog machines and a projector and hide 'em all again, be my guest."

Mysterio gave a dramatic sigh and leaned against the wall to indicate his relent on the subject. "One question still perplexes me."

"And that is?"

"Why this alliance? You do not strike me as theatrically inclined."

"That's 'cause I ain't," Shocker admitted. "At first, I didn't get what was up with all your Latin chanting and smoke bombs and fancy lighting. But the thing is, it gets the job done. Your methods may be borderline insane, but it works, and I ain't gonna mess with what works."

"Well. I thank you for your respect."

"It's gettin' to be a little more than respect," Shocker went on. "The way you work, it reminds me that there ain't no harm in havin' a little fun on the job. Puttin' a little passion into it. You got a real eye for puttin' together a show, Beck."

"Please. Call me Mysterio."

"Well, then, Mysterio, you got an eye."

After a pause, Mysterio replied, "…Admittedly, your strategy does add to the show. Almost frustratingly so."

"If it's credit you're worryin' about, then don't. Don't think I don't know you want full credit for this capture. And you can just go ahead and take it, so long as we get 'em and I get a couple swings in at 'em."

"You would REALLY let the world believe that you had no part in it? That it was only the work of the great Mysterio?"

"As I said: so long as it works, I ain't gonna knock it."

"Well! I must admit, I am flattered! It is always a pleasure to meet an admirer."

"I never said I was an ADMIRER."

"I thought it was implied," Mysterio pointed out.

"Admirer's a strong word," Shocker groaned. "And one more thing."

"Yes?"

"I still don't get why you gotta fake that accent."

"Don't you KNOW?" Mysterio replied, sounding shocked. "Nothing excites an audience more than a dashing British villain!"

"Yeah, well, your British accent's about as convincin' as Rhino in a dress pretendin' to be Osborn's wife."

"How DARE you!"

"Can you ever NOT overreact to somethin' for once in your life?"

"OVERreact?" Mysterio gasped. "You call it OVERreacting?"

Shocker shook his head. "My mistake, there. You didn't overreact to somethin', well, you wouldn't be you, now, would ya?"

Mysterio seethed silently at that comment, unable to tell that beneath his mask, Shocker was actually smiling – and not mockingly.

The movement outside the alley caught both of their eyes. "Looks like we got a couple of live ones," Shocker remarked. He looked to Mysterio. "You go out there and do what you do best."

"It shall be a performance to remember," Mysterio vowed.

* * *

Ms. Marvel and Rainbow Dash flew low over the streets, having taken fair warning from Twilight that Amora would be patrolling the skies.

"No sign of her yet," Ms. Marvel sighed. "But the night is young."

A sudden cloud of acid-green smoke erupted from the ground, obscuring the vision of both women. Ms. Marvel got a good breath of the fog, coughing and choking; she was forced to land. Rainbow Dash followed her, barely able to see anything in the clouds of green, though Spectrum protected her from the smoke's more invasive effects.

"What the hay is going on?" Rainbow Dash snapped angrily.

Ms. Marvel coughed and coughed before managing, "SOMEbody obviously wanted to slow us down."

The smog began to clear, leaving only a puff of green that formed a ring around the square. A voice boomed out, seeming to come from all around: "PRODUT HISTRIO!"

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Rainbow Dash barked.

He appeared through the smoke, throwing his arms out wide, parting the smoke into puffs and curlicues that framed his entrance. Fixing his sights upon his victims, Mysterio bellowed, "You have run afoul of THE GREAT MYSTEEEEERIOOOOO!"

"Are you one of Osborn's?" Ms. Marvel asked.

"I AM THE HERALD OF YOUR DOOM!" Mysterio replied. "I AM THE FINAL BLOW OF THE SWORD!"

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," Rainbow Dash said.

"What is your PROBLEM?" Ms. Marvel asked, confounded.

"PROBLEM?" Mysterio replied, his voice still echoing from all around – a handy mic tucked away inside his helmet and speakers cleverly hidden at intervals in the square contributed to that effect. "I AM AFRAID THE ONES WITH THE PROBLEM ARE YOU! DRACO PROELIUM!"

A twenty-foot tall dragon erupted from the smoke, scales gleaming a glossy green, eyes yellow and burning.

"WHERE DID HE GET THAT?" Rainbow Dash screamed.

"I don't know, but let's take it down!" Ms. Marvel commanded, leaping into the air. She gathered as much energy as she could and threw it at the dragon.

The gold energy seemed to pass right through it, having no effect. The dragon reared back its head, gathering flame in its maw. "LOOK OUT!" Rainbow Dash yelled; she and Ms. Marvel jetted to opposite directions in time to avoid the rush of flame that torched the ground.

Rainbow Dash turned her palm blasters toward the dragon, hitting it with as much power as Spectrum had. They seemed only to be absorbed by the dragon's skin. "What kind of dragon IS this?" she wailed.

The dragon swung its head toward her, snapping at her. She zipped out of its way once, twice, thrice, avoiding being caught in the jaws.

"I think I know what kind of dragon it is," Ms. Marvel said, an idea suddenly dawning on her.

Rainbow Dash had by that point summoned her sword, striking out at the dragon. The sword did absolutely nothing to diminish its energy. "I don't even know if my final attack will WORK on this thing!" she groaned.

"It won't," Ms. Marvel told her before flying right at the dragon, one fist outstretched.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Rainbow Dash screamed as Ms. Marvel flew to the dragon's scaly hide, punched it, and slipped right through it, eventually coming out the other side.

"You know what kind of dragon it is?" Ms. Marvel said as she flew to Rainbow Dash's eye level. "A fake one."

The dragon, seemingly offended, drew back another hot breath. When the fire was expelled directly at both women, they felt a slight increase in the air temperature (Mysterio was nothing if not thorough) but no other effect.

"It's an illusion?" Rainbow Dash realized.

"A hologram," Ms. Marvel stated. "Our sorcerer there is using the fog to project it in the air. And here we were worried about REAL magic tracking us down."

"Hmph!" Mysterio waved a hand, and the dragon disappeared right on cue. "So you've figured out my little game! No matter! I WILL STILL SPELL YOUR DOOM! OMNIS ENIM FULGUR!"

Bolts of lightning crackled upward from the pavement, striking at Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel. Rainbow Dash nearly flinched and began evasive maneuvers before Ms. Marvel shook her head, flying directly down through the lightning. Several bolts touched her, but they were as holographic as the dragon; Ms. Marvel passed through them as though they were air. Rainbow Dash followed.

"Let's get this guy!" Rainbow Dash insisted.

"NOT SO FAST!" Mysterio bellowed. "SECRETUM AMICI! TEMPUS VOBIS EST!"

Green blasts of energy emitted from intervals around the ring of smoke. They passed right through Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel, who exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

"You know, if you keep trying the same illusions over and over, it's not going to work," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

Ms. Marvel strode toward Mysterio, fists clenched and glowing with gold. "I almost feel bad taking you out, seeing how you were too stupid to even – "

As she stepped closer, she was suddenly thrown back, hard. The green energy beam had become real.

A second figure appeared: a shadow, at first, in the green smoke, but Shocker's image became more defined when he entered the ring, holding out his palms to emit the green energy that had connected with Ms. Marvel. "That's the thing about illusions," he remarked. "They just make you forget how painful reality is."

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "You set this up! You let us think all you had were illusions this whole time so we would walk right into that!"

"Well, congratulations. You're a real ace detective," Shocker droned sarcastically.

"Oh, we most certainly did!" Mysterio announced. "But that's not ALL we planned! OBSERVE! EVANESCUS!"

Accompanied by a firecracker KABOOM, a cloud of smoke rose from the pavement, obscuring Shocker completely. When it faded, he was gone.

"QUOD UBIQUE EST ITA!" Mysterio yelled, gesturing toward Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel, the latter of whom was getting to her feet.

There was another BOOM, a smaller ring of smoke; it cleared, and Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel were surrounded by thirty images of Shocker.

"As you probably guessed, one of me's real," Shocker's voice announced, now emitting from all around – Mysterio wasn't the only one with a mic connected to the speakers. "Care to take a little gamble?"

Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel each picked a Shocker, charging their respective targets. Rainbow Dash blasted hers with an energy pulse; Ms. Marvel swung a glowing fist through her target's head. Both were met with the emptiness of having attacked a hologram.

All thirty put up their hands at once. All thirty sent out glowing green pulses. One pulse alone knocked Rainbow Dash off her feet, sending her to the pavement, armor clanging as it connected.

In a shuffle of smoke, the thirty Shockers randomized positions. Ms. Marvel tried for another strike, but hit another illusion; the real one caught her hard.

"I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS PERFORMANCE BY MY BEST LEADING MAN TO DATE!" Mysterio crowed.

As Ms. Marvel hit the ground, Shocker remarked, "Helps that I got one HELL of a director."

Ms. Marvel and Rainbow Dash quickly scrambled to their feet. "We need to get out of here," Ms. Marvel said, grabbing Rainbow Dash by her Spectrum-encased wrist and dragging her toward the edge of the circle of smoke. As soon as Rainbow Dash figured out how to direct her feet, she synchronized her running in the same direction.

"ERRABIS!" Mysterio cried, raising his hands to the starry heavens.

When Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel reached the edge of the smoke, they were horrified to see that they had gone nowhere. The exact same square of pavement lay out in front of them, a second ring of smoke on the other side of the first. Rainbow Dash turned to see that there was a third across the border the other way.

"It's another illusion," Ms. Marvel said. "He's projecting the image of the same place on the smoke so it looks like we're going nowhere."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash grunted, "I figured that out. Now which way ISN'T nowhere?"

"Up," Ms. Marvel answered.

Needing no further cue, Rainbow Dash blasted into the air; Ms. Marvel followed. As they rose above the smoke, everything became clear; they could see the city melting back into reality around them.

"NOT SO FAST!" Mysterio bellowed, swinging his cape back dramatically. "DEUS DAMNATUS VESPERTILIONES!"

A horde of tiny animatronic bats, each small enough to fit in Mysterio's palm and colored a sickly burgundy, burst forth from beneath his cape, each screeching out a phrase in a high-pitched voice:

"Going up!"

"Third floor, iron women and Ms. Marvel!"

"Fly by night away from here!"

The bats swarmed Ms. Marvel, crawling on every inch of skin; she swatted at them, but they weren't stymied, simply digging in their claws deeper. However, the greater toll was taken on Rainbow Dash. She had the distinct sense that Spectrum was being gnawed into by the metallic teeth. Sensing what was about to happen, she quickly changed course, angling downward, back to the ring of smoke around the pavement.

Two seconds before she would have touched down, they ate through the circuits, and Spectrum was dead in the air. Rainbow Dash crashed down hard.

Ms. Marvel immediately flew down to check upon her, shaking the bats. She landed on the pavement, crouching over Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash? Say something!"

"I'm okay," Rainbow Dash said, getting up. "But this armor isn't gonna fly or blast people anymore. I'll deal with these jerks. You go on ahead!"

"I'm not leaving you behind," Ms. Marvel insisted. "We're taking these…jerks…on together."

Rainbow Dash's greatsword shimmered into appearance; she swung it, causing the bats to be blown backward. They tumbled across the pavement like so many oddly shaped marbles.

"You have played right into my hands!" Mysterio crowed. "YOU SHALL NEVER DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DREAM AND REALITY IN THE REALM OF MYSTERIO!"

A lineup of what seemed to be a hundred Shockers materialized before Ms. Marvel and Rainbow Dash. From all around, his voice boomed out, "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide…"

There was the sound of a CRASH, then another CRASH and CRASH and CRASH again. And when Shocker said "This battle's already over," the voice only came from one of him, the fifteenth in from the right.

"WHAT THE – " All the Shockers recoiled from the sudden loss of sound distribution.

CRASH. CRASH. CRASH.

The fog dissipated, and the images of Shocker, all but the one who had spoken, truly spoken, faded until they were gone. Ms. Marvel, Rainbow Dash, the sole Shocker, and Mysterio stood on the pavement, the usual scenery around them. Though there was one other among them: a gigantic man, around the size of the Hulk, with orange skin, rough like stone, and no hair to speak of. He wore only a pair of deep blue shorts, fastened with a black belt, the buckle of which bore a "4" symbol that would have appeared much more familiar to Thor and Twilight. He stood near a crushed and sparking pile of projectors, speakers, and fog machines, all ripped out of their positions by force.

"Damn theatre types," the large man groaned. He tossed one more speaker onto the pile.

"THING!" Ms. Marvel cried in relief.

"Got a call from Stark that you were in a situation," the Thing replied. "Dunno what I was expecting, but it wasn't this."

"Hold that thought," Ms. Marvel told him, turning back to Shocker to fire a bolt of golden energy at him.

Shocker had had the same thought at the same time. He pumped a wave of green energy toward her, and the two beams collided, pushing against each other. Ms. Marvel's teeth gritted as she tried to push her beam over the balance; Shocker glared at her from across the connection.

Meanwhile, the Thing turned toward Mysterio. "I'm thinkin'…it's clobberin' time," he stated.

Without any of his robots or illusions to back him up, Mysterio was suddenly caught off guard, adrenaline rising; he raised his hands. "FACIEM MEAM NON AVERTI!"

Ignoring Mysterio's pleas, the Thing slammed his fist into the glass globe. Mysterio was thrown against a wall, and his helmet shattered.

Shocker focused on Ms. Marvel, continuing to fire upon her and completely forgetting that she hadn't been alone. He was suddenly knocked over from the side; as he hit the ground, Ms. Marvel's beam passing over him, he saw Rainbow Dash hoisting her sword defensively. He quickly flicked his gaze over to where Mysterio was slumped against the wall, glass sliding down his head. He knew he was beaten. There was only one thing left to do, and he hated even considering it. He leapt to his feet, running toward the downed Mysterio.

"PLEASE tell me you are conscious," he growled.

Mysterio looked up at him, somewhat weakly but miffed nonetheless, through the shattered glass shards of the helmet. Shocker got a good look at his face, one he'd seen before on a remarkably convincing android double. Beck's dark eyes complemented his raven hair, and a single tiny mole offset his face, just one small imperfection. Due to the explosion of the shards, a stream of crimson blood had erupted over his left eyebrow and was trickling down over his visage, a grisly accessory. "This is NOT how my scene ends," he growled.

"Well, you're outta tricks and I'm outta options, so I'm directing you this time," Shocker informed him. "EXEUNT STAGE LEFT."

Mysterio stood, but instead of making for a getaway, he began to storm toward Ms. Marvel, Rainbow Dash, and the Thing. Frustrated, Shocker forcibly grabbed his wrist: "GET A MOVE ON!" He then ran, practically dragging Mysterio along with him until Mysterio also decided to give in and run.

"Yeah, you BETTER run!" Rainbow Dash yelled after them. She then turned to the Thing. "But seriously, we were about to be toast before you showed up. Thanks!"

"It was nothin'," the Thing replied. "Now get movin' before I have to bail you out from another weirdo."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "I would fly, but I'd have to take off Spectrum to get to my wings, and I'm not leaving it behind."

"Then we go on foot," Ms. Marvel agreed.

They parted ways, Ms. Marvel and Rainbow Dash heading toward the embassy while the Thing moved back into the city's heart, absolutely unsure what to make of the scene he'd just resolved. Particularly as his feet crushed the littered remains of several magenta android bats.

* * *

Rhino stormed across the grass of the park, leaving large circular imprints in the soil wherever his feet planted. "OHHHHH, LITTLE AVENGERRRRS!" he bellowed tauntingly. "WHERE AAAAARE YOUUUUU?"

He passed a park bench, a lamppost, a tree line that marked a small copse of foliage. From within the shadows of the trees, two sets of eyes watched him.

"COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!" Rhino laughed.

Hidden in the trees, Rarity hissed, "He has no concept of subtlety whatsoever. Nevertheless, we are in somewhat of a sticky situation."

"Follow me," Vision said, almost inaudibly. "We can stay out of his sight."

The two had tried cutting through the park only to find Rhino patrolling it, loudly and ungracefully, and were then forced to figure a way back out of the park unnoticed. Vision turned and moved smoothly through the trees, not making a sound against a single branch or twig. Rarity carefully followed.

After several silent minutes during which all Rarity could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat – and she and Vision were both sure that if he had an organic heart, he would be hearing his own beat as loud as thunder as well – they reached another edge to the trees, looking out on an expanse of open green grass.

"I don't see him," Rarity whispered.

"Me either," Vision replied.

There was a sudden rush of noise, like a tornado blowing through the forest. Rarity froze in shock; Vision was unsure of what to do. They turned to see Rhino plowing through the forest, knocking down trees left and right, until he halted before the pair.

"GOTCHA," he laughed.

Vision immediately leapt into the air, firing a beam upon Rhino's chest. It collided with the thick exoskeleton, but did nothing to it, not even putting Rhino the slightest bit out of balance. Rhino stared curiously down at the red beam for a while before looking up at Vision. "Really?" he sighed.

"Perhaps this requires a more MAGICAL touch," Rarity announced, her bow appearing in her hand. She fired a crystal arrow at Rhino. This one was more effective. It sank into Rhino's skin, causing him to stumble as he felt the damage done to his very essence.

"HEY!" he grunted, unsure what had just happened. All he knew was that Rarity's weapon had done him more damage than he thought a bow and arrow should have been capable of.

As Rarity loaded up another arrow – with less deliberation than usual, as her target was quite large and three feet in front of her – Rhino stormed forward, reached out, and grabbed the bow by the upper riser. "Gimme that!" he yelled, jerking the bow toward himself and out of Rarity's hands.

"HEY!" Rarity screamed. "That is MINE!"

"Not so tough without your little toy, are ya?" Rhino asked, snapping the bow in half.

Rarity gasped, then screamed, then swooned; Vision had to catch her as she fell.

Rhino examined the pieces of the bow; they pulled toward each other with an almost magnetic pull, taking his hands with them, until they snapped back together at the breaking point, shimmering to produce a whole, unbroken bow. Curious, Rhino broke it again. It repaired itself. He went through this for a while. Break, repair. Break, repair. Finally, with a shrug, he slung the bow over one arm.

Rarity stood, her wand materializing in her hand. "Did you think that was the ONLY trick I had up my well-tailored sleeve?" she asked. She flicked the wand; "FLIPENDO!"

The jinx ricocheted off of Rhino's skin, breaking a tree branch.

"Errrrr…incendio?" Rarity tried.

A WHOOSH of flame appeared temporarily on Rhino's shoulder, then burned out.

"Dif…fin…do?" Rarity squeaked.

A slight glow over Rhino's heart and nothing more.

"Eheheheheh…" Rarity laughed nervously. "RUN!"

She grabbed Vision by the wrist, turned, and charged out of the trees into the park. The two sped ahead as quickly as they could, but were unable to ignore the sound of the thudding of Rhino's feet behind them, getting louder and closer as he ran faster than they could.

Then the thudding stopped, taken over by a different set of noises. Had Vision and Rarity looked back earlier, they might have been able to tell exactly what made each noise: the hard SLAP sound (a foot connecting directly with Rhino's head after a perfectly executed jackknife kick), the loud WHAM (a large-bodied man tackling Rhino directly from the side), the THUD (said man actually knocking Rhino over), the CRACK-CRACK-CRACK (the bow's risers splitting and reforming, remaining in place over Rhino's shoulder), and then the snort (someone trying very hard not to laugh). As it was, they didn't turn around until after the sound to view a strange sight indeed. Groaning, Rhino was splayed out on his stomach on the grass, Rarity's bow gleaming into full form over his shoulder. To either side of him stood a man. To his right was the larger, someone almost the size of the Rhino himself, dressed simply in a dark gray tee, a lighter gray hoodie, and a pair of jeans held up by a belt fashioned to look like a chain. His skin was quite dark, and though he had no hair atop his head, he sported a thin mustache that trailed down either side of his mouth neatly. To Rhino's left was a shorter, slimmer, and paler man dressed in a considerably flashier manner; Rarity couldn't help but think that the other man could take pointers from this one. He dressed in an emerald green bodysuit, cut off at the knees and showing off his chest with a great V indent; shoes, a sash, and a tall collar of bright yellow accented it. To top it off, he'd shourded the upper half of his face with a yellow mask, outlined black around the eyes, that tied off like a bandanna. His exposed chest revealed a large insignia of a winged serpent upon his skin. He was the one who had snorted; he was trying to stifle a giggle at the situation.

That made Rarity forget all about her appreciation of his fashion choice. "EXCUSE me," she grunted, "but do you find our humiliation AMUSING?"

"No," the smaller man replied. "I just can't believe Stark shelled out two grand for us to take down the fuckin' RHINO."

"HEEEEY!" Rhino groaned. "What's that s'posed to mean?"

"It means you got a reputation for being a goddamn idiot," the larger man said frankly.

"Pardon me," Rarity asked, "but who are you?"

Vision filled in for her: "The Heroes for Hire. Known defenders who will only take paid cases." He looked toward the larger of the two. "Legally known as Luke Cage. Occasionally known as 'Power Man,' but prefers not to go by that name. Possesses superhuman strength and impenetrable skin." He turned his attention to the other. "Daniel Rand-K'ai, known in the field as 'Iron Fist.' Accomplished martial artist schooled in the ways of the H'ylthri. Possesses supernatural abilities as well."

By that time, Rhino had gotten back to his feet. "All right, no more messin' around!" He rushed at Cage, apparently attempting to knock him over. The two locked hands, shoving each other, equally matched in force.

"Seriously," Iron Fist remarked, "you could have gotten us to take this job for $10. Stark just said there'd be 'trouble.'"

"Um…excuse me," Rarity said, "but if you would be so kind as to focus on retrieving that stylish bow from the Rhino, it does happen to be mine, and also happens to be the only thing I've seen so far that actually affects him."

"Magic, huh?" Iron Fist guessed. "HEY, you hear that?" he yelled to his partner.

"Get the bow back," Cage said with a nod from his position of battle. "Got it!"

"You ain't gettin' your hands on THIS!" Rhino growled.

Vision swooped in behind Cage, aiming his laser for Rhino's unprotected face. It hit the mark, and Rhino let go, staggering backward. Iron Fist launched off the ground, soaring over Rhino, reaching for the bow; Rhino swatted him out of the air onto the grass while stepping backward, taking the bow off his shoulder.

"Yeah, doesn't look so good when it's used on YOU!" he crowed, aiming the bow at Rarity and drawing the string only to realize it had no arrow. "What the…this thing's useless!"

"To anyone but ME!" Rarity insisted.

That gave Iron Fist the space to quickly approach Rhino, the hand that provided his namesake glowing a bright red as it connected with Rhino's face. He was sent crumpling to the ground again, where Cage leapt atop him, pinning him down.

"GRAB IT NOW!" Cage yelled.

Vision soared down from above, deftly plucking the bow from Rhino's loose grip; he dropped it toward Rarity, who caught it perfectly in one hand. She considered transforming, but somehow knew it wouldn't be necessary. She drew back the bowstring.

Arrow after arrow was fired at Rhino until, woozily, he stopped struggling. With a groan, he finally went unconscious. Cage waited until he knew Rhino wasn't going anywhere before gingerly getting off him.

"What even is that thing?" Cage asked, eyeing the bow suspiciously.

"Magic," Rarity said, dismissing the bow in a flash. "So…you dashing fellows only take down villains for profit?"

"Before you judge us – " Iron Fist began.

"AH-AH-AH-AH-AH." Rarity raised her hand to interrupt. Then she reached into a pocket sewn into her clothing and removed from it two golden Galleons, kept in case of emergency since they'd left Fourth Earth, before tossing a Galleon to Cage and Iron Fist each. "Consider it a tip."

"Are these even real?" Cage wondered out loud, examining the otherworldly coin.

"Quite," Rarity said. "I simply MUST thank you both for your assistance. Oh, and Iron Fist, your ensemble is nothing short of DAPPER! Now, Vision and I must be on our way, hopefully with a little more luck this time."

She ran away, across the park, Vision following by hovering slightly over the ground.

"She thinks it looks dapper," Iron Fist reiterated with a smirk.

"Shut up," Cage replied, rolling his eyes.

* * *

Falcon and Fluttershy had decided to take to the air.

"What if Amora finds us?" Fluttershy worried out loud as they sped among the rooftops, Fluttershy's wings pumping.

"We're on the opposite side of the city from Twilight's first route," Falcon assured her. "There's no chance Amora will catch up with us!"

With a ZZZZZIP and a rush of smoke, a small missile soared over Falcon's shoulder and exploded against a wall. Fluttershy screamed; both she and Falcon stopped in midair, looking back at the source of the missile.

Vulture careened around a corner, wings spread, Flight Tech device in full activation, though with a few modifications from its previous incarnation – in the form of twin cannons mounted above the main pack.

"The Flight Tech Battle Gear is definitely succeeding at its first test," he remarked proudly before pressing a trigger in one of his gloves, connected to the cannons. Another missile locked and loaded.

"Fly!" Falcon cried, looking to Fluttershy. "FLY!"

Falcon and Fluttershy sped ahead, swerving around corner after corner, attempting to lose Vulture. However, every now and again, another missile would sail by them, missing by a hair's breadth, reminding them that they had not escaped.

"That's it!" Falcon flipped over in mid-flight, launching several red feather projectiles at the next missile. The two collided.

The resulting explosion's shockwave threw Falcon and Fluttershy through the large glass window of a nearby building. Had Falcon gotten a good look at his surroundings, he might have been able to identify it by the familiar insignia on top, but as it was, he had no clue where he and Fluttershy had landed. They hit the floor and rolled; he immediately cried out "Are you okay?" before even standing up.

"I'm…fine…" Fluttershy squeaked, standing to get a good look around. She and Falcon appeared to have crashed into a laboratory, filled with various devices, blinking lights, and bright computer screens. She couldn't identify what any of them did.

She turned around and gasped. Perhaps one of the most beautiful humanoid beings she had ever seen was behind her and Falcon, suspended in a cylindrical tank, floating, eyes closed; she was sleeping, or perhaps comatose. Her hair and skin were jet black, she was almost rail-thin, and she wore a plum-colored bodysuit, a silver breastplate studded with shining aqua gemstones, matching silver gauntlets and boots, and a drape of glimmering blue fabric. She was crowned with a silver headdress featuring three prominent spikes and a blue visor over her eyes.

The sight of this woman distracted Fluttershy from everything else for a moment; she was brought back to reality when Falcon stood next to her, looking at the woman as well. "Who is that?" he wondered out loud.

"I wish I knew," Fluttershy admitted. Remembering the task at hand, she asked, "Do you think we lost him?"

"That explosion had to blast him as far in the opposite direction," Falcon deduced. "There was no way he could have seen which way we went!"

Right on time, Vulture appeared, framed in the broken window. "I have you NOW," he growled before soaring into the laboratory.

Fluttershy's katana materialized; Falcon readied his wings. "Take your best shot!" Falcon challenged. He then turned to Fluttershy: "SPLIT!"

The two ran in opposite directions across the lab, momentarily leaving Vulture confused by the decision. He turned and launched a missile at Fluttershy.

The katana's blade cut the projectile down in midair, defusing its power. Fluttershy spun the sword, holding the blade out toward Vulture.

Vulture turned his attention to Falcon, launching a missile. Falcon sidestepped it, and the missile crashed into a wall of devices and computers, reducing them to sparking wires. Falcon launched several red feathers back at Vulture, who ducked them all; they continued on their path to Fluttershy.

"NO!" Falcon cried.

Fluttershy was ready. She leapt over the feathers, keeping aloft with wings spread, letting them crash into the opposite wall.

Before Vulture could launch another missile, a bright blue ball slammed into him. Confused, Fluttershy and Falcon watched the ball uncurl itself into the form of a tall, slim man, with dark hair streaked with white framing his pale face. He wore a blue bodysuit emblazoned with the emblem of the "4" that Falcon recognized quite well.

"Hey, I know that guy!" Falcon cried.

"That guy" clenched his right fist until it had taken on more of the shape of a hammer than a hand. He slammed it into the pack on Vulture's back, his eyes scanning the wires. "This is pretty primitive," he remarked, plucking out three wires. "That should be enough to ground you and disarm your weapons. There ARE far more sophisticated flight and weapons systems in production, you know. You could learn a thing or two from Stark Industries."

"WHAT?" Vulture whined. He clicked the triggers he'd installed in vain; the missiles refused to launch. He made to leap back out the window before realizing that his wings were more than likely defunct. So instead, he ran to the edge of the window, gingerly climbed out, and dropped, descending the skyscraper very slowly by leaping from window frame to window frame, terrified the whole way down that he'd make a misstep and plunge to his death.

"I knew something was going to happen to this place," the man in blue remarked in dismay. "I wish I'd gotten here before he obliterated half of it, but at least he didn't hit Ravonna or any of her life support devices. I guess my job is working to patch what he broke for the next three weeks."

"You're Mr. Fantastic, right?" Falcon asked in awe. "I remember you from S.H.I.E.L.D. files! Dr. Reed Richards!"

Mr. Fantastic nodded. "Tony Stark called my entire team to let us know there was going to be some kind of incident involving the Avengers and what became of S.H.I.E.L.D. The others went out into the city, but I just had a feeling something would happen here."

"Wait…are we actually IN the Fantastic Four tower?" Falcon asked with glee.

"In one of its labs," Mr. Fantastic confirmed. "Luckily, the only one that sustained any damage."

"Um…I'm sorry, but I'm a little lost," Fluttershy admitted.

"This guy is one of the Fantastic Four!" Falcon explained excitedly. "One of the best hero teams in the city, right up there with the Avengers and the X-Men! He's also a genius!"

"It's nice to meet you," Fluttershy said with a nod. "Thank you for protecting us."

"I'm guessing you'll want to be escorted to the embassy premises," Mr. Fantastic sighed.

"Actually," Fluttershy said, "it looks like you need to patch this place back up. We can make it on our own. But thank you anyway! Good luck!"

"Good luck," Mr. Fantastic replied.

"C'mon, Fluttershy!" Falcon yelled, running to the broken window. "Let's go!"

Fluttershy followed, leaping out and spreading her wings, looking back at the lab, where Mr. Fantastic seemed absolutely engrossed in picking up the scattered shrapnel.

"They did say he was self-absorbed," Falcon stated.

"I feel a little bad we didn't do more to protect his things," Fluttershy said.

"Hey, we got away from the bad guy," Falcon pointed out. "That's good enough for me!"

They soared through the night toward the Wakandan embassy.

* * *

"BRING IT ON!" Pinkie Pie and Wasp yelled. Then all four – Pinkie Pie, Wasp, Electro, and Sandman – rushed to the center of the square.

Twin pistols shimmered into Pinkie Pie's hands, and she twirled them before beginning to fire burst after burst of confetti at Sandman. Sandman promptly responded by morphing into a wave of sand, flowing below the range of the blasts before rematerializing into human shape not a foot in front of Pinkie Pie, one giant fist of sand sending her flying.

Wasp was having just as much luck, perhaps less. Every one of her bio-stingers just seemed to be soaked up by Electro. Electro, on the other hand, was running on full power; his entire body glowed brightly, and he threw out his hands, sending a network of lightning careening at Wasp. Wasp desperately flew round and round the various bolts, screaming slightly at every near miss.

"Hold STILL!" Electro growled.

"Whooooaaaa!" Pinkie Pie marveled at their battle. "ELECTRICITY powers? That's SO cool! I wish I had powers like that! That has to be the best superpower ever! You could light up anything or – "

"Hey," Sandman said, morphing from another wave to human form at Pinkie's side. "Shut up."

This time, Pinkie was ready for his attack. She leapt into the air, over his next punch, backflipping; when she landed on the ground, she wore the clothing of the Mahou Shoujo. Her next shot from the pistols hit the mark.

"HEY!" Sandman was unsure what to make of the blast. He didn't feel physically hurt…but was impacted all the same.

"Gotcha now!" Pinkie Pie crowed, discarding the empty pistols so that new ones reloaded in her hands. She blasted them both at once, six times.

Sandman let a segment of his chest melt away, sending all six of Pinkie's blasts through an empty hole. "Um…maybe I don't gotcha," Pinkie said before turning to run in the opposite direction.

She passed Wasp, who'd had the same idea. "Switch?" Wasp asked.

"SWITCH!" Pinkie Pie agreed.

Wasp charged her bio-stingers, sending blasts at Sandman. They hit his skin with a small splash of sand grain each time, akin to small pebbles dropped in the water.

"Uhhhh…" Wasp was at a loss for words.

"Are you even useful at all?" Sandman asked. Then, without further hesitation, he shifted his hands into a pair of sand-sculpted maces, swinging them out at Wasp, who deftly avoided them.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was trying to get a shot in at Electro. He was avoiding her shots as well as Wasp had avoided his. "You are REALLY shiny!" Pinkie Pie couldn't help but squeal.

"SHUT…UP!" Electro threw another blast of lightning toward Pinkie; she leapt out of the way, handspringing to a new location.

"Face it!" Sandman taunted. "You're both losin'!"

Wasp couldn't reply, too busy evading attack from both maces. However, she couldn't help but think that Sandman was right. Pinkie Pie had heard, and she contemplated the thought. She hadn't been able to land a single blow on either of her opponents, but she wasn't ready to give up yet. She still had an ace up her sleeve.

A dragonfly zipped through the square, almost imperceptible to those of greater height. Its rider zipped toward Wasp, catching her in midair, swinging her so she was astride the dragonfly, speeding her out of Sandman's vicinity.

"HEY!" Sandman yelled. "Where'd you go?"

"Forget her!" Electro cried. "Help me with this one!"

"You got it!" Sandman morphed both his arms into sharp spikes, charging into the fray to attack Pinkie Pie. He lunged at her; she twisted out of the way of both spikes.

"You know, that reminds me of a goddess I knew about, " Pinkie brought up. "Her name was Nemesis, goddess of revenge, and she could make her hands into all KINDS of weapons, like swords and axes and – "

"SHUT UP!" Electro and Sandman yelled at the same time; Pinkie cartwheeled out of the way of a lightning blast and a sand strike at once.

"But now that you mention it," Sandman went on, "that ain't a bad idea." His hands shifted into the form of double-bladed axes. Pinkie Pie flinched at the sight of them.

The dragonfly landed on the ground, dropping off both riders, and the two grew to full human size. Wasp beheld a man dressed in a red bodysuit, with a silver belt and an all too familiar silver helmet fixed with a mouthpiece and two antennae on top of its dome. Mistakenly, she cried, "HANK?"

"No," the man replied.

"Wait…" Wasp placed the voice. "Scott LANG? What are you doing here?"

"Tony called," Lang replied. "Said there might be trouble tonight."

At that moment, Pinkie Pie ran screaming past the two of them. She halted, took two steps back, and said, "Hi! Nice to meet ya! I'm Pinkie Pie! Who are you?"

"Scott Lang," Lang replied. "The new Ant-Man. It's a long story."

"Hmm…" Pinkie Pie thought it over. "Did something happen, like Hank getting too guilty over something he did as Ant-Man to use that identity ever again and you stealing his stuff and him deciding you could keep it and use it for good before he became Yellowjacket?"

"…Huh?" Lang replied. "That's…exactly right. Did they tell you about me?"

"Lucky guess," Pinkie Pie replied with a shrug. Then she gave a scream as she leapt out of the way of one of Sandman's axes, which slammed into the ground, cracking the pavement, in front of Wasp and Lang.

"You're going to regret doing that," Lang told Sandman.

"And what's THAT supposed to mean?" Sandman asked, dubious.

Lang spoke into the mouthpiece of his helmet. His words were garbled into a buzz. They were heard by all the ears they were meant for. They came from the edge of the street, from the sewers, beneath the cars, beneath discarded newspapers, scurrying around feet, flying in on gossamer wings. Insects. Of every shape, size, and color.

They swarmed Sandman at Lang's request, covering him from head to toe. Sandman, stricken by horror, flailed; "GET THEM OFF! GET THEM OFF!" However, for him, the worst was yet to come. The insects detected the consistency of his skin. And they burrowed.

Panicking, Sandman morphed into a sheer wave of sand, swirling about to try and rid himself of the insects that resided within his being. As he was distracted, Pinkie Pie stared down Electro.

"And what are YOU going to do?" Electro asked.

Pinkie Pie leapt into the air, twirling; when she landed, her final weapon was hoisted over her shoulder. "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PARTY!" she screamed, pulling the trigger.

BOOM.

The blast caught Electro full-on, sending him staggering backward until he hit the pavement, knocked out.

"WOOHOO!" Pinkie Pie began to leap about, spinning in the air, as she reverted to her normal clothing. "I did it! I took down the bad guy!"

Hearing that, Sandman hazarded a glance toward the scene. He took in the sight of Electro on the ground, unmoving. The sight of Pinkie Pie rejoicing.

He exploded. The insects were sent flying in all directions. The grains of sand reformed, bringing Sandman to his humanoid form just long enough for him to snarl, "YOU…JUST…DIDN'T!"

Pinkie Pie saw the rising shadow first. Then she turned around to see the tidal wave of sand building up over her.

"PINKIE PIE!" Wasp yelled.

The wave of sand crashed down over Pinkie Pie, surrounding her. She struggled, but couldn't break free of the sheer force. She was simply carried away by the rolling sands. The wave took one more detour; picking up Electro's prone body. A pair of small hands emerged to replace his mask over his face first, ensuring his energy would be contained during transport.

Wasp chased Sandman in his fluid form, shrinking down, blasting him with her full power, but it had as much effect as it had before. The wave kept on rolling until it encountered a large sewer grate. Then it shoved the grate aside, pouring down into the sewer, repositioning Pinkie Pie and Electro to carry them both down.

Pinkie Pie kept on struggling to break free until the moment when her head was slammed against a wall. Then she fell as still as Electro.

Wasp and Lang leapt down into the grate after Sandman and his passengers, but by the time they did, all they could see was a labyrinth of branching passages and no one in sight. There was no way to tell which way their target had gone.

"This can't be happening," Wasp breathed. "It can't…"

* * *

Fully bandaged, having insisted he could stand of his own volition and proven the statement correct, Steve Rogers stood sentinel upon the lawn of the embassy, waiting for the others to cross the line.

First came Twilight and Yellowjacket. Unsurprisingly, when Twilight ran toward Steve, her first statement was "You should be resting!"

"I'm fine," Steve assured her. "I wanted to make sure the rest of you were. Any trouble?"

"A run-in with Venom," Yellowjacket answered, "but luckily, we got some help from a certain friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. And Twilight taught us all a valuable lesson in physics."

"What…?" Steve was confused.

"It's a long story," Twilight said. "We can talk about it later."

Then Applejack and Black Panther arrived. "You okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah…" Applejack answered, "but we ain't entirely sure that somepony else is."

"He will manage," Black Panther reassured her. "For now…it feels good to return here. Steven, let the others know that if they need anything here, they need only speak to me."

Rainbow Dash and Ms. Marvel entered at that point, and Twilight gasped. "Oh my GOSH! Rainbow Dash! What happened to your armor?"

"Don't even ask," Rainbow Dash sighed. "For now, it's just grounded."

Rarity and Vision barreled onto the lawn. Rarity cried out, "Oh, YES! SANCTUARY!" At the same time, Falcon and Fluttershy landed from above.

"That just leaves one," Steve observed.

"She's still missing…" Twilight said shakily.

"I bet you anything Pinkie Pie and Wasp turn up here within the next thirty seconds, talking about how lost they got," Rainbow Dash tried to reassure her.

So they waited for thirty seconds. Two figures appeared on the edge of the lawn. One was clearly Wasp. "See? I told you!" Rainbow Dash crowed.

However, as the pair neared, it was clear that the figure next to Wasp was not Pinkie Pie, and Wasp's eyes were downcast, a look of devastation upon her face.

"Scott?" Steve addressed Lang.

"I tried," Lang said mournfully.

"What happened?" Twilight asked worriedly.

Wasp looked up at her.

"WHERE'S PINKIE PIE?" Twilight shouted.

Wasp's eyes filled with tears.

* * *

Osborn paced the room, looking at the lineup before him. "Is this the best you have to give me?" he asked. "Not a single Avenger or ally? And how did I find you?" He paced the line, staring down each, listing the state in which he had discovered each of his allies.

To Zemo: "Unconscious in a back alley."

To Amora: "With the nerve to come back here and say you'd given up because the sun was rising."

To Venom: "Crawling back here, moaning about loud noises."

Red Hulk: "Without your powers."

Daken: "Losing to the Wolverine." (As Daken muttered under his breath, "He'd be dead if you hadn't interfered…")

Bullseye: "Dragging a broken motorcycle through the streets."

Mysterio and Shocker: "On the RUN."

Rhino: "Asleep in the park."

And Vulture: "Stripped of all defenses, running to home base like a coward."

Then he turned to an empty space in the room: "And two haven't even returned. God only knows if I'll see the two of them again, let alone with their targets."

"Electro and Sandman ain't no cowards," Shocker pointed out. "They'll be back here any second. And for the record, Mysterio and I ain't no cowards either. We just know to quit when we're behind. Or, at least, I do."

"With all due respect, Director," Zemo added, "You were also stymied by your opponents. Those who live in glass houses."

"I had THOUGHT that the others would have captured them by now!" Amora growled.

"At least now that the sun has risen, we can contact the presses," Osborn stated. "Let the world know that the Avengers are wanted…and now for resisting arrest. However, if, as we suspect, they were making their way to the Wakandan Embassy tonight, we will not be able to touch any of them once they are on those grounds. We can either wait them out or flush them out."

"Them bein' stuck there's as good as prison anyway, right?" Rhino asked.

"No," Osborn growled. "They may be confined, but on their own terms. We have no control over the situation. We – "

He was interrupted when the door to the room was flung open. Sandman hurried into the room, announcing, "You're gonna wanna see this!"

* * *

Pinkie Pie and Electro lay sprawled out across the floor of the adjacent room. "Couldn't figure out where to put 'em," Sandman explained. "Anyway, I got one of the girls, like you said."

"Well done." Osborn's lips curled into a smile. "Though I am surprised that you, out of everyone, were the successful one."

Sandman could practically feel the resentment flowing from the others – Zemo in particular. He decided not to care. "I'm just good at what I do," he said with a shrug.

"Amora," Osborn commanded, "help me take the girl somewhere more secure."

"Now wait just a minute," Sandman interrupted. "She roughed Electro up pretty bad out there. You got anything you can do for – "

As if on cue, Electro stirred, sitting upright. "What…?"

"He appears to be in good enough condition," Osborn stated. "Amora, assist me. The rest of you are dismissed for the moment."

Amora took hold of Pinkie Pie's shoulders, and Osborn her feet. They carried her out of the room, leaving the other Dark Avengers and Sinister Six in the small room. The majority of them glared at Sandman resentfully.

"Whatever you're thinkin'," Shocker growled, turning to face the group, "don't. Ain't worth it. If I were you, I'd go do somethin' to make sure I didn't lose next time."

He waited until all but himself, Sandman, and Electro had left before Shocker himself took his leave.

"What happened?" Electro asked, standing.

"Oh, not much…just that we're the only team to have actually brought somebody back," Sandman said with a grin. "She took you out, and I took her out. You okay now?"

"Yeah. That weapon didn't…do…anything. It made me tired, and that's all. Did Osborn want anything else from us?"

"Not for now. We're free to do what we want."

Electro nodded.

"So I'll see ya round, right?" Sandman asked before turning to leave.

"Did you take her down BECAUSE of me?" Electro asked suddenly.

"Yep," Sandman replied without even missing a beat. Then he departed, leaving Electro to ponder.

* * *

Amora, Crouch, Blackheart, and Doom stood around the table of the Cabal conference room. Amora had been granted clearance, as she of course knew of Loki's secret dealings. On that subject, Crouch had something to say: "Where's Loki?"

"In order to keep up appearances, he has to maintain several hours in Asgard," Amora explained. "He can't waste his time here. Especially when Asgard is still in need of reformation under his hand."

Doom gently inserted the needle of a syringe into Pinkie Pie's arm, injected the syringe's contents – a mild anaesthetic – and then delicately removed the syringe. "That should ensure she sleeps soundly for as long as we need."

"And what do we do with her now?" Blackheart asked.

"We deliver her upstairs," Doom replied.

* * *

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

Pinkie Pie gradually became aware of sensation returning to her. She felt satin sheets beneath her and atop her; a slight breeze blowing in through a window. She opened her eyes. She lay in a bed with a white canopy overhead. Looking down, she saw the bedclothes around her were also shimmering white. She took in the sight of the room around her. It was beautifully ornate, with golden walls, a polished wooden dresser, and a full length mirror. Several gleaming weapons – short swords and axes – were mounted on a rack on the wall. On the opposite wall was the window, revealing a brilliantly blue sky.

Pinkie slipped out of the bed, crossing to the window. She could see the skyline of Nebulapolis through it, recognizing the glimmering towers immediately.

"I'm in ASGARD?" she said to herself.

There was a slight knock at the door. "Who's there?" she asked.

Amora opened the door, striding in, dressed in her green attire as opposed to her darker clothing, a shining fabric draped over one arm. "I see you're awake," she said.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Pinkie shrieked. "YOU! YOU'RE THE PERSON THAT BROUGHT ME HERE!"

"Before you make wild accusations," Amora said, "perhaps you should get it into your head that not everything is as it seems."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"We did take you into custody," Amora stated. "But, as you can clearly see, you are not aboard the H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier."

"Well, duh!"

"Lord Odin wishes to speak with you," Amora said. "Though I wouldn't speak to him dressed in such a ridiculous fashion." She draped the garment she carried over a nearby chair. "Wear this before you speak to him." She turned and stalked out of the room, shutting the door.

Pinkie Pie was confused, to say the least. She wasn't sure what was going on – why she wasn't in custody of Osborn, where the people who arrested her were, why Amora was being so civil, why Odin wanted to talk to her. None of it made sense. She approached the chair, picking at the garment. It was a gown of shimmering gold and white; the bodice was golden, covering from the neckline to the bustline, and below that, iridescent white fabric spread out into a ballooning skirt. The bodice was adorned with two thick golden straps adorned with yellow gemstones to act as sleeves. It was certainly beautiful enough, Pinkie thought, and she removed the pink and white suit Rarity had sewn for her in favor of putting it on.

"Are you decent?" Amora called through the door.

"Yes I am!" Pinkie replied, adjusting the dress. It fit her just perfectly. She wondered why. If someone had made it just for her.

Amora opened the door. "Come with me," she beckoned.

She led Pinkie Pie through the labyrinthine halls of the palace, and Pinkie marveled at the beauty and detail of everything there, from the edges of the windows to the bases of the columns to the carving of the furniture. Occasionally, they passed other Asgardians, and Pinkie marveled at their manner of dress.

Finally, they reached the doors of the throne room. Amora knocked. "Enter," the gruff voice called.

Amora parted the doors, leading Pinkie Pie into the throne room. "Lord Odin," she said, addressing the king seated upon his throne. "As you have requested. She is here."

"Good," "Odin" said. "Leave us."

Amora smirked. "As you wish." She turned, exiting the throne room, closing the door behind her.

Pinkie Pie stared nervously up at whom she took for Odin. "Uhhhh…hi!" she greeted. "My name is Pinkie Pie, and – "

"I know your name quite well. In fact, I requested that Amora bring you to me to discuss a very important matter."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! WHERE are my manners!" Pinkie suddenly cried, bowing deeply, eyes cast toward the ground.

"Odin" smiled at this. All the better. "Pinkie Pie, what I have to tell you is something quite secret. I ask of you to please mention what you are about to see here to no one. I trust you above all others to help me…and I need you to show me the same level of trust. What may look to you as something horrible is not, in fact, what it appears to me. I ask you to listen to my story. To hear what I have to say before you judge me or my actions. That is my request. Will you keep it?"

"Sure!" Pinkie said, still not looking up.

"You would so easily trust me?"

"Well…you wouldn't be saying these things if it wasn't really, really important! And it sounds like you need my help! And I know that if you can't keep a secret, that's the best way to lose a friend…FOREVERRRRR!"

"I am glad to hear it." He let his illusion fall away. "For I am not, in fact, Odin of Asgard. That is who this kingdom needs me to be. And that is who I am when you leave this room. But that is not who you stand before now at all."

Pinkie looked up, intrigued. Then she gasped. Her heartbeat increased its rate. She felt heat rising within her. She was looking at the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen in her life – this man sitting upon the throne, clothed in green and gold, who flashed her a brilliant, almost teasing smile.

"I am Loki," he announced. "You have not met me, but I have met you. You were quite a good friend of mine in days past, Pinkie Pie. Will you show me the same kindness now? And above all, will you swear to keep my secret?"

Pinkie Pie nodded deliberately, unable to remove her eyes from him, and answered, in complete awe, "Okie-dokie…Loki."

* * *

Chapter 72

· Oh, hey, look, I brought Harry Osborn back after I said I wouldn't. I was trying to find a way to have Peter cross paths with the chaos, and ultimately decided to have him accidentally run into it all instead of being called by Tony, mostly because I wanted to do what I did with Gwen. Naturally, that meant Harry had to make another cameo – because I feel like the two of them have to be his emotional crutches right now.

· I'm running with SSM Gwen because I really, really, really, really. REALLY. Don't like Emma Stone's portrayal. So she has her suspicions about Spider-Man and his villain network, but doesn't know for sure it's Peter. She knows Venom is Eddie, though.

· That moment when I realize I've probably had Venom refer to himself as a singular being in the past chapters ("I" instead of "we") and am hoping to cover for that here.

· Why do unstable Pym Particles explode now? BECAUSE PLOT DEVICE THAT'S WHY

· As I said, I HAAAATE Emma Stone's Gwen. She's bossy and far too stoic and, as of the latest trailer, too stupid not to yell out her boyfriend's name when he's supposed to be undercover (WHAT is with that quick hand clap over her mouth like OH SHIT I JUST SAID HIS REAL NAME IN FRONT OF PEOPLE?). You know the one good thing about Stone's Gwen? The hairspray flamethrower. So what did I have to give SSM Gwen, the version I actually love? THE FUCKIN' HAIRSPRAY FLAMETHROWER. FUCK YEAH.

· And of course, this is literally me doing The Night Gwen Stacy Died with major modifications, but changing the timeline; the Mane Six's presence on this world means Gwen never had to die that way. Had Twilight not been there, this would literally have been the moment in my timeline when Gwen would have died due to the drop off the bridge and the web catch. (I know how to Wikipedia things.)

· I slipped in physical descriptions of GAvillain and myself among Daken's raging fan-mob. Because we so would be.

· You only get a glimpse of Wolverine and Daken's confrontation here. I'll go into it in more detail later.

· The Shocker/Mysterio dialogue here might be some of the worst flirting I've ever written in this story. Well…second worst. The worst has to be any time I need to write Dr. Doom flirting.

· For those of you that translated Mysterio's Latin for the Bilingual Bonus, you probably need the context that "Goddamn Bats" is a trope from , referring to how in video games, bats are one of the most common and annoying enemies. Also, you may have noted that one of the bats quoted "Fly By Night" by Rush.

· How did Thing know where all the projectors were? I DON'T FREAKIN' KNOW

· I have been informed that Mysterio's helmet is actually probably plastic. I made it glass and had it shatter because honestly, if Mysterio were the one writing the story, he'd want the dramatic effect and imagery that makes.

· Flight Tech Battle Gear is my own invention. Well, I mean, Flight Tech was canon for Vulture, but I added the cannons to the canon.

· RAVONNA CAMEO YAY! I'm not sure I can do anything with her in this storylet, but I do eventually wanna wrap up the plot they had going with her in AEMH, especially because looking over her comic canon story gives me a lot of ideas of what can be done with her. (And yeah…I think she's that pretty.)

· Pinkie Pie likes electricity powers. Hmmmmmmm

· Pinkie's "Asgard dress" is a design of my own that I've had in my head ever since becoming familiar with the MCU.

· The idea of Pinkie Pie being romantically involved with Loki is one that has always intrigued me, as he is one of her catchphrases and obviously he has a thing for horses. Also, I needed at least one character who is somewhat like me (well…a lot like me) to go point out how sexy he is. His feelings toward her, however, I'm keeping under wraps for now and letting unfold…


	73. Okie-Dokie, Loki

73. Okie-Dokie, Loki

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

It took Loki a while to compose himself. He found he couldn't tell the story from the throne. No, he discovered himself standing down, turned slightly away from Pinkie Pie, looking at the wall. Even here, under these circumstances, it was difficult to put into words. To relive.

"When the Nine Realms were young," he began, "there was a great war between Asgard and Jötunheim. Jötunheim being the realm of the Jötunns…the Frost Giants. The trolls. As a spoil of war, King Odin ripped me from the Jötunns as a child, raising me as his own…never telling me that I had Jötunn blood within me. He raised me to hate the Jötunns, to revile them as demons and monsters. So we did with the Dark Elves as well. I lived what I believed a happy youth. As happy as one can have, I suppose, growing up in the shadow of Thor. But I had friends. Though he insisted upon besting me in every aspect of life, Thor acted as a friend to me. Lady Sif, the Riders Three, Gwendolyn, Griselda, Velvet… And I came to grow into my duty as a maker of mischief.

"That was when you met me. During these days of youth, when I was still learning, growing. When I lived in a blissful ignorance. That was when you came to me, and I first learned of you and your strange powers. You, Pinkie Pie, you were always the one to find my japes amusing, to laugh at the schemes I pulled on the others. We had a great adventure, you and your friends, me and whom I believed to be mine. Then you left, and did not return for thousands upon thousands of years.

"It was always clear to me where Odin's loyalty lay. He claimed to be my father, and yet, even before I knew the truth, before I knew I was no kin of his, he praised Thor's every action, groomed him for the throne, forged for him a powerful weapon beyond compare. To those of us living alongside Thor within this palace, to Gwendolyn and Griselda and myself, it seemed unfair, but a fact of life. Thor came first. And then, I realize, Gwendolyn and Griselda. I suppose Velvet and Ingway understood. They were cast out of Thor's sight. Bastard children he sired by the princess of another Asgardian kingdom. I had always thought myself lucky when I saw how he cast Velvet and Ingway so easily aside. I thought that as a true son of Odin and Frigga, I would never suffer their fate. It may have been wrong of me, but I thought myself…better than that, and I was grateful."

Loki paused for a moment before continuing. "But the truth came out. As it must always, eventually. That I was a Jötunn. One of the creatures I had been told all my life was inferior to we Asgardians, who controlled forces of nature and humanity. Simply a bargaining chip in Odin's game. Not a son to him. Not a prince, not an heir, not even a child to truly call his own! I was one of the enemy sheltered beneath his roof! Garbage to be thrown out when no longer desired! And he chose never to tell me. To let me find out on my own, though I suppose he wished me never to find out at all.

"He declared Thor his only true heir to the throne. Griselda, by that time, was dead, and of course he would not allow Gwendolyn, a woman, to take his throne. But did any of them know what it truly takes to rule? You've met Thor. Do you believe HIM capable of leading a nation? Of creating a structure? Were Odin to have made his selection based on which of his children had the most knowledge, it should have been me. But he would sooner die than place a Jötunn on the throne, even a Jötunn in blood only.

"What followed was a series of…mistakes, I will admit. I tried to take what I felt was truly mine time and time again…through deceit, through lies. By manipulating the others, by forging dangerous alliances, by attacking Midgard, Asgard, and Jötunheim alike. It was the only way, I thought, I could get through to Odin, to make him see…but he never did. Thor begged time and time again for him to give me a chance at redemption, but I could always see in his eyes that was never what he wanted. As for Thor…he never truly stood by me. He only wanted me to conform to Odin's standards. To become the subservient Jötunn garbage he wanted me to be so that we could live as a…happy family.

"Of course, we never could. The only one who ever even began to understand me was Frigga, Odin's wife…my mother, I suppose. Not by blood…but she treated me as a mother should treat a son. With respect, even when she had no choice but to be my jailer and lock me in the palace dungeons. Every word she said to me was sincere. But when the Dark Elves attacked in full force, she was killed. You will have heard, I know, that I am supposed to be dead. When they took my mother from me…I decided to ally myself with the supposedly righteous. To stand by Thor against Malekith. To appear to have given my life…that was to give Thor the advantage, to let him defeat Malekith for what I thought was once and for all. In the meantime…Odin died as well. And much like Frigga, it will take the passing of much time for him to regenerate.

"I hadn't yet let on to anyone that my sacrifice was a façade. The passing of Odin provided me with an opportunity. What if I could take his form, take his name…rule with his hand? Asgard would accept me then. And so I have been working in secret. Ruling as Odin, directing Asgard to my vision.

"And yet you wonder: what does H.A.M.M.E.R. have to do with any of this? For you must have deduced it was my idea as well, mine and Victor von Doom's. As though Norman Osborn could have set it up. Consider it our way of showing the world the correct way. Providing them with protectors. Giving the unheard a voice. All I ever wanted…a voice. Thor wouldn't understand, nor the legions who followed Odin's command. The only one who would ever understand is dead and gone. That is why I am here today.

"When I heard you and your friends had come to Midgard, what you know as 616th Earth, I knew I needed to speak to you, Pinkie Pie. To tell you of what had happened since last we met. I pieced together that this was the first time you had encountered any of us due to a fluctuation in time. When H.A.M.M.E.R. took you into custody, I ordered them not to put you in detainment, but to bring you to me. I had hoped you would be the same person – or, as it is, the same pony – now that you were then. That perhaps I could confide in you. Perhaps it was a silly wish, a folly. But all the same, I needed to speak with you, to tell you what had become of me." Loki sighed. "I suppose that was wishing too much."

He looked back to Pinkie Pie, who'd been listening to his every word with rapt attention, her eyes wide. As soon as he made eye contact with her, she burst into tears.

"I didn't knowwwwww!" she wailed. "All this time, and Thor never said anything, and you've always been hated and you just wanted to be respected this whole time but nobody loves you!"

Loki nodded. "Unfortunately, that is the fate I must bear."

"B-but why…" Pinkie wiped her eyes clean. "Why go after the Avengers? Why arrest them?"

"It's the only way to make them see," Loki told her. "They labor under the delusion that Odin, and, for that matter, Nick Fury represent the greater good. They would sooner attack me than listen. Even if Thor offered me another alliance, it would be in hopes that I would fight in memory of his father. I may not be proud of the mistakes I have made, but I have made a point of not having regrets."

"They just really don't understand at all, do they?" Pinkie asked, sniffling.

Loki shook his head. "That is why I want to ask a small favor of you. Though perhaps I have asked enough that you carry my secret."

"I won't tell ANYONE that Odin's you!" Pinkie asserted. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! But what's the other favor? I can probably do that one too! I like making my friends happy!"

"You believe we are friends? You have only known me a short while."

"Yeah, but you seem really nice…and really sad, too! What was the other thing?"

Loki stared her down. "Protect me," he said. "With all that has transpired, a backlash is inevitable. And I fear the worst. I am in a certain danger, and I fear I will not survive without your help. Victor and the others will do what they can…but a powerful enemy will stop at nothing to see me dead."

"Who would want YOU dead?"

"Another mistake I made," Loki explained. "Thanos. The Mad Titan. Leader of a race called the Chitauri. During my quest for justice, I crossed his path, and we struck a deal. I would lead his army to Midgard, and he would let me take control of that realm as my spoil. But I failed him…in no small part thanks to Thor and the Avengers. It is only a matter of time before he seeks me out to make good on his promise that if I did not succeed, there would be nowhere I could hide."

"Well, don't worry!" Pinkie vowed. "Pinkie Pie is on the case! And I'm sure when my friends hear about what happened, they'll help you too!" She gasped. "My friends! They must be worried about me!"

"I will do everything in my power to inform them that you are safe," Loki said. "However, you know as well as I that none of my associates can cross the borders of the Wakandan embassy. I will issue the order nonetheless. Fear not…I am sure you will be reunited with them again soon. In the meantime, you are my guest. So long as you do not reveal my identity to any other Asgardians, save Amora, you are free to roam the city as you wish."

"REALLY?" Pinkie gasped yet again, her eyes sparkling.

"Go wherever your heart desires," Loki told her.

"Okie-dokie, Loki!" Pinkie said, turning to make for the door. She stopped before she reached it. She didn't want to leave. "Um, Loki?"

"What is it, my dear friend?"

"Do you need any help from me now? Like, right now? Because I was wondering if I could…help you. Now."

"Your concern touches me," Loki said. "Truly, it does." He strode toward her, placing a hand on the side of her face; he could feel her tremble as her smile grew larger. "I have business I must attend to alone. But I will call upon your company again soon, this I swear."

"I can't WAIT!" Pinkie shrieked.

"Now go," Loki ordered, smiling warmly. "Have some fun."

Pinkie turned away, blushing madly, and charged from the throne room. Loki resumed his guise as Odin.

He knew that soon, he would have to return to 616th Midgard to explain the next phase – the final phase – of the plan.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The Wakandan embassy was comfortable. T'Challa had seen to it to find sleeping arrangements for all guests, as well as food and space in which to simply talk.

Tony, Steve, and Thor made their way down a hallway to find Banner exiting one of the lounge rooms, exuding an aura of distress. "What's with you?" Tony asked.

Banner gestured back to the door. "I want to help her," he said, "but I don't know what to say. This just isn't my THING. This isn't what I DO."

Steve peered through the doorway to see Fluttershy sitting in a chair at a conference table. Her elbows rested on the table's surface and her head in her hands. She shuddered visibly, obviously crying.

"I don't – " Banner went on, but Steve interrupted: "I'll talk to her." He entered the room, treading gently. The others watched from afar.

Steve took the seat opposite Fluttershy. "Hi," he said softly.

"Oh…" Fluttershy looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Hello. I'm sorry. Bruce and I were talking about everything that happened, and I…I don't know what came over me…I shouldn't have…"

"Don't apologize," Steve told her. "You have every reason to cry if you want. I know what's going on. You miss her. You're hoping she's okay."

Fluttershy nodded, unable to stop her eyes from watering again.

"I know how that feels," Steve said. "When Bucky – " He shook his head. "But this isn't about me. Fluttershy, I promise I will do everything in my power to rescue Pinkie Pie from them. I never leave a man behind…or a woman, for that matter. I'll bring her back. WE'LL bring her back. Safe and sound."

"But…" Fluttershy's voice was almost imperceptible. "What if it's already too late?"

"We have to believe it isn't," Steve told her. "And if it is…well, the pain will take a while to go away, but eventually, it does. The important thing is that you keep her in your memory. She's a good person. What would she want you to do?"

Fluttershy sniffled. "She'd want me to smile…" She forced the slightest of grins. "It's not easy. But I can do it."

"This just makes it all the more important to figure out our plan against Osborn." Steve rose. "I don't know what we can do yet, or how. But we'll figure something out. For her. In the meantime, if there's anything you need, please let us know."

"Thank you," Fluttershy replied. "I shouldn't keep you."

"Don't be afraid to interrupt me, either," Steve told her. "Are you going to be all right?"

Fluttershy nodded, her smile widening.

"Just let me know," Steve reiterated before leaving.

As he re-entered the hall, Banner said, "You don't have a CLUE what we're going to do about Osborn, do you?"

"Not yet," Steve admitted, "but I'll think of something. And if I don't, someone else will."

"I know," Tony said with a sincere nod. "Oh, and by the way, Steve…"

"What?"

"Don't read the morning paper. You don't want to know."

* * *

The Cabal table gathered.

"It is time we make our next move," Loki stated. "One that will draw the Avengers out of hiding, to be sure…but so much more than that."

"What do you mean?" Osborn asked, an eyebrow raising.

"Throughout the reformation," Loki said, "we have made advances toward rights for Atlanteans. Rights for mutants. Righted what has been wrong. And yet…there is still a great wrong that we have not touched. Something we now have it in our power to fix."

"And what would this be?" Blackheart asked this question almost teasingly.

"Asgard," Loki stated. "And the delusions under which its people labor."

"Are you suggesting we take Asgard forcibly?" Osborn asked, an edge creeping into his voice.

"There is no reason why we couldn't," Loki said. "After all, we are the defenders of the world. If we told the world that Asgard was a threat to its security…which they no doubt already believe to an extent, thanks in part to my own actions…no one would bat an eye if we led a full siege upon the capital."

Osborn slammed both hands on the table, standing. "Is THIS what this has all been about? Was this all a ploy for you to take what you wanted? For you to line us up like sheep for the slaughter to march forward as your army so you could take the throne of Asgard?"

"Oh, give me more credit than that," Loki replied. "The rest of you would have gotten your shares as well. Once I was installed upon the Asgardian throne, imagine the spoils the rest of you would have. And this doesn't change the goals we have already accomplished." He stole a glance toward Doom, and the two communicated briefly with their eyes, a shared agreement.

Namor stood then. "You lied to us," he accused. "You deliberately kept this information from us so we would…so we would…" He looked around the table. At the others. Their reactions. Osborn, of course, angry. Doom, of course, always in cahoots with Loki. But then there was Crouch. "You knew," he guessed. Then Blackheart. "And you." For the two of them were merely sitting calmly, Blackheart even with a smirk. Finally, to Frost. "You…?"

"I knew from the start," Frost said.

Loki was taken aback. "You couldn't have penetrated my mind – "

"But I could read Doom's thoughts," Frost explained, "and he told me everything. It was a matter of whether or not you would ever put it out in the open. That was what would jeopardize what I was working for. There is a large difference between a dream and reality."

"But given the chance," Loki asked her, "would you?"

"Invade Asgard?" Frost asked. "I would rather not. It has the potential to undo all of my progress. Then again, you raise a valid point."

"And what point is that?"

"If you can claim the throne of Asgard and bring it to reform, the rest of us can take hold of what we want EASILY. I might liken it to dominoes. If it goes wrong, I would lose my respect as a champion of mutantkind. But if it goes right…I may be able to put the humans in their place at long last. With all due respect to Victor and Norman."

"Namor," Loki cajoled. "Norman. You are the only two here who fail to see the good that can come of this."

"What good WILL come of this?" Osborn asked coldly.

"First Asgard falls…then Hell," Blackheart stated.

"The humans will be put in their place," Crouch reiterated.

"And you?" Osborn asked Doom. "Your motivation?"

"A secret," Doom replied. "Though I suppose Ms. Frost knows."

"Frost," Osborn ordered. "Tell me what he's planning."

"Not until you give me a reason it would benefit me," Frost countered. "The way I see it, it works in my favor to keep Doom's motivations a secret. And it works both ways, Osborn. I can see what's going on in your head, too. I have since the start. You aren't completely averse to the idea of a revolution. You talk all the time about how satisfied you are to finally control the nation, but that's not enough for you. You want more. If you had a shot at Asgard, which you know you don't because Loki and Doom would have you beat, you would take it for yourself, or at least dream about it. And down inside you, deep down, there's a part of you that wants to be invincible. That wants to have the power and freedom to do what you want, when you want to do it. That wants to embrace chaos. At your core, Norman Osborn, there's a part of you that misses – "

"THAT'S ENOUGH," Osborn snapped, silencing Frost. "I'll have you know, Loki, that I don't take this lightly."

"What choice do you have?" Doom asked.

"We signed on as a team," Loki reminded him. "If you want to break away now…I suppose that's all right. But without us backing your position as Director…say, if one of us actively worked to undermine it…well. Things could get ugly indeed."

After a long silence, Osborn sat back down.

"And you know quite well you identify with my struggle, Namor," Loki continued. "You want recognition as much as I do."

"Perhaps," Namor said. "But I am not sure I want power as much as HE does." He looked toward Doom. Doom made no reply.

"Don't think of it as a grab for power," Loki told him. "Think of it as an opportunity. Whatever you want will only come to you if you have the courage to take it by force."

"Are these words for my benefit," Namor asked, "or yours?"

"Does it matter?" Loki asked. "And remember: your involvement with this Cabal puts you on the same ground as Osborn. If you're not with us…"

Namor also sat down.

"Good," Loki said. "Now, we can discuss particulars. Please. This is for the benefit of H.A.M.M.E.R. as a whole, and you know it."

* * *

After the meeting dispersed, Loki and Osborn remained behind.

"Is this truly not what you want?" Loki asked.

"We've done nothing on the scale of an invasion," Osborn pointed out. "It's an enormous gamble."

"You've pulled off riskier ventures. What is that you say when something of yours fails? We sweep up, and try agai – "

"I don't appreciate you using my words against me."

"What, do you want me to apologize? I never do. Sorry…I couldn't resist."

Osborn glared at him.

"Why are you against this?" Loki asked. "After all, there is a piece for you. I intend to reward my associates handsomely. You will still have H.A.M.M.E.R. under your control at the end of the day. You will have a domain all your own. But at the same time, there is a stake of Asgard in it for you."

Osborn mulled it over.

"You still aren't fond of the idea, are you?" Loki asked. "I'm not quite sure I understand. After all, Ms. Frost wasn't lying…was she?"

"She also said there is a line between dreams and reality. Just because I want it doesn't mean I think it is a viable route."

"Oh, but I think it is. I can see it now…you, sailing over Asgard, raining explosives on the heads of all who oppose our little group…flying, free to do whatever you want…to be invincible again. Norman Osborn, I do declare you've gotten used to playing it safe."

Osborn wanted to argue against that. He didn't know how to put his thoughts into words, or at least words that would hold water against Loki.

"Tell me, Osborn," Loki urged. "Why not?"

There was still no way to say it.

"You don't have an answer."

"Perhaps I have played it safe," Osborn stated. "Perhaps I've merely bided my time in a way I feel is strategic. I suppose, the way you put it, there is no reason…why not. But only for one day. The day of our…siege. You realize we can't call it that to the public, of course."

"Of course. It will be a measure of justice. But most importantly, a chance for the world to see what our forces can REALLY do. We've given them a reason to love us. It's high time we gave them a reason to fear us as well."

"For one day," Osborn reiterated.

"One day."

Osborn smiled. "This may not be so bad after all. At the end of the day…a stake in Asgard does catch my fancy. As for the people of this world…who knows what that irrational Odin may do to them if not kept in check?"

"There's the spirit."

* * *

Doom found Namor sulking, alone, in a conference room. The one, in fact, Osborn had used to brief his hit squad of the Dark Avengers and Sinister Six.

"What troubles you?" Doom asked.

"Is this truly right?" Namor replied. A question for a question. "Invading Asgard?"

"What you will gain from this venture is the power to make the right that you see fit. When Loki gains the throne in Asgard, you will not only have a say in its rule, but you will be able to take the seas – "

"I have abandoned that notion," Namor told Doom. "It did, once, almost seem like the answer: for you to rule the lands, and I the seas…but no more. The seas do not need my hand. My duty is to Atlantis, and as such, my loyalty is still to you. But I no longer want to speak with you of ruling land and sea." He paused. "Nor do I want your affections. It is obvious to whom your heart belongs. Do not try to give it to me."

"A pity," Doom stated. "However, you will stand beside us during the Siege."

"I shall consider – "

"It was not a question, Namor."

A sigh. "I know."

With nothing further to say, Doom turned and stalked from the room.

* * *

Tony looked at the newspaper again. He'd told Steve not to, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop looking at the headline: AVENGERS WANTED CRIMINALS, THREAT TO JUSTICE. Or the sub-headline (Costumed Scoundrels Cowardly Take Refuge in Foreign Embassy) or the byline (J. Jonah Jameson, big surprise). For a moment, Tony considered that of all the evils he'd ever faced, from Obadiah Stane to Ivan Vanko to Red Skull to Loki himself, perhaps Jameson was the worst of the lot.

He ripped the paper to shreds, haphazardly scattering scraps. Pieces of text that described how the Avengers had obstructed justice, assaulted certain officers of the law, and perhaps even been driven to this madness by their "six friends of unknown origin, who may be the real evil in our midst" floated to the floor.

"I would prefer it if you recycled those instead of littering the floors where you have been welcomed as a guest," T'Challa said.

Tony sighed before getting down on his hands and knees to sweep up the scraps. "Sorry, okay? It's just all this. We're being treated like the goddamn bad guys while the actual goddamn bad guys rule the country. And the worst part is, they actually haven't done anything outside of chase down us and run out Fury. They look like the epitome of justice to everyone else. That almost makes me wonder if we did the wrong thing." He stood, the scraps of paper collected in his hands. "I'm NOT wrong, T'Challa."

T'Challa nodded. "They have acted as aggressors. And it is only a matter of time before their true colors show."

"So what do we do now? If it were just up to me, I'd fly up there right now and – "

"You know very well why you can't."

"Then WHAT? We sit around here and hope for something to just fall out of the sky to show us the way?"

"I may have something that can help you take your mind off it for a moment…and perhaps allow you to think of new solutions to the situation."

Tony sighed. "Okay, humor me."

"Follow me."

Tony followed T'Challa to the basement, where he was shown a large laboratory area filled with gleaming computer screens and various hardware organized on the walls. "Even here, I always find it worth my while to experiment with new technology," T'Challa explained. "You may use it for whatever you please."

Tony had to experience what is best described as a mental double take. "You're letting me have the run of this place?"

"Yes. I know you will create something useful, and perhaps organize your thoughts in the process. Though there has been a request for your first project."

"Hit me."

T'Challa motioned to the far wall, where Tony saw the battered Spectrum propped up. "It is no longer functional outside of providing external protection," T'Challa explained.

"Two steps ahead of you," Tony said, looking around the lab. "Well, compared to what I'm used to, it's a few steps backward…but I can work with it."

"I am glad. I wish you luck."

"Thanks. For this."

"It is no problem. I will leave you to your work."

T'Challa exited, and Tony crossed to Spectrum, examining the various damages. "The hell happened to this…?"

* * *

The main room was packed; all had come to hear Osborn's announcement. In the front row, Natasha, Coulson, Johnson, and Morse. Tucked away in the back corner, Eva Ice, a smile already upon her face. Lined up against the back wall, in full dress so everyone would recognize them, were Zemo, Amora, Venom, the Red Hulk, Daken, Bullseye, Mysterio, Shocker, Electro, Sandman, Rhino, and Vulture.

"Today, I bring you an announcement of great importance," Osborn stated. "We have defended this nation from many threats. From that of the Dark Elves, from the barbarian Attuma, from a HYDRA extremist. But one threat lingers. I am sure you remember the damage that has come every time an Asgardian has approached this world. You don't need to look further than the Chitauri invasion to see that Asgard poses a threat. If we do not take action against it, we may very well end up with yet another incident like that on our hands. Or worse…with what will happen if Odin decides mortals are too inferior to be allowed to survive.

"That is why I am proposing a measure that may seem extreme…but I believe it is for the best. As you probably well knew, former director Nick Fury had prepared several weapons to fend off interdimensional attacks. Production nearly halted when Steven Rogers, otherwise known as the fugitive Captain America, convinced him that such a thing was unethical. Yet the threat still stands, and this organization has taken no further action since. We must make a decisive move. We shall lead the movement into Asgard and force the populace to accept our terms of peace."

"You mean invade Asgard," Natasha interrupted.

"I suppose you could define it as invasion," Osborn said, "but I like to think of it as a peacekeeping method."

Suddenly growing suspicious, Natasha said, "You don't want to risk war with Wakanda, but you'll START a war with Asgard? What's really going on?"

"As an Asgardian," Amora broke in, "I believe I have the right to speak. Director Osborn has discussed this decision with me, and I encouraged him to take this path."

As Amora approached the front of the room, Zemo stole a glance at Ice. Altogether, he wasn't surprised. He had known that Loki, Doom, or both would be taking something larger out of the H.A.M.M.E.R. operation, and true colors were beginning to be revealed.

"King Odin is an unreasonable man," she stated. "He has long spoken of war against Midgard. He is a ruthless conqueror. You saw what he drove Malekith to become when he devastated Svartalfheim! Not that I, by any means, excuse Malekith for his actions. But he stands as an example of what Asgard can leave in its wake. If we strike now, however…the people are weak. Bloated on the security they believe Odin can give them. Taking Asgard would be much easier than taking Wakanda."

"We don't intend to TAKE Asgard," Osborn hissed to Amora. "Merely coerce them into a negotiation."

Zemo and Ice kept eye contact. Ice winked. Zemo nodded. Almost a perfect charade, forged by the Lie-smith himself.

"But if we do not make some sort of attempt now," Amora concluded, "we will be seeing Odin's troops on our doorstep. I have heard such whispers. I am considered no less than a complete deviant among my people for my wish to defend Midgard. Please heed my warning now…unless you would rather pay the price later."

"Amora and I have discussed the matter, and we have the technology to make a break into Asgard," Osborn stated. "I hope you will all stand by this decision."

"NEVER," Natasha asserted. "This is an injustice! There's something else going on here, and – "

"Presumptuous, aren't we?" Zemo interrupted. "For what reason do you believe there is a more sinister agenda?"

"Whenever Asgard is involved…" Natasha trailed off.

"All the more reason to stop it in its tracks, I should think," Zemo argued.

Natasha stared him directly in the eye, slightly unnerved by the act of staring directly at an almost featureless mass of purple instead of a face. "Attacking Asgard just sounds a bit too familiar for my tastes."

"This is, of course, an unrelated sentiment," Zemo told her, "but your words bring to mind the fact that the dead generally remain dead."

This only heightened her suspicion. However, she knew she couldn't make the accusation outright.

"During the process, I wish for all H.A.M.M.E.R. agents to be accounted for," Osborn went on. "If you are not to be in combat, you are to be under surveillance elsewhere. This mission is to be kept in strict confidence from the public, and I do not wish to see that compromised. Is that clear?"

Before Natasha could say anything else, she felt Coulson tug at her sleeve. She sat back down.

"He has us cornered," Coulson whispered. "There'll be no warning…you know who."

"They'll find out," Natasha whispered back.

Striding forward through the crowd, Zemo announced, "I would be honored to lead my team of New Avengers into the peacekeeping mission in Asgard. And they would all be honored to stand with me."

"We would?" the Red Hulk whispered, slightly nervous.

"Of course," Bullseye replied with a grin.

Shocker then stepped forward. "My men are in too," he stated. "We threw our lot in with H.A.M.M.E.R., and that's where it stays."

"Yeah!" Sandman echoed. "Besides, I'm lookin' forward to scorin' some Asgardian loot – "

Mysterio elbowed him in the stomach. Of course, it didn't hurt, but Sandman got the point and shut up.

"Forgive anythin' my associates might say," Shocker continued. "We want one thing, and ONLY one thing: to see that Odin brought down off his high horse."

Zemo was impressed at how easily Shocker was able to sew himself into the charade. He wondered what it was Shocker thought he would get out of it. Certainly, the Six had their motives…even if said motives amounted to earning a bribe or dodging a threat from the higher chain of command.

"Our strongest defenders will stand against the Asgardian threat," Osborn reiterated. "Will you?"

A cry from one agent: "DOWN WITH ODIN!"

Another: "We need to stop this before war comes to OUR world!"

And Ice: "Make them KNEEL!"

It was all Zemo could do to keep from laughing. That was almost a dead giveaway. Were Loki's shapeshifting efforts any less convincing, it would have raised eyebrows. But as it were, even Natasha didn't seem to latch on to that all too familiar outcry.

Natasha was far too concerned with the frenzy building in the agents around her. She looked around to see if any one of them had managed to resist being caught up in Osborn's tirade of propaganda. Only Coulson, Johnson, and Morse seemed to be expressing any doubt.

"Transportation will be prepared tomorrow to Asgard," Osborn said. "Prepare to execute the peacekeeping operation the day after that. Until that time, no one leaves."

* * *

One had to travel quite a long way out of the city limits to find such thing as a rolling green field uncrowded by suburbs or skyscrapers. However, such a site was located the morning after Osborn had incited the agents to rally, and so it was that at the crack of dawn, seven beings walked out upon the fields.

"You're sure that no one will escape?" Loki grilled Osborn.

"The Dark Avengers and the Six are monitoring every entry and exit," Osborn confirmed. "Try as she might, there is no way that the Black Widow will be informing her comrades of our plan."

Among the Cabal, Loki had yet again dropped his guise as Eva Ice. He carried with him only his spear. Upon his orders, Doom, Namor, Blackheart, Frost, Crouch, and Osborn each carried a spearlike object as well: black metal with a crystal set into the top.

"And how do these work, again?" Crouch asked.

"The crystals are facilitators, much like your Dark Matter," Loki said. "Not as reliable, but attuned to act as a substitute for the Bifrost and conduct dark energy in a manner that will create a suitable portal."

"I thought you could just teleport wherever you wanted to," Frost countered. "Hadn't you mastered the Dark Arts to that level?"

"I have indeed," Loki informed her, "but to take as large of a party as we intend, I will need to generate a field that will encompass them all. Unless you want us all to go in holding hands with each other. No, the crystals will act as the field as well. Asgardian technology has long relied on crystals, and we have learned to manipulate them to do our will. Though some of their darker purposes have been forgotten since the bloodier eras of history. Now. As we discussed."

Doom, Namor, Blackheart, Frost, Crouch and Osborn each took a position on the field, forming a large circle. Loki stood dead center of this circle, spear at the ready. He raised it aloft.

"NOW!" he commanded.

The six black staffs were plunged into the soft earth. As soon as this was done, their crystals began to glow softly. The tip of Loki's spear glowed, and suddenly, the crystals' light blazed. Shafts of light burst from each, connecting to the spear. Then a ray of blackness erupted from the spear's point, zipping up into the sky. At a certain height, it halted, and the end of the ray erupted into a floating mass of darkness that spread itself out thinly across the sky until it reached the perimeter that lined up with the circle suggested by the crystals planted below. When it was over, those below noticed a faint darkening of the sky, as though looking at the marked area through the lens of sunglasses, but nothing quite so obvious as the initial process had been. The crystals on the ground, however, still glowed quite brightly.

"It needs time," Loki explained. "When we return to it tomorrow, it will be suitable. In the meantime…I am sure you all have preparations to make."

The seven departed from the field. Osborn in particular had a fair amount of preparation on his mind. He had a lot of technology to acquire…as well as a mask.

* * *

"Amora."

Amora's stride down the hallway of the helicarrier was interrupted by Natasha's call. The Enchantress turned to see Natasha, Coulson, Morse, and Johnson lined up behind her.

"Come to hurl yet another wild accusation at me?" Amora sighed.

"Actually, we want to join you on the peacekeeping effort," Johnson stated. "If you could let Osborn know we will be among the landing party."

Amora appeared taken aback. "I…shall deliver the message."

"Thank you," Natasha said with a somber nod.

Amora immediately turned on her heel and continued walking. Of course she would inform Osborn of this. It was good for them that the four agents under the most suspicion were going to place themselves directly in the Cabal's supervision, but all the same, it meant they were going where they could become instruments of sabotage, and she was well aware they knew that.

* * *

That evening, Tony was immersed in work. Spectrum had been rewired, patched up, and polished. He had turned to his own armor, making tweaks where needed. He was beginning to wish there were more than two suits at his disposal at the moment. Eventually, he knew, he was going to run out of things to do to either of them, and what would he attach his thoughts to then?

"TONY!"

It was when Rarity yelled his name that he realized she'd been standing at the door, saying his name over and over, for at least thirty seconds. He faced her; "What?"

"Well, excuse me if I interrupted," Rarity said with a huff, "but we have visitors. Pepper and Jane have been given clearance to enter the embassy building, and they INSIST we all gather to hear some important announcement they have for us."

Tony sighed. "Fine." He got up and followed Rarity out of the lab.

The two trailed into the back of a large conference room. Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Steve, Thor, Banner, Clint, T'Challa, Yellowjacket, Jan, Carol, Wilson, and Vision were already gathered there; they stole a look back to make sure Rarity and Tony had arrived, then returned their attention to the front of the room. There, Pepper Potts and Jane Foster stood. Pepper maintained a solid pose and a stoic demeanor; Jane, on the other hand, couldn't stop herself from appearing more worried.

"What's this all about?" Tony asked once Rarity had closed the door behind him.

"I guess we have you to thank for this," Pepper began. "Or else we never would have noticed it. Selvig's team set up equipment to take readings of…how did you put it?"

"It's pretty technical," Jane continued, "but I guess you could say the world's…aura. Its signature that makes it part of this dimension. What makes it different from Asgard."

"When we started scanning," Pepper said, "Jane found something."

"There's a large amount of energy gathering just outside the city limits," Jane explained. "It's almost exactly like the readings we gathered when Thor first landed here. It reminded me even more of the data we were able to collect when the Nine Realms converged. I can't be sure, but I think there's a portal forming between two realms. Like the Bifrost…but with a bigger radius. Much bigger."

She let this information settle in. Then Twilight asked, "Do you know what the other realm is?"

"Not for certain," Jane stated. "But since the energy signature is so familiar, I almost want to say it's Asgard. I don't have enough data yet to tell if the signature matches because it's the same realm as before, or if that's just the signature that's given off every time there's a connection."

"You don't think…" Applejack began.

"This is related to Osborn?" Steve concluded for her.

"They might be headed toward Asgard to invade it!" Thor guessed.

"Why would they want to invade Asgard?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That would make no sense! They're just all about making us look bad and taking over as the new heroes in town!"

"I thought something smelled rotten when I first heard that Osborn was taking over S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony reiterated. "What if this was his plan all along? It would certainly explain why Amora was suddenly working for him right after we rescued her."

"Whether or not it's his plan," Twilight stated, "I think we need to check it out."

"We're wanted criminals out there, remember?" Banner told her. "If we end up going out there for nothing…"

"No matter what it is, it won't be nothing!" Twilight asserted. "Unless this just happens to be a natural occurrence, which I have a feeling it's not, this was done completely in secret. Jane, how big was the rift, again?"

"Enough to take a hundred people across in one go," Jane stated.

"Like an army," Twilight clarified. "Either one that's being sent from here to there, or one coming from there to here."

"And if this was just a fake set up by Osborn to lure us into the open?" Yellowjacket suggested.

"It wouldn't be," Twilight theorized. "The only way we know about it is because of Pepper and Jane. Osborn would have to have known that they would be scanning, and that they were connected the way they are. If he really wanted to draw us out, he would have made it easier for us to find on our own!"

"Osborn's tricky," Tony told her. "He knows a lot."

"I, for one, agree with Twilight," Thor stated. "Even if it is a mere fluke, this could potentially mean my home is in danger. We must cross this portal immediately!"

"You couldn't," Jane told him. "Not right now. It's still building. It won't turn into a complete bridge between realms until…given its rate of expansion…7:14 a.m. tomorrow."

"Then we go at that time," Thor corrected.

"Jumping the gun is too dangerous," Yellowjacket argued.

"What do YOU want to do, then?" Twilight snapped. "Wait until a big disaster shows up? See what we COULD have stopped before it got out of hand?"

"No matter what happens," Yellowjacket said, "there will be trouble. Either we end up in a fight against some army headed from one dimension to another, we walk right into Osborn's hands, or we follow a natural phenomenon only to have everyone see us defying our warrant for arrest, which also puts us in Osborn's hands!"

"But I think Twilight is on to something," Steve stated. "If we don't act, there's a good chance that somebody could get hurt by whatever the outcome of this is supposed to be."

"And you forget," Thor said. "I still wonder if Loki is not, in fact, alive and working with H.A.M.M.E.R. If he is, then this portal…"

"…Would be his chance at invasion!" Rarity gasped.

There was yet more silence from the group.

"I don't know how likely that is," Yellowjacket said, "but if it's even possible at all…I don't want to take the chance. All right. We'll go."

"But we HAVE to be prepared for the worst," Banner insisted.

"Are we all agreed, we're going into this portal as soon as it opens?" Steve asked.

He was answered with murmurs and nods of agreement.

"It's going to be a battle," Twilight realized. "We really will have to be ready for anything."

"If it isn't a battle," Rainbow Dash asserted, "I'm gonna make it one."

"What's that mean?" Clint asked.

"Listen," she said. "Osborn still has Pinkie Pie. If we're going to be out in the open anyway…if that portal turns out to be nothing, I'm still going right to the source to break her out. Anypony else with me?"

All were agreed to this plan as well.

"Pepper," Tony beseeched, "I need you to do me a favor. You need to get back to the mansion. J.A.R.V.I.S. will let you in. Have him initiate a Code White. Everyone involved will need to be here, outside the embassy, at six tomorrow. Whatever we're walking into, we can't walk into alone."

Pepper nodded. "I'll get it done. Good luck out there."

"Twilight," Thor asked, "is something wrong?"

"I just can't shake this feeling," Twilight admitted.

"What feeling?"

"That something really terrible is waiting for us. Something worse than what we've already had to face together."

* * *

Chapter 73:

· Yes. I am still name-dropping from Odin Sphere. Velvet, Gwendolyn, Ingway, and Griselda are all children of Odin in some way or another. But trust me, you'll learn more about all of them later.

· What I love is that here, Loki is pretty much telling the truth for the most part…just in the way he wants it told. It's occurred to me and several others that he could use his Woobie qualities as a weapon to get people on his side.

· Ironically, in the original Dark Reign, the Siege on Asgard was Osborn's idea.

· That was my way of breaking up Doom/Namor permanently. Next chapter, you'll see the REAL way the ship chips fall.

· As I said, I have this joke that J. Jonah Jameson is possibly the greatest evil in the Marvel universe. I had to get Tony in on that.

· I'm sure there's a fictional canon out there that already hands me a better way to make a portal that big that needs that much time to develop, but I can't think of it right now, so I kind of made something up with the crystals. Crystals are a HUGE part of the world's technology in Odin Sphere, and Loki of course built his last portal off the Tesseract and his spear, so I figure it's valid.


	74. One Last Goodnight Kiss

74. One Last Goodnight Kiss

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

Having delivered their news, Pepper and Jane made their way to the exit. Thor walked alongside them for the duration. Having guessed his intentions, Pepper told him and Jane, "I'm going to go on ahead to the Mansion and issue the Code White. Jane, I'll catch up with you later." Then she slipped out the door, leaving Thor and Jane alone in the entryway.

"I regret we must part so soon," Thor told Jane. "Could you not stay?"

"I'd only be in your way," Jane replied. "And more importantly, I need to keep tracking that portal to make sure it does what I think. If my timing turns out to be wrong, I'll come right back and let you know."

"Will you sleep?"

"Darcy, Dr. Selvig, and I will take shifts sleeping and watching. Well…Darcy will probably make the intern do her shift."

"Then sleep well, Jane. I suppose I shall speak to you after we have attended to this portal and returned to Midgard."

"Please do," Jane blurted. "Return, I mean."

A look of concern crossed Thor's face. "Are you frightened?"

"Yes. I don't know why. I know you're strong. You can handle a lot. But I'm still afraid that something will happen to you on the other side of that portal, and I might never see you again."

"I promise to you, Jane Foster," Thor swore, "that I shall see you many times yet before I perish. I will return safely, and my friends with me. There is no force that could keep me from returning to you."

Jane smiled up at him. While she still worried – how could she not? – his promise washed over her, quelling many of her feelings. "Just in case…" she began.

"A parting token of affection?" Thor guessed.

She nodded. "Please." She reached up, lay her palm against his face. His arm wrapped around the small of her back, drawing her close. He leaned downward ever so slightly; he pressed his lips to hers. She drank the kiss in, somewhat greedily, wanting all she could take of him before he departed from her. At the same time, he was imprinting the feel of her lips into his memory to take with him on his journey.

Eventually they realized they had to part. And so they did, though reluctantly. "I love you," Jane blurted.

"I love you above all," Thor told her.

Jane let out a nervous laugh. "I'm never quite as eloquent as you about these things. I'm sorry."

"Do not be. No matter your words, I can hear what your heart says. It speaks loudly. Now do not let me keep you from that which you need to do."

"Good luck," Jane told him. It was all she could think to say. But he could indeed hear everything she meant. Her hopes and fears for him.

"Goodnight," he replied.

She left slowly, drawing the door behind her as sluggishly as she could. He watched until the last click of the door's mechanism, then turned to make his way to his quarters for the night.

* * *

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy moved toward the rooms they had selected to sleep in.

"You okay?" Rainbow Dash asked Fluttershy.

"Yes," Fluttershy said softly. "I'm just thinking about…you know."

"I'm worried about her too," Rainbow Dash said with a nod. "If this portal thing turns out not to be connected to Osborn…I just might fly up to that helicarrier and try to get her out anyway, warrant or no warrant."

"I just hope that wherever she is," Fluttershy said somberly, "she isn't in too much pain or sadness. I hope she's at least comfortable, and has hope."

* * *

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

"WOOOOHOOOOOOO!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she barreled down the streets of Asgard, drawing several stares in her direction. "ASGARD IS AWESOOOOME!" She gave a great gasp before exclaiming, "It's so beautiful and sparkly and twisty and turny and humongously epic and it's AMAZIIIIING!"

She pirouetted in an open square, singing, "Oh, the city of Nebulapolis is the best place for me!"

She danced a jig on a rooftop. "Oh, the city of Nebulapolis is the best place for me!"

She ran to the edge of an artificial lake. "Hip hip, hooray, it's the best place for me – " She executed a perfect swan dive, coming up to float on her back before finishing, "For Pinkiiiiiiieeee!"

She skipped down the street. "With so many spiraling towers and a beautiful palace at the center and everypony dressed in so many bright colors so it's like a rainbow walking down the street!"

She pirouetted through a garden. "Where there's pretty armor and pretty architecture and pretty armoires and pretty artworks and pretty arrangements! And I even have a new friend here that I can't believe is so nice even though I can't talk about him too much!"

She waltzed into a store, picking up and examining all of the wares on display, mostly ornamental decorations. "Oh, the city of Nebulapolis is the best place for me!"

She tried on several robes of different colors. "Oh, the city of Nebulapolis is the best place for me!" She eventually just put the dress Amora had given her back on.

In the square, she spread her arms wide and sang to the sky: "And I can't wait to bring my friends here and show them all the best things there are to seeeee! WHEEEEE!"

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

Victor von Doom opened the door to the bunk he had staked as his quarters so that he could march with the rest in the morning. He was genuinely surprised to find Loki sitting on his bed, leaning back, hands pressed against the mattress, one leg delicately crossed over the other. Upon Loki's face was a coy smirk.

"I would have thought you'd be in Asgard by now," Doom told him. "Especially with the girl to think about."

"It can wait a while," Loki informed Doom. "I merely wanted to speak to you of tomorrow. Is it not almost incredible, that we are on the cusp of having everything we wanted?"

"You and I have been here many times," Doom reminded him. "And each time, victory was ripped from us."

"But we will at least take something, if not everything. I had so hoped this would be the time. The time that the realms would finally bow to our vision."

"You know I hope the same." After a short silence, Doom stated, "Namor has rejected the alliance I offered him."

"I won't pretend that isn't good to hear. Though I wish you had not persisted with him for this long."

"He told me not to offer him my heart, for it was obviously elsewhere. He was correct, you know."

Loki's smile broadened.

"You needn't test me anymore by kissing young wizards," Doom went on.

"I am VERY glad to hear it," Loki replied. "Though you must admit that Crouch has admirable ambition, as well as a lovely face."

"You and I are both opportunists, Loki," Doom pointed out. "I do not think it does either of us well to deny it."

"So it seems. Perhaps I should be more forgiving, then. But I also well know that neither of us is well suited to forgiveness when we have been wronged, even in the slightest." Loki laughed, slightly. "We certainly are two of a kind, aren't we?"

"You are one of the few I have ever considered an equal to me," Doom stated. "Though I suppose you find that an insult. An Asgardian, considered equal to a human."

"I think you and I both know that you are no ordinary human, Victor. I should think that 'equal' is a fitting enough term for now."

"By all rights, it should be us, shouldn't it? You who rules Asgard, and I this world. It appears to be only what we deserve."

"They don't believe it. They never do."

"We shall make them see it." Doom waited for Loki to reply; when he didn't, Doom asked, "Is there another reason you are sitting on my bed?"

"We are taking quite the risk tomorrow, after all," Loki said, grinning. "I imagine tonight is the night that everyone is dealing out their last kisses before the battle begins. And after all, you know where our hearts belong."

"I should have known you to wish for affection before we go to business."

"If you do not want me here," Loki told Doom sincerely, "say the word, and I shall leave. After all, as you pointed out, there are many things in Asgard I have yet to take care of."

Doom was silent again, not sure how to respond. Then: "I would prefer you did not leave just yet."

"As would I. Would it please you to come closer?"

Doom approached the bed, looking directly down to where Loki sat.

"Are you really going to leave THAT on your face even now?" Loki teased.

It was difficult – not physically, though – for Doom to perform the simple act of reaching up and removing his mask. He let it fall to the floor, letting Loki feast his eyes upon the imperfection in his face, upon the scar that traversed his skin. Loki had seen his true face many times before, but he still hated showing it. "It's no Barty Crouch," he seethed.

"Do you honestly believe me that shallow?" Loki asked. "You never have been able to get it into your head that your mind more than makes up for it."

"The point of the mask is to allow us all to focus on my intellect, Loki."

"Yes, but the fact remains that you still think you NEED it. It's only one scar, after all."

"We seek to make our worlds perfect, Loki. When I require perfection, I find it unacceptable to appear to be a hypocrite."

Loki laughed, then. "Well. That certainly says a lot about your opinion of me!"

"That it does."

Doom bent at the knee, putting himself at eye level with Loki. Loki was the first to reach out, placing a hand against Doom's face, drawing him toward Loki's own. When their lips first met, Doom felt as though the connection didn't quite fit somehow, as many times as they had done this before, but Loki was sure of what he was doing, slowly burying his fingers in the dark hair at the back of Victor's head. And so Victor became more sure as well, reaching up to place a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki gently stopped him, placing a hand on his wrist. Their lips parted from each other, and upon a nod from Doom that he could do so, Loki slowly slid Doom's gauntlet off his right hand. Doom offered his left so Loki could repeat the process.

Doom then placed his bare hands on Loki's shoulders, placing his lips over Loki's yet again. He felt the barely perceptible laugh of pleasure that Loki emitted just before Loki began to slowly lean backward, twisting so that his course ensured his head would land on the pillow of Doom's bed. Doom followed his lead, clambering onto the bed, positioning one leg over Loki's own, all the while never breaking the kiss.

Asgard could wait.

* * *

Yellowjacket was locked in a staring contest with the Pym discs. After he had fully convinced himself he could do no more with them, he sighed and got up to take a walk.

As he rounded the corner, he was forced into a quick halt; he'd nearly collided head-on with Jan.

"Oh…!" she cried.

"…Hi," Yellowjacket greeted.

"Hi," Jan replied.

For a while, they both grasped at words. Then Jan said, "So tomorrow…"

"There's a good chance it will be…dangerous."

"Yeah."

Yet again, a loss for words, each remembering the time they would have said "I love you" immediately, before it was too late. The time when they would have passionately embraced. The time that had long passed.

"Look…Jan," Yellowjacket said. "I've been doing some thinking. And I'm still not done thinking. About who I am. About what I want. This…shouldn't even be about me. It should be about you. But I can't think of another way to say it."

"To say what?"

"Jan, I…deep down, I still think we want different things."

"Aw, geez, are you breaking up with me AGAIN?"

"Just…listen," Yellowjacket sighed. "I don't know where we are. I don't know if we should be…shackled down to each other, at this point. But I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm glad you stood up for me. And I'm glad to have you as a friend at least. That's something I never want to lose. And…I'm sorry I abandoned you without talking to you more about it first. I didn't treat you with the respect you deserve. I made you think you didn't mean anything to me, and that's not true at all."

Jan was taken aback. "I…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. It's enough that you listened."

"No, no! I WANT to say something!" Jan protested. "I don't know where we are either. But I'm happy to have you as a friend too. I know…I used to get on your case for you being too serious, and now I get on your case for not being like you were. I can't really say I love you. But I do like you. And what you just said…it means a lot to me, Hank. Sorry. Yel – "

"Hank is…is fine."

Jan's eyes widened.

"I know," Yellowjacket continued. "It's still something I'm working out. But I can't run from it forever."

"Whatever feels best…Hank. Hey…good luck tomorrow."

"Same to you."

"Well, g'night!"

"Goodnight, Jan."

As they parted, Jan felt happiness brewing within her. The times of "I love you" and passionate embraces may have been long gone, but Hank was certainly not.

* * *

In her bunk, Natasha stared at the ceiling. She wasn't at all confident that she, Morse, Johnson, and Coulson would be enough to make any sizeable impact against Osborn once they reached Asgard. But all the same, they had to try. She wished Sam Wilson could be with them.

But even more, she wished Clint Barton could be there.

By now, had they been together, Natasha could have told Clint not only about Osborn's plan, but her fears and worries. And Clint would have responded with so much confidence.

She closed her eyes and thought of him. She reached out with her left hand, closing it over empty sheets and blankets.

* * *

Meanwhile, in his bed at the Wakandan Embassy, Clint stared up at the ceiling as well, thinking about Natasha. He wondered why she hadn't come to warn them about the portal. Two distinct explanations for that stuck out to him. For one, the portal was unconnected to H.A.M.M.E.R. For another…something had happened so she couldn't reach him.

He tried to tell himself it was the former, but couldn't help but worry it was the latter. He wondered what she'd say to him. He supposed she would worry, but eventually, she would call upon her inner strength, insisting that she and Clint face what was coming ahead with courage. To let their opponents believe they weren't afraid.

He closed his eyes, picturing her face. His right hand grasped at the bedclothes.

* * *

He was dressed in simple clothing: white shirt, black pants. His face was in full view, its paleness offset by the dark auburn of his hair. His traditional ensemble of bright yellow was stowed away in the room he'd chosen for his bunk, as well as his choice weapons. Opposing the view of several of his teammates – though many of them didn't have a choice in the matter; they were locked into their identities by what had been made of their bodies – he felt that as empowering as it was to be Shocker, when times were not so important and deeds not urgently in need of doing, it was refreshing to be able to fall back on just being Montana.

He strolled the halls of the helicarrier, familiarizing himself with its pathways. He thought about checking in with the rest of the Six to make sure they were sufficiently prepared for the journey to Asgard. He knew they were all competent, but at the same time, had the sneaking suspicion that certain of them weren't in the right frame of mind to take such an invasion seriously.

Montana had no delusions toward Osborn's intent to invade. He also had no problems with it. Sandman's little slip had summed up his feelings perfectly. There would be a lot for the taking in Asgard, not to mention the payoff that Osborn would give the group. No, Toomes wouldn't get his formal apology, ever, but he'd have to live without that. Whether or not H.A.M.M.E.R. would devote any time to reversing Electro's condition was dubious, but there was no saying Osborn couldn't do it. For himself, Flint, and Alex, there would certainly be enough money to go around.

And then there was Quentin Beck. Or Mysterio. Beck was so attached to that identity, Montana wondered if he actually even liked being called "Quentin Beck" when off duty. It was then that he realized his footsteps were taking him in the direction of Beck's room. Just as well, he thought, to check up on him before anyone else.

He announced his presence with one loud knock on Beck's door before simply opening it. "Makin' sure you're – " he began, but he was struck speechless when he saw what Beck, clothed in a crisp black shirt and matching pants, was working on. "The heck…?"

"Oh, these?" Beck stepped back and regarded his project. "Just a little insurance in case things go sour."

"So that's what your real voice sounds like," Montana observed. "And here I was thinkin' you put on that accent all the time. Even talkin' to yourself."

"A great artist must know when to rest between performances, of course," Beck replied. "I can't overplay my hand, after all."

"So I take it you don't insist people call you Mysterio instead of Beck when you're off the job, then."

"Well…" Beck smirked.

"Don't even think about making me."

"Of course. After all, you have to know what name to give the credit to."

"I guess," Montana replied. "Y'know, ain't many men I'd drag off a battlefield to stop them gettin' themselves killed."

"Then why did you?" Beck asked.

"You tell me," Montana groaned. "Though I reckon it's somethin' in the way you gotta make yourself stand out everywhere you go. You get up in a person's head, and suddenly everybody's lookin' out for ya."

"Are you saying you find me memorable?" Beck asked coyly. "In that case, I'm doing my job well."

"I'd drink to that."

"You called me a great director," Beck recalled. "During our little skirmish."

"What, you wanna dispute it?"

"Of course not. It's the truth. And yet I find myself wanting to know what it means when YOU say it."

"Depends," Montana replied. "What's it mean when you call me a good leadin' man?"

"Perhaps merely that. You are one of the better partners I've had to work with. I'd say you have a sort of…rugged charm. A nontraditional sense of class."

That got Montana to crack a smile, nodding his head slightly. "Never heard that one before. All right, fine. You wanna know what you got, it's the vision. It's off the wall, but you know what you gotta do to make yourself hard to forget."

"Are you implying I've been on your mind?"

Montana flinched. "Where'd you pick THAT up?"

"Well, you said I was hard to forget," Beck teased.

"You been on everyone's mind," Montana countered. "Most of all your own. Probably the 24 hour Mysterio channel in there."

"Not all 24 hours," Beck replied.

"Oh, lemme guess. Sometime, you gotta sleep. But I bet you even dream of yourself."

"You don't know what I dream about!"

"Bright lights, cheerin' crowd, people screamin' your name. Headlines sayin' you apprehended Spider-Man and the Avengers all at once. And lately, you been dreamin' about how everyone's gonna know you as one of the great invaders of Asgard. Am I missin' anything?"

"One thing," Beck admitted. "But I'm certainly not going to tell YOU what it is."

"Do me a favor, Beck," Montana requested. "Don't get yourself killed tomorrow, hear me? Might not be around to drag your ass out of it this time. And I wanna see you back here in more or less one piece. Got that?"

"Understood. And…do be careful, yourself."

"Got it." With a nod, Montana turned to leave.

"WELL?" Beck shouted. "You're just going to LEAVE like that?"

With a sigh, Montana turned back around. "What else do you want from me? One last kiss before we head off into battle in case one of us dies?"

"If you'd been paying any attention whatsoever, you'd have realized that a kiss is LONG overdue from when we first began!"

That surprised Montana; in effect, shocked the Shocker. "You…you sayin' you're in love with me or somethin'?"

"Well, it's hardly been long enough to call it true love. But have you missed ALL the signs? The arguments, laden with sexual tension? My reference to you as my leading man? I thought I couldn't have been more obvious. Especially after you came to me in my critical hour during the skirmish!" He folded his arms, incredibly miffed that his hints had gone over Montana's head. "You're one of the few to have told me you truly APPRECIATE my craft, and your charm has COMPLETELY gotten under my skin! And after all that, you're just going to leave with a warning for me not to be killed? Frankly, I'm disappointed. Perhaps I misread your cues as well. I had thought you reciprocated."

"…Well." Montana took a step, then another, back closer to Beck. "Didn't think ya had it in ya to feel that way 'bout anybody but yourself. Maybe I woulda said somethin' earlier if I knew…" He steeled himself. "But ya sure don't make it obvious! If you think you're gonna get anywhere just by droppin' hints!"

"Well? What WOULD you have said?"

"Maybe I'd've said that the reason you're on my mind so much lately is 'cause I actually think there's somethin' attractive about ya. Flair, class, that vision of yours. But how was I s'posed to know you'd actually listen to a damn word?"

"Well, I'm listening now, aren't I?" Beck snapped. "Or is that not enough for you?"

"Enough for me!" Montana practically yelled. "Question is now, what do YOU want?"

Beck then backed off, thinking it over. "Ideally," he said, "you would fire one last shot, then attempt to sweep me off my feet."

"Oh yeah? That's how you wanna run it?" Montana stepped even closer, as close as he could get. He put a hand, very gently, beneath Beck's chin. "That fake accent of yours is stupid as HELL." He then very slowly began to guide Beck's head toward his own. "And I love it."

Even Montana was surprised, when their lips met, how much he'd wanted it. He found himself wrapping his arms almost protectively around Beck. He considered cursing out the fact that he'd allowed himself to fall for one of his allies, but decided it wasn't worth it, because the moment was just too good.

Beck, on the other hand, reveled in the perfection of his latest vision coming true as his hands reached up to clutch at Montana's shoulders. He'd had doubts that Montana would actually return his affections, after all. He was more than glad to have those doubts proven wrong. When their lips parted, he did the only thing he knew how to do: he delivered the romantic one-liner, the truth he'd been holding back. "I dream about you sometimes."

"Kinda figured that out," Montana laughed. As he stepped back, he was very nearly overtaken with an uncharacteristic worry. Montana himself, he was a fighter, and had been from the start. Beck as Mysterio relied on methods other than physical strength to get his way, which was incredibly impressive, no doubt, but left Montana wondering how he'd fare if he should get roughed up on Asgard. "But you know what this means, right?"

"What?"

"DON'T. GET. KILLED. TOMORROW. Got that?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Beck said with a wink. "Now, far be it from me to keep you from making your rounds…"

"Right," Montana said with a nod. "You just keep workin' on your backup plan." He nodded toward the fruits of Beck's labor. "Those're good, by the way."

"I know."

Montana left the room, closing the door on Beck, hardly believing what he'd just done. And yet not regretting it.

* * *

Electro sat at the edge of his bed, mask closed, contemplating. He heard one single knock at his door, and then it opened. Montana's voice asked from behind him: "You ready for tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Electro said, turning to nod at Montana.

Montana gave him a nod in return before turning to make his way to O'Hirn's room.

Electro shifted positions, lying across his bed and looking up at the ceiling, thinking about Asgard. He didn't even have the foggiest notion of what it was like. He wondered how different it was from Earth, and how different the capital was from New York City. He wondered if its warriors –

"Hey, you psyched for tomorrow or what?"

Electro sat up with a start to see Flint leaning on the frame of his door. "Oh…hey," he greeted. "I was just thinking about it. I wonder how different it is from here."

Flint nodded excitedly, bearing a large grin. "We're actually gonna get a chance to score ASGARDIAN loot. Betcha they have all sorts of stuff that would go for millions down here."

"Maybe," Electro agreed. "I'm not really in it for the money."

"Oh…right," Flint remembered. "So Osborn will get to work on that cure for ya." He still doubted Osborn would keep his word, but was reluctant to mention that again.

"Actually, I wasn't thinking about that," Electro admitted. "I was thinking about how good it'll be to fight as part of the Six again."

"Huh?"

"You probably don't know how much it means to me that Osborn brought us back together," Electro said. "Or at least the ones of us he did." He paused for a moment, glancing toward the wall.

"Man, you're gonna make me feel bad for almost breakin' up the team when we first got together." Suddenly picking up on the cue, Flint asked, "Got somethin' you wanna say?"

"It's a little personal," Electro said, "but ever since I became…this…being with the Six is the only place I ever felt like I really belonged. I couldn't live a normal life, and the people at Ravencroft can only pretend to understand what I'm going through so much. I HATE it there. With you…all of you, I mean…I actually feel normal." He turned his gaze back up to look Flint in the eye. "Like I'm actually something to someone."

"You're one of us," Flint said with a wink, "and we ain't lettin' you go anytime soon."

"Heh…" Electro couldn't help but let out a slight laugh. "You know, when I saw you out of all of them, I couldn't believe how you acted at all. You were altered, almost like me, but you didn't hate it. You made something out of it. You were always so happy about it. About almost everything. Then I realized it was because your condition didn't inhibit you in the same way mine did. All the same, it…it helped me realize that I didn't have to feel cursed all the time."

"Really?" Flint laughed. "Well, color me flattered!" His laughter died; his demeanor shifted slightly. "I didn't always think being Sandman was so great, y'know."

"You…didn't?" Electro was genuinely surprised.

"Nah…" Flint's gaze moved toward the bed. "It's a bit of a longer story. You mind?"

"No…" Electro shifted so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, near the pillow. Flint entered the room, sitting down on the bed next to Electro.

"So you know O'Hirn and I were in the crime gig a long time before we became Sandman and Rhino," Flint began. "But we were CONSTANTLY humiliated by Spider-Man. I'm sure you know the feeling."

"Too well."

"Anyway, Hammerhead comes up to me with this proposition," Sandman went on. "And I guess I didn't think too hard about it. I told him yes, and next thing you know, we're in Ock's lab, and he's wiring me up for it. Put me in shackles and everything. So about that time, I figure I wanna bail. But it's too late. They already have me right where they want me." He sighed. "It hurt like hell. I thought that was gonna be my last moment right there. When it was over, well, I was the Sandman. And I HATED it. I wanted nothing more than to just go right back to being plain old Flint Marko. So then Hammerhead starts pointing out the benefits and showing me how to use the sand power. He showed me how to get back to looking like a human, and he told me about the edge I'd have over everybody else. So after all this, y'know what I did?"

"What?"

"Punched him out and ran off on my own." Flint flashed Electro a mischievous smile. "He deserved it. Anyway, after a while, I figured out that bein' the Sandman is one of the best things that's ever happened to me in my LIFE. And that's the part where you come in."

"You and Rhino…both of you. I can tell you love what you are," Electro admitted. "Though I…tend not to pay as much attention to Rhino."

"Speakin' as O'Hirn's best friend, he's not the brightest bulb. Perfectly understandable. Hey, what was yours like?"

"My what?" Electro asked.

"Your transform – " Flint stopped himself. "Actually, you don't wanna talk about that. I know. Slipped my mind for a minute."

"No…it's all right," Electro reassured him. "You told me your story. It's only fair I tell you mine." He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly before beginning: "I was working for Dr. Curt Connors. I'd taken time off school to focus on my work. He hired me for basic electrical work. I was helping him rig equipment for a genetic experiment he had involving eels. It all happened so fast. Something went wrong with the piece I was working on, and…I can hardly remember it. I know it hurt. And I know I was…scared. I hate saying it, but I was scared. I have better memories of what happened afterward. They took me into the ER, and they said they'd never seen anything like it before. Like what happened to me. I guess I deluded myself into thinking they'd be able to fix me…but all they could do was contain the energy and stop it from spreading outside my body. They told me I might never be normal AGAIN." He realized that residual anger was creeping into his voice when he so much as talked about it. "It took me a long time to learn how to control it. I wanted to break out, like you did, but I didn't have anywhere to go except Ravencroft in the end. Especially after Spider-Man interfered." He sighed. "And that's where you came in."

After hearing Electro's story, Flint just looked at him for a while. Then Flint, taking notice of where Electro's gloved hand rested on the bed, slowly moved his hand over it. "That's…rough," he managed.

Electro was suddenly far more interested in the fact that Flint was actually touching him – albeit with a thick layer of glove in between. "You really aren't afraid of me," he asked softly, "are you?"

"Like I said," Flint reminded him. "Ain't nothin' that can kill me! How'd you think I brought you back if I couldn't touch you, anyway?"

"Why did you do that?" Electro asked. "Why did you defend me that night?"

"'Cause we look out for each other, right?" Flint replied. Then: "And also…'cause I like you. A lot."

"I…" Electro turned to face Flint. Suddenly daring to do what he had refused before. "You were right. On the roof. I FEEL something for you. The others all make me feel like I belong, but with you, it's different! When I'm with you, I'm…happier." The weight of what he'd just said seemed to hit him all at once, and he quickly turned his head away, averting his gaze.

"PERFECT!" Flint practically yelled. "I was hoping!"

"You….were hoping…"

"That you liked me back."

"Wait." Electro looked back to Flint. "You wanted ME?"

"I said you weren't half bad!"

"I THOUGHT that meant I wasn't HALF BAD. I didn't think that meant I was GOOD for you!"  
"Sure you're good for me! You're always the one that encourages us to go on! You're always the one who leads the charge!"

"That's Shocker. Not me."

"Sure, he orders us around, but you're the one who runs into it all gung ho. By the way, did he come to your room to make sure you were 'ready' and 'not wasting time' for tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Somethin's up with him tonight. Not sure what. Eh, like it matters. You might not think it, but you're a pretty good catch. Only one problem with you."

"What?" Electro asked, somewhat nervous for the answer.

"You could smile more," Flint answered. "Minor detail, though."

"How can you even tell if I'm smiling when I'm wearing a…never mind. Flint…are you okay with 'Flint'…?"

"Yeah," Flint answered with a nod.

"…Thank you. I didn't know I could…mean something to someone. Does this mean we…"

"That we're together? If you want."

"I do," Electro said, almost hungrily.

"Y'know, I wonder if…" Flint trailed off, momentarily lost in thought.

"If what?" Electro asked.

"I'm just thinkin'," Flint mused, "we might be able to pull off a kiss. Like, a legit one."

"I…" Electro slid his hand away from Flint's, almost shaking. "I don't know if I can hold my power back enough. I'll hurt you."

"Betcha you won't. Oil tanker, remember?"

Electro pondered the notion long and hard. Then, at last: "I know I shouldn't. But…I want to try. If you do."

"Hell yeah I do!"

"Just promise me," Electro said sternly, "if it's too much, you'll back off."

"It's not gonna be too much."

"PROMISE."

"Okay, okay, fine," Flint caved. "If anything bad starts happening, I'll move."

"All right." Electro closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He willed his entire body to try and do his bidding, to not shine as brightly, to not radiate so much energy. Then he unmasked. "I'm ready."

They slowly moved toward each other; even Flint had slight doubts, almost fears, that the connection wouldn't work. But they found their way to each other. As Flint's lips met Electro's, he could feel the energy radiating toward him, and it shook him, slightly, but not to a damaging extent. It crossed Electro's mind that this is what it must be like to kiss a beach; a somewhat humorous thought. And yet it filled him with happiness.

Until he tore himself away, stood up, and stormed away from the bed, screaming, "No, no, NO! This is all WRONG!"

"Wha…?" Flint was left confused and rather disappointed. "Was I that bad?"

"No," Electro growled, refusing to turn and look at him. "You were perfect. I just thought this would be different."

"Different how?"

"I had hoped," Electro growled, "that for my first kiss, I would at least be HUMAN!"

Flint was absolutely shocked. "That was your FIRST? Wha – you shoulda told me! I woulda done it WAY different! Shifted so I was wearin' a suit! Put out candles!"

That response caught Electro completely off guard. And he laughed. Just once at first, but when he turned to see the grin on Flint's face, he broke out into full laughter.

"There, ya see?" Flint said with a shrug. "You look HOT when ya smile."

"I always thought that when the accident happened," Electro admitted, "I would never meet anybody. I remember telling Eddie. I can't believe that I wouldn't have met you without this."

"Just lucky, I guess," Flint replied. "Man, now I REALLY hate that I tried to break us up early on!"

"Don't beat yourself up about it. And, Flint…"

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow. Whatever happens. I've got your back."

"It might get rough," Flint told him. "I'm gonna look out for you best I can, but if it gets down to between you and me, you take care of yourself, okay?"

"But – "

"NOTHING can kill me. I'll be fine. Got that?"

Unable to argue, Electro nodded. "I've got it."

Flint stood. "Now, you get some sleep before Montana comes in here and starts yelling at us for being out past curfew, okay?"

Electro nodded.

"Night, Sparks," Flint said as he moved to the door.

"Sparks?" Electro repeated.

"That one okay?" Flint asked.

"…I like it," Electro said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Flint."

* * *

Crouch was also greeted with the sight of someone leaning against his door frame: Emma Frost, shooting him a rather sultry look.

"It's a shame you're spending this night all alone," she said.

"What, you're not angry?" Crouch asked. "Obviously, you knew what was on my mind all along. When you told me you were afraid for Loki's intentions, you were reading from my head exactly what you suspected was going on."

"I know," Frost said. "But you had your reasons. And let's face it. You and I are cut from the same cloth. We want the same thing, in the end. We've just been going about it a little differently, that's all."

She played with the hem of her skirt, hiking it up ever so slightly.

"And what is it exactly," Crouch asked, eyes locked on where her fingers met her thigh, "that we both want?"

"For the humans to submit," she said, eyes glimmering. "For those who wronged us to submit…for submission."

"Submission sounds VERY good," Crouch agreed. "There may even be some things I submit to."

"Is that the case?" Frost smirked. "What sort of things?"

"Why don't you test me?" Crouch invited.

"Hmm." Frost walked toward him slowly. "I accept your challenge."

She placed her hands squarely on his chest, pushing him down onto the mattress. She planted her mouth firmly upon his, licking at his lips. Crouch's eyes widened; he instantly wanted her. He turned his head, freeing his mouth long enough to say, "H-hold on – "

He managed to wrangle his shirt off while underneath her, tossing it to the side of the bed.

"Good thinking," Frost said, straightening up above him to undo her top.

Or so Crouch thought.

Frost steeled herself to keep from laughing as she, from her vantage point leaning against the doorframe, watched Crouch lick at empty air, removing his trousers for absolutely nobody. Of course she was still angry that Crouch hadn't told her the whole story. And Crouch didn't know the extent of her powers. Her revenge would kick in when the illusion of herself would disappear right when Crouch was at the pivotal moment. She turned and quietly shut the door, leaving Crouch to his fate of eventual disappointment by the Frost that wasn't there.

Though she knew she wouldn't go to the length of saying that she would never forgive him. They were, after all, cut from the same cloth.

* * *

Amora stood on the deck, looking out the great glass window at the bright lights of the city that never slept. Next to the spires of Nebulapolis, it almost seemed a toy city.

"Pitiful," she remarked to herself.

"I'm not quite sure what you're referring to, but I'm sure I share the sentiment, Amora."

Startled, Amora whirled to see who'd addressed her, though she had been able to tell immediately based on the accent alone. "ZEMO! What are you doing here?"

"I think you know quite well that I do what I please," Zemo answered, arms folded. "The better question is, what are you doing here? It is your home we are due to take by storm. Why are you looking at THAT? Thinking of your golden-haired pretty boy, perhaps?"

"Is it so wrong?" Amora snapped. "I resent that it has come to this. That he and I must come to blows over Asgard. Were he only able to see it my way."

"And what way is that? That Loki and his Cabal have the right to rule? Is that YOUR vision, Enchantress?"

"Loki brings with him a rule that would cement Asgard's power. Of course that is what I want!"

"Can he bring Thor to you? Or will he simply decide to destroy him instead? Oh, I shouldn't question you, should I? Of course Loki will drop a thousand-year grudge so that you may have what you want."

"If you don't have anything to say to me besides insults and mockery," Amora snapped, "then leave."

"It's no better than what you get from Thor. Or perhaps it is better. At least I talk to you."

Amora clenched a fist tightly, gritting her teeth. "He is ten times the man you'll ever be."

"Which is so obviously why he is locked away in hiding while I stand here, above everyone else."

"MUST you?" Amora exploded. "No matter what we do, no matter where we go, MUST you constantly remind me that you think you are better than everyone else?"

"Think, Amora? I do not THINK I am better than everyone else. I – "

"You ARE better than everyone else; is that what you were going to say? Do you not realize that you are in the palm of Loki's hand?"

"The position suits me for the time being. I have what I want. I do not need to prove anything to him just yet."

"I do not know what you are trying to prove to me," Amora hissed, "but you are utterly failing. I hope you fall in battle tomorrow."

"Does this mean you wish me a favorable fate in Valhalla? Don't think I don't know of your beliefs."

"That is NOT – " Amora was at a loss for words. "Why am I even SPEAKING to you?"

"Why are you, Amora? You could have walked out long ago. And yet here you are. You do know what they are all doing tonight, don't you?"

"Fine. I will humor you. What is everyone doing tonight?"

"They know the battle is coming. They know lives will be at risk. They are all giving each other one last goodnight kiss, in case it is the last chance they ever have. I know for a fact that Loki has visited the bunk of Dr. Doom, Miss Frost has paid a visit to Mr. Crouch. Montana has been making rounds…what a crude cover. And unless my eyes deceive me, Mr. Marko was headed for the room of Mr. Dillon. You know this. You want to pay your last kiss to the one you admire, but unfortunately for you, he's on the wrong side. What sort of choice have you made?"

"It was not a choice," Amora asserted. "The heart decides for itself. It has tied me to Thor."

"You say this almost as though you resent it."

"PERHAPS I DO SOMETIMES!" Amora screamed. Then she realized what she had said.

"You wish you could set your heart on someone else," Zemo challenged. "Be free of him."

"No!"

"Find someone who will actually fall in line with your vision."

"That is NOT what I said! That is NOT what I meant!"

"Someone who does not waste his time with the likes of the Avengers."

"MY LOVE FOR THOR IS ETERNAL!"

"Then wait forever," Zemo told her, "because that is what you will be doing."

Amora's breath caught in her throat. She blinked multiple times; her eyes were beginning to water, and she couldn't have that. "They all have their lovers to kiss," she growled, "and I have no one."

"What a predicament," Zemo said casually.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. When have you ever loved anyone or anything besides yourself?"

"Perhaps never. It has served me well so far."

"Fortunate," Amora said softly.

"Well, I suppose if you are desperate, there is me," Zemo pointed out.

"AS THOUGH I WOULD EVER!" Amora screamed. "WHY does everyone INSIST – " She stopped herself midsentence, clenched her teeth.

"Perhaps it is because they figured out how similar we are."

"We are NOTHING alike."

"Truly? From what I can see, we both desire power. We both want to put those lower than us in their place. And neither of us can be trusted, even with each other. We play right into each other's hands. You ALMOST have the capacity to ruin me, and I most certainly have ruined you."

"I suppose we are similar in some regards," Amora admitted.

"And those looking from the outside," Zemo continued, "will wonder why we go out of our way to harm each other if we are supposedly worthless to each other."

"From the outside," Amora agreed, "I can see that as well."

"That is why everyone insists, Enchantress. And I will say, I'm impressed enough by your ability to keep up this far."

"If you want praise from me," Amora replied, "you'll simply have to imagine it."

"I do not need your praise in order to know I deserve it."

"You realize," Amora said, "that in the absence of Thor, you have offered a temptation. You have impressed me multiple times with your skill, after all. You are never one I could love. But under the circumstances of one night, you ALMOST offer me something to think about."

"I do not intend to go anywhere. Though I feel it important to warn you that I do not nearly have the same beautiful face as your thunder god beneath this mask."

"Perhaps it matters not," Amora said.

"Nor even that of Victor von Doom."

"…We do not speak of that. That was a LONG time ago." And, curious, she took a step toward Zemo.

"Love or hate," Zemo continued, "it seems our fates are tied together."

"So it seems, indeed." She stood before him. She reached out, gently brushed the edge of his masked face with her fingers. "Though I suppose you would like us to have even more in common."

"And how do you mean?"

"You would just like me to breathe in that virus of yours and start wasting away like you." She jerked her hand away, turning on her heel and stalking haughtily from the room.

Zemo couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Enchantress!" he called after her. "And here I was afraid you'd forgotten how our relationship works!"

* * *

If there was anything on the H.A.M.M.E.R. databases about Asgard, one needed high-level clearance to access it. Bullseye was figuring this out the hard way.

Daken crept behind him, looking over his shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked coyly.

"Trying to figure out what we have ahead," Bullseye replied.

"Should it matter?" Daken asked. "You know what we can do. We can do it anywhere."

"You're right on that count," Bullseye stated, scooting his chair away from the terminal and standing. "Just thought it would give us a better advantage, is all. Just because one of my regular rivals constantly goes into situations blind doesn't mean I have to."

As he stood, he stretched out his arms, reaching one behind his back and grasping its elbow with his opposite hand. Daken regarded this display with interest.

"I'll bet you I can kill more of them tomorrow," he said. "Don't give me any shit about Osborn wanting this to be a peaceful mission. We both know what we're there to do."

"I'll take that bet," Bullseye said with a wicked grin. "I'll have twice as many slain as you."

"You've got a nice body, you know," Daken pointed out. "You could do with showing a little more of it off."

"And you've got quite a nice imagination. It comes up with a lot of ridiculous dreams that won't be coming true for you anytime soon." The grin never left Bullseye's face.

"Why don't I believe you?" Daken asked smugly.

"Wouldn't work out, babe," Bullseye told him. "You know what they say about egos clashing."

"Well, if Amora and Zemo can make it work…"

"They actually haven't. They're the only ones who don't see it by now. Your argument doesn't exactly hold water."

"Unless you're the only one who can't see it."

"What's this interest in me, all of a sudden?" Bullseye asked.

"Call it a case of not seeing what's right in front of me until it's too late," Daken replied. "And what I'm looking at right now is a VERY nice view."

"Perhaps a photograph would stand still for you longer," Bullseye suggested teasingly. "And if you try any of your little pheromone tricks on me, I will find out, and I will kill you."

"Go ahead. I'd actually look forward to you trying to kill me."

"I'd do more than try."

"So you think." Daken gave a slight laugh. "So you're trying to tell me that all this – " he gestured to his body, from shoulder to hip – "means nothing to you?"

"These," Bullseye replied, pointing two fingers at his own eyes, then turning them back to signify Daken's, "mean you're just looking to take whatever you want. I'm not going to be somebody's one night stand. Perhaps you'd have better luck if you DIDN'T try the night before a battle. You think everyone's easy then."

"You catch on fast," Daken replied. "So there's a chance."

"Yes," Bullseye replied. "And there's also a chance I'll become the bloody director of H.A.M.M.E.R. after the siege tomorrow."

He then turned and stalked from the room.

"You'll come around eventually," Daken said to his back. "They always do."

"All the better to be the exception, then," Bullseye said before he'd walked out of earshot.

* * *

Applejack had been drifting to sleep, cuddled up beneath the blankets of her bed at the embassy, when she heard a door creak open and then click shut in the outside hall. She thought nothing of the footsteps that ensued afterward. More likely than not, someone had to make a restroom trip. However, the footsteps came back…and passed their origin point. Then they turned and went back down their original path. Applejack listened to this go on for a while before she realized what was going on. Somebody was pacing.

She shook her head to wake herself up, sliding out of the bedclothes and moving to the door. She eased open the door to see who was treading the hallway. "Steve?" she asked softly.

Steve flinched, startled. He turned to meet her eyes. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry – "

"Nah. I wasn't asleep yet," Applejack told him with a smile. "Mind if I ask what's got you all up an' restless?"

Steve sighed. "It's…it's silly. I shouldn't even be worrying."

"You can tell me if ya want. Or you don't hafta."

Steve motioned with his hand for her to enter the hallway. "Come here."

Applejack nodded, walking into the hall. Steve took a few paces down it, and she walked alongside him. Steve stopped before an open door, gesturing toward it. Inside was an unoccupied room and an empty bed. "Tony," he said by way of explanation.

"Where is he?" Applejack asked softly so as not to wake the others.

"I think he's down in the laboratory," Steve said in equally hushed tones. "I'm just a little worried about why he isn't sleeping when we don't know what we're facing tomorrow. I don't even know what he has to work on that's so important. It almost makes me wonder if he's…stressed out." He shook his head. "I shouldn't be worrying about this, should I? What Tony does is Tony's business."

"Well, ya care about him," Applejack reminded Steve. "It's only natural for ya to worry. And I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you checked in on him."

"He'd probably just tell me to mind my own business," Steve sighed. "He does what he wants. I'm just being paranoid."

Applejack put a hand on Steve's shoulder. He looked directly at her.

"Go to him," she said sternly.

After a moment's pause, Steve said, "Thank you." Then he turned and made his way down the hall toward the laboratory.

Applejack watched him leave with a smile. She didn't know exactly what was keeping Tony up in the late hours, but she was confident that if Steve just confessed his worries, it would benefit both of them. She then realized that she was indeed quite tired, so she retired to her bed.

* * *

Tony had set his armor up in the center of the laboratory. He examined it, inch by inch, looking for imperfections. For room for improvement.

He heard a slight knock at the door. He looked away from the armor to see Steve there. "Hi," Steve said softly. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, sure," Tony answered, turning his attention back to the armor.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked.

"Improving upon perfection," Tony answered.

"It looks pretty good to me…"

"Trust me. There are always ways to move onward and upward."

Steve cleared his throat. "Tony…I'm a little worried."

"About tomorrow? We'll be fine. We always are."

"No, not…well, I'm a little worried about tomorrow. I always am when lives are at stake. Especially the lives of people I care about. But I meant something else."

"You wanna talk about it? I can multitask."

"That's the thing," Steve admitted. "I'm worried because you're down here working on this."

Tony froze, then turned to look directly at Steve.

"Not that you don't have the right to work on your armor," Steve said. "But we have no idea what we're walking into tomorrow, and you're down here instead of sleeping, and I was just worried that meant something was…wrong. I know, I'm probably just being paranoid. I just can't help it."

"I'm FINE," Tony snapped.

"That…didn't sound fine," Steve told him.

"Listen," Tony said sternly. "I've got stuff to work through, and I'm working through it. I've got this under control. Got it?"

"…No."

"What do you mean, NO?"

"I mean…" Steve looked to the ground sheepishly, then decided against it, steeling his confidence, looking Tony in the eye. "Tony, we've been through a lot together. We've fought the same battles. We've seen the same things. I know you don't think most people can understand your life, and maybe I can't, but I can try, because I've had a lot of the same experiences. But above all that, we're friends, Tony. You're one of my best friends. You're even…" He struggled to figure out how to define what he wanted to say. It hadn't come to him yet, so he let it be. "The point is, if something's bothering you, if you need to talk to someone, you can TALK to me. Please. I want you to talk to me. I don't want you to suffer alone."

"You don't need my problems," Tony grunted.

"You know I take on everyone's problems," Steve reminded him. "That's who I am, and it's what I do. I want to look out for everyone. ESPECIALLY you. It won't be a burden on me. What does hurt is knowing something's bothering you this badly and not knowing what!"

Tony backed away from the armor, looking long and hard at Steve. He could see the weariness in Steve's eyes just from trying to convince him to open up. The least he owed him, Tony realized, was to just be honest. And it was easier with Steve than anyone else, he realized. "Okay," he admitted. "There is something bothering me. If you really wanna hear it."

"Please, Tony. You can tell me."

"So you remember the Chitauri attack on New York, right?" Tony began.

"Yes…" Steve said, confused as to why Tony would lead in with such an obvious statement.

"Ever since then, ever since I went…through the portal," Tony admitted, "I've been having these…I don't wanna call them 'attacks.' I've been able to keep them under control for the most part so nobody sees. What happens is…I remember being on the other side, and I get this weird dizziness. It's annoying, really. So I've been keeping my mind off it."

"You're saying you've been having…anxiety attacks."

"Ugh, don't CALL them that. I don't GET anxiety attacks."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Steve told him. "Back in the war, there were a lot of guys in the field who would get them. Strong guys. The ones you wouldn't expect. I never thought they were weak. It doesn't make you weak, if that's what you're afraid of."

"I'm not AFRAID of anything!"

"Okay…okay," Steve said quickly. He disagreed completely; Tony was showing definite signs of fear. But pointing that out would only make it worse. "How have you been coping with it?"

"Working on the suits helps," Tony admitted.

Realization hit Steve. "The suits you made. All forty of them."

"Forty-two."

"That's how you've been coping," Steve stated. "By making new suits."

"Basically," Tony confirmed. "Better than a lot of things I could be doing. Like drinking it off."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with making suits…" Steve thought out loud, "but it looks like you're still thinking about the things you're trying to avoid anyway."

"You have a better solution?"

"…No," Steve admitted. "These things can't just be fixed that easily."

"So now you see my problem. I want this anxiety or whatever to just be off my back. And it won't go away. It gets even worse when I sleep."

"Is that why you're not sleeping now?"

"The last thing I need," Tony insisted, "is another dream about it before I go into what might potentially be the worst confrontation yet in this H.A.M.M.E.R. shitstorm."

"Tony…" Steve could only look at him, for a while, taking in everything he'd said.

"God damn." Tony sighed, clenching his temples between two fingers. "See, now you're pitying me. I don't want you to do that. Stop doing that."

"I just…feel bad that you're…"

"Well, don't, okay? Scratch what I said earlier. The ACTUAL last thing I need is you thinking I'm some sad pile of nerves before we go into potentially the worst confrontation yet in the H.A.M.M.E.R. shitstorm."

"I don't think this makes you any less…you," Steve said hurriedly. "Any less competent, I mean. Just look at everything you've done since the Chitauri invasion. I know you're capable. Please don't think I don't."

Tony knew Steve was being honest. "I believe you. You get off lucky, you know. You don't have to deal with this."

"I…guess I don't know exactly what you're going through," Steve admitted, "but sometimes it gets to me. Sometimes I have to break down a little. Listen, Tony, if there's anything I can do…anything at all…will you let me know?"

"Well, you can't get this anxiety off my back."

"Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?"

"Not unless you feel like…never mind. Do you do this with everyone? Keep track of when we look stressed out?"

"No," Steve admitted. "I guess, even though I care about everyone's interests, I only ever keep track…of…you…" Realization dawned on him. What he had been trying to define earlier. "Because you're my best friend, Tony. And because you're a little more than that."

"You mean like a brother?" As he said this, Tony sounded somewhat disgusted.

"NO!" Steve replied instinctively. "No, I don't want to think of you like that! It's different from that."

"Good," Tony said. "So, are you getting at what I think you're getting at?"

"What do you think I'm getting at?"

"I think you want me, Steve Rogers." Tony grinned mischievously.

"You make it sound so lewd…" Steve said softly, sheepishly.

"But really. Am I onto something? Promise I won't use this against you."

"Well…yes," Steve admitted. "After everything we've been through, I realize that I care about you a lot. And I want to be with you. I hope that doesn't sound too forward. I don't want to ruin the relationship we have…"

"Y'know what, Steve?" Tony interrupted. "We have been through a lot together. And everything I told you tonight, I wouldn't have told anybody else. You are THE ONE PERSON. And also, you're pretty sexy."

Steve felt the heat rising in his face. "You're just saying that…"

"Steve, I'm not." Tony walked toward him. "You coming down here tonight was a godsend. Do you have ANY idea what you do to me?"

"So…to be clear…"

"I am, for all intents and purposes, physically and emotionally attracted to you. If we want to make it clear. Now, I'm pretty sure you were trying to tell me the same thing."

"I was," Steve admitted. "I didn't think I was your type, though."

"Steve. How many times have I actually been able to make it work out with my usual type? On the other hand, I can't get RID of you. In the best way possible. Now, on the other hand, I don't know your type. So I can go ahead and assume you have a thing for sexy rich guys who succeed at everything they do with flair."

"Well, you're the person I've felt the strongest about this way," Steve said with a laugh, "so that just might be it."

"Good thing there's only one of me, then. Wouldn't want competition."

"There wouldn't be. No one else could ever be you, Tony."

"So now that that's on the table, you mind if I do something real quick?"

"Like what?" Steve asked, though he could guess. His heart began beating all the more quickly.

"Standard kiss," Tony clarified.

"There's nothing I want more right now," Steve admitted.

At first, neither of them seemed to know when to move in. Then they both did at once, and all of a sudden, it was done; they were connected at the lips. Overcome with a surge of emotional passion, Steve wrapped his arms around Tony – quickly but gently – and held him closely. And Tony replied, embracing him tightly.

When they parted, Steve recalled what Tony had cut off from saying earlier. He hazarded a guess: "Would you be able to sleep tonight…if I was there?"

"I might," Tony admitted.

"I can't get into your head or make the nightmares stop," Steve told him, "but I can be there if you wake up."

"Yeah," Tony said with a nod. "Let's try that."

* * *

Steve found it nearly unbelievable that Tony Stark was climbing into his bed, actually sharing it with him. "I'll be right here," he promised again.

And yet there was an elephant in the room, so to speak; a question on both their minds. Tony voiced it: "So…you and me, in a bed and all. Did you want to take it any further, or…?"

"Call me old fashioned," Steve began.

"That's an understatement."

"But I'd rather wait. Believe me, I would LOVE to…to be more intimate with you."

"You can say the word 'sex,' you know."

"We only just got these feelings out in the open," Steve said, "and…I just feel like we should wait. Someday, we will. But not tonight."

"That's probably best anyway," Tony admitted.

"That's…a little surprising to hear from you," Steve said. "I mean, I know how fast you tend to move – "

"With women I have Pepper throw out the next morning. I don't particularly want you gone tomorrow morning. Trust me, we'll get there if you want it. Besides, it's something like one in the morning." Tony illustrated his point by settling on the mattress, beneath the blanket, body tilted slightly toward the center of the bed, and closing his eyes. "Night, Steve."

Steve settled in next to him. "Goodnight," he said softly, leaning over to kiss Tony gently on the forehead. He then lay down across his own side of the bed, eyes drawn momentarily to the reactor embedded in Tony's heart and the soft glow it emitted. He wondered if it would keep him awake, but its light actually comforted him, made him feel slightly drowsier, and his eyelids fell shut.

They drifted into sleep together, close enough to just feel each other's presence at the edges, reminded that they were there for each other up until the exact moment of loss of consciousness.

* * *

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

When the sun had set and the stars came out over the city, Pinkie Pie found her way back to her quarters of the palace. She remembered every detail of the complex path she'd taken out of the palace and through the city streets, and so meandered back through the route until she got to her point of origin.

Before she could change into the fine nightgown that had been provided for her, she was aware of another presence in her room. "I trust you have enjoyed your day out," Loki said. He was still in the guise of Odin.

"SHHHH!" Pinkie hissed, rushing to slam the door to her room. "Okay! You can be yourself now!"

The vision shimmered; it was Loki standing before her for sure and not Odin. "Is everything comfortable enough for you?" he asked.

"Everything is WONDERFUL!" Pinkie gushed. "This is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen! And everyone's so nice, except for some of them look at me funny, but I figure it's their loss if they don't know how to have a good time. And everything sorta sparkles in the sunlight, which means it looks even BETTER when it sets, and it's almost PERFECT!" Her smile suddenly downturned. "Well…almost."

"What's wrong?" Loki asked her, concern sweeping over his face.

"My friends," Pinkie said mournfully. "I really wish I could share this with them. And I'm worried that they miss me!"

"I am doing all I can to contact them," Loki told her. "I haven't found a way yet, but I will. You will see them soon. I swear it." He reached forward, taking her hand; then he followed suit with the opposite arm, bringing both her hands upward between the two of them, pressing them together, his hands encircling them. "You truly have no idea what you meant to me, do you?"

"We were friends," Pinkie said, "right?" She immensely enjoyed the way his hands covered hers. It made her feel warm. Her heart thudded.

"You always made me feel like so much more than I am." He fixed his eyes upon hers. She held back a comment about just how green they were. "Even now. Your smile still makes me feel that happiness. The happiness I remember from those days before…well. I shan't bore you with the details. You've heard them already, after all."

"I'm so happy that I can make you happy!" Pinkie squealed in earnest. "I just really hate seeing you sad, because it makes ME sad! I JUST LIKE YOU SO MUCH!"

"It pleases me to hear that," Loki replied. "I daresay…I'm somewhat enamored with you, Pinkie Pie."

She gasped deeply. "REALLY?"

"Truly." He gave her a smile. Not a smirk: a smile. "I had missed this."

"I can hardly believe it!" Pinkie squealed. "This is the best thing EVER!"

"Might I trouble you for a kiss?" Loki asked.

Pinkie Pie nearly fainted. Instead of doing that, she screamed, incredibly loudly, "OF COURSE YOU CAN!"

She had to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground to stop from dancing in place as he leaned in and downward so that his mouth could meet hers. When his lips touched hers, it was as though a barrage of fireworks had been lit behind her eyes and beneath her heart. His kiss was soft and gentle; he drew his head back, breaking contact, and she could no longer contain herself. She flung her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. He laughed, embracing her lightly.

"There's the Pinkie Pie I remember," he said. "I hate to have to say this, but it is getting quite late. You need your sleep, after all."

"Thank you soooooo much for bringing me here!" Pinkie gushed as she let go of Loki. "THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"

"The pleasure is mine," Loki told her, resuming the glamour of Odin. "Sweet dreams, my darling."

"G'night!" she replied. "Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

"I assure you, I shall not," he said, turning and exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

He'd won her.

Pinkie Pie leapt onto the bed backward, landing on her back, squirming and kicking out of pure glee and squealing with joy. She knew it would be hard getting to sleep that night, but when she finally did, her dreams would be filled with the grand memory of that kiss.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The scenes played out across the multiple screens. The various kisses: Jane and Thor, Steve and Tony, Montana and Beck, Flint and Electro, Loki and Doom, Loki and Pinkie Pie. The others, as well – the exchanged flirtations, the dreams of the separated.

Discord didn't have to be asked to pass the box of tissues to Impossible Man, who grabbed a handful of ten and dabbed at the tears building in his eyes. "It's just so romantic!" he gushed.

"Even I'm touched," Discord admitted. "Though this business with Pinkie Pie can't end happily at all. Oh well. The grand reveal should be all the more fun."

Impossible Man searched the screens. All showed their subjects tucked into bed, sleeping. "Is that it? Is that a wrap?"

"I do believe it is!" Discord cried happily. "And you know what THAT means!"

He snapped his fingers, and the couch upon which he and Impossible Man sat levitated off the ground. Another snap, and it was gone.

* * *

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

The couch rematerialized over the Ragnanival capital; Discord resumed the appearance of the draconequus. "It's time for the real show to begin," he announced.

"Best seats in the house!" Impossible Man added.

"For one day only, the live performance!" Discord gushed. With a wave of his hand, a bucket of popcorn appeared. "Popcorn?"

"Don't mind if I do!" Impossible Man scooped a large handful of the salty snack.

From their vantage point high above, the pair waited. The stage was set. The players would arrive soon. And the final act would play out.

* * *

Chapter 74

· This is the SHIPPING CHAPTER. I had a lot of kiss scenes I wanted to do, so I decided to just put them all into one and link them up. I tried to cover every couple that was even hinted at.

· Pinkie's song about Asgard is based on the one she sings about the Gala in the ep "Ticket Master."

· I decided to go with Doom's face having only a small scar instead of full burns on the advice of GAvillain. It speaks more to his desire for perfection.

· Yes, Loki and Doom actually did have sex. Sex scenes are the one thing I just can NOT write and have look good. It always comes out weird. So it's just going to have to be left to your imagination.

· I finally broke up Hank/Jan, and I'm a little proud of that. I did want them to remain valuable to each other, though, since friendship is still magic. I wanted to have them part on a happy note. And Hank is beginning to figure himself out…

· Yeah, I just went full SSM with the Six's names and origins here. It's just what I'm familiar with.

· No, you don't get to know what Beck was working on until after the Siege.

· The Electro/Flint bit was one I'd planned out for quite a while and one of my favorite scenes to write. You can see my headcanons for them dripping off the page... Also, "Sparks" is a canon nickname that Sandman has referred to Electro by in a throwaway line of SSM. (Which is going to make a hilarious contrast to…someone I'm introducing much later in the story.)

· Emma's trolling of Crouch with an illusion is based on a scene from X-Men: First Class in which she distracts a random nameless mook that way. I thought this would be the perfect time to have her use that against somebody. I don't wanna kill that ship completely, though.

· I decided against having Steve and Tony jump directly into sex because I felt that would have been moving WAY too fast (well, for Steve, anyway) after the night they finally spit out their confession.

· Yes, Loki is completely playing Pinkie Pie like a piano. His affections for Doom are genuine; his "affections" for her are not. He has reasons for building her attachment to him to that level…

· With the goodnight kisses out of the way, we only have one more chapter of prep before the great battle begins.


	75. Code White

A/N: For this chapter, it is best if one is familiar with the song "Born for This" by Paramore.

* * *

75. Code White

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The sun broke the horizon, lighting up the sky, and in doing so, illuminated the city and the grounds around it. Only one place in the sky was not affected by the sun's rising, remaining dark. This was the sky over the crystal field Loki had directed the layout of. It was no longer a thin film through which the sky beyond could be seen. It was instead a mass of blackness. A portal, powered by the Darkness, complete and open.

* * *

H.A.M.M.E.R. agents lined up in rows in preparation for the move toward Asgard. Natasha, suited up to be Black Widow, found herself in the last row, seething with anger as she watched her comrades line up for a mission she wasn't even sure they truly believed in.

Then she looked to her left and right. To her left was Morse, dressed as Mockingbird, and to her right were Johnson, in full attire as Quake, and Coulson, being, as he ever was, Phil Coulson. Her anger subsided slightly. She had four friends and allies with her. They would do whatever they could to make things right.

But that didn't excuse the person to the left of Mockingbird. "What are YOU doing?" Mockingbird asked Maria Hill.

"Helping to contain any threat that comes from Asgard so we don't have a repeat of the Loki incident," Hill answered.

"You know this is wrong," Mockingbird hissed.

"I don't think it is," Hill replied. "If it's so wrong, why are you going along with it?"

"It's complicated," Mockingbird replied.

The agents were lined up in rows of six. A new row filled in at the front of the group; Shocker strode into the room, with Mysterio, Electro, Sandman, Rhino, and Vulture in tow. The Sinister Six took their place before the other agents. Then out came the Dark Avengers – or six of them, anyway. Zemo, Amora, Venom, the Red Hulk, Bullseye, Daken.

The next row to emerge surprised Black Widow to observe. First, there was Dr. Doom, who she hadn't realized had still been haunting H.A.M.M.E.R. property. Then Namor. Then Emma Frost, looking quite pleased with herself, and Crouch following her, appearing rather miffed and glaring at the back of her head. Then someone Natasha didn't recognize at all, though his black attire was somewhat off-putting, and when he turned his eyes upon the other agents, each flinched, feeling the presence of a mysterious and fearsome energy. Black Widow couldn't put a name to him, though the rest in his row could easily identify him as Blackheart.

And finally…nothing. When the entire group, save those in the first row, expected Osborn, the director himself, he did not appear. "Where is our revered director?" Amora asked, somewhat frustrated, somewhat suspicious.

"He has entrusted me with leading you to the site of transport," Doom informed the troop. "He shall meet us there shortly, as he has his own business to attend to. Now, we must get moving before any more time is wasted. We can't afford much."

Knowing exactly where they were going, Doom, Namor, Frost, Crouch, and Blackheart began to walk, stepping in unison. The Dark Avengers had no choice but to follow their lead, and the Six after that. Then the next row followed, and the next, and the next, until at the very last, the row containing Hill, Mockingbird, Black Widow, Quake, and Coulson was set into motion.

Onward they marched.

* * *

The crystals on their six posts blazed with white light to welcome the troop marching toward the field. Everyone marching behind the first row was taken aback at the sight of the gleaming lights and the blackened sky above.

Then the frontline halted before the border of the crystal field. The entire troop waited.

"I don't like the looks of this," Coulson whispered.

"With all due respect," Shocker groaned, "what're we waitin' for?"

"Your Director," Doom answered. "He will be along any minute."

They waited. And waited. And waited. Black Widow wondered how long it would take Osborn to walk to the spot.

"You know," Crouch hissed to Frost, "you could have just told me you were angry."

"And you could have been honest with me," Frost whispered back. "I think my actions weren't just justified. They were more fun."

"To your credit, you really don't take being slighted lightly. Neither do I."

"I know."

"I should have known you'd know."

They waited, waited, waited.

"HOW long is this going to take?" Amora hissed. "We should continue the march without him!"

"To continue without the Director would be a direct breach of his orders," Doom told her. "Besides, I am sure you will all be pleased to see what he has in store."

From a distance, the steady hum of some sort of small flying apparatus was heard. A high-pitched laugh pierced the air: "EEEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEEE!"

The sound was too familiar. Black Widow reached for her gun. Quake grabbed her wrist. "This is exactly what he wants," Quake hissed.

Over the horizon, the hoverboard careened toward the troop. It finally reached them, parking before the frontline, levitating ten feet off the ground so that its rider could look down upon the others. Looking from the feet up, one might not recognize the man atop the board at first. His skin from the neck down appeared to be a shade of electric green. He was clothed in a tight-fitting garment of plum, leaving his arms and legs bare, culminating in a long purple breechcloth below the waist and secured with a codpiece that resembled a carved Halloween pumpkin. His wrists and forearms were wrapped in plum, and his feet, planted above the silvery, slightly bird-shaped hovercraft with a red-eyed falcon head carved in front, were encased in knee-high boots of the same plum color. He carried another green-colored item in the crook of one arm, and though no one could identify it from sight alone, everyone had a pretty good guess what it was.

His head looked oddly out of place, as his skin wasn't the same green color- the green was a fabrication. Several agents couldn't imagine the man standing before them to be capable of wearing the getup he donned. Several more were used to the thought. The head was unmistakably that of Norman Osborn.

"I hope you've all enjoyed my little surprise appearance!" Osborn cried in a higher, raspier voice than usual – one laden with playfulness. He threw up his free arm to the sky. "I realize I had de-confirmed any reappearance of the Green Goblin, but in the end, isn't it worth the wait? The Iron Patriot was getting boring anyway. If you each had a dollar for every time you saw someone in one of those ridiculous suits, why, you'd be half as rich as me. Oh, but where IS my fashion sense today? I suppose I must look absolutely stupid without the matching piece."

He unfolded the object from under his arm: an electric green mask, depicting the face of a long-nosed, long-chinned goblin. Osborn slipped it over his own face, pulling up the plum-colored hood of his clothing to secure the top of it. "There we go," he remarked, his mischievous grin widening. "You may now say hello to your new director…though 'Director Green Goblin' lacks sort of a ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Why are you doing this?" Hill snapped from the back line.

"Why?" the Goblin retorted. "Well, there's the question of why not. But more logically, how better to face Asgard than in top form? And finally, strangely enough, I had missed this. It had been far too long since the Goblin got to come out and play! I'd almost forgotten how GOOD this felt."

"If you are quite finished, Director Osborn," Doom stated sternly, "we cannot afford to waste any more time."

"Quite," the Goblin confirmed. "It's onward and upward for us. Time for the Asgardians to see the mess it makes when the H.A.M.M.E.R. falls! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEEEEE!"

He spun the hoverboard around, zooming right into the center of the crystal field. There was a sudden flash of light, almost blinding; then he was gone.

"We follow," Doom commanded. The frontline stepped forward in unison. The others had no choice but to step as well; they'd cast their lot. The entire troop entered the crystal field.

The crystals glowed, and the portal reached down from above to take them all in. The light flashed all around them. Through the darkness, across the way between the world, and they were on their way to Asgard.

* * *

Saturday morning, Peter Parker thought dreamily as he lay in bed, was a beautiful thing. After a week full of stress, school, and supervillains, Saturday morning was the one time when a Spider-Man could sleep –

Unless he was interrupted at five in the morning by a beeping alarm.

He hadn't remembered setting it. As his senses cleared, he realized it wasn't his alarm going off. It was a different device, placed in the bottom of his nightstand drawer. He fumbled for the drawer, rummaging until he found the slim card, then brought it up to his face. "And I thought it was the wicked who got no rest," he murmured. More than anything, it worried him. The card had been presented to him by the Avengers themselves. They wouldn't have called him unless they had an emergency. And given the state they were in – which, working at the Bugle, he knew quite well – whatever emergency they had to contact him for was a big deal indeed.

Before he could answer the card vocally, he heard a woman's voice emitting from it. He forced himself to wake up enough to absorb her words:

"This is Pepper Potts, issuing a Code White. All recipients are to report to the front lawn of the Wakandan Embassy at six a.m. sharp. Authorized personnel will be granted access. Unauthorized personnel will be indicted for trespassing and their actions will be taken into consideration as acts of war against the nation of Wakanda. Recipients of this message are to report fully geared for battle. I would also advise you to clear your plans for the day. Further explanation will be given at the rendez-vous point."

The connection cut off. Peter groaned. Whatever required a Code White, it couldn't be anything that would leave him a relaxing Saturday. He slid out of bed, suiting up. He jotted a quick note: "Went out with friends for the day. Will call if home late." He knew very well that wouldn't be specific enough to satisfy his aunt May, but had he named anyone in particular, such as Gwen, there was a chance that May and Gwen would run into each other, and his alibi fall through.

He carefully left the note on the downstairs counter where May would see it, then left the house. Once near enough to a sufficiently tall skyscraper, he aimed a web upward; it stuck, creating a point from which to swing. He let it pull him upward so that he was nearly flying, then cast another strand at the adjacent building. Skyscraper by skyscraper, he made his way to the embassy.

* * *

The alarms all rang at the same time.

"GAAAAH!" Twilight sat bolt upright, startled by the noise, before quelling the clock's sound.

Rarity hurried down the hall with a blanket wrapped around herself, covering her hair. "Nopony look at me until I've beautified! I'm HIDEOUS at this hour in the morning!" she wailed.

Clint, Banner, Carol, and Fluttershy stood outside Rainbow Dash's door. "So…who's gonna go drag her out of bed?" Clint sighed.

"Everypony start gearing up!" Twilight commanded. "We've gotta be out on that front lawn in fifteen minutes!"

Between the alarms and all the commotion, Steve was awoken immediately. At first, he was half afraid that he would find himself alone, that the previous night had either been a dream or that Tony would have left sometime during the night. Instead, he was filled with joy to find Tony waking up beside him, rubbing his eyelids deliberately.

"How'd you sleep?" Steve asked. "Were there any…dreams?"

"Yeah," Tony admitted groggily, "but it was better."

"How was it better?"

Tony wasn't sure how to properly phrase the feeling of waking up overcome with anxiety only to find oneself not alone in bed, and though the bedfellow was not awake, it was someone whose very presence was comforting. Not enough to make it as though the dream had never happened, but enough to be a signal that one could attempt almost immediately to slip back into unconsciousness, for one would be, in some sense, protected on the physical plane. All he could come up with was "Not alone."

He then turned to look at Steve. "Guess it's time to rise and shine. Imminent shitstorm and all."

"We'll make it," Steve assured him.

They quickly pecked each other on the lips before parting to prepare themselves for the day ahead. Steve began immediately to remove the shirt of his sleepwear before Tony had even left, and Tony couldn't help but mischievously linger long enough to catch a glance. Steve looked over his shoulder, catching Tony's eye and grinning.

When Tony did leave, he almost crashed into Applejack. "Hey there!" she greeted. "I take it things went well enough with you and Steve last night?"

"What do you know about last night?" Tony asked.

"Steve was real worried 'bout ya," Applejack explained. "He cares about you a whole lot, y'know."

"I know," Tony answered. "I'm pretty fond of him myself."

Applejack winked. "So, between that an' the fact that you're comin' outta his room this mornin'…are you two officially goin' steady?"

"Yep." Tony couldn't suppress a glad grin.

"Well, if Rarity were here instead of in the bathroom fixin' her hair for what's gonna be way more than – " Applejack began.

"THIRTEEN MINUTES!" Twilight called from down the hall.

" – Way more than thirteen minutes," Applejack went on, "she'd tell ya how absolutely beautiful and adorable y'all's relationship is. But seein' as she ain't here, I'm just gonna say congratulations."

They were interrupted by the sight of Clint, Fluttershy, and Carol carrying Rainbow Dash out the door of her room and laying her on the floor. "Will you just wake up already?" Clint groaned.

"Five more minutes…" Rainbow Dash muttered.

"TWELVE MINUTES!" Twilight called out.

"Even better," Rainbow Dash murmured.

Fluttershy turned away from Rainbow Dash to find Banner leaning against a wall, staying out of the commotion. "Bruce?"

"Hey," Banner greeted quietly.

"Is everything okay?" Fluttershy asked, concerned.

"It's as okay as it always is," Banner admitted. "I just…don't do well in crowds. The other guy does, but I'm just…not really in the mood to let him out yet."

"If you have to sit the meeting out," Fluttershy told him, "I'm sure everypony would understand."

"No…I can't," Banner insisted. "I have to be with everyone else. I just have to stay out of the way."

"I can make sure nopony bothers you," Fluttershy promised.

"You don't have to do that."

"Oh, but I want to!" Fluttershy insisted. "Don't worry. If anypony tries to bother you, I can distract them!"

"You're a good friend," Banner told her. "You know that?"

"Aw…thank you." Fluttershy blushed deeply.

"TEN MINUTES!" Twilight yelled.

"Rarity, will you hurry up already?" Clint pounded on the bathroom door.

"NOT UNTIL THIS CURL GOES CLOCKWISE INSTEAD OF COUNTERCLOCKWISE!" Rarity screamed from the other side of the door.

Tony emerged from his room, fully dressed, only to nearly trip over Rainbow Dash, who was still half asleep on the floor. "Don't you and I have suiting up to do?" he asked her.

"That's RIGHT!" Rainbow Dash jerked herself into wakefulness. "Let's go!" She and Tony took off for the lab.

Steve then appeared, fully dressed. He approached Twilight; "Good luck trying to keep them in order."

"It's all under control," Twilight told him. "Everything's gonna be fine. Fine! It'll be fine. NINE MINUTES!"

"I'll take it from here," Steve told her. "You just go get ready."

"Thank you!" Twilight said hurriedly as she ran into her chambers.

One by one, they lined up before Steve, dressed and ready. Twilight. Thor. Yellowjacket. Applejack. Black Panther. Rarity. Hawkeye. Vision. Fluttershy. Banner. Falcon. Wasp. Ms. Marvel. Filing in at the very back, encased in their armor, Rainbow Dash and Iron Man, the latter of whom gleamed brighter than ever before to Steve.

"Everyone's ready?" he asked to confirm. He pulled the blue hood up over his head, becoming Captain America. "Then let's move out!"

"Right on time!" Twilight sighed.

Steve had to keep from grinning. Since Twilight had let him take over, it had actually been ten minutes.

* * *

Spider-Man landed on the dewy green lawn of the embassy. "Here's hoping getting that call makes me authorized personnel," he sighed. "I do NOT need international crime on my record." He scanned the area. "Where is everybody? Aw, man, don't tell me I got the wrong place!"

The doors opened. Captain America and Applejack led the group out onto the lawn. Captain America took immediate notice of Spider-Man. "I see our call went through!" he said with a wave.

"So I did get the right place?" Spider-Man confirmed.

"This is the one," Twilight told him.

"Then where is everybody?"

"You're the first to show up," Yellowjacket stated.

"Well, that's a first," Spider-Man remarked. "Me actually being EARLY."

The hum of an iron suit was heard; Rhodes descended onto the lawn encased in the War Machine armor. "Do I want to know?" he asked, staring directly at Iron Man.

"I figure we should save the explanation for when everyone gets here," Iron Man responded. "So we don't have to say the same thing God knows how many times."

Applejack took notice of a shadowy figure stealing onto the lawn. She recognized him, putting up a hand and waving. "Hey there!"

"I came as soon as I heard," the Winter Soldier hissed.

"Thank you," Captain America told him sincerely. "I know you've had other things on your mind."

"I also know you don't just call Code White for easy situations," Winter Soldier countered.

All present flinched when they were made aware of a small aircraft piloting itself down to land in the street before the embassy. Vision started out toward it, but Wasp put up a hand in front of him. "Don't! They're clear!"

The four stepped forth, looking more impressive than usual when they were lined up, their uniforms indicating they were a close-bound team. Mr. Fantastic, the Thing, Invisible Woman, and the Human Torch – Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm.

"'Sup?" Johnny asked.

"We're in a bit of trouble," Falcon replied. "Did you ever get the lab cleaned up?"

"Still working on the damage," Mr. Fantastic grumbled. Sue jabbed her elbow into his arm, and he followed up, "I don't blame you, though. If anything, I blame Vulture for – "

"We're glad you're okay," Sue interrupted.

The next to arrive was Samson. Falcon immediately rushed to him, grinning madly.

"I take it you're enjoying being an Avenger," Samson told him.

"You have NO idea," Falcon replied.

"He's taken to it like a fish to water," Rarity added.

Samson looked back to Banner. "How's – "

"Everything's fine," Fluttershy interrupted him with a soft smile.

The group was startled when Scott Lang, who had ridden onto the grounds on the back of a fly, restored his original size, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. "Lang," Yellowjacket sighed with relief.

"Pym," Lang replied, sounding a little unsure.

"Something wrong?"

"Is it wrong that even after all this time," Lang sighed, "I still feel like you're more Ant-Man than I'll ever be?"

"I'm not," Yellowjacket replied. "You have the right spirit in you. And you've learned the skill."

"From what I've heard," Twilight told him, "you make a GREAT Ant-Man!"

"I let your friend get taken," Lang said shakily.

"That doesn't mean anything," Twilight said sternly. "You TRIED to protect her, and that's enough. H.A.M.M.E.R. is filled with powerful people. It wasn't your fault. Please, don't walk away from us because of that!"

"I wasn't intending to walk away," Lang admitted. "At least, I was hoping I wouldn't have to. But I thought after what happened, maybe you wouldn't want me to be part of this team."

"We NEED you to be part of this team," Yellowjacket urged.

Lang nodded, and Twilight said quietly to Yellowjacket, "He called you Pym."

"And?" Yellowjacket replied.

"You didn't correct him."

"He wasn't wrong. Hank Pym isn't dead anymore, Twilight."

When she didn't answer, he turned to look at her and see her face lit up with happiness.

When Luke Cage and Iron Fist strode onto the field, Iron Man approached them immediately. "I know, I know," he opened. "You wanna talk about the bill for this."

"Ten bucks," Cage and Iron Fist stated in unison.

"You don't even know what this mission is," Iron Man reminded them. "It's RIDICULOUS."

"What's ridiculous is paying us two grand for the fuckin' RHINO," Iron Fist pointed out.

"THAT was supposed to be a ten-dollar job," Cage added.

"Plus, this is Code White stuff," Iron Fist stated. "If our ten somehow got lost in the mail this time around, I guess that's just how the chips fall."

"All right," Iron Man said. "It's a deal. Our originally agreed price for the Rhino, and ten for this. Though I didn't know it would be the Rhino. You could have ended up with Baron Zemo."

"Is everyone here?" Applejack asked Captain America.

"Not yet," he answered. "There's one more person…but whether or not he actually responds to a Code White is a gamble. If he doesn't see this as his problem…well, then it's not his problem."

"All right. So we wait?"

"We wait."

The two groups lined up across from each other: Avengers and Equestrians on one side of the lawn, those called by Code White on the other. Small talk was fired across the dividing line as they waited on the final member. Fluttershy stole a glance back at Banner, who leaned against the wall, a fair distance away. He smiled at her from his position of solitude, and she smiled back before turning back to the bulk of the group.

"Well," Captain America sighed after some time, "looks like he's not going to be showing up after all. We better get started." He cleared his throat: "ATTENTION, EVERYONE – "

"Hold on…hold on," a voice rasped from the far edge of the lawn. "I'm here, all right? It would be nice if you could at least wait for me to get in earshot before giving the rundown."

Wolverine approached, bearing the countenance of quite a cranky mood indeed. "Just so you know," he stated, "I wasn't even going to come. But I don't want it on my head if anyone gets killed, and I'm guessing this is one of those times that might happen."

"You okay after that last fight?" Applejack asked him. "Never heard what happened after that. Kinda got afraid that you lost in a big way."

"No," Wolverine answered. "He can't get the best of me."

"Who was he, anyway?" Twilight asked. "Applejack told me all about what happened, and I'm curious. Why did he want to replace you in the first place?"

"He's my son," Wolverine answered, giving Twilight a look that was almost deadly. "I left him when he was born."

"How could you DO that?" Twilight gasped. "You just LEFT him? No WONDER he's mad at y – "

"Twilight," Thor interrupted.

"…Sorry," Twilight said meekly.

"You think I don't KNOW what I did wrong?" Wolverine growled. "You think I don't UNDERSTAND why he wants to kill me? If that's all you want to talk about, maybe I shouldn't be here after all."

"No, WAIT!" Applejack cried as Wolverine made the slightest of turns, considering walking away. "Listen…we all got opinions on the situation, but nopony here but you actually knows all the circumstances! So I'm thinkin' we should all just stop talkin' about it right now an' focus on what's goin' on in the here and now!" She flicked a glance back to Twilight.

"I'm sorry," Twilight muttered, eyes downcast. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm so sorry."

"Hmph…" Wolverine considered her apology, wondering how much it mattered to him.

"Listen," Captain America told him. "We do need you on this team."

"I would think you would know by now how well I do with teams," Wolverine replied.

"Logan," Captain America said hushedly but sternly. "Please."

"We'll see," Wolverine resolved. "But I don't want to hear any more about you-know-what."

"I'm still sorry," Twilight chimed in.

Wolverine sighed. "If I tell you to stop worrying about it, will you stop apologizing?"

Twilight nodded.

"Well, stop worrying about it, then."

"Um…was there a point to this meeting?" Johnny asked.

"There is," Captain America told him. "We called you all here because…"

He looked around at the group. Iron Fist and Luke Cage were busy conversing. Sue seemed to have gotten into a small argument with Mr. Fantastic. Falcon and Samson were still making small talk. "Excuse me – " Captain America tried again. "The reason we sent out the Code White is – "

Fluttershy inhaled deeply and loudly before screaming, "EVERYPONY QUIIIIIIIEEEEEEEET!"

When her yell died down, a silence fell over the embassy lawn.

"Thank you," Captain America told Fluttershy. He turned his attention to the group at large. "Last night, Pepper Potts and Jane Foster found an interdimensional portal forming in the sky outside the city limits while scanning for a Stark Industries project."

"Interdimensionally convenient technology," Iron Man chimed in. "Patent pending."

"The portal was going to open this morning," Captain America went on, "and there's a good chance it leads right into Asgard. I'm sure we can all think of a thousand reasons a portal like that would open up, and none of them are good. When it opens, I want this team to cross over and see what's happening on the other side. H.A.M.M.E.R. might be involved. Odin might be involved. Any number of things might be involved. But even if there isn't any foul play, leaving the grounds of this embassy will put us back into jurisdiction of the state, and our reputation isn't the best with the people. We'll be in danger if we so much as step off this lawn."

"So why drag US into it?" Wolverine asked cynically.

"Well…" Captain America paused.

"Because y'all are our friends," Applejack said. "Now, we don't wanna take advantage of that. If you don't wanna risk bein' associated with the Avengers durin' our breakout, so to speak, y'all have every right to leave. If y'all don't wanna risk goin' through a portal to who knows where to deal with who knows what, y'all can leave then too. But dependin' on what's over there, we might not be able to do this on our own, an' the night we escaped to here just proves how well y'all specifically work with us. The way it was explained to me, y'all are basically Avengers already in everythin' but name! We're just afraid that if we're right about this portal, one or both of those worlds is in danger. That's why we're checkin' this out. Now, it's your choice. Come with us or go home. We ain't gonna think any better or worse of ya one way or the other. We just know y'all make a great team with us. An' so we're askin' for help if you wanna give it." She turned back to Captain America. "Was that pretty much what you were thinkin'?"

"Yeah," Captain America said with a nod and a beam. He turned to look back at the other members of Code White, then raised his right arm, shield attached.

One by one, every single right hand, whether it was Avenger, Equestrian, or other among the Code White, formed into a fist and rose into the sky.

"Then let's move out," Captain America ordered.

* * *

As the group moved out of embassy property and down the street, they drew attention from every corner. It was hard to miss the city's greatest heroes and most hated pariahs parading down the street en masse. It wasn't long before a mob gathered. Citizens lined up on the sidewalk, pointing and yelling, "It's them!"

The group was able to ignore them until they reached the city limits, when the sirens suddenly became audible. Police cars surrounded them. A helicopter descended from overhead. And a throng of civilians stood between them and the city exit, screaming angrily.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Iron Man sighed.

A policeman emerged from one of the cars, yelling into a bullhorn, "Avengers! You are under arrest by the New York City Police Department! Please come nonviolently!"

"The rest of you will be charged with aiding and abetting!" another yelled.

"What do we do now?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Fight our way out?" Iron Man suggested.

"Listen, y'all can't do this!" Applejack yelled. "There's a portal formin' outside the city limits, an' this whole city could be in danger! We're tryin' to stop it!"

"Likely story," the first policeman retorted. "I repeat: COME NONVIOLENTLY!"

A gruff male voice boomed from the crowd ahead: "Wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE!" One man, pale skinned with a shock of white running through his gray-black hair and a mustache and beginnings of a goatee to match. He wore a crisp brown suit, a brown vest and red tie visible. He clutched a voice recorder, which he thrust at the group of heroes. "So you've finally made an appearance," he said with a sly grin, triumphant. "Finally, I'll get to hear why you've been on your destructive rampage straight from the horse's mouth!"

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "I'm offended! I mean, I think that's offensive."

"Jameson," Iron Man growled, addressing this man. "Don't you know when to leave well enough alone?"

"THAT'S JAMESON?" Rainbow Dash seethed. "Do you KNOW how bad you made us look for no reason? Are you just here to print more lies about us?"

"I don't print lies!" J. Jonah Jameson argued. "I print what the public needs to know! Anyway, you're about to be hauled off to jail anyway, and I wanna get your last words!"

"The only words you need to know are that we're trying to SAVE you and everybody else," Captain America asserted.

"If you do not let us investigate this portal – " Thor attempted.

"Portal schmortal!" Jameson scoffed. "I think you're making things up to look good in the public eye!"

"I didn't want to do this," Iron Man said hushedly, "but we need to get ready to do this the hard way."

"Hang on," Rainbow Dash told him, looking at Twilight. "I think she's got a plan…"

"Last words…" Twilight stared at the voice recorder device. She stepped forward. "Excuse me? I think there's something I want to say."

"Well then, little missy," Jameson said, "let's put you on the record!"

Twilight looked around at the people that had gathered, staring in wonder and fright. At the police, who were readying weapons in case of a scuffle. At the other heroes, who were genuinely perplexed by what she was going to do. So she breathed in deeply, leaned in to the recorder, and sang:

"Oh no, I just keep on falling!"

Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy leapt behind her, chorusing, "BACK TO THE SAME OLD!"

"And where's hope when misery comes crawling?" Twilight kept on.

The other four Equestrians turned to face Iron Man, Captain America, Banner, Thor, and Hawkeye, who, with a shrug in unison, belted out, "OH, MY WAY AY!"

"With your faith," Twilight continued, grabbing the recorder in her own hands, "You'll trigger a landslide…"

"Victory!" Wasp, Yellowjacket, Falcon, Vision, Black Panther, and Ms. Marvel sang out.

"To kill off this common sense of mind!" Twilight concluded, staring Jameson down angrily.

A wave caught her eye. She turned to see Captain America signaling, a hand in the air. So Twilight tossed the recorder to him, and he picked up where she left off: "It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine…"

"You cannot down it with your eyes," Thor added.

Iron Man grabbed the recorder and sang angrily into it: "So we don't need the headlines. No, we don't need the headlines, we just want – "

"We want this city back," Wasp sang softly.

"We want this city back…" Yellowjacket agreed.

Applejack thrust her fist into the air. "EVERYBODY SING LIKE IT'S THE LAST SONG YOU WILL EVER SING!"

"Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?" Twilight backed.

Captain America raised his shield again. "EVERYBODY LIVE LIKE IT'S THE LAST DAY YOU WILL EVER SEE!"

"TELL ME, TELL ME, DO YOU FEEL THE PRESSURE NOW!" Falcon belted.

"All right, ALL RIGHT!" Jameson interrupted, swiping his recorder back from Iron Man. "We get it! You're a bunch of radicals who aren't gonna back down even in the face of the law! Your little song and dance number is doing no favors for you but getting you on the front page! And the REST of you? War Machine, Mr. Fantastic…you're gonna get tied up with THEM?" He turned his gaze toward Spider-Man. "YOU, I'm not surprised by." Then to Wolverine. "YOU, on the other hand…"

"About that," Wolverine replied. He practically ripped the recorder from Jameson, spinning away. "Right now – " He gestured to the others. "THEY'RE the only reason…"

"I'M NOT LETTING GO, OH!" Iron Fist picked up.

Spider-Man stepped forward with a shrug. "And time's out if everyone's worth pleasing!"

"WELL HA-HA!" Johnny crowed.

"You'll trigger a landslide," the Thing asserted.

"Victory…" Sue sang softly.

"To kill off their finite state of mind," Rhodes finished, sailing over the crowd to land in front of Jameson.

And in one movement, the entire Code White group slid forward, beginning to leap, to spin, to DANCE their way down the street as they sang as one: "Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing! Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure? Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever live! Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure!" The crowd had no choice but to part for them as they carved their way down the street. "Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing! Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure! Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see! Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure – "

Wolverine threw the recorder back at Jameson. "Tell me, tell me," he sang directly to him, "do you feel the pressure?"

The citizens parted and let the group move through. All but one officer, who raised his gun and pointed it at the back of the group, happening to aim directly at Wasp.

"I would NOT pull that trigger if I were you," a sharp voice barked.

The voice struck intimidation into the officer, and he turned to see Nick Fury glowering at him.

"Unless you want to be known as the guy who shot the last hope standing between us and destruction," Fury continued.

As the group continued out of the city and toward the portal, Iron Man pointed out, "Anybody else notice that we got held up by the NYPD and JUST the NYPD?"

"…Nopony from H.A.M.M.E.R.," Twilight realized.

"No 'New Avengers,'" Black Panther added.

"So if they're not here…" Iron Man continued.

"Then we need to get to that portal NOW," Applejack conjectured.

* * *

So it was that the Code White forces arrived at the portal site, it was much later than previously expected. They hadn't even glimpsed Osborn's troops going in and hadn't the foggiest that such a group had entered before they had. They did, however, see the darkness contrasting starkly against the blue sky, and the crystal field laid out on the ground below it.

"These are Asgardian crystals," Thor realized out loud. "This is an ancient ritual to break the walls between worlds. I was not aware it worked."

"Meaning somepony set this up on purpose," Twilight deduced.

Applejack turned to Captain America, and in a low voice, sang, "All right, so they think they're ready…"

"Okay," Captain America replied, turning to face the entire group. "Can you SING THIS WITH ME NOW! WE WERE BORN FOR THIS!"

Everyone else present – Avenger, Equestrian, Fantastic Four, others – responded with a rousing reply: "WE WERE BORN FOR THIS!"

"WE WERE BORN FOR THIS!" Captain America belted again.

"WE WERE BORN FOR THIS!" they all replied.

Then, together, "WE WERE BORN FOR THIS!"

Without hesitation, the entire group moved into the crystal field, and in a flash of light, they were transported up.

* * *

THE FOREST OF ELRIT, ASGARD

The Code White team found itself in a thickly wooded forest, with a humid canopy of green leaves above and a scattering of emerald plants with various shapes of leaves beneath the feet. Tiny white flowers were spangled throughout the ground foliage. The sun only peeked through openings in the shady canopy, but where it did, it blazed brightly onto the forest below.

"This is the Forest of Elrit," Thor explained. "Between the Asgardian kingdoms of Ragnanival and Titania."

"Which way is it to the city you're from, again?" Twilight asked.

"To Nebulapolis, in Ragnanival?" Thor clarified. "Follow me."

As he took the lead, Spider-Man commented, "I'm all for spending weekends on nature walks, but this is NOT how I was expecting Saturday to go."

"Beats wandering around the embassy all day," Wasp countered.

"It's beautiful," Fluttershy remarked. "I wonder what kind of creatures live here?"

"Probably the kind that are huge and want to eat us," Hawkeye answered.

It didn't take them long to reach the border of the forest. From there, they had full view of the skyline of Nebulapolis on the horizon. And Nebulapolis appeared to be beset by chaos.

Many flying objects – humanoid, winged horses, cruisers, insectoid creatures – clashed in the air between the glimmering spires, crashing into each other brutally. The sound of metal weapons meeting each other, providing the background noise to the occasional loud explosion – accompanied with a flash of bright light – was audible, even from the edge of Elrit.

"What happened…" Twilight whispered in disbelief.

"NO!" Thor screamed.

Before he could make a move, the group became aware of several flying humanoids careening their way across the air. As they got closer, it was clear that these people wore black and white armor, lights of different colors glowing upon the suits as accents. Their faces, left barely uncovered by their pearly helmets, showed that their skin was a deep teal color; their eyes burned green.

"THIS WAY!" the leader of them called out as he landed on the ground. "The way they came in is…" He halted when he saw the amassed Code White team and recognized them.

"Mar-Vell?" Ms. Marvel said incredulously, stepping toward the leader.

"Carol!" Mar-Vell replied, advancing toward her. "What are you all doing here?"

"Trying to figure out what's going on with THAT!" Ms. Marvel pointed toward Nebulapolis. "Why are YOU here?"

"We realized the portal from Earth to Asgard must be in this forest," Mar-Vell explained, "and we were going to shut it down before any reinforcements came through – "

"No," Ms. Marvel said sternly. "What are you doing in ASGARD?"

"Thanos," Mar-Vell said. "We came to stop him, but we didn't know why he was here. And now…we have an idea."

"You're not making sense…what does that have to do with troops from Earth?"

"Everything," Mar-Vell told her. "Loki is alive."

* * *

Chapter 75:

· IT TURNS OUT OSBORN WAS GOING TO GO GREEN GOBLIN ALL ALONG! Raise your hand if you were surprised. Yeah, none of you were…

· Don't ask me why I can't call the Storm siblings by their field codenames. It's just a weird thing with me.

· I wanted to pull some focus on Wolverine here because of a discussion that Ophira and I actually had about him and how he doesn't do well on teams. During this conversation, Ophira brought up a review he'd read of "The Wolverine" where the reviewer said it would have been better if Hugh Jackman had used his Bollywood skills in it. That led to me basically promising a Wolverine musical number, and…this happened. I REGRET NOTHING

· I realize the monologue basically translates to "Please follow us to your doom because we're friends." I may not be the best at motivational speeches.

· Welp, they bested Jameson. They are now qualified to take down any other evil in the Marvelverse.

· The song here is "Born for This" by Paramore.

· I really don't like Nick Fury. And yet I keep making him sympathetic. I don't know how this happens.

· The Forest of Elrit and Titania are locations pulled from Odin Sphere. I'll go into this in more detail later, but I'm taking the land of Erion from that game and dividing it among the Nine Realms a little bit. Recap: since Odin Sphere is fractured mythology, it uses AU names like "Erion" for what is obviously Asgard and "Volkenon" for what is obviously Muspelheim. I have decided to leave Erion mostly intact to form the nations of Asgard, using the four kingdoms of Ragnanival, Titania, Valentine, and Ringford to form it (I know Ringford was supposed to be Vanaheim, but it really makes more sense to Odin Sphere plot if I leave Ringford on the same world as the other three I mentioned, whereas Volkenon can be transferred to another world, being Muspelheim, without much damage being done to the canon).

· I apologize for the chapter's "plot twist" being the heroes finding out what the readers already knew, but it was just the best place to break it off.

· The next part of the story is going to be the giant endgame battle. It will take us back to a couple hours before the H.A.M.M.E.R. delegation shows up, and I'm not sure "two hours ago" is worth a flashback indicator, so I'm just gonna warn you here.


	76. When the HAMMER Falls

76. When the H.A.M.M.E.R. Falls

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

When the dawn broke over the city, Pinkie Pie sprang into the throne room to greet Loki. "Morning, Odin!" she cried, winking.

Loki smiled in return. He would have winked, but bearing an eye patch made such an act physically very difficult. "Good morning, Pinkie Pie. And how are you feeling today?"

"Really great!" Pinkie chirped. "It's a gorgeoustastic day outside! Hey, you wanna do something outside? Or do you have to stay in here on your throne all day?"

"I can spare a moment," Loki told her. "In fact, I had been meaning to give you a tour of the Western gardens. would you join me?"

He could very literally see the sparkle in her eyes. "WOULD I? I'M SO THERE!"

Loki rose from the throne. "You'll forgive me if I have to keep up appearances."

"Of course!"

"And the kingdom believes me to be in mourning for Frigga, so I am afraid that, as much as I desire it, I cannot hold your hand where others might see."

Pinkie's heartbeat escalated. "Th-th-that's okay! I'm just gonna love spending time with you!"

"And I you," Loki replied.

* * *

They strolled through rows of flowers of every color, planted beneath a sparkling sun. A few others also walked through the gardens, but for the most part, Pinkie and Loki were free to roam wherever they pleased, leaving only a small amount of passersby to wonder with whom Odin was spending his time (and at least one who recognized her from her romps through the streets singing raucously).

"Which one is your favorite?" Loki inquired.

"That one!" Pinkie Pie squealed, pointing to a red flower. "No, wait – THAT one!" She switched to a blue. "Nononono…wait! THAT one!" A white flower. Then she gasped deeply, and as Loki thought she was about to let out a booming scream, she instead hissed in a low, fervent whisper: "Thaaaaaat oooooone…"

She pointed to a pink bloom, her eyes wide. Loki knelt to pluck it from its stem, standing and facing Pinkie Pie. "Look at me," he commanded.

She knew what he was going to do. "But Frigga - !"

"This is innocent enough." In a low voice, he added, "It could quite well be interpreted as a gesture of respect toward a friend."

Pinkie Pie turned to face him, and Loki tucked the pink flower delicately behind her ear, fastening one of her curls around it.

As he did this, a shadow fell over the garden, darkening the hues of all the plants. Loki and Pinkie Pie looked up to see what had caused the shadow, and Pinkie Pie let out a squeak of fear.

The dark ship passed over the sun.

* * *

From within the ship, Thanos looked upon the city of Nebulapolis below. "He is here," he stated.

From directly behind him, Annihilus let out a buzz of understanding.

"This is the kingdom Loki wished so dearly to clutch within his fist," Thanos went on. "You will understand, it is not enough to merely give him and him alone to my Lady. It must be all of them. So she will be pleased…and he will have nothing. Destroy the city first, then take him. Let him see what it is like to rule over a kingdom of ashes."

Annihilus made yet another harsh sound of understanding.

"Order the troops to disembark," Thanos commanded.

With a short buzz, Annihilus left the cabin.

Row upon row of Chitauri soldiers, survivors of the last confrontation as well as many new recruits, stood waiting for orders. When Annihilus appeared before them and pointed toward the exit hatch with an agitated hiss, they all understood their orders immediately. They took their places on their skimmers, blasting off out of the mothership and into the sky above Asgard.

None of them paid any mind to the floating couch, where Discord and Impossible Man threw popcorn at them from the bottomless bucket Discord had conjured, yelling "BOOOOOOOOO!"

When the fleet had disembarked, Annihilus himself left, floating into the sky. He raised his staff. He gave the garbled call. The insects scuttled out of the ship after him. He pointed the staff downward at the city of Nebulapolis.

Annihilus, his insects, and the Chitauri troops descended.

* * *

"We must go," Loki told Pinkie urgently.

"What's happening?" Pinkie asked, worried.

He knew exactly what was happening. "An invasion. We must call Asgard to defense! Now let's GO!"

Before Pinkie could say another word, he'd grabbed her hand and was pulling her through the streets, running back to the palace. And for a brief moment, she was split between joy that Loki held her hand and terror of what could have him on the run.

The Chitauri began to strike in the streets, chasing down whomever they could find, lashing out with their projectile weapons. The insects of Annihilus climbed up the walls, leaping onto anyone who passed, latching onto the backs of civilians and pinning them down.

As Loki and Pinkie Pie entered the palace, they could hear the screams begin.

* * *

Loki quickly took the throne and barked an order to a nearby servant. Within a minute, four warriors appeared before him. There was a rounded man with wavy red hair and a matching beard, armored in silver and brandishing an axe. There was a tall, thin man armored in black, his raven hair pinned behind his head. And there was a slim, lithe blonde with a short beard, whose coppery armor had a thin green shimmer. But in the lead of them was a woman with long black hair, clothed in armor of red leather and silver plating.

"Lord Odin," the woman said, bowing. The three men behind her followed suit. Pinkie Pie regarded them with interest, wondering as to their identities, their stories.

"Lady Sif," Loki replied. "You, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral shall lead our warriors against the invaders immediately. Gather the troops and ready the Valkyries."

"My lord," Sif asked, "what are these enemies?"

"To be feared," Loki stated. "Now GO!"

When the four had left, Loki turned back to Pinkie Pie. "I must fight as well."

"I'm going with you!" Pinkie cried. "I'll protect you!"

"The danger is great," Loki warned her.

Twin pistols materialized in Pinkie's hands. "I'm ready!"

Loki nodded. "I trust you."

* * *

The Valkyries, mounted upon their winged horses, formed a cloud, soaring to meet the Chitauri skimmers in midair and challenge them. A multitude of foot soldiers also rushed forth from the palace, chasing after the enemies on the ground.

Three Chitauri had backed an Asgardian couple against a wall, raising their weapons high to strike. With a sudden flash of metal, all three of their torsos were separated from their waists, flying upward for a moment before all six pieces of the bodies hit the ground. As they fell, they revealed Volstagg behind them, the wielder whose axe had cleaved them.

A mace slammed down onto one of Annihilus' insects, crushing it; it twitched its last before falling still. Hogun gave no pause before turning to ram his mace into the back of another insect, nearly flattening it. The insects crowded around him, trying to avenge their own; Hogun, unfazed, dealt strike after strike, bringing down all that charged him.

Fandral had engaged in combat with one of the Chitauri foot soldiers. It fired a blast from its gun; Fandral quickly twisted his blade, deflecting the blow off its flat surface, feeling the shock almost push him back. He rushed the Chitauri soldier, sword held high. When Fandral brought his sword down, it was met by the body of the Chitauri's gun. The Chitauri soldier then kicked Fandral to the ground, preparing to shoot his head clean off. There was the loud roar of an angered female voice, and before the Chitauri soldier could pull the trigger, he became very aware of a blade being plunged through his back. He fell forward, dead, onto Fandral. Fandral quickly scrambled out from beneath the corpse and stood to give a nod of thanks to his savior – Sif, who glowered at the corpse as though it still lived. Then Sif and Fandral each turned to new opponents.

From atop a high roof, Annihilus directed his troops. He ordered them to spread throughout the city, to destroy whatever they could. When the Asgardian warriors began to strike the insects down, he commanded them to gang up on the soldiers and bring them down by any means possible. As he buzzed out his latest order, projected via staff, he heard a high-pitched cry from behind him on the roof: "HEY, YOU!"

Annihilus turned to find Pinkie Pie behind him on the roof, brandishing both guns. "I know you're the one making those bugs do stuff with that scepter thingy!" she cried. "And I'm gonna make you cut it out!"

Annihilus responded with a high-pitched, garbled buzz of anger. He swept his staff toward her, and a horde of insects crawled onto the roof, making their way toward Pinkie Pie, ready to claw, to bite, to tear. She began firing blasts of confetti and glitter, the force throwing them away from her and depleting their energy.

Loki then walked into an open square, looking directly upward at the mothership. "I KNOW WHAT YOU CAME FOR!" he screamed. "NOW COME FACE ME, IF YOU ARE NOT A COWARD!"

It took Thanos a moment to realize what was going on. His technology was picking up on the behavior of the king, and so he saw, from far above, what Odin was supposedly doing. The realization struck him: it was not, in fact, Odin. He very nearly laughed; he had spent so much energy in chasing Loki, and Loki was presenting himself to him! He was adamant to stick to what he had demanded before: that Loki be deprived of everything he loved, everything he wanted dominion over, even everything he hated, before he met his long and painful death. So Thanos didn't oblige. Instead, he shifted the position of the ship, remaining in flight over Nebulapolis but making an obvious statement as he flew further away from Loki's position.

"CRAVEEEEEEEEN!" Loki howled at the ship when Thanos' message hit home.

Then, one by one, the other ships began to enter the atmosphere, and Loki smiled. Right on schedule.

* * *

After the Skrull threat was eliminated and the Supreme Intelligence overthrown, there was peace among the Kree empire…temporarily. But whenever one enemy fell, another would always quickly take its place. And though the Kree were moving slowly in a direction that would bring them away from imperialist violence, there was still among the people a desire to quash such threats as soon as they appeared.

With the Skrulls out of the way, the Chitauri had established themselves quickly as the next great army to threaten Kree space, and skirmishes had occurred between the two groups. It became all the more heated when word reached Mar-Vell, the acting leader of the Kree since the fall of the Supreme Intelligence, that the Chitauri had mobilized under Thanos. The very mention of Thanos' name at all was cause for alarm among the Kree.

They'd rejoiced when they heard of the hit Thanos and the Chitauri had taken during the conflict on Earth – legions decimated. Mar-Vell was pleased to hear the Avengers had facilitated the victory, but had also taken note that it was Loki of Asgard who had established the connection between Chitauri space and Earth. He ordered ears to listen for news of Loki as the conflict between the Kree and Chitauri escalated. News of Loki's death admittedly pleased him. One more dangerous man gone. Given the right opportunity, Mar-Vell feared, Loki could cause an apocalypse.

And so it seemed at first like a mere coincidence, an echo of irony, when word reached Mar-Vell via military intelligence that Thanos had gathered the scraps of the Chitauri army (as well as Annihilus, but this didn't make it into the reports) and was running a full-scale invasion of Asgard. Mar-Vell had deliberated as to whether or not it was wise to interfere, but in the end, he gave into his fears that the Chitauri would utterly raze Asgard as a whole and use the planet's corpse to establish a new military base.

The decision was made. The Kree would head Thanos off at Asgard, hopefully before too much damage was done. And there, the Chitauri threat would be nipped in the bud. Mar-Vell opted to lead a troop himself, drawing upon the vast military forces of the planet. And, of course, he put Ronan the Accuser in charge of a small battalion; Ronan and Mar-Vell had their differences and had argued about them many times, but in the end, each recognized the other's potential, and a mutual respect was forged.

As the Kree ships flew into the Asgardian atmosphere, Discord and Impossible Man cheered them on, wearing jerseys in the colors of Kree armor; Discord waved a giant teal foam finger emblazoned with the words "GO KREE" in the air.

The Kree disembarked en masse, wasting no time in dispersing through the Asgardian streets and engaging either Chitauri soldiers or Annihilus' insects in battle. From the alleys and within buildings, Asgardian bystanders cheered on their new allies.

Mar-Vell himself blocked three projectiles from a Chitauri gun before rushing his opponent, summoning a sword of green energy to slash with toward said Chitauri.

Around this time, the Valkyrie elite took flight. The women who did not need winged horses, for their wings were at their waists, protruding over their skirts and spreading into beautiful feathery spectacles. With spears and swords they descended upon those Chitauri not already engaged with the Kree or other Asgardian soldiers.

An entire square was dominated by Ronan. He was taller and more thickly built than the other Kree, wearing armor of gold and a green hood. He strode calmly toward a horde of oncoming Chitauri; he had the utmost confidence in the tool in his hands, a gleaming hammer with an angular silver head and a shaft as long as that of most spears. The Universal Weapon. Ten Chitauri and twenty insects charged Ronan. He struck out with the Universal Weapon, and all fell.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had sent all of Annihilus' bugs in her vicinity to sleep. "THAT ALL YOU GOT?" she screamed at Annihilus.

Annihilus responded with a garbled buzz, ready to prove to her that his staff could do more than summon the insects. He swung it toward her, and a flash of white light emitted from it.

With a scream, Pinkie leapt into the air, flipping over thrice backward before landing outside the range of the beam. The beam had cut through the floor upon which she and Annihilus stood. She laughed nervously. "This might be a liiiiiittle bit harder than I thought…"

The tide was turning. This, the Asgardians could see. Their own brave warriors, the Kree, and the Asgardian king himself were beating back the Chitauri and the insects. During the struggle, many saw who they believed to be Odin ascending the steps of the palace.

Having defeated their immediate foes and seen the king ascend, Mar-Vell, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, and Sif, as well as a crowd of others, ran to the edge of the palace steps, looking up from the nadir. "Lord Odin!" Sif cried. "We have them almost outmatched!"

"Very good," the king replied with an unsettling grin.

"Come into battle," Mar-Vell urged, "and we can finish them off and drive them away for good!"

"That would be in accordance with the will of the All-Father, wouldn't it?" The king's grin grew broader.

"YES!" Fandral cried.

"Well, then," Loki said, letting his illusion fall. "It must be quite inconvenient to you that Odin has been dead ever since the last advance of Malekith."

Those who observed, gasped. Sif backed away in horror. "No…it cannot be…"

"It amazes me, sometimes, how easily you are taken in by lies," Loki laughed. "As a matter of fact, I don't want the battle to end just yet. In fact, it's barely begun…and my own personal reinforcements are entering the city walls as we speak."

The troops from H.A.M.M.E.R. had arrived, Osborn in the lead on his hoverboard. "YOU ALL KNOW WHAT TO DO!" he cackled. "Bring down everyone you can! It isn't over until they've SURRENDERED TO OUR NAME!"

He threw down a pair of bombs, fist-sized, shaped like jack o'lanterns. Each bomb let out a screech, oddly human, as it hit the ground. Through the smoke plumes that rose up from where the bombs hit the ground, the troops charged.

"What do we do?" Mockingbird asked Black Widow in concern.

Black Widow surveyed the scene. She recognized the Chitauri, and she recognized the Kree. But she focused in on the insects. While she'd never seen them before, she was quick to notice that they were doing the most damage to the city itself, pouncing on unarmed civilians and tearing apart the walls of the buildings.

"See those bugs?" she pointed out. "Focus on them for now." She drew twin pistols, firing several rounds into the head of one of the bugs. It dropped to the ground and twitched its last. Black Widow charged down the street, leaping into the air and stomping another bug down so she could plant simultaneous shots into its head. From there, it was on to the next bug.

Coulson remained where he was, firing at the bugs climbing up the walls around him, turning to peg each one as it climbed up the walls. Noticing that he was thinning their number, the bugs began to converge on Coulson. Mockingbird was quick to pick up on this, rushing to Coulson's defense with her silvery polestaff ready. She spun it once before slamming into the heads of three insects trying to sneak up on Coulson. "I'll cover your fire!" she told him, whacking another insect with the staff.

Quake rushed toward a throng of the insects, focusing on the ground ahead. She made it tremble, and the bugs were all knocked off balance.

Emma Frost, in the meantime, transformed from head to toe with a shimmer. No longer did she resemble a woman of flesh and blood; instead, she appeared to be an animated diamond statue of a woman, catching the light of the Asgardian sun and refracting it in every glimmering direction. "For the record," she told the nearest Chitauri foot soldier, "I don't like you anyway, no matter what Loki says." She then delivered to this soldier's face a hard punch; her rock-hard fist slammed into his skull with a CRACK and sent him stumbling backward. As another ran forth to avenge his comrade, Emma jabbed her sharp elbow back into his chest.

Namor had marched into battle with several large canteens of water strapped to his chest and back. He used these to douse his skin with water, absorbing its strength. Then, before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed onto the nearest Kree soldier, putting him into a headlock and wrestling him to the ground.

Daken sliced through insect after insect with his outstretched claws. He flinched when the next one in line to be diced was pegged with an arrow, right through the vitals. Apparently, anyway. Daken wasn't sure where the vitals were on the bugs, but the arrow had made it stop moving. He turned around to see Bullseye loading up his bow. "Forty-two," Daken stated with a grin.

Bullseye let his next arrow fly, piercing another bug. "Forty-three," he said with a grin.

"Didn't expect you to pierce that many."

"Well, maybe my aim's better than you know. And maybe – " He let another arrow fly, seemingly directly at Daken. But Daken knew better. He stood perfectly still, and the arrow passed through an insect that had leapt at him from behind, fangs bared. The insect dropped lifelessly. " – You have to watch your back better," Bullseye finished. "Oh. And that's forty-four."

Five Kree soldiers appeared, green blades blazing. "You there!" one called out. "Friends or enemies of Asgard?"

The soldiers had hoped, seeing the pair destroy the bugs, that the answer would not be the one that Daken supplied: "Oh, CERTAINLY enemies." Their hopes fell.

"Then you know we'll have to take you into custody," the Kree replied.

"If you can beat us," Daken challenged.

"You're mad," Bullseye snapped at Daken before turning and attempting to run. "We need to get the hell OUT of here!"

Daken caught him by the shoulder; "Where are you going? You don't think we can take them?"

"Let's see. Two Earthlings, five trained Kree soldiers. I know when to cut my losses, and this is NOT worth my life, Daken!"

Daken replied by seizing Bullseye's other shoulder, turning the archer to face him. Bullseye was barely aware of why or how he'd done it, but soon, Daken's mouth was pressed against his firmly, and it wasn't, in Bullseye's mind, all that horrible. In fact, rather nice, he thought.

When Daken let him go, he insisted, "I'm in charge, Bullseye. This is MY show. And we stay."

"Fine," Bullseye grunted, turning back to face the somewhat flabbergasted Kree soldiers. "We'll bloody have it your way."

He loaded his bow, firing. The arrow was batted away by a green blade, but almost immediately afterward, another arrow planted into the shoulder of the soldier who'd deflected the first. Two of the Kree soldiers rushed Daken, who lashed out at them with his claws. One blade became interlocked with the claws, and Daken and the soldier struggled against each other. The other soldier fell to the ground, screaming in pain; Daken's claws had ripped right through his armor, cutting deep and drawing blood. The fourth soldier took an arrow to each leg, stumbling forward in agony. Daken threw his opponent backward to slam into the fifth. As both hit the ground, Bullseye drew back his bowstring, two arrows angled so an arrowhead pointed to each exposed face.

John was quite upset. He had his own doubts about the veracity of a "peacekeeping" mission on Asgard. But he knew what he had to go through with if he wanted to keep his power. So when the Asgardian soldiers came running at him with their blades drawn, he was ready to pick them up one by one as they arrived, slinging them away, to collide with walls, to collide with each other. Above him, Vulture circled, leading one Chitauri skimmer to crash into another in midair with a spectacular explosion.

Mar-Vell, Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral all pointed their weapons directly at Loki. "You lie," Sif seethed. "Where is Odin?"

"I assure you, THAT was not the lie," Loki told her. "He is quite dead at the moment. You've all been living your lives under my rule. Not so bad, was it? But the problem was that you would never accept my rule under my own name."

"You were NEVER fit to be king," Sif growled.

"You've only proved my point," Loki told her. "Which is why it had to come to a siege. I wish it could have been simpler, but you have made it this way."

He swung his spear outward in a great arc, and a wave of blue plasma rushed forth from its path, knocking down Mar-Vell, Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral. By the time all had gotten to their feet, Loki had vanished, run off somewhere.

"Split up!" Sif ordered. "He is somewhere in this city! Even he is not so cowardly as to abandon the kingdom he wishes to conquer! FIND HIM!"

They rushed away in five different directions.

The scene had also been witnessed by a Valkyrie. White-haired, her coiffure bound by a black headband ridged with sky blue feathers; she was clothed in a white corset bodice, detached white sleeves, a navy blue plated skirt, and mithril greaves and boots. Once one of the elite, but her wings had been ripped from her, leaving two deep scars on her waist. So she straddled a chestnut steed that supplied the wings for her. She recognized Loki from above – she would know him anywhere – but she had lost him when he ran into the twisting streets below. She began to steer her horse in a perimeter patrol of the city in hopes that she could find him.

Amora threw back three Kree soldiers in a burst of green magic; at this moment, Hogun came upon her, mace raised. It didn't take him long to put the pieces together. "Traitor," he hissed.

"To your order?" she asked. "Or to the true order?"

Hogun didn't need to hear any more. He raised his mace high, charging her. "AMORAAAAAAA!"

She fired first one, then another blast of green at him. He sidestepped the first and ducked the second. He raised his mace high to strike a blow at Amora. Amora put up a hand, about to cast a protective spell.

Another hand pressed firmly on her spine, between her shoulder blades, forcing her to duck. The shield slipped between her head and Hogun's mace, and she heard the impact. Quickly ducking out of the way and standing beside her attacker and her rescuer – confirming that it was, in fact, Zemo who had pushed her down to counter Hogun's blow – she growled, "I could have handled him MYSELF!"

"Perhaps," Zemo retorted, "but I wanted the honor of defeating this Asgardian."

"An honor you shall not have," Hogun growled, swinging the mace again. It again clashed with the shield. Zemo then struck out with his blade, and Hogun intercepted it with the shaft of the mace. Zemo attempted to slam the shield into Hogun's head, but the Asgardian warrior was too deft for him, tilting his head so the shield slid just past it.

Then the blast of green sent Hogun tumbling to the ground. Amora laughed triumphantly.

Hogun grasped fully that he was dealing with two opponents. He rolled over to avoid the next blast from Amora, swinging the mace upward to knock Zemo's blade off course before it could pierce him in the heart. Then he attempted to bring the mace down on Zemo's feet, only to find that his opponent's reflexes were as good as his. Hogun leapt to his feet, quickly stepping backward to avoid the blasts of energy Amora was by then raining from above. He made another swing at Amora, who concentrated her energies on forging a forcefield, a green sphere upon which Hogun's mace thudded harmlessly. Hogun then took another swing at Zemo, and this time, whether by extreme skill or sheer luck, he hit his mark. There was the sound of tearing fabric, and Zemo screamed – though it was impossible to tell if it was in pain or in anger. Both Zemo's hands dropped his weapons, pressing to his face. Seeing his chance, Hogun ran past him, deciding to focus on finding Loki rather than waste any more time with Amora and Zemo.

Amora let down the shield, tentatively, curiously approaching Zemo. The latter cursed under his breath, a string of German, before dropping his hands from his face and looking up to stare Amora dead in the eye.

Amora gasped, flinching. Hogun's mace had torn away the majority of Zemo's ever-present mask. Had it affected his face? She couldn't tell. It was like looking into the face of an animated corpse: desiccated, emaciated.

Zemo eventually noticed Amora's staring, and the cursing trailed off mid-word. For the first time, instead of having to imagine his smug grin, she saw it for real, with what he had left to speak of for lips. "Beautiful, is it not?" The sarcasm dripped thickly. All the while, his blue eyes stared out from the rotting mass, the only features untouched by the virus, gleaming bright like topaz.

Amora then returned her own smirk. "Certainly the fairest in the land. I can see why you consider yourself better than the rest of us…or at least feel the need to constantly state such."

"Enough banter. There are still MANY to bring down." Energized by a new anger, Zemo took up his sword and shield again. As he turned to the East to face an oncoming Kree, Amora turned West, facing a rushing Chitauri.

Hogun didn't get far from the battle site before he heard a high-pitched screech, perceived a split second before the accompanying explosion that knocked him off his feet. He lay sprawled out in the street.

The Green Goblin laughed as he watched Hogun fall. Only for a second, however. Then he'd moved on to rain more fiery doom upon the hapless, throwing his pumpkin-shaped bombs down at random, hearing the trail of shrieks they left behind.

Mar-Vell caught sight of him, and for a moment, Loki was forgotten. Mar-Vell's only goal was to stop the offending Goblin from dropping more bombs from the air. He leapt into the air, careening after the hoverboard.

The Goblin took notice that a presence was behind him. "Is someone being naughty?" he asked teasingly. "You should know better than to tailgate." He flicked his wrist behind him, launching three bombs at Mar-Vell.

Mar-Vell's blade sliced through all three bombs, cutting their screeches short. He flew ever closer to the hoverboard, thinking if he could just strike it down the center and cleave it in half, he could ground the Goblin. The Goblin, however, was on guard. As Mar-Vell neared him, he pulled the hoverboard straight up, accelerating at such a speed that he was able to completely invert – for a moment, feet pointed to the sky and head to the ground – and loop until he was situated behind Mar-Vell without his feet leaving the board. From there, he was able to launch another bomb. It caught Mar-Vell off guard, in the back. As Mar-Vell dropped, the Goblin picked him up, putting him in a headlock.

"You need to learn more respect!" the Goblin laughed, skimming close to the ground, throwing Mar-Vell down on the street and keeping his hands pressed against the Kree's chest as the hoverboard kept on speeding, only slightly above ground level. Mar-Vell's armor scraped against the ground, and Mar-Vell himself groaned – not hurt, but fearing that if his armor was too badly damaged, he would be soon. Then, the Goblin decided he'd had enough, and in what Mar-Vell was ready to count as a miracle, the Goblin steered up and away, leaving Mar-Vell in the road. Mar-Vell unsteadily rose, his mind turning to this accomplice of Loki's. Not an Asgardian, he was sure, nor Kree nor Chitauri. Despite his appearance, Mar-Vell was convinced the Goblin was indeed from Earth. That meant Loki had brought him over somehow. And judging from Loki's earlier statement, he'd brought others as well.

Mar-Vell was driven to find out how.

As Fandral ran down the street, he was intercepted by a kick to the head; Venom swung down from above, his feet ramming into Fandral's head so that the warrior was sent stumbling. Venom then let the strand of black web go, landing in front of Fandral.

"You shall not stand in my way, villain!" Fandral cried, stabilizing himself and drawing his sword.

"You think that little knife will hurt us?" Venom taunted. He quickly turned to throw a black web at Fandral. Fandral quickly slashed through it, letting the webs fall at his feet. He stepped forward, planting a foot in the fallen web. He became horrified when he found he couldn't pry that foot upward from the black mass.

Four tentacle-like projectiles sprouted from Venom's back, wrapping around Fandral, binding his arms to his sides and his legs together. Venom lifted Fandral off the ground in this fashion; Fandral's foot ripped free of the black webbing, and his sword fell from his grip, landing in the webs with a "squelch" sound. Venom constricted; Fandral felt the bones in his body trying not to give out. And yet, no matter how hard Venom squeezed him, his body refused to break. He wondered if this beast before him had any idea of the durability of the average Asgardian – after all, Fandral looked quite human. And so he closed his eyes, letting his head loll.

Satisfied, Venom dropped Fandral hard on the stone and attached a web to the top of another building, using that to launch into the air, believing Fandral was dead. Fandral played possum for another few minutes before getting up, prising his blade out of the congealing webs on the ground, and resuming his search for Loki.

One unfortunate young Asgardian man cowered behind the counter of the shop he ran on one of the main streets, a shop whose wares consisted of jewelry and other accessories of finery. He watched the brawls carry on in the streets, shivering. He prayed it wouldn't come to his door, hoping he would be safe if he stayed where he was inconspicuous.

The door burst open, and a great wave of sand crashed into the shop, causing the young Asgardian to squeak. He trembled as he watched the earth matter gather itself, taking on the form of a humanoid.

"And what've we got here?" Sandman asked with a grin as several tendrils of sand burst from his back and shoulders, forming themselves into various blades.

"TAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT!" the distressed Asgardian screamed. "DON'T HURT ME!" he charged from the room in a panic.

"Score," Sandman muttered, retracting the weaponized appendages and plucking a silk-woven bag from the wall and beginning to fill it up with the most valuable looking of the jewels.

A shadow filled the doorway. "Stop there!"

Sandman turned to deal a look of mild annoyance to Volstagg. Volstagg, on the other hand, was perplexed. "One of Loki's allies…a petty thief?"

"Watch it," Sandman warned, placing the bag on the counter and facing Volstagg. "You really do NOT wanna mess with me."

"Your threats mean NOTHING to me!" Volstagg charged forth, plunging his axe directly into Sandman's chest.

He stared in shock, watching the axe bury itself in a mass of sand. He then removed the blade, this time aiming for Sandman's shoulder. Again, the axe just impacted harmlessly into sand. Sandman stared disapprovingly at Volstagg as the Asgardian warrior tried to deal blow after blow only to have his weapon either deal no damage or pass completely through Sandman.

A sweat broke out across Volstagg's forehead, and he backed away slightly, panting. Sandman hadn't moved at all since the Asgardian had begun his assault, with the sole exception of rolling his eyes dramatically. When Volstagg backed off, Sandman cracked a smile. "If you're done making yourself look like an idiot…" He raised both arms, forming them into double-bladed axes that mimicked Volstagg's. "You like? I was in the mood for some cruel irony."

Before either could make a move, Volstagg cried out suddenly in pain. He'd been hit with a massive surge of electrical energy, and his own skin glowed slightly as he took the full force of it. Agony coursed through every inch of skin. He passed out; he dropped to the ground. Sandman watched him fall, confused, then looked up to see who had dealt the blow. Then he broke into a wide smile, almost laughing.

"Was this one giving you trouble?" Electro asked, unmasked, crackling with energy.

"Not anymore he ain't," Sandman replied. "NICE shot!"

"I told you I'd have your back."

"Never doubted you for a second!"

Shocker's energy blasts took down three Asgardian foot soldiers in succession, knocking them against the wall so they were unconscious. Hearing the flapping of wings above, he turned to fire upward at the horse of the white-haired Valkyrie. The blast connected; the horse bucked and threw the Valkyrie.

She turned head over heel in midair and aimed her spear downward, angling toward Shocker at top speed. Shocker only realized what the Valkyrie was doing and leapt backward a split second before she landed hard on the street, crouching to absorb shock, and then rose to full height, twirling a silver spear whose head had been tinted blue.

"Are you with Loki?" she asked angrily.

"What's it to ya?" Shocker replied.

"It's VERY important to me that I find him," the Valkyrie insisted.

"And I don't give a damn." Shocker raised both arms, firing twin blasts at her. She leapt over them, landing to the side of both beams and rushing at Shocker, swinging the flat edge of her spear at him, feeling the residual energy of the beams she ran parallel to. Shocker retaliated by powering down the gauntlets and raising them to block the spear, shielding his face. The Valkyrie then swung the spear's shaft at his stomach, knocking him backward; Shocker stumbled momentarily before firing both gauntlets directly at the Valkyrie. She leapt high again, arcing backward, landing on one hand – the spear clutched in the other - and springing to land upon her feet. She swung the spear hard, catching Shocker against the shoulder. Before he could make a move, she swung again and again, knocking him in one direction, then the other. Finally, she twirled her spear in the air before slamming the edge against Shocker's chest, pushing him to the ground.

The Valkyrie pointed her spear at Shocker's neck. "WHERE. IS. LOKI?"

"You're wastin' your time," Shocker told her, somewhat angrily. "I don't got a goddamn clue where he is."

"You came here with him," the Valkyrie insisted as she felt a scratching motion at the back of one of her greaves. She turned to notice an alley cat, patterned black and white, pawing at her leg. She decided to ignore the cat, turning her attention back to Shocker. "Do you really expect me to believe you know nothing?"

"I don't keep tabs on him," Shocker replied.

"Maybe you're right," the Valkyrie said as the cat kept pawing, the slight squeak audible as the metal in its paw rubbed the metal of her greave. "But I warn you, if you're lying – "

She realized.

She quickly turned, plunging the spear down through the android cat so that its circuits sparked. She flung the spear; the cat-bot flew down the street until it collided with the cobblestone several feet away and exploded, causing no damage but to the street paving itself.

"So, you figured out my little trick!" Mysterio announced, stepping out from an alleyway. "But can you survive what's in plain sight? IN SUI PERNICIEM, VESPERTILIONES!"

From beneath his cape, a horde of animatronic bats erupted, and the Valkyrie was certain that each one was set to explode. So she worked quickly. She swung the spear at each bat. Some she sliced through; they detonated with only a small shockwave. Others she managed to launch right back at Mysterio with the flat edge of the spear, and he quickly turned and ran to avoid the trajectory.

As she turned to watch him run, she was aware of Shocker getting to his feet beside her. She smacked the next explosive bat toward him. Then the next two.

The next sequence of events worked out almost perfectly to the Valkyrie's mind. Shocker fired upon the bats, leaving the Valkyrie open to charge Mysterio. As she raised her spear, Shocker finished off the bats, turning to her. She swung the spear hard at Mysterio, knocking him to the side before leaping backward. Mysterio was thrown directly into Shocker's trajectory and blasted by both beams, falling to the ground.

"NO!" Shocker raged as he saw where his fire had connected. He turned back to the Valkyrie; "Just for that, I'm gonna rip you to pieces – "

She was too fast. He raised both arms and crossed them to block the first strike with his gauntlets, but the second and third strike hit home. She sidestepped, moving behind him, and then dealt the finishing blow, knocking him to the ground a second time. He landed alongside Mysterio, who had sat up, slightly dazed and even more so aching.

"Now, both of you!" the Valkyrie said, pointing her spear at the pair. "I won't ask again! WHERE IS LOKI?"

"I wouldn't know!" Mysterio said, raising his hands in a defensive pose. "But were it me, I would end up back at the castle to strike a sense of poetic justice!"

"That's all I need to know," the Valkyrie said before turning and running away.

Shocker stood, firing one last blast after her. She dropped to the ground and rolled around the corner, letting the beam pass over her head before disappearing from the line of fire.

"You all right?" Shocker asked Mysterio as the latter got to his feet and dusted himself off in a rather grandiose way (especially given that there wasn't even any dust to speak of on him).

"Sore, but not much the worse for wear," Mysterio answered.

"Good. 'Cause we've got more company." Shocker turned his attention to a pair of Kree soldiers landing in the street. He blasted one of them while the soldier's guard was down before noticing that he stood alone on his side of the street. "Wha – MYSTERIO!"

"Stand down!" the second Kree said.

"I don't think so," Shocker replied, pointing his wrist directly at the Kree.

"NO!" The Kree suddenly scooped something up from the ground, leaping to the side and cradling it.

Shocker laughed when he realized what it was. "Cat person, huh?"

"Your fire would have harmed this innocent animal!" the Kree gasped, stroking the "cat." "How COULD you?"

"Actually, I wouldn't even dream of hurtin' that one," Shocker stated casually.

Before the Kree could ask what he meant, the cat-bot exploded.

Sif turned onto the street at the same time as the Rhino. They locked eyes. "You're goin' down!" Rhino bellowed before charging.

"I think not," Sif replied, running directly at him, sword drawn.

She leapt over his ducked head, missing his horn by several feet, before landing hard on his back, forcing him to the ground, and striking her sword against his skin. The sword bounced off Rhino's skin harmlessly; this confused Sif for a moment, but she decided to forget it and keep moving on. She leapt away, keeping her course.

As Rhino stood, he muttered, "What just happened…?" By the time he turned around, Sif was out of sight.

With another wave of the Universal Weapon, Ronan knocked down another troop of Chitauri. He slowly turned to view all the roads letting into the square he'd called as his battle point so that he could see every direction from which new enemies might come.

When he had turned full circle, he blinked. Loki stood directly in front of him. He hadn't seen or heard Loki's approaching presence at all. Confused, Ronan swung the hammer at Loki.

It passed through Loki as though he weren't even there. An illusion, Ronan realized. And as he realized this, the image of Loki began to laugh. The laughing grew louder. More and more Loki illusions appeared until they surrounded Ronan.

Enraged, Ronan took a swing at a group of them. They flickered in and out of view. All illusions. He swung at more. More fakes, he discovered. His anger only grew, and he lashed out again and again until the hammer connected with something solid.

Not another Loki. This time, the hammer had struck a young man all dressed in black. The youth was knocked to the ground immediately, unmoving. Ronan found something suspicious about the chain of events, and stepped gingerly toward the youth lay.

The youth then slowly began to rise – literally. His body levitated up off the ground, righting itself, head upward, feet pointed down. He spread his arms out, a perverted crucifixion pose, as his eyes practically burned. Upon his mouth was just the barest hint of a sly grin. Beneath his clothing, where Ronan couldn't see, the damage done by the impact of the Universal Weapon was healing.

Then Blackheart flung both his arms forward and engulfed Ronan completely in darkness.

Ronan cried out, never having felt anything quite like it. It was pain, but also fear, and something about it disgusted him as well. His very soul cried out for the darkness to leave. He stumbled forward, and the darkness moved with him, burrowing into his soul.

He heard a word pierce the air: "CRUCIO!"

Even more pain, then. Ronan was brought to his knees, convulsing. But he kept a tight grip on the Universal Weapon with both hands.

Crouch was able to see the effect he was having through the purest Darkness Blackheart had summoned. However, it still wasn't enough. He nodded towards Loki – the real one – and Loki pointed his spear at Ronan, firing a bolt of energy. Ronan then hit the ground, lying on his stomach. The shaft of the Universal Weapon was clenched in one hand.

Ronan's vision began to fade as his consciousness poured away from his mind in order to relieve the pain. He saw Dr. Doom walk into the square; the darkness was called off by Blackheart in order to give Doom a clear path. Ronan saw Doom move toward his outstretched arm. He saw Doom's armored foot rise, then stomp down. And the last sharp pain he felt before losing all sense was of Doom's foot landing directly on his wrist. He couldn't stop himself from opening his hand. He relinquished the hammer. His eyes closed.

Doom began to lower himself to pick up the Universal Weapon, but Loki had beaten him to it, plucking it from the ground and then standing tall before Doom, holding out the weapon. "Consider it a token," Loki said, bending at the knee and raising his arms, "of my affections."

"A fine token indeed," Doom replied. "One worthy of you, Loki. And worthy of me."

"As promised," Loki said.

And as indeed planned from the very start, Doom's hands clenched the Universal Weapon. He raised it high; it crackled with energy.

Mar-Vell and several Kree descended then, weapons blazing, surrounding Ronan. "BACK AWAY FROM HIM!" Mar-Vell directed.

"You? Order me? When I hold this?" Doom retorted. "I think not."

He gave the hammer a swing. The energy that radiated from it broke apart the street it passed over, connecting with another Kree soldier. The soldier opened his mouth to scream; before he made a sound, he'd disintegrated completely in a flash of white light.

Blackheart gave out an audible laugh then.

Mar-Vell realized it was time for new orders. "GET RONAN OUT OF HERE!" he barked. The Kree battalion moved as one to pick up their fallen. Before Doom could destroy another of their number, they lifted into the sky.

Several blocks away, Mar-Vell's faction finally set Ronan down. "He'll live," Mar-Vell pronounced, turning away to look at the sky. "For now…I need some of you to watch him and some to come with me. I want to find out where Loki brought his allies in and see if I can close down that point before any others arrive."

"You think they came through…some kind of portal?" one of the soldiers asked.

"It's the only explanation that makes sense to me," Mar-Vell confirmed.

The troop divided. Half tended to Ronan while the other launched into the sky, following Mar-Vell toward a patch of dark sky that stood out as an anomaly against the rest.

* * *

THE FOREST OF ELRIT, ASGARD

The Kree troops landed at the forest's edge at Mar-Vell's command, prepared to go the rest of the way on foot. "THIS WAY!" Mar-Vell called out as he landed on the ground. "The way they came in is…" He halted when he saw the amassed Code White team and recognized them.

"Mar-Vell?" Ms. Marvel said incredulously, stepping toward the leader.

"Carol!" Mar-Vell replied, advancing toward her. "What are you all doing here?"

"Trying to figure out what's going on with THAT!" Ms. Marvel pointed toward Nebulapolis. "Why are YOU here?"

"We realized the portal from Earth to Asgard must be in this forest," Mar-Vell explained, "and we were going to shut it down before any reinforcements came through – "

"No," Ms. Marvel said sternly. "What are you doing in ASGARD?"

"Thanos," Mar-Vell said. "We came to stop him, but we didn't know why he was here. And now…we have an idea."

"You're not making sense…what does that have to do with troops from Earth?"

"Everything," Mar-Vell told her. "Loki is alive."

* * *

Chapter 76:

· Some of these battles, such as the four-way team-up against Ronan, were fixed from the very start. But the majority were set up via random name generator for extra fun. Which actually resulted in unintentional hilarity when I realized I had to give Rhino to Sif.

· This is probably the highest death toll I've ever written, though the majority of my victims don't have names at all!

· I have been informed that the Chitauri and Kree have not ever interacted in Marvel canon for continuity reasons (different universes apparently). I felt I had to play with the concept. Hence the "brief history of the Kree and Chitauri." The Kree would of course see the Chitauri as the next great threat to watch after the Skrulls. And, as you have already figured out, I used Thanos' grudge on Loki as bait – Loki gets Thanos to pursue him to Asgard, the Chitauri run rampant, the Kree show up to combat them, and Doom gets to take the Universal Weapon.

· The Valkyrie Elite designs are based on Odin Sphere.

· The Pinkie vs. Annihilus fight was going to be resolved here, but it makes more sense to resolve it next chapter.

· The Bullseye/Daken kiss scene is ripped DIRECTLY from a comic scan whose issue I unfortunately cannot cite. GAvillain found it for me and I knew I had to just use it word for word, albeit under different circumstances.

· White-haired Valkyrie? Relevant. I'll let you guess on it for now.

· I wrote Zemo's "unmasking" before actually being shown a picture of him unmasked. (Naughty me.) As it turns out, I actually envisioned him in a greater state of decay than he actually is…and I'm running with that.

· COULD. NOT. RESIST. Just having Sif knock Rhino down and keep going.

· The idea of giving Doom the Universal Weapon was inspired by the fact that he quests for the Twilight Sword in Marvel Ultimate Alliance. And now you see what Loki was comparing Neptune's Trident to in terms of whose love gets you better weapons.

· It also took me way longer than it should have to figure out how to NOT kill Ronan. I felt killing him would be inconsistent with the "everybody lives" nature of my story so far (when I start killing off characters that aren't my OCs, it will be en masse and for purpose), and I might need him later anyway.

· Yes, the last piece is copied and pasted out of the end of the last chapter so you can see the perspectives lined up.

· I apologize for the climactic battle here being formatted almost EXACTLY like the battle at the Prison of the Damned in Olympic Greece (one chapter devoted to villains beating each other up and the following chapter devoted to the heroes getting involved and the final wave of combat). However, if you trust me, there will be some DISTINCT differences.


	77. It's the Heat That Makes You Strong

77. It's the Heat That Makes You Strong

THE FOREST OF ELRIT, ASGARD

After Mar-Vell's announcement, there was, at first, stunned silence. Then, Iron Man: "What the HELL do you mean Loki is alive?"

"It was him I saw at Malekith's capture," Thor realized out loud. "It has been him all along…"

"I don't know exactly what happened," Mar-Vell explained, "but Odin is dead and Loki has been in his place. He had been disguising himself as Odin this whole time."

"No," Twilight whispered.

"He is attempting a hostile takeover of this world, and possibly has his sights set on more along with his allies," Mar-Vell went on. "The most powerful weapon in the Kree arsenal has already fallen to one of his associates."

"And just so we're all on the same page," Iron Man broke in, knowing full well the answer to the question he was about to ask, "who are these 'allies' of his?"

"The one who has taken the Universal Weapon is Victor von Doom," Mar-Vell stated. "The others, I do not know, though the more I think about it, the more I remember…one of them I engaged was one who was known as the Green Goblin back on Earth."

"Osbornnnnnnn…" Hawkeye growled, the word tapering off into a hiss at the end.

"H.A.M.M.E.R.," Applejack stated sternly.

"We KNEW it!" Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"It gets worse," Mar-Vell went on. "Thanos and the Chitauri have arrived, though I'm not sure if they're in alliance with Loki or against him. His warriors seem to be fighting them. They have another ally as well. Annihilus. He has brought his own troops with him. They are the reason we were drawn here. They pose just as much of a threat to Asgard as Loki and Doom if not more. Rumors had spread that Thanos has aboard his ship a weapon that can eliminate an entire world at a time."

"So why doesn't he just use it now?" Twilight asked.

"Were I to guess…" Thor mused. "If he truly stands against Loki, he wishes Loki to be punished. The way to do that would be to let Loki watch everything he wants to own become destroyed. Destroying Loki along with Asgard would be no punishment."

"So until Thanos figures out a reason why he shouldn't string Loki along anymore," Ms. Marvel realized, "we have time."

"Time…" Mar-Vell repeated. "You don't intend to – "

"We damn well mean to," Wolverine insisted.

"We can stand up against them, and you know it," Captain America insisted.

Mar-Vell nodded. "And your newer allies?"

"We survived an Olympian-scale battle," Twilight pointed out. "Asgardian shouldn't be any worse."

"Now, before anything worse happens," Captain America said, "we need to stop stalling and move out."

Mar-Vell nodded. "Good luck. We're turning back too. We're not going to close off the portal so long as you might need it to get back. There's no telling if the Bifrost is going to work after this." He returned to a state of floating.

"GO!" Captain America cried, and the entire group rushed toward the besieged city.

As they ran, Rarity noticed Spider-Man removing, of all things, a camera from a pocket. "What is that?" she asked.

"Photography's a hobby of mine," Spider-Man answered. "Trust me…if I can get some shots of what Osborn's REALLY been doing, I can get them to the right place. Just leave it to me. He's not getting away with this when it's all over."

"Well, just so long as these pictures get my good side," Rarity sighed.

* * *

The Green Goblin hovered to a halt over the square where Blackheart, Loki, Doom, and Crouch were gathered. "A word from your eye in the sky," he stated. "Just thought you might want to know that the Avengers have finally come out of their little hidey-hole. And they brought friends!"

"What manner of friends?" Doom asked.

"All sorts, from the looks of it," the Goblin replied. "Everyone from the Fantastic Four to…well, I believe I even spotted the so-called spectacular Spider-Man among them. On a direct course from Elrit, where we left the portal."

"Perfect," Doom said. "Now we can pick them all off."

"I didn't expect them to have brought so many," Loki admitted.

"It changes nothing," Doom asserted.

"Were the other Element bearers with them?" Loki asked the Goblin.

"I believe I spotted the Iron Man fangirl and her little friends, yes."

"Then I must take care of a loose end." Loki turned and made a brisk course back toward the castle.

* * *

Annihilus had put up his best against Pinkie Pie, and she had done the same short of unleashing her final attack. As a Mahou Shoujo, she had dodged his blows, hit him with everything she had in her dual pistols, and left him rather confused. He'd managed to damage most of the rooftop and put holes through several adjacent buildings.

She fired again and again at Annihilus, and he could not understand why he felt himself weakening. Pinkie Pie considered finishing him off, as he staggered, with her final attack, the launcher…but something in the back of her mind told her she needed it for something else. A greater threat would come in the battle ahead, and she couldn't waste her strength.

So she brought out an old standby: the Party Cannon. "HAPPY SUMMER SUN CELEBRATION!"

BOOM.

Annihilus was knocked backward, off the building, by the blast of the cannon.

Before Pinkie Pie could take in the victory she'd landed, she felt a hand take her wrist. Her heart rate increased as she looked up to see none other than Loki.

"It's too dangerous," he said. "If you stay here, you will be harmed. Perhaps fatally."

"But I can take care of myself!" Pinkie insisted. "I just brought down this giant armored knight thing that was controlling all the bugs and – "

"Pinkie Pie, I will NOT see you hurt in this battle. Do you understand?"

Pinkie hung her head. "Okay…"

"Come with me. Hurry!"

Loki ran, dragging her with him. Into the palace they burst – the empty palace, for all warriors were outside. He brought her back to her chambers. "Stay here," he ordered. "You will be safe."

"Okie-dokie, Loki," Pinkie said sadly.

He closed the door, and she could hear him locking it, as well as dragging some heavy piece of furniture to block it off. There went any plans of breaking back out. She wanted to respect his wishes, she really did, and she believed he wanted to keep her safe, but she knew even more that she could hold her own.

So she crossed to the window. It was far too high off the ground to simply jump down. The nearest gable to the window was too far away to merely leap to and expect to land safely…if, of course, one abided by the laws of physics.

In certain cases, to Pinkie Pie, they were more like suggestions than anything else.

* * *

The insect servants of Annihilus gathered in droves. They hissed, charging toward any target they could find. One unlucky throng converged upon Black Panther, who proceeded to remove a pair of Vibranium spearheads from his sleeves and begin cutting the insects down two at a time, slashing and cycling.

And yet the insects converged ever greater; sensing such a threat, they pooled, piling up atop each other to reach Black Panther and take him down before he could bring down any more of them. Black Panther soon found himself in a veritable tidal wave of the insects, but he did not show the slightest reaction, simply continuing to fight up until the point that the Thing arrived and sent a good number of insects flying with one punch.

"Need a hand?" he asked teasingly.

The sound of the insects hissing in agony rose from the other end of the street; Black Panther and the Thing turned to see Wolverine cutting his way through the ocean of bugs, claws extended. "I wasn't expecting this," he grunted.

"I'm sure none of us were," Black Panther replied, cutting down another bug with a spearhead.

"This is ridiculous," Luke Cage broke in, grabbing two insects and slamming their heads together before tossing them to the ground. "We came here to fight Osborn, not act like an extermination service!"

As he said that, Iron Fist leapt onto a nearby insect, landing gracefully as ever. "Haven't you noticed?" he said. "They're moving toward us, even from distances where they couldn't know we were here." He spun through the air, kicking another one down. "They're moving toward those of us that are attacking them almost like they're being programmed. They have one goal, and they fixate on it." He grabbed one of them and hurled it against the wall. "Like something told them what to attack."

"Not that I like giving bad news," Wolverine grumbled, "but we're pretty fucked."

Black Panther, the Thing, Wolverine, Luke, and Iron Fist formed a circle, back to back to back, looking outward at the street that was flooded with insects. Still more were arriving.

"Don't give up hope," Black Panther said. "We can defeat them if we – "

"Suddenly find a small nuclear bomb," Wolverine interrupted.

There came a new sound: that of four voices, one female and four male, yelling wordlessly at full volume. Screaming their battle cry, Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun barreled down the street, cutting through the ocean of insects with their weapons. The bugs fell faster than they could amass. When the four Asgardian warriors reached the five at the center of the attack, Black Panther, the Thing, Wolverine, Luke, and Iron Fist joined them, forming a line across the street, mowing down all insects that charged at them.

From ahead, energy beams rained from the sky, bringing down several of the bugs before the line could even get to them. Black Panther knew exactly who they belonged to. He looked up to see Iron Man firing upon the horde.

"Seriously, can I leave you guys alone for a SECOND?" Iron Man teased. "What the hell are these things, anyway?"

"It is possible that they are being controlled by some other power," Black Panther replied.

"Not merely possible," Fandral corrected. "One of Thanos' warriors who wears strange armor and carries a regal staff commands them. They follow his word, insofar as what comes out of his mouth is actually words."

"Can you give me any more specifics?" Iron Man asked.

"You thinkin'…?" the Thing questioned.

"Maybe," Iron Man replied. "Now answer the goddamn question."

"Purple armor," Volstagg said, "and a strange face. A mouth made of light."

"I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for…" Iron Man mused. "Keep up the good work, guys." He sped away, removing his weaponry from the equation. The nine warriors on foot were the only line of defense against the insects, which seemed to be crawling from every crack in the city.

"He didn't," Iron Fist said.

"He did," Black Panther confirmed. "Why would you doubt him?"

"KEEP COURAGE!" Sif ordered. "We are beating their horde back! Show them that they will only meet destruction if they continue this way!"

And so with mithril blades and bludgeons and heavy fists and Vibranium spearheads and Adamantium claws and ancient arts channeled into limbs, the small troop kept on fighting, and as they did so, several of the insects began to turn away, finally grasping the concept of what was happening to their allies, recognizing the loophole in their instructions that let them run away from what was thinning their numbers.

As Annihilus settled down upon a rooftop, he heard a voice from behind him: "Annihilus, right?"

He whirled angrily, letting out a hiss at Iron Man.

"I thought so," Iron Man said, raising his palm and sending a beam of energy directly at Annihilus.

Annihilus leapt into the air before it could connect, firing his own beam at Iron Man with a screech. Iron Man rocketed over the beam, turning head over heels, before repositioning to fire at Annihilus again. Annihilus once again dodged and retaliated; Iron Man was quicker, and Annihilus' beam pierced a nearby wall.

Angered, Annihilus ducked below the rooftop level and began to fly down the street. Iron Man flew along the parallel street, and whenever there was a break between walls, one would attempt to hit the other and fail yet again.

"Cap told me about you," Iron Man said as he aimed for Annihilus only for Annihilus to fly below his blast.

"See, he explained all about your thing with the bugs," Iron Man said at the next time there was an opening between walls; Annihilus sent another charge of energy his way, missing and carving a large dent in one of the buildings that made up the gap.

At the next point where they saw each other, both Iron Man and Annihilus fired at the same time, each missing. "He said you were especially protective of that staff," Iron Man pointed out.

At the next break, Iron Man paused to watch several blasts of energy erupt from the gap in front of him. When they subsided, he flew aside the gap, calling out to Annihilus, "He even told me what happens if somebody breaks it!"

Annihilus hissed, suddenly realizing what Iron Man was about to do. He took off down the street at full speed; Iron Man crossed through the gap in buildings to the same street, pursuing at full speed. Annihilus pointed the staff backward, firing again and again, but due to Iron Man's reflexes, Annihilus did little more than puncture more holes in the towers of Nebulapolis.

With another burst of speed, Iron Man caught up. He grabbed Annihilus by the shoulders, pulling him back as hard as he could. Annihilus struggled, but not before Iron Man was able to grab the staff. Annihilus' grip faltered. Iron Man snapped the staff over his knee.

"Have fun with your little bug friends without this to protect you," Iron Man jeered.

With a cry of panic, Annihilus rocketed into the sky, making a beeline for Thanos' mothership. An entry opened up for him, and he careened inside; the ship closed behind him. He crashed onto the floor on his hands and knees.

"What is the matter?" Thanos asked, striding into the hallway. "Did they take your weapon?"

Annihilus just gave a hiss of confirmation.

"I would not worry," Thanos said. "Your army has been under your control for long enough now that their objective is written into their minds. You will be safe here, and without you, they will turn to the very targets we wanted them to destroy all the same. Now come with me."

Annihilus stood, following Thanos back to the cockpit. From there, they could see almost the entire city.

"Our warriors have not lost yet," Thanos said, "but the outcome is certainly not looking favorable for us. I fear that if this goes on for too long, I may simply be left with no choice but to destroy it all. A shame, as it would not allow Loki to suffer as much as I believe he deserves. Of course, there would also be casualties for both our armies, but they will be better off in the hands of my lady. I know there is no love lost if your soldiers are destroyed."

Annihilus confirmed that statement with another hiss.

"We shall let it play out a little longer," Thanos decided. "There may yet be time to see Loki's suffering without having to end him quickly. After all, the newest army is not fond of him either."

Annihilus made a sort of questioning buzz.

"It is rather like watching a show," Thanos admitted. "As though it were all a stage, perfectly set. It is a pity no one else can see it from that view."

* * *

"AAAAND ANNIHILUS IS DOWN FOR THE COUNT!" Discord crowed, setting off a firecracker.

"What WILL happen next?" Impossible Man asked, leaning over the edge of the floating couch and shoveling popcorn into his mouth.

* * *

Several unarmed Asgardian civilians were cornered by a host of Chitauri soldiers, all raising their guns to aim at them. The lead Chitauri readied to fire upon the oldest of the group - a white-haired man with a short-trimmed mustache, sporting as a strange fashion statement a pair of glasses with dark lenses – when a red laser beam struck the soldier's wrist, causing him to drop his weapon.

Vision descended, standing between the Nebulapolis natives and the Chitauri. He gracefully bent to pick up the weapon he'd caused the soldier to drop. "Interesting," he remarked, looking it over.

"We don't have time for sight-seeing," Ms. Marvel told Vision as she landed next to him. "Okay, you're all going to back off NOW, or it's about to get ugly for you."

The Chitauri responded en masse by aiming their weapons at her.

"Ugly it is," Ms. Marvel muttered before creating a great field of gold plasma and throwing it at the Chitauri troops, throwing the majority of them backward at high velocity. A few remained; Vision outdrew them, wounding them with the weapon he'd picked up from their leader.

Of those Ms. Marvel had thrown, several got up and retreated; several more stayed down, unconscious. But there were also a few who were getting up to attempt another charge, and seeing this, Ms. Marvel turned to the civilians, directly facing the white-haired man with dark glasses, and yelled, "RUN!"

They followed her command. She turned back to face the Chitauri troops, throwing them all down with another blast of gold.

"I believe you have knocked them all unconscious," Vision stated.

"It isn't over," Ms. Marvel told him.

Another troop of Chitauri rounded the corner, and their leader pointed directly at Ms. Marvel and Vision, yelling. Ms. Marvel could guess what he'd said: something to the effect of "There's the one who brought down the others!"

Ms. Marvel and Vision wasted no time leaping into the air and firing upon the Chitauri troops. There were three times as many here as they'd faced but moments earlier, and certainly too many for Ms. Marvel to take down in one blast. They got in several shots. Ms. Marvel felt one graze her cheek and another connect with her leg. Vision was also struck, on the shoulder, and she could see circuits exposed. She yelled in pain as they both dropped to the ground under the fire of the Chitauri.

Ms. Marvel resolved that were she to go down, it would be fighting. She raised a hand, putting up another plasma field in front of herself and Vision. The standing Chitauri readied their weapons.

And then, one by one, they fell.

A single warrior penetrated their ranks. An Asgardian, pale and white-haired, every inch of his body save his head encased in shadow-black armor. He wielded a long blade of black metal, tinted slightly red. He darted through the lines of Chitauri soldiers, slicing at each with this sword, and down went each one. Ms. Marvel lowered her energy field so as not to harm him.

When he had finished, he stood for a moment, tall among the bodies of the fallen Chitauri. He glanced at Ms. Marvel and Vision. "At the end of the street," he said gruffly, "they can heal you." He sheathed his sword and began to walk away.

"HEY!" Ms. Marvel yelled at him.

The warrior stopped. He gave a glance back over his shoulder, scowling.

"You're just gonna walk away like that?" Ms. Marvel snapped.

"I am curious as to your name at least," Vision added.

The warrior was silent a while. Then he made up his mind to answer the query as tersely as possible: "Oswald."

Then Oswald broke into a run, determined to find more targets.

* * *

The Chitauri troops continued down the street, determined not only to find and destroy as many Asgardians as they could, but also to fend off the invading armies that had come from Earth. A line of the soldiers ran at full speed, single file.

One by one, a single well-placed shot was fired upon each head. The line of Chitauri systematically went down.

The Winter Soldier wasn't much of one for admiring his work. Perched on a rooftop, he kept his sights trained on the streets in case more came. He knew that Captain America would probably berate him for causing so much death, would probably tell him to find a better way. But outside of his friend's influence, the Winter Soldier wasn't bound by any obligation not to spill blood in the name of protecting the innocent.

He kept watch upon the street, but his ears alerted him to the skimmers descending behind him. He quickly turned to face five Chitauri soldiers. No doubt, they'd figured out he was assassinating their allies in the streets.

The Winter Soldier leapt toward the nearest one, knocking him across the face with the body of his gun. He flipped that soldier over, moving to the next, shoving the body of the gun into his chest and pinning him to the ground. One punch and the second soldier was down. The Winter Soldier leapt to shoot the third and fourth point-blank; the fifth managed to charge him, and so the Winter Soldier ducked the last Chitauri's attack, slipping by him, before spinning around and grabbing the Chitauri warrior by the shoulders, throwing him off the roof to hit the streets below. The second and first soldiers were both slowly starting to revive; the Winter Soldier put an end to them quickly with two more shots.

Ten more skimmers descended. The Chitauri fired upon the Winter Soldier in unison; the only way out was to jump, and so the Winter Soldier did, leaping off the roof to the street below, landing expertly in a crouch that absorbed the shock. As he stood, the skimmers landed, surrounding him.

The Winter Soldier was ready. First, a shot to the chest of the nearest warrior. Then he clubbed the second with his gun –

The five behind him fired at once. He ducked to avoid the fire. Two Chitauri soldiers rushed toward him, weapons at the ready. They didn't aim at him. With the united blasts of their weapons, they shattered the gun.

The Winter Soldier stood, looking around at the eight that surrounded him. They believed him unarmed.

"So you want to do this the old-fashioned way," he muttered, drawing a small knife from his pocket.

Two rushed him, and he landed a solid kick to the chest of one, through a gap in the armor, while driving the knife into the chest of the other. The one kicked fell to the ground, and the Winter Soldier was upon him, slashing the knife across his throat. The Winter Soldier then dropped to the ground and rolled across the stone to avoid the next hail of gunfire from the remaining six; he leapt up and grappled one of the soldiers, flipping him, slicing his neck along the way. His fist, then foot, slammed into the head of another, who stumbled and fell, taking yet another with him. While those two were down, the Winter Soldier turned to the last three. His blade found the wrist of one, causing him to drop his weapon and clutch his arm. The Winter Soldier picked up the fallen weapon, making use of its projectile functions. The Chitauri army, he mused, mustn't have been well trained in the art of landing shots. Three blasts felled the warriors before him.

The last two were struggling to their feet; the Winter Soldier launched the knife behind him, and it lodged in the throat of one. The last one then ran away, not looking back.

Retrieving his knife, the Winter Soldier contemplated the retreating back of the last warrior. He ultimately concluded it was best to let him live. Perhaps he was letting the idea of what Captain America would say get into his head. Mentally, but jokingly, he cursed Steve before sheathing the knife.

* * *

Mockingbird slammed first one, then another Chitauri soldier in the head with each end of her staff; they both fell unconscious. "Kinda reminds me of old times," she remarked over her shoulder.

"Kinda does," Quake agreed, her back turned to Mockingbird. She sent out a shockwave that caused every single Chitauri soldier running toward the two women from that direction to lose footing. "Almost a shame Hawkeye's missing this."

* * *

Rhodes descended into a street packed with Chitauri soldiers and insects, utilizing the full power of War Machine to blast his foes away. The insects scuttled out of range; the Chitauri were overtaken and fell to the ground.

Rhodes thought he had a minute to take in his victory, to breathe for a moment. But he was hit from behind by a powerful force, knocked head over heels, rolling down the street, consciously aware that his armor rubbing against the stones was creating a trail of sparks. When he halted, he was quite sore, and utterly mystified. He was certain a blow of that magnitude could only have come from a large monster of sorts…that, or someone in possession of an inordinate amount of energy.

He heard footsteps approach him. Then a condescending drawl: "Well, if it ain't one of the tin cans."

Rhodes stood, taking in the sight of Shocker. He felt as though he'd seen him somewhere – on the news, a headliner, some colorful criminal, but there were so many of those. He couldn't put a name to the face, nor could he believe that this man was the source of the shockwave that had knocked him over.

"And what's more," Shocker realized, "you ain't even the original tin can. You're the knockoff."

"I'm not – "

Shocker cut Rhodes off. As he raised his arms, Rhodes caught sight of the gauntlets, and the truth clicked a second before another great wave caught him, sending him flying and crashing into the stones.

Rhodes was faster getting to his feet that time, blasting twin beams out of the palms of the War Machine suit. They collided with Shocker's third attempt upon him, and he could feel the pressure as the two forces shoved against each other. He had the terrible feeling he was losing.

Captain America turned onto the street then, seeing from afar Shocker and Rhodes locked in their battle of conflicting energies. Fearing for Rhodes, he charged.

"NON TAM CITO!" Mysterio launched a small metal sphere into the street before Captain America. A grenade, Captain America thought at first. But it cracked open, emitting a cloud of putrid green smoke that enveloped Captain America and several feet around in all directions. A smoke bomb, then. He couldn't tell how far it had spread, only that he was in the center of it. But he knew which way it was to get to Rhodes, so he took off running.

A magenta bat made of machinery careened out of the smoke and collided with his shoulder, exploding. Captain America reeled, nearly losing his footing. It had burned. His particular genetic enhancements had protected him from a much worse fate, and all the same, it was a small bomb, but where there was one…

A rain of bats suddenly became visible, and Captain America was running into a cloud of them almost as thick as the smoke. He put up his shield to cover his face. He heard and felt the small machines colliding with it and the resulting explosions occurring relatively harmlessly on the other side of the shield. However, the rest of his body was still pummeled with them. Again and again, explosions sending pain coursing over his skin and burning him. Still he pressed on. If he didn't, he feared, Rhodes would lose ground. Perhaps Rhodes already had lost ground.

He ached, he burned, he could tell his clothing was ripped in several places and exposing red, raw skin. He would take as much of the abuse as possible before he collapsed. Then he realized the bats had stopped coming. He'd run right past their source – right past Mysterio, though he didn't have the foggiest that there was someone releasing them from further on in the cloud. And he kept running until he burst through the other side of the smoke.

He had a clear shot to Shocker's back, and he took it. With a flick of the wrist, the shield left its protective position over his face, slammed into Shocker's back, and rocketed right back into Captain America's hand. Shocker stumbled onto one knee. Rhodes' beams slammed right into him, and he toppled backward onto the street with a cry of rage.

"NO!" Mysterio wailed, running out of the cloud of smoke. "HE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT OUT!"

Captain America stood over Shocker, shield at the ready. Rhodes, on the other hand, was diverted by Mysterio. He rocketed forward, using the jets built into his armor's feet to quicken his speed, and grabbed Mysterio by the fabric over his chest, slamming him up against a wall.

"What did you DO to him?" Rhodes snarled.

"Apparently," Mysterio grumbled, "I underestimated him."

"Stay down," Captain America ordered Shocker.

"Or you'll what?" Shocker asked, pointing one of his arms upward.

Captain America slammed the shield into the gauntlet upon it, forcing Shocker to lower his arm. "Stop you from hurting anyone else."

"I know all about you, CAP. You're a bleedin' heart. You can't do a damn thing to me."

"I can see you locked away for life," Captain America told him.

"But I'm afraid you won't get the chance," Mysterio broke in. "CONSILIUM…B!"

He threw down another smoke bomb. Rhodes felt Mysterio squirm out of his grasp, and Captain America took one blast from Shocker, reeling over onto his back and quickly scrambling to his feet again, before hearing the sound of two pairs of feet running away, back down the direction from which Captain America had run. "GO!" Captain America yelled, and Rhodes understood immediately. The pair gave chase.

Captain America was easily fast enough to overtake Shocker and Mysterio; Rhodes threw a little energy in from War Machine, and the two of them emerged on the other side of the smoke cloud in time for Captain America to tackle Mysterio from behind and Rhodes to do the same to Shocker. They brought the two criminals down to the ground hard, knocking Mysterio's helmet off so that it rolled away into the alley, and as if on cue, several Asgardian warriors pointed their blades at Shocker and Mysterio.

"I take it you can take it from here?" Captain America asked, wrenching Mysterio's hands into a lock behind his back and looking up at the Asgardian troops. Next to him, Rhodes was stripping Shocker's gauntlets away and tossing them aside where they could do no harm.

"We will take these threats to our people into custody," a swordsman confirmed.

"I KNEW we'd end up like this, you idiot!" Shocker barked.

"And how is that MY fault?" Mysterio growled.

The pair was turned over to the Asgardians, who slapped chains on their wrists and led them away.

"I still don't believe the amount of force that guy was able to use," Rhodes remarked. "Hey…you okay?"

"I've been through worse," Captain America told him.

* * *

Scott Lang was surrounded. To his left, bugs. To his right, bugs. Clambering over the rooftops on both sides to look down on him, bugs. They hissed, they clicked. They wanted blood.

As they advanced, Lang desperately screamed out, "NO!"

And they listened.

The insects stopped, staring at Lang as if awaiting further instruction. That was when it occurred to him. They were, in fact, insects. Strange ones, otherworldly ones, but insects all the same. And his helmet was allowing him to communicate with them the same way it allowed him to speak to insects back on Earth. The question was whether or not they wanted to hear him out.

"I don't want to hurt you," Lang told them. "I don't know what you want, but it isn't me. And it isn't these people, either. They're only attacking you because you're attacking them."

He wasn't sure if the insects were taking in his words the way that he intended. Perhaps they only understood simple commands, like to go this way or that. He was still working out everything the helmet could do. But they were still standing stock-still, regarding him curiously.

"Don't hurt me," Lang said.

They made no move.

"Help me," Lang said, slightly more quietly. "I need you to help me find people that are hurting all of us and stop them. Come with me."

He took a step. They followed. He cringed, fearing they would pounce, but he realized that wasn't the intent of Annihilus' former army. For since the staff had been shattered, their minds had become their own, able to receive outside communication such as Lang. And they wanted to follow him.

He led them down the street until a slim figure slipped into view in front of the entire company. Lang recognized him immediately; it was impossible not to, given the characteristic glow. The phrase escaped his lips, almost unbidden: "What are the odds…"

Electro glared at Lang. "YOU."

"You," Lang replied, putting up a façade of confidence.

"I'm not going to let you get away with what you did to me," Electro growled. He knew quite well it was the young pink-haired woman who had bested him, but Lang had been present, and that was enough cause, he believed, to justify a vendetta. He glowed brightly.

Lang realized what he was about to do, and at the last second, activated his belt, shrinking down to a size smaller than that of an ant, watching as Electro unleashed the whole of his powers. Forked bolts of lightning rocketed down the street, piercing several of the insects and causing them to emit pained squeals, nearly blinding Lang to even look at.

Lang jumped onto the leg of the nearest insect. "RUN!" he commanded.

When that insect obeyed Lang's command, the rest followed suit. The herd barreled down the street, seeking refuge.

"DON'T RUN AWAY FROM ME!" Electro snarled, giving chase.

* * *

At combat size, flittering overhead, Wasp spied several civilians bolting out of what appeared to be a shop, screaming. The shop's windows were broken. "Looks like trouble," Wasp muttered, buzzing down through the shattered window to see what was the matter.

Sandman admired the latest pieces he'd scored, turning a ring over in his hands and inspecting it. "Nice," he remarked, throwing it into the bag of loot he'd collected.

"What the – " Wasp shook her head. "What are the ODDS?"

Startled, Sandman turned to face her. "YOU!"

"What, did the universe arrange it so you're the only person I can fight now?" Wasp groaned.

"I like to think of it as a small world," Sandman remarked. "But what's this? You don't have any of your little friends here with you. Looks like I'm gonna be able to take you down even easier than last time!"

"Fat chance!" Wasp let several bio-stings fly. They were absorbed harmlessly into their target. "Oops…" Wasp said nervously. "Kinda…forgot that doesn't work on you."

"But I bet THIS'll work on YOU!" Sandman forged one arm into a mace, swinging it at Wasp. She sped out of its path, avoiding being crushed between it and the wall. She couldn't slow; the mace slammed into the counter she passed over, the ceiling she skimmed past. She zoomed out the window, and Sandman followed, shifting into a tidal wave of earth that poured out in an arc and reforged into human shape, all the while carrying the bag.

"Don't you have any idea of how much GOOD you could have done with powers like that?" Wasp called back as Sandman kept after her, the mace reforged into an axe. She jetted upward to avoid being cleaved in two.

"I got a pretty good idea," Sandman told her. "In fact, I've DONE most of it. So no use trying to psych me out. Now hold still so I can get a good swing at ya!"

* * *

After the horde of insects had run so far, Lang finally believed he'd lost Electro. Breathing a sigh of relief, he enlarged to full size, standing on the street corner. "Thank you," he told the insects.

They all looked up to him. He felt a surge of pride, and another of the desire to protect his new allies.

"THERE YOU ARE!"

Lang's reverie was interrupted. Electro surged across a rooftop, leaping down toward the corner where Lang stood.

Not even thinking to shrink down, Lang ran.

* * *

"I…said…hold…STILL!"

The axe of sand kept chopping through the air. "Let it go!" Wasp snapped at Sandman. "Why are you wasting your time chasing me?"

"Because if I don't get rid of you, you're gonna come back with an army to try and take me down! You think I'm stupid?"

"…Good point," Wasp conceded.

She then nearly collided with Lang's face as he skidded onto the street. "LANG?" Wasp cried.

"Wasp!" Lang gasped.

"What are the odds?" the pair said in unison.

"GOTCHA NOW!" Sandman cried, dropping the bag and forging both arms into a giant axe.

"GET DOWN!" Wasp screamed.

She made a beeline for the street below as Lang, finally snapping to his senses, shrank.

Electro rounded the corner, at first taking in only the sight of Lang beginning to change size. "NO YOU DON'T!" he roared, unleashing all his energy at where Lang stood.

Then Lang and Wasp both reached the stone below. The axe swung harmlessly overhead.

As soon as Electro let his energy go, he realized that Lang had disappeared from his sights, and he was staring directly at Sandman. Their eyes connected; the horror was shared. Then the blast hit its unintended mark.

It took Electro a moment to realize what he'd done. The look of shock was frozen on Sandman's face, unmoving. He shimmered in the sunlight. The burst of pure electric energy had tempered his entire body into a glass sculpture, one whose eyes were fixed on Electro, as though asking him why, why he did what he had done. Fear and regret coursed through Electro's mind, and he stepped backward ever slowly, replacing his mask, containing his energies.

"Scott," Wasp whispered, "you can't…"

"I have to," Lang told her. He looked up to one of the insects standing near the tiny pair. "NOW."

The insects charged, as Lang had intended. But they split in two directions. They remembered that both Electro and Sandman had taken strikes at them over the course of the first attacks on Asgard. Lang had only wanted them to chase down Electro, the last remaining threat, but the insects wanted revenge. A swarm of them crawled up over the Sandman statue until it toppled and shattered into a million shards over the stone of the ground.

The rest converged upon Electro, who found himself with no choice but to run, his mind racing as fast as his feet.

Lang and Wasp reverted to full size. "I…I didn't know THAT would happen," Wasp said, looking down at where the glass littered the ground. The bag of coinage and jewelry had also spilled, intermingling with the glass.

"Neither did I," Lang admitted. "But it was the only way we could be safe."

"Did you see the way he looked at him? It was almost like…" Wasp shook her head. "Anyway, thanks for having my back. Again."

"Thank you," Lang replied.

They took a moment more to stare at the glass before saying, yet again, "What were the ODDS?" Then they turned to move on.

"So you're friends with the bugs now?" Wasp asked.

"They don't seem…evil," Lang replied. "They seem like they need a better direction."

"Well, good luck convincing the others not to stab them…"

As they left, they didn't notice the glass shards beginning to rattle.

* * *

With a roar, the Red Hulk flung yet another Asgardian swordsman down the street, watching him land sprawled out. "WHO'S NEXT?" John roared.

"I am." Yellowjacket stepped out in front of him.

"Avenger," the Red Hulk recognized.

"Listen," Yellowjacket said. "It doesn't have to be this way. A few days ago, I would have just tried to knock the sense out of you and call it a day. But I see now…that doesn't have to be the way. You're with H.A.M.M.E.R. for a reason. You have the potential to help so many people. I've seen that from when you fought against Red Skull's robots, Attuma, and Malekith! There has to be another way besides following Osborn! If you do that, he'll lead you right into a nest of thorns. Tell me what it is you need, and I can help you."

For a moment, John seriously considered Yellowjacket's words. He pondered whether or not Yellowjacket was sincere. He contemplated his feelings toward working for Osborn. He'd been reluctant toward the idea of the siege, and still wasn't fond of the concept. If it all went wrong, there would indeed be a nest of thorns to enter.

But there was nothing so repulsive to him as the idea of being deprived of the serum that made him the Red Hulk. And so he told Yellowjacket, "Thanks, but no thanks. Osborn can give me something you NEVER can. And I don't care what I have to do in order to keep it!"

Yellowjacket sighed. "I didn't want it to have to come to this." He began to grow larger and larger. "But if the past few weeks have taught me anything, it's that when it DOES have to be this way…I don't back down."

He charged at the Red Hulk, and they locked fists, pushing against each other. They were fairly matched in strength, Yellowjacket realized; he'd underestimated his foe, and was in no position to adjust any gadgetry to compensate for that. So he pushed hard against the Red Hulk's attempt to shove him to the ground, giving it all his force…then, as the Red Hulk shoved back with everything he had, Yellowjacket let himself fall away, backing quickly out of the hold. Down went the Red Hulk, crashing face first into the street, leaving a few cracks in the stones. Yellowjacket took that time to grow even larger, the size of a building. The Red Hulk grabbed one of Yellowjacket's legs, attempting to regain control. Yellowjacket arched backward, carefully marking out the place in the street where he could rest his hand. He transitioned into a graceful handstand, legs kicking upward into the air and taking the Red Hulk with them. He then sprang, landing further down the street; the Red Hulk crashed to the ground again.

John could feel his strength waning. He'd been fighting too long, he knew. And as Yellowjacket grabbed him with both hands, lifting him into the air, perhaps to deal some sort of finishing move that would render him senseless, he felt the power leave him. He shrank, slipping out of Yellowjacket's grip, and landed hard on the street, fading from red to pink to beige.

Yellowjacket stared for a moment, confused, at John Jameson, sitting in the middle of the street in a daze. Then he lowered himself to his usual size, approaching John. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I can't…" John gasped. Yellowjacket realized that the youth was hyperventilating. "I need that power back! I need…Osborn…"

"He was fueling the Red Hulk in you," Yellowjacket realized. "Listen. He's not going to keep helping you forever. If you come with me, we can find a way – "

"NEVER!" John leapt up and began to run.

"WAIT!" Yellowjacket tried to chase him, but John, even in his weakened human state, was fast, not to mention clever. Yellowjacket lost track of him in all the twists and turns of the streets. If he wanted, he knew, he could manipulate his own size to look over the city. But instead, he slowed his pace. The youth didn't want to be chased. He didn't want to be found. He'd made his choice.

So Yellowjacket left matters alone, turning away from John's escape to find a new foe to attempt to reason with.

High above, a camera clicked.

* * *

Spider-Man looked over the shots his camera had just collected. The shoot from the first location he'd left it had turned up the unbelievable. "The Red Hulk…" he muttered, flicking through the photographs. "That was John Jameson. I can't believe it!" He suddenly felt pangs of pity. When he'd seen John last, he'd watched him become institutionalized because of his unshakeable thirst for power. As aggravating as the entire Jameson line had been to Spider-Man, John, he believed, truly wasn't a bad guy.

As he pondered what he'd seen and documented, a certain extra-sensory perception, one he oft referred to as the "spider sense," alerted him to a small projectile coming his way at an incredibly fast speed. He leapt backward, and the arrow sailed past him, colliding with a nearby wall and exploding.

"WHOA!" Spider-Man cried before looking down to see the culprit. In the street below, Bullseye leered at him, nocking another arrow. Then two more alongside it.

"That's it," Spider-Man said, sticking the camera to a wall. "You just asked for it!"

Bullseye let the next arrow fly. Spider-Man fired a web from each wrist, looping them together in the middle as the ends connected to nearby walls. The resulting web caught the arrows, then flung them back at Bullseye like a slingshot. The arrows landed in a ring formation around Bullseye; he knew they would miss, but he was still startled by the triple detonation.

Spider-Man landed gracefully before the archer. "So, FYI, I know what you did to make my list," he stated. "Basically, you've been shooting at innocents and causing chaos along with the rest of Osborn's goons. What I don't get is what I ever did to you so you'd single me out."

"I thought I'd wake you up," Bullseye said with a sick grin. "Here we are having the battle of the century in the streets…and you're on the roof taking pictures. Were you hoping to show all your friends on Facebook that you were here?" He nocked another arrow, letting it fly.

Spider-Man leapt out of its way, handspringing to a new position; Bullseye turned to face him. "Hey," Spider-Man argued, "I'm multitasking! YOU try battling an evil army and getting proof that they're evil on film at the same time!"

"I think you're just a coward," Bullseye stated. "A coward who doesn't know when to put down his camera and fight for his friends." He loosed another arrow.

Spider-Man leapt over the arrow's flight path, letting it explode further down the street. "Like I haven't heard that before," he grumbled. "Well, you know what I think you are?" He flicked his wrist. A length of webbing burst forth and enveloped Bullseye's bow. To Bullseye's shock, Spider-Man jerked the web back, ripping the bow from his hand. "I think you're a guy who can't fight worth beans without his toy." He threw the bow into the air, shooting it with yet another web. The web met the bow, carrying it upward on its momentum and sticking it to a wall sixty feet up.

Bullseye just smiled. "I may be a one-trick pony…" he said, reaching into his quiver.

Spider-Man's senses picked up on the arrow just in time, and he leaned backward hard, the arrow just barely passing over his chest. Bullseye had THROWN it from his bare hand.

"…But it all depends on how you perform the trick," Bullseye laughed.

Spider-Man quickly shuffled into position behind Bullseye, sending another web out to capture the quiver. "Looks like I'm gonna have to take this away from you too if you can't behave," Spider-Man quipped. He jerked on the webbing; the quiver was fastened around Bullseye's shoulder, and so brought the archer to the ground hard. With another tug, the quiver slid off of him, and Spider-Man sent that one to stick another sixty feet up, on the wall opposite where the bow was pasted. As Bullseye struggled to stand, Spider-Man made deft work with his wrists, wrapping the archer up in webbing. Fully cocooned, Bullseye just wriggled there on the street.

"If you can't play nice," Spider-Man told him, "you have to be put in time out."

"But I always play with friends," Bullseye replied, that smile returning to his face.

"What are you talking – " Spider-Man sensed it just in time. He ducked, feeling the whoosh of a set of adamantium claws passing over his head.

"I was hoping to kill the Wolverine today," Daken remarked. "But what would be even sweeter is taking the spectacular Spider-Man down as the opening act."

"That actually sounds pretty sour to me…" Spider-Man said nervously.

Daken struck out again, and Spider-Man danced backward to avoid the blade radius. No sooner had he done so than another slash nearly took him down, and he was forced again to leap away. Daken advanced, lashing out again and again; Spider-Man was driven backward in a frantic attempt to avoid being slashed into ribbons.

They continued this way for some distance; Spider-Man was aware of nearing the bridge that led out of the main city and toward the Bifrost hub. He thought time and time again of trying to deal a blow, or even try to utilize his webs, but he found himself far too occupied with trying to avoid Daken's attacks.

"Will you hold still?" Daken snarled. Then, slightly more teasingly: "Not that I don't appreciate a man who plays hard to get – "

He suddenly stumbled backward as a SMACK sound was audible in the vicinity of his face. Spider-Man didn't know what had happened at all, but he took advantage of Daken's confusion to fire webs rapidly, bundling his foe up completely.

Which turned out to be futile when Daken furiously slashed through the web bindings with his claws.

"Okay, so maybe I didn't think THAT one through," Spider-Man sighed.

Daken drew a clawed hand back, only to feel something clutch at his wrist. When he turned, there was nothing there. Just like "nothing" had punched him in the face. "Nothing" proceeded to hit him across the cheek again, and he stumbled momentarily, more out of surprise than anything. Then, at last, he was able to put a name to "nothing."

"Why don't you want to come out and play, Invisible Woman?" he asked.

The Invisible Woman, Sue Storm, faded into view. "Don't you dare make a joke about how it's 'more fun with three,'" she threatened.

"Am I really that predictable?" Daken asked.

No longer focusing on keeping herself invisible, Sue was able to put all her concentration on forging a forcefield in midair, just a large, flat square. Spider-Man figured out what she was doing, getting himself far out of the way, running to her side.

When Sue let the forcefield fly, the square smacked hard into Daken, pushing him slightly back along the bridge. Slightly sore, he glowered at her, readying to charge; she had another field ready, and flung it at him. He was smacked another few feet back. The next fields came in a barrage, shoving him a good ways down the bridge.

Spider-Man looked up at the buildings nearest to the edge of the city, where the bridge began. He began to have an idea, and he wondered if it was the same one Sue was having. He'd only have one shot. He began to run away from the bridge to get a good enough start. Then, when he figured he had enough distance, he charged back toward the bridge, casting a length of web upward. It stuck at the top of the tallest available building; Spider-Man launched off the ground, swinging, letting the momentum carry him. He sailed through the air, and at the right time, he let go.

The forcefields kept slamming into Daken, then suddenly stopped. Daken could feel the bruises. He could also feel them melting away. "If you want to leave a mark on me," he told Sue, advancing back toward her, "you're going to have to try a little harder."

Sue stepped aside. Spider-Man rocketed toward Daken, feet first. Sue projected her last forcefield, a sphere, around Spider-Man, knowing it would take more than adamantium claws to hurt him through that.

Spider-Man's feet, guarded by Sue's forcefield, slammed into Daken's chest, taking him slightly off center. The force carried them both off the side of the bridge. Down went Daken, plunging into the waters below, too stunned to give a cry or really do anything but stretch one hand upward as though that could stop his fall.

Sue quickly relieved Spider-Man of the forcefield. He cast his wrist upward, and he could tell that he was on the last of his webs. One feeble strand caught onto the edge of the bridge, and from it he dangled. He could feel the strand straining, and horror coursed through him as he realized it was going to snap.

Sue barreled down the bridge, scooting to her knees and sliding to the edge, leaning over the bridge and locking her hand around Spider-Man's wrist. "I'VE GOT YOU!" she cried. She grabbed his wrist with her other hand and pulled him up onto the bridge quite easily.

"Thanks," Spider-Man panted as he knelt on the bridge. "I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing," Sue reassured him. She looked over the edge into the water. "I get the feeling that won't hold him."

"But it will keep him busy," Spider-Man pointed out.

"Then let's go while we have the chance," Sue suggested.

The pair stood and ran back into the city.

* * *

Zemo's sword cut down yet another insect. He gazed around, looking for his next target. To his surprise and amusement, it was coming directly at him from the air, a blaze of white and green. He readied his sword, raising it.

When Mar-Vell reached him, Zemo swung his sword directly at the green Kree blade, and the two weapons collided. "Surely you didn't think I wouldn't be expecting that," Zemo mocked.

Mar-Vell was momentarily struck speechless as he got an eyeful of Zemo's face. His stomach turned.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to stare?" Zemo growled before realizing he could use Mar-Vell's distraction to his advantage. He struck out with his blade again.

Mar-Vell parried. Mar-Vell then attempted his own strike, but it crossed with Zemo's blade. The two blades clashed again and again, each time pointing a new direction, as though hands on a clock, as their wielders sought an angle at which the sword could bite into the opposing person without running into the barrier of the other sword. They clashed at 2 o'clock, 5 o'clock, 9 o'clock, seven.

And then a miss; Mar-Vell's blade struck home. Zemo flinched. He felt blood welling at the wound opening over his hip.

"Are you truly the kind of man who would kill?" he asked, hoping to throw Mar-Vell off.

"I'm the kind of man who would defend the innocent from the kind of man you are," Mar-Vell growled.

Then the swords began to meet again, as though magnetically drawn to each other. One o'clock, 6 o'clock, noon, miss – the tip of Zemo's blade nicked Mar-Vell's cheek – Mar-Vell's blade struck at Zemo's shoulder.

One block down, a blast of green knocked an Asgardian warrior senseless. Amora laughed as he fell. "Pitiful."

She looked up to see a mirror of what Zemo had seen; a blaze of orange soaring toward her. "Another contestant?" she laughed.

Johnny Storm, set afire as the Human Torch, careened toward Amora. With a cry, he swept his arm outward, sending a blast of flame toward her. She twirled, drawing a line of green that hit the flames and extinguished them. Johnny landed in front of her, and she resumed her laughter. "THIS is what they send to battle me?" she mocked.

"Ugh! Rude!" Johnny spat before beginning to launch projectiles of fire at her. She caught and neutralized each one. He sent a greater wave; she spun again, redirecting the flames so that they swirled around her and dissipated into the air.

"I think it's my turn," she said, launching dual spheres of green plasma.

"Whoa! WHOA!" Johnny sidestepped each sphere hurriedly; it was a near miss on either side.

She kept on firing, and Johnny was forced to dance, avoiding each plasma blast. Caught up in the high of having her target where she wanted him, Amora let out the loudest laugh yet.

And then she made the mistake: she deviated from the formula. No longer just plasma, but bolts of ice, daggers that nearly impaled Johnny. Then lightning from above. Then a great cloud of flame.

Johnny could hardly believe his luck when she let the last attack fly. He stood directly in the path of it, and it struck him. The flame was absorbed into his own with a WHOOSH; he could feel the rush of energy it bestowed.

Amora was temporarily distracted. "What did you – "

Before she could finish, Johnny leapt upon her, tackling her. "Take THIS!"

"Awww," Amora taunted. "Do you think you can hurt me with your little flames?"

"You're just feeling the regular flames right now," Johnny told her. "You haven't felt me go NOVA yet!"

He threw his temperature into maximum, becoming as hot as he could. Battling in the open air was ideal, but even more than that, he was able to draw heat from the blast he'd absorbed from Amora. He could tell she was feeling the burn as he became hotter and hotter. He let the wave of heat expand, forming a halo of fire around his body.

And Amora screamed. He was too hot to remain close to. She squirmed, wriggling free of his grasp. Clumsily, she staggered upright.

"There's more where THAT came from!" Johnny informed her, beginning to throw beams of nova heat at her. She put a green, spherical shield around herself, and the beams ricocheted off it for a while, but Johnny eventually noticed the shield flickering. Between the damage she'd taken from the initial burn and the amount of time she'd spent in combat, her energy was waning.

The shield collapsed. When she realized she was no longer able to hold it, she stared directly into Johnny's eyes. "This is NOT over," she growled before turning and running away. Johnny unleashed a massive blast of fire after her, but she turned a corner, evading. Johnny gave chase.

Mar-Vell had backed Zemo into a segment of the street where something odd had taken place at an intersection. Shards of glass as well as a hoard of jewelry of Asgardian make littered the street. Neither had time to question what had happened, however. Zemo was trying his best to defend himself from Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell had worn him down to the point where he was even having difficulty lifting his shield. Another hard blow from Mar-Vell's sword upon Zemo's proved to be too much force, and Zemo was brought down to his knees, to his immense rage.

Amora observed this as she ran into the vicinity. "We are leaving!" she bellowed. "NOW!"

Zemo didn't have time to protest.

Johnny rounded the corner in time to see Amora cast a spell, blinding green light that enveloped herself and Zemo. The sphere expanded, and then faded. They had vanished, teleporting elsewhere. And they'd taken all the scattered glass and jewels with them.

"Aw, maaaan!" Johnny whined. "They got away!"

"But they appeared incredibly worn down," Mar-Vell pointed out. "I do not think we will be seeing more out of them for this battle."

* * *

Vulture guffawed as he launched missiles at the Valkyrie troops, watching the horses go down when struck by the rockets strapped to his back. He did the same when he brought down Chitauri skimmers. No matter the army, each victory filled him with joy.

Samson had watched him from below, becoming quite angry at the amount of destruction Vulture was causing. So he clambered to a rooftop and began to run at a direction parallel to Vulture. Vulture didn't even notice Samson until he pouced.

Samson landed on Vulture's back, and his weight brought the both of them to the ground. Samson angrily ripped both missile launchers off Vulture's back, then the winglike attachments off his arms.

"Not AGAIN!" Vulture groaned.

As a host of Valkyries who'd lost their horses to Vulture surrounded him, thirsting for revenge, Samson announced, "You're grounded."

"Like I haven't heard THAT one before," Vulture huffed.

* * *

Phil Coulson planted another bullet into the head of another insect. The last foe on his street, he surmised. He turned to see Rhino standing behind him.

"Nice job on the bugs, I guess," Rhino huffed.

"You know how there was a controversy over whether or not I should be on this mission because I might sabotage it?" Coulson asked.

"Uh…no," Rhino admitted.

"Well," Coulson announced, "here's where I sabotage it."

He swapped out his pistol for a different gun, one whose ammunition supplied electric charges. A stunner, not a killer. He fired upon Rhino. The first charge, a small disc, landed on his chest. It pumped out voltage uselessly over Rhino's exoskeletal armor. Noticing this, Rhino smirked. As Coulson realized he probably hadn't chosen the best first target to go rogue on, Rhino remarked, "And they say I'M the stupid one."

Rhino began to charge down the street. Panicking, Coulson fired again and again. The charges landed on Rhino's outer skin each time, doing no damage. As Rhino built up his run to full speed, Coulson prepared to meet his true end at last, impaled upon an animalistic horn.

A disc flew over Coulson's shoulder. It connected with Rhino's unprotected forehead, sending its electrical currents through his nervous system. With a cry of shock and pain, Rhino slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Coulson turned to see who had loosed the shot. It took him a moment to register. "Hill…?"

Maria Hill holstered her own gun. "You're welcome."

"I thought you were with his side," Coulson said, dumbfounded.

"Then it worked," Hill remarked. "Listen. We'll explain it all later. We had to bide our time, but Osborn finally crossed the line we wanted him to cross. For now, let's focus on taking down these H.A.M.M.E.R. thugs." She drew her standard pistol. "Not to mention the bugs and the Chitauri."

"Sometimes I wonder how we even get into these messes," Coulson laughed.

"Believe me," Hill stated, "this is almost nothing compared to some of the things I've been through."

* * *

As Black Widow fired upon a Chitauri warrior, bringing him down, she stepped backward and bumped into another person. Her guard up, she spun and pointed the gun at the other. Venom. Having just brought down a Chitauri soldier himself, gluing the warrior to the wall with black webbing.

"I thought you were another one of them," Black Widow said, deadpan.

"You're not lowering your gun," Venom observed. He didn't sound surprised.

"I'm not, am I?" Black Widow replied.

"So THIS is where you show your true colors," Venom snarled. "You're going to take US down."

"Exactly." She fired.

It missed. Venom's reflexes, his senses heightened, were faster than the bullet. He lunged toward her, and she grabbed ahold of his shoulders, throwing him into a headlock. He quickly jerked forward, flipping her over. She landed on her feet, turning to aim a kick at Venom's head. He lowered himself ever so slightly, letting her foot pass over his head, before throwing a length of black webbing at her. She sidestepped it, her fist connecting with his stomach. He flinched before grabbing her wrist. She jerked her arm toward herself, bringing him closer to her, before kneeing him hard in the chest and using her free hand to batter his face. He twisted away from her, breaking free of her grasp. She ran toward him – then past him, to Venom's confusion. He leapt at her again, and she flipped, standing on her hands, seizing Venom's torso between her knees and using the leverage of her entire body to slam him downward.

"You'll never defeat us this way!" Venom laughed as he prepared to charge again.

Black Widow stepped three paces back. "I wasn't trying to beat you into submission, Venom."

"Then what was it you were trying to do?"

"Make sure you didn't notice."

Venom's dual mind raced; what was it he hadn't noticed? Then he spotted them, on the ground. Small black charges. She'd planted them during the battle, making a ring around him. She stood outside the circle, a hand at her belt.

Then the pressed the button, and Venom's consciousness was overtaken with chaos. The charges went off with a great series of BOOMs that rattled him, causing his senses to undergo a routine of panic, thoughts flying around here and there, make it stop, make it end, until finally the more confused and panicked of the two halves decided to separate itself entirely from the other –

"NO!" Eddie Brock screamed as the black Symbiote melted away from him. Black Widow pressed another button installed on her belt, and a second round of charges exploded – she'd only set off half the first time. The Symbiote slithered away, seeking a quiet place to hide. It slipped out of the ring while Eddie turned this way and that, looking to see where it had gone. "COME BACK!" he wailed. "I NEED YOU!"

"Maybe he'll visit you when we lock you up," Black Widow taunted, raising a pistol loaded with electric discs and aiming at Eddie.

"Go ahead," Eddie hissed. "You've already taken everything else from me. Lock me away again. If you even can. Osborn will – "

"Not be able to bail you out of everything. If I can't have you in custody on my world, I'm SURE the local law enforcement of Asgard won't look lightly on your crimes against them."

Eddie let out a wordless growl, knowing he was defeated.

"Now move it," Black Widow snapped. "The sooner I get the Valkryies to take you off my hands, the better."

* * *

"It looks like the good guys are winning," Impossible Man remarked.

"So far, anyway," Discord said with a laugh. "But the REAL show is only beginning. How DO you think our little ponies are going to fare against the Cabal?"

"A battle the likes of which they've never seen before!" Impossible Man cried. "Will they win? Will they lose? The suspense is killing me!"

"And they STILL haven't figured out they're focusing on ENTIRELY the wrong thing…" Discord sighed.

* * *

Rarity's jewel detecting senses were going haywire. She was nearing a monumental gemstone of some sort, and she absolutely couldn't get it out of her mind. She wasn't even trying to seek it out; it called to her. So she followed.

And when she came upon it, it took her a moment to realize what she was even looking at: an animate woman made completely out of diamond. She gasped. "My, MY! That is the most fabulous thing I've ever SEEN!"

Emma Frost turned to look at Rarity, whose eyes were wide with wonder. "Thank you," she said with a grin. "Now, let me guess. You're here to save the day."

"And given THAT tone," Rarity said with gritted teeth, "I'm guessing you're here to do quite the opposite. Though I don't believe I've seen or heard of you. I would remember this."

"Osborn didn't tell the public ALL his secrets," Frost replied. "On the other hand, I've heard a lot about you. And I'm afraid it's going to have to come to blows."

"Well, if it must be so!" Rarity's bow materialized in her hands. "Take THIS!"

She let a crystal arrow fly. It evaporated as soon as it hit Frost's diamond skin. "Looks like your little trinket doesn't work on me," Frost remarked. "I'm guessing you had it configured as a psychic attack instead of a physical one. Those aren't very effective."

"Ooooooh!" Rarity seethed. "What's the POINT of this weapon if I'm going to keep running into people who are invulnerable to it?" She threw the bow to the ground angrily. "Well, fine! Take THIS!"

She threw out her hands. A purple aura enveloped Frost, throwing her backward. Frost skidded to a halt, managing not to lose her balance. Rarity then drew her wand, flicking it at Frost. A salvo of knockback jinxes made Frost stumble.

Upset, Frost charged Rarity, grabbing her and pinning her against the wall. As Rarity struggled, she grunted, "How DARE you!" Frost drew her fist back to land a punch of solid diamond on Rarity's face. Rarity's feet knocked into Frost's midsection at full force, causing Frost to reel backward.

The two women stared at one another, each deliberating on the next attack. Would another spell be wasted on Frost's imperviousness? Would another charge at Rarity result in her just worming her way out of it again?

The decision was made for them when Mjolnir slammed into Emma Frost, sending her tumbling and rolling down the street. Thor lowered himself out of the sky, next to Rarity. "You appeared to need assistance," he stated.

"Why, thank you," Rarity replied.

Thor raised the hammer above his head, and the clouds gathered, a small dark spot upon the sky. The lightning flashed downward into the head of the hammer before directing toward Frost. The force of the blast sent her rolling further but otherwise left her unharmed.

"Er…her diamond skin seems to protect her from things like that," Rarity told Thor.

"Then we are presented with a challenge," Thor mused.

But as Emma stood, there was the sound of a CRACK. As she approached them, she limped, and there were more terrible CRACK sounds.

"What did we do…" Rarity gasped.

"That hammer," Frost seethed. "It struck a VERY bad place. I hope you're happy. You just fractured me, and I'm going to break down."

"No," Rarity gasped. "Nononononono – "

"I had a feeling that would bother you," Frost snapped.

"Isn't there something we can do to stop it?" Rarity cried in a panic. "I…I've fixed broken stones before!"

"She is no ordinary stone," Thor stated. "I am sorry, Rarity. We have to accept this casualty."

"There is ONE thing you could do," Frost stated. "Somebody with the right amount of magic could put me back together." Rarity and Thor could see the lines permeating her exterior. "Get me to somebody who can fix me if you don't want this on your conscience."

"But who can – " Rarity began to ask.

In a burst, Frost became a multitude of shards, raining down onto the ground.

"Quickly!" Thor dropped to the ground. "Gather the pieces!"

Rarity knelt beside him, and the two picked up as much as they could of Frost. "But who can we possibly take her to?" she worried.

"If we cannot convince her allies to repair her," Thor said, "we will bring her back ourselves. We shall NOT let her perish, Rarity. For now, please be glad the battle is won."

"I'll try…"

They finished picking the shards up off the ground and set out in search for someone who had both the power and the interest to piece them together again.

* * *

Rainbow Dash charged down the streets, sword held aloft in the metal hands of Spectrum; so far, the opposition she'd encountered didn't require her to unleash the armor's power. She dealt swift strokes; the prismatic shockwaves harmlessly knocked insectoid foes aside and unconscious. She arrived in a square near the palace; she could see its towers rising near her. Three Chitauri soldiers charged her; she deftly struck each down, watching them fall into sleep at the effect of her sword.

"ANYPONY ELSE WANNA GO?" Rainbow Dash yelled, turning to look around the square.

Her eyes alit upon a dark figure silhouetted in the entry to a street, hidden by a building's shadow. He was slowly applauding her. "You look like a tough one," he remarked.

"What are YOU here for?" Rainbow Dash barked. "Are you here to help defend Asgard, or help attack it?"

"I don't see any point in putting up a pretense," the figure replied. "I'm what you would call one of the bad guys."

"Come out here where I can see you!" Rainbow Dash ordered.

He obeyed immediately. Blackheart strode into the square, staring Rainbow Dash down with a smirk.

"Who the hay are YOU?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Just somebody trying to make Hell on earth," Blackheart replied. "I don't need to ask who you are, Rainbow Dash."

"HOW DID YOU KNOW MY NAME?"

"I'm not sure it matters," Blackheart responded. "But it did keep you talking."

"Kept me wha – "

Namor seized Rainbow Dash from behind, twisting her free arm up against her back. "Put down your weapon," he commanded.

"NO WAY!" Rainbow Dash struggled, flailing her sword arm; Namor was strong enough to hold her in that position, even with her armor on. She found herself with no choice but to utilize the blaster built into the palm of the hand Namor held captive. The force blew the two away from each other.

Rainbow Dash looked from Namor to Blackheart and back. She kicked in the jets in her boots, levitating a short way off the ground, feeling more comfortable in the air. She readied her sword.

Blackheart nearly laughed as he copied Rainbow Dash's levitation, bringing himself to her eye level. "This should be fun," he stated.

Namor watched, waiting for Blackheart's call. He knew the demon was more than capable of handling himself.

Blackheart began by disappearing; he rematerialized behind Rainbow Dash, tackling her and propelling her forward so she hit the ground with a CLANG. She twisted round, dismissing her sword momentarily to blast Blackheart with both the beams set in Spectrum's palms. He gradually stood, just letting both beams clash against his skin as though they were hitting a stone wall.

"Ouch," he remarked with a mischievous smile.

He threw his arms out toward Rainbow Dash, and she found herself skidding across the square until she collided with a wall, carried on a rush of dark energy. Dazed, it took her a moment to collect her thoughts. That moment was all Blackheart needed to teleport to her side and hit her from that angle, sending her rolling.

Namor watched this all, observing as Blackheart knocked Rainbow Dash around the square as a cue might direct a pool ball. As Rainbow Dash got shakily to her feet, Namor no longer felt the desire to wait for Blackheart's signal to get involved. He began to step toward the battlefield.

A projectile descended upon him from overhead, detonating; it became a large net, spreading out over Namor and bringing him to the ground. "Looks like I netted a BIG fish!" Hawkeye cried with glee from atop a roof.

Namor ripped the net in half. "You do not know what you are doing!" He snarled at Hawkeye.

"Um, I'm pretty sure I do, and it's stopping you from joining the prince of the Goths in beating up my friend." Hawkeye loaded up three arrows, loosing them. They exploded on their way to Namor, causing him to reel.

While Namor and Hawkeye were occupied with each other, Rainbow Dash transformed into her witch state, calling her sword back to her hand. "You're in for it now!" she taunted, raising the sword into the air. As with Thor, dark clouds gathered overhead. Rainbow Dash directed several bolts of lightning from them toward Blackheart.

Blackheart put out his hands, and the bolts all halted, suspended, before they could get to him. Then he made a twisting motion with his wrists; the bolts warped in midair, pointing toward Rainbow Dash. Blackheart then thrust his hands toward her, and the bolts resumed their course.

With a scream, Rainbow Dash shot into the air to avoid the bolts' trajectory. She then called upon a cyclone, willing into the air at the point of her sword and sending it coursing toward Blackheart. Blackheart was ready for this as well, halting the cyclone in front of him and shoving it back up at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was caught by it, spinning round and round, until she regained control. She willed the winds not to carry her, but to surround her, and she put herself in the eye of the storm. The cyclone raged on, round and round.

Blackheart then cast a sphere of dark energy at Rainbow Dash. It surrounded the cyclone that encased her, and she was aware of everything in sight becoming blocked out. She held up the whirling winds, but she could feel the pressure of the darkness closing in on her, even through her armor. As Blackheart twisted his wrist, the sphere shrank. The only thing keeping it from imploding onto Rainbow Dash was the pressure of the whirlwind, and so she fed her energy into the winds, making them stronger and faster, for dear life.

Namor had survived all of Hawkeye's arrows, and was still standing. Annoyed, wondering just how much it would take to keep the Atlantean down, Hawkeye reached back into his quiver only to find that it was empty. "No…" he gasped in horror.

Namor realized that Hawkeye had run out of arrows. He turned and ran toward Blackheart.

"HEY!" Hawkeye yelled. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" He leapt down from the roof, racing to Namor, hoping to get to him before he could get to Rainbow Dash. Namor, however, was faster. He reached his target first.

Namor leapt into the air and tackled Blackheart, bringing him down to the street.

Rainbow Dash felt the darkness pulsate as its caster was brought down, and she gave the whirlwind a final surge. It burst the sphere of darkness, and Rainbow Dash rocketed toward the ground, landing next to Hawkeye. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I…have no idea," Hawkeye admitted as he watched Namor and Blackheart wrestle on the ground. Never taking his eyes off the spectacle, Hawkeye slowly knelt and began to gather fallen arrows.

Blackheart shoved Namor away from him forcefully. "I had thought you were too soft for this job," he said casually. "Was it seeing me torment the girl that did it?"

"I won't stand for this any longer," Namor insisted. "I wanted the advancement of Atlantis, and I will admit I wanted power, but this too high a price to pay, Blackheart. You and all of Cabal are now my enemy!"

"Well, that's just too bad," Blackheart said with a smirk. He sent a black wave of energy pulsing toward Namor. When it hit, Blackheart sent out two more. Namor stumbled, falling to his knees.

"You're all dried up," Blackheart taunted softly, moving toward Namor. "A fish out of water. You couldn't even scratch Vulture, let alone me."

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash threw herself between Blackheart and Namor. "Leave him alone!"

"Would you rather I continue to harm YOU?" Blackheart asked.

"Actually, I prefer this." Rainbow Dash lifted her sword aloft, gathering all her energy. Lightning and rain poured down into her blade from the ever growing dark patch above.

Hawkeye, in the meantime, had retrieved five arrows. He knew his blow wouldn't even be a fraction of the strength that Rainbow Dash's would, but he wasn't going to merely stand by. He nocked all five arrows and drew back the string, training the arrows onto Blackheart.

"Pity," Blackheart sighed. "I was having fun. But nothing lasts forever, does it?"

"Imperious rex," Namor said hoarsely.

Rainbow Dash struck out with her blade, sending the electrically charged tidal wave at Blackheart. At the same time, Hawkeye released the arrows. The massive elemental wave and the arrows would have hit Blackheart at the same time, but with only a moment, less time than it took to blink, to spare, Blackheart vanished in a swirl of dark smoke. The water and lightning rushed over the empty square; the arrows stuck into the wall of a house across the way.

"He's GONE!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"That is for the best," Namor stated, standing laboriously. "He comes from the very depths of Hell. I doubt even those attacks could have brought him down, truly. He must have tired of the chase. Were I you, I would take this opportunity to find the palace as quickly as I could. That is obviously where Loki will be making his way."

"How do you know?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because his goal is to become king of this land by a forceful hand," Namor stated. "That is what it always has been. Osborn, Crouch, Frost, I…we were little more than pawns in his plan."

"But not Doom or…that guy," Hawkeye clarified.

"They have always been stronger, and Loki believes they deserve his respect," Namor said. "Now go, before – "

"YOU!" Rarity cried, running into view.

"Hey, hey, it's okay!" Hawkeye told her. "He's on our side now, I guess."

"But he assisted Osborn and his Dark Avengers against Attuma," Thor argued, arriving. "Thereby sullying the name of Twilight Sparkle."

"I do not regret my actions toward Attuma," Namor said, "but I can no longer stand with Osborn. I will fight alongside you."

"Actually…" Rarity said, "now that you bring it up…you were associated with the diamond mare, were you not?"

Namor didn't have to ask to know that Rarity was referring to Frost. "Yes. I was."

"We made a terrible error," Rarity blurted, holding out the diamond shards.

"We destroyed her," Thor said, "but she affirms she can be repaired by someone with the proper power."

Namor nodded. "Let me take her. I will do what I can."

He gathered the heavy pieces of diamond into his arms. "I must return to Earth as soon as possible so that she is not lost," he said. "Loki will be at the palace, and Doom and Blackheart will likely be nearby. Go now!"

As he ran away from the palace, Rainbow Dash and Rarity looked toward it. "C'mon!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Let's go!"

Immediately, ten Chitauri warriors dropped in front of the group, weapons brandished. Rarity screamed.

"We shall hold them off!" Thor cried; he raised Mjolnir, whirling it over his head, as Hawkeye placed another fallen arrow in his bow. "GO!"

The ensuing lightning bolt rendered the line of Chitauri senseless. Rarity and Rainbow Dash hurried past toward the palace while Thor and Hawkeye busied themselves with another wave of incoming enemies.

* * *

The young Asgardian man writhed on the ground in excruciating pain. Just as the agony began to fade away, Crouch hit him again: "CRUCIO!"

Crouch watched the Asgardian convulse. "I respected your kind," he said. Angry. Disappointed. "I even thought you could be more than a match for my own. But you renounced Loki. Was your own god of mischief someone you could really throw aside and pray would DIE?"

He saw that the Asgardian's pain was beginning to abate again – the youth was unclenching, no longer twitching. "But you've heard enough out of me," Crouch concluded, "and there's really no point in leaving you alive longer." He raised his wand. "AVADA – "

He then became aware of the large projectile flying toward him from behind. He spun; he changed his spell mid-cast. "PROTEGO!"

The large spherical object, the size of a human being balled up, collided hard with the blue shield that Crouch's wand emitted to cover him. When it hit the ground, it uncurled, and Crouch saw that it was indeed a human being balled up. Mr. Fantastic had attempted to use himself as a ballistic.

"Reed, isn't it?" Crouch asked. "Victor told me about you. Take you away from your laboratory and you're useless."

"I should have known he'd tell everyone about me," Mr. Fantastic grumbled. "He just can't let it go." The upper half of his body rocketed toward Crouch, stretching out and curling around him so that he reached over Crouch's shoulder from behind to take his wand. Crouch responded by casting a bright spell that knocked Mr. Fantastic down to the ground.

"I know Victor wanted to kill you," Crouch said, "but I just can't resist – "

"NOW HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Applejack barked, storming into view. When she got a good look at the wand Crouch clutched, she began to wonder out loud: "Hey…that looks like it's from…"

"Fourth Earth," Crouch filled in. "I almost didn't recognize you without the centaur body." His mad grin widened.

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Who are you, anyway? One of the Death Eaters?"

"As a matter of fact," Crouch said, "yes." He raised his wand, aiming it at Applejack.

"NO YA DON'T!" Applejack's rope whip materialized in her hand, and she cracked it; it made a beeline for Crouch.

"DIFFINDO!" Crouch slashed the rope in half with the Severing Charm. Applejack twirled the short rope over her head and it restored its full length; she rushed Crouch, flicking the whip again. And again he severed it.

In a glimmer, Applejack transformed to the Mahou Shoujo state. "I've had about ENOUGH," she growled, twirling the rope.

Crouch hated giving up, but he knew when to cut his losses. By the time she cracked her whip, sending the rope out into a net over the entire area, he'd already run, and the only person she'd managed to tie up was Mr. Fantastic, caught in the center of the web.

"Sorry!" Applejack cried hastily, recalling the rope. She shimmered out of the Mahou Shoujo state as Mr. Fantastic dropped to the ground. The latter rubbed his temples.

"I'm real sorry," Applejack insisted sincerely.

"Just…go get him," Mr. Fantastic grunted. When Applejack hesitated a moment, he looked up at her and flashed a brief smile. "I'm fine."

Applejack gave him a quick nod before running in the direction she'd seen Crouch go: toward the palace.

* * *

As Fluttershy and Banner hurtled down the streets, Banner hypothesized out loud. "There's only one place Loki's going to want to be," he mused, "and that's on the throne."

"So if we find him at the palace," Fluttershy surmised, "we can get him to put a stop to this!"

"I'm not sure it'll be that easy. But it'll be a start."

High above, the Green Goblin hovered over the pair. "Oh, how adorable," he said with a sneer. "Two inseparable friends. Well…maybe not COMPLETELY inseparable." He held up a pumpkin bomb, twisting it in his hand, regarding it thoughtfully. Then he let it drop.

"All we have to do," Banner concluded, "is make it to the – "

The bomb landed. The explosion was accompanied by a human-sounding shriek. Fluttershy was thrown off her feet, landing hard on the ground. She immediately scrambled up, turning to look through the residual smoke at where Banner had been. She gasped, an icy chill running through her body.

Banner lay on the ground, sprawled out, unmoving. Fluttershy rushed to kneel at his side, gently nudging his shoulder. "Dr. Banner?" she whimpered. She shook him slightly harder. "DR. BANNER!"

He made no response.

In horror, Fluttershy cried out, "BRUUUUUUUUUUCE!"

The Goblin couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. "Oh, this is just TOO rich! The man who could become the Incredible Hulk, strongest hero there is, brought down by one little bomb!"

Hearing his triumphant boasts, Fluttershy stood and turned to glare upward at the Goblin. "You…YOU did this…"

"Yes I did," the Goblin replied, "and now I've got other things to do." The hoverboard took off.

In a rush of rage, Fluttershy leapt off the ground, spreading her wings. The clothing of the Mahou Shoujo appeared upon her as she gripped her katana tightly and sped after the Goblin. While he remained in her sights, the Goblin was obviously outpacing Fluttershy. Letting anger take over, she pumped her wings harder. The powers she'd been granted by Kyubey kicked in, augmenting her speed. The Goblin's back became closer and closer. Fluttershy raised the katana high.

The Goblin turned in midair, the board's trajectory unchanged, to face her. "And what do you think YOU'RE doing?" he asked, prepared to dodge a blow, hoping to land one of his own.

At the last minute, she pulled sharply downward, raising the katana overhead. There was a quick but shrill sound of metal scraping on metal; the Goblin flinched. It took him a moment to realize that his vehicle of flight had become two useless scraps of metal, dead in the air, under his feet. Fluttershy had cleaved the hoverboard in half.

The Goblin tumbled to the ground, landing hard on the street. Fluttershy planted her feet on the ground next to where he'd crashed, watching him rise. She kept the katana drawn. The Goblin dusted himself off, glaring at Fluttershy. "Well?" he asked sharply. "Are you happy now?"

"Not quite," Fluttershy seethed.

She aimed a kick to his stomach, and he backed up against the nearest wall. She rushed to meet him, grasping him by the shirt front, when she got a better look at his face. "That isn't even your real FACE!" she snapped, recognizing that he wore a mask.

"Of course not!" the Goblin snapped. "You thought it was? Well, that certainly says a lot about what you've been through…"

"Show me who you really are," Fluttershy hissed, reaching to the mask and yanking it away. She gasped, dropping the mask, dropping her captive, backing away.

"Surprised?" Osborn asked.

"I…I SHOULDN'T BE!" Fluttershy cried. "I should have known YOU'D be behind all of this! You've been hurting people from the very start and lying about it!"

"And what are you going to do about that?" Osborn challenged.

Fluttershy had her choice of answers to grant him. However, she didn't have to. Osborn was sharply jerked upward by the ankles, lifted into the air by the Hulk's giant fist. Osborn, terrified, struggled, but the Hulk's grip was too strong; he twirled Osborn over his head thrice before launching Osborn down the street. Osborn sailed for what seemed like miles before finally touching down upon the street.

"HULK!" Fluttershy screamed in joy. "YOU'RE OKAY!" She dismissed the katana, rushing toward the Hulk; she leapt into the air, pumping her wings once to bring herself to his height, and threw her arms excitedly but gently around his neck. "You're okay!" She then let go and backed off, hovering in the air. "Does this mean Bruce is okay too?"

"We're both fine," the Hulk stated, a little taken aback at Fluttershy's display of affection. "Can't say the same for him."

Fluttershy turned around, and they both observed where Osborn lay still. "Is he…?" Fluttershy wondered.

Then Fluttershy and the Hulk both observed Osborn laboriously get to his feet and run as fast as he could, given how battered he was, toward the palace.

"Well, I'm glad he's not dead," Fluttershy admitted, "but we CAN'T let him get away! LET'S GO!"

The Hulk charged toward the palace at full speed, and Fluttershy kept pace in flight.

* * *

Twilight had fixed upon the thought of heading for the palace right away. She chose her route, keeping the towers in sight, barreling toward the towering structure at top speed. As she ran, she shifted into witch form, clasping her staff, expecting danger at every turn.

She halted when she reached the square full of Chitauri and Kree soldiers, bracing her staff in front of her. It took a moment for her to realize they were all felled and unmoving.

She stepped over the bodies. Some were obviously still breathing. Others…she didn't want to know. Fear seized her, but she pressed onward, wondering what the source of this destruction was.

The figure neared on the horizon of the street she walked down. All she could make out, at first, was that he was dressed in green and wielded a rather large weapon. Occasionally, a warrior would leap out toward him, and he would swing the weapon – a flash of light, and the warrior would fall.

As frightened as Twilight was, she knew what she had to do. She rushed the man in green, getting close enough to cast a spell, projecting all her energy into the staff as she yelled "HOLYJA!"

The white light surrounded Dr. Doom for a moment. He swung the Universal Weapon in a circle, and the light faded away, absorbing into the metal of the Weapon. "How pitiful," Doom remarked, tracing the head of the Weapon with one armored finger before turning toward Twilight. As soon as he spotted her staff, crested with the six-pointed star, he knew. "The bearer of the Element of Magic, I see."

"I don't know who you are," Twilight seethed, "but you've hurt too many people already."

"And I suppose you want to stop me," Doom replied.

"You know I do," Twilight growled.

"Then, by all means," Doom invited, "try."

He swung the Weapon toward her, and the energy it radiated carved a great rift in the street; Twilight screamed and leapt out of the trajectory, feeling the energy graze her skin. It was a feeling of disgust – she trembled. She willed the staff to conjure a fleet of magenta plasma orbs, sending them all flying at Doom. Doom was able to intercept each and every orb, bringing the head of the Weapon to meet and absorb them, with the exception of one. That one caught him across the shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly. Taking advantage of Doom's moment of weakness, Twilight surrounded him in a magenta shield. The Weapon smashed right through it, shattering the plasma, as Twilight gasped.

Doom, curious to test the Weapon's full power and range of functions, twisted it to aim at Twilight, and Twilight shot upward, into the air. It took her only a moment to realize that she wasn't being thrusted upward by any opposing force to gravity; gravity itself had reversed in her vicinity. She thought back to the gravity spells she had in her own repertoire, willing herself, reverse, reverse, reverse…

Doom followed her trajectory. A clay pigeon. He struck outward with the Weapon, creating a blast with an enormous shockwave.

The gravity reversal spell took hold on Twilight. She began to plunge back down, toward the ground. She fell fast, just under the spreading shockwave, and yet again she felt the trembling of her skin as the spell passed. She quickly surrounded herself in a magenta bubble, slowing her descent until she landed softly on her feet in front of Doom. She ran toward Doom, feeling a sort of heated energy course through her.

He struck the ground before her with the hammer, and suddenly, it was as though the air around Twilight had turned thick; her movements were slowed. Running at top speed, it was still painstakingly slow to even lift a foot. A temporal disturbance, she realized. Doom was slowing her time. She grasped desperately at every spell in her memory to try and remember if she'd ever learned anything about overcoming such a thing. Something to speed herself up, or at least put herself in the normal flow of time. As it was, she was a sitting duck, moving too slowly to be able to escape Doom's next blow…and he was readying, drawing back the Weapon.

A red projectile zipped through the air and snapped Doom in the back of the head. Then another and another. Doom flinched, then whirled to see Falcon hovering over him.

"You?" Doom laughed.

"Yeah," Falcon affirmed, "and I want you to leave her alone!"

"All you've done is seal your own fate." Doom swung the Weapon. There was a crash, the sound of sparks. Falcon hit the ground, still alive, still whole, but one of the wings of his armor mangled and destroyed. With another swing, out went the other, leaving Falcon unarmed.

Doom raised the Weapon high, intending to bring a killing blow down on Falcon's head.

Twilight stepped outside the field of the temporal disturbance. "NO!" she screamed, pointing her staff at Doom. From her, a wave of ice burst forth, surrounding Doom and encasing him. For a moment, just a moment, Twilight thought she had won, watching the sun glint off the surface of the ice-covered Doom.

Then, starting with at the head of the Weapon, the ice began to crack. Doom was breaking out.

Twilight quickly rushed between Doom and Falcon. She grabbed Falcon by the arm, dragging him up, leading him on a fast run away from Doom. They both heard the ice shatter behind them; Twilight spun in time to see Doom readying the Weapon again. She did the only thing she could think of; she surrounded Falcon and herself in a shield of magenta energy, focusing on making it as thick and durable as possible.

The energy wave collided with the spherical shield. Even from within the shield's safety, Twilight and Falcon could feel the pressure of it bearing on them. They both saw that the shield was beginning to crack.

"We're getting out of here!" Twilight yelled. "Just hold on!"

The shield gave way. In a flash of light, Twilight and Falcon disappeared. The energy cascaded over the ground, bringing down the façades of several buildings and carving a deep trench.

Twilight and Falcon materialized atop a nearby roof, looking down at Doom from above. Falcon looked to Twilight for guidance. She pressed a finger to her lips, and the pair silently watched.

Doom knew he hadn't hit them. They'd disappeared a moment too early. But he couldn't be bothered to track them down. He knew he had them overpowered, and if either came to bother him again, he would be able to take them down easily. He turned and stalked out of the square to continue his rain of destruction.

When Twilight was sure Doom was out of earshot, she sighed. "Thanks, Falcon. That guy was WAY too powerful. I don't even know what kind of weapon could do that. I might be able to disable it if all the Elements of Harmony were here, otherwise…well, anyway, you saved me from being fried."

"I saved YOU?" Falcon asked incredulously. "You saved me! I thought I was toast!" He lifted an arm, looking at the featherless armor. "Looks like I'm useless now…"

"Get somewhere safe," Twilight told him. "I'm going to keep heading for the castle. If I can find and stop either Loki or Osborn, we might be able to turn this around."

"But what if they're just as powerful as him?" Falcon asked. "Or worse?"

"Then I take my chances," Twilight said.

"Good luck out there," Falcon bid.

"Thank you," Twilight said before leaping down onto the street, hopping over the trench Doom's last strike had carved, and rushing toward the palace.

* * *

As Rarity and Rainbow Dash reached the palace steps, they became aware of Applejack running toward the same location from the opposite direction. "APPLEJACK!" Rainbow Dash called out, putting up a hand. The three stopped at the base of the steps.

"Looks like we had the same idea," Applejack stated. "Wonder if – "

With a roar, the Hulk rushed at the steps, Fluttershy soaring beside him. They halted, looking around for any other enemies that might choose to attack them. Then Twilight appeared, darting quickly to meet her friends.

"I feel it's fairly safe to say we ALL had the idea," Rarity pointed out.

"Let's end this," Twilight said, staring up toward the palace doors.

The sound of a multitude of footsteps was heard rumbling down the street. A Chitauri troop burst into view, weapons raised.  
"Got it covered," the Hulk grunted. "GO!"

He leapt at the Chitauri, beginning to smash at them with his hammer-like fists.

"You heard the guy!" Applejack said, grabbing at the doors. "LET'S GO!"

She and Rainbow Dash wrenched the doors open, and the two of them rushed inside, followed by Twilight. Fluttershy hesitated a moment, looking back out at the Hulk.

"He'll be fine, dear," Rarity reassured her. "But nopony will be if we don't go after Loki."

Fluttershy gave a nod, and she and Rarity rushed inside the palace.

* * *

The five Equestrians rushed down the main hallway. "Where do you think we should look for 'im?" Applejack asked.

"This palace is huge!" Twilight moaned. "He could be anywhere!"

But as they neared the end of the hallway, Loki stepped out to meet them, facing them directly. "I figured," he remarked with a smirk, "I'd make it a little easier on all of us."

The five halted. "So you're Loki," Twilight spat.

"I see my brother has told you of me," Loki stated. "After all, I've met you before…but you haven't met me."

"But I've read about you," Twilight insisted. "About a lot of the things you did in myths and stories. You're a real villain, you know that?"

"Actually, I quite prefer 'trickster,'" Loki corrected. "'Villain' just sounds so nasty, don't you think?"

"YOU don't want to sound NASTY?" Rainbow Dash snapped. "After everything you did? After you put Asgard in danger? And I heard that you and that Dr. Doom guy set up Osborn to wreck our reputation and take over S.H.I.E.L.D. all along!"

"Why?" Twilight snapped. "Why are you even doing this?"

"Because none of the nine realms truly know what is best for it," Loki insisted, his demeanor turning more sour. "The humans of Midgard, or, more accurately to your ears, 616th Midgard, live under the delusion that they were meant to walk free. The people of Asgard worshipped a corrupt man with no heart. Victor, Bartemius, Blackheart, and I can rebuild it all to our vision."

"You don't want what's best for anypony!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "You just wanna be king!"

The smile returned to Loki's face. "That power is a benefit, yes. As is the Universal Weapon to Victor, and my assistance to Bartimeus in reshaping his own world. As for Blackheart…well, he's just happy to be free to do what he wants. We no longer answer to the likes of Odin, Nick Fury, or Mephisto. And by the time we're done with Asgard, it will not either. When I've culled those who stand against me, struck down Thanos, and taken the throne once and for all."

"Too bad you're losin'," Applejack said cheekily. "I passed a lot of people fightin' on my way here. And you know what? I caught a glimpse of more of YOUR people goin' down than OURS."

"Then it's fortunate Victor and I have a contingency plan," Loki stated.

"Then we're gonna stop you from puttin' it in action," Applejack countered.

At this moment, Pinkie Pie, having made an escape from her room that would have made Reed Richards question if the laws of physics were ever relevant to begin with, made her way down the labyrinthine halls of the palace to find herself in a corridor to the main hall. As she reached the end archway, she saw Loki speaking to Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. "My friends!" she gasped. She noticed how her friends were all braced for battle, looking angrily at Loki. "I have to tell them not to hurt him!" she blurted to herself. "I have to tell them that he's just been misunderstood this whole time! They're sure to understand! Otherwise something really bad could happen!"

She had every intention of charging into the hall, of throwing herself between her friends and Loki, of screaming for them to WAAAAIIIIIT and explaining the whole thing as she perceived it.

"What are you going to do to me?" Loki asked. "Use your Elements? Oh, that's right. You can't. You aren't a full set. I made quite sure of that."

Pinkie Pie had only taken one step. She halted. A nasty feeling began to boil inside of her stomach.

"WHAT did you do to Pinkie Pie?" Twilight snapped, putting the pieces together. "If you killed her…"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of killing a bearer of the Elements of Harmony," Loki stated. "I already know that doesn't work. I've TRIED."

Pinkie Pie suddenly felt weak in the ankles, leaning against the wall to stay upright. She couldn't bring herself to enter the hall. She merely hid in the corridor, listening to Loki as he went on:

"You think I didn't know the six of you would be a threat? We've met before, remember? I've seen the extent of what you can do. So when my ambitions expanded, I thought it would be in my best interests to make sure you would be out of my way. But why stop at just ridding myself of you? If I went after the bearers that came before you, I thought, the Elements would die with them, and never find new vessels to bear them. As it turns out…I was wrong."

"Of COURSE you couldn't kill Celestia and Luna," Rarity said haughtily. "They're MUCH too powerful to be defeated by the likes of you."

"Celestia and Luna - !" Loki cried with a laugh. "You mean the only ones of the six before you who DID survive?" Noting the confusion on four of the five faces before him, and guessing at the fifth behind Spectrum, he realized, "You don't know, do you? That there were six bearers before you?"

"Stop makin' stuff up!" Applejack snapped.

"Oh, but I'm not," Loki said. "Don't you want to hear the story? What REALLY happened? That secret Celestia's been keeping from you?"

"Celestia…did say there were secrets she was afraid to say…" Twilight recalled.

"Dispatching the former bearers of Honesty and Loyalty was actually one of my finer works," Loki boasted. "I knew I couldn't just walk into the Crystal Empire and murder them outright. No. I wanted to give the entire Empire something to REMEMBER…"

* * *

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

OVER 1000 FOURTH EQUESTRIAN YEARS AGO

The unicorn stallion crossed the square as quickly as he could despite the fact that his saddlebags were loaded down with rather heavy books. Underneath the aurora of the Crystal Palace, his deep gray coat and mane took on the illusion of being slightly darker gleamed like obsidian, though many a pony actually compared his coloration to that of a shadow, which had in fact led his parents to give him his name. The only parts of him that weren't silver by day and black under the influence of the Heart were his horn, a brilliant ruby red, and his Cutie Mark, a white star.

He found his path suddenly blocked by three other ponies. "Sombra!" Fields of Gold greeted. "Glad we caught you! Wysteria's birthday party is today, and – "

"Oh," Sombra interrupted, looking at the ground and shuffling a hoof. "I would, but…I'm…busy today!" He raised his gaze to meet Fields of Gold's. "Very busy."

"Busy?" Magnet Bolt asked. "Busy with what?"

"Things," Sombra stated. "Lots of things. And also stuff."

"Please tell me you're not just going out to the fields to read again," Artemis sighed.

"What's so wrong about that?" Sombra countered. "I made plans with my books, and I intend to keep them! As such, I will NOT be able to put in an appearance at Wysteria's party!"

"You…are odd," Artemis said in disgust.

"ARTEMIS!" Fields of Gold snapped. "It's okay, Sombra. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"We'll miss you, though," Magnet Bolt stated, though the tone of her voice betrayed that her statement was a lie.

"Whatever," Sombra huffed, pushing between Fields of Gold and Magnet Bolt and continuing on his original path. "You ponies have fun at your little…SHINDIG. I have important reading to do."

Fields of Gold, Magnet Bolt, and Artemis watched Sombra as he moved away from them. "I will never understand that guy," Artemis sighed.

* * *

In the field at the edge of the Empire, before the magical nature of the land died out and gave way to snow, Sombra lay down and removed a tome from his saddlebags. "Ahhhh," he sighed. "No annoying ponies, no frustrating social interactions…just me…and my book."

His ruby-red horn glowed, and the front cover of the book opened. His eyes zeroed in on the first page, and he became immersed.

A few chapters in, Sombra's connection to the world of the letters on the page was interrupted when a shadow fell in between his eyes and the paper. "Excuse me," he huffed, "but as I have said, I have no interest in attending any birthday parties, so if that is what you are here to do – "

"Actually," a sultry female voice said coyly, "I was wondering if you'd do me a favor."

"Huh?" Sombra looked up. He didn't recognize the voice; nor did he recognize the mare who stood before him. She was taller than him; an alicorn, which he found strange, as he only knew of a few alicorns in all existence and this was not one of them. Her coat gleamed brilliantly emerald green, as did her eyes; her mane was raven, clipped to medium length. She wore golden greaves, but her flank was bare, showing a Cutie Mark in the shape of mistletoe.

Sombra had never seen one so beautiful as her. He was dumbstruck, only able to produce an "Uuuuuuuuuuuhhhh…" sound.

"You see," the mare said, "I'm new here. I don't know my way around. You're the first pony I've met, and I was hoping you could show me." She regarded the open book with interest. "What are you reading? It looks like quite the page-turner." She leaned down, close enough for Sombra to smell a scent not unlike pine buried within her mane. "Ah, the basics of magic. A favorite subject of mine." She raised her head. "But by all means, if you're busy, don't bother on my account. I can find somepony else."

"No," Sombra said hurriedly, closing the book. "NO! I mean. I can definitely show you around. You won't be finding anypony around who isn't at some stupid party anyway."

"I'm glad," the mare said with a laugh. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Well, I'm generally not the tour guide sort," Sombra admitted, "but I think I can make an exception in your case."

"Might I know the name of my guide?"

"I am Sombra. And you?"

"My name is Loki."

* * *

Sombra took Loki on a tour of the Crystal Empire. He showed her everything, from the Crystal Heart spinning in its pedestal below the palace to the jousting arena to the crystal sheep petting zoo.

And when that was done, he showed her his home. He showed her the collection of books in his library, the array of food kept in his dining room, and at the end of the day, he showed her his bedroom.

She enjoyed his company, and he hers, and so she stayed with him for a week, the nights of which he felt were magical beyond description. And during the days, though the Empire buzzed with activity, it seemed to Sombra that it was but an empty, glimmering hollow of a city, shining bright and beautiful for two and only two ponies, a stallion of black called Sombra and an elegant mare named Loki.

* * *

"I must go," she said one day.

"Aw…do you have to?" Sombra put on his best pout.

Loki gave a chuckle. "I must return to my land, you understand. They will be missing me."

"Will you ever come back?" Sombra asked, trying his best to shoot her a flirty look.

"I hope to return," Loki replied. "One thing is for sure, Sombra. I shall never forget you. And that is why I have brought you a gift."

She produced a master work of jewelry, the likes of which Sombra had never seen before: a deep red gemstone set in a silvery backing, the head and wings of an alicorn wrought over top of it. It was set on a deep gray chain, meant to be worn around the neck.

"It's so…shiny," Sombra observed, unable to take his eyes off it. "I've never seen anything like that!"

"That's because there's only one in all of existence," Loki told him. "I made it myself." A truth. "I want you to have it, so you can think of me."

"Why, thank you!" Sombra immediately levitated the necklace over to himself, locking it around his neck. "I will NEVER take this off!"

Loki chuckled again. More sinister, this time. "If you wish, Sombra. Now, I really must be leaving. But if all goes well, you will see me again very soon." A lie.

Sombra let Loki get all the way to the door before blurting out, "I love you!"

"Rather ridiculous, don't you think?" Loki countered. "You've known me but a week. 'Love' is a strong word."

Sombra immediately felt ashamed.

"But then again," Loki said, "I am an easy one to love."

He let her leave, considered running out the door and taking her all the way to the edge of the Empire, then decided it was best to let her go and not burden her anymore. Instead, Sombra moved to a mirror where he could admire the amulet, forged of mithril and certain enchantments upon its red stone. The stone complemented the shade of red upon Sombra's horn quite well, he thought.

And he felt the stirring of something within him when he saw his reflection wearing the amulet, something he couldn't quite understand. He dismissed it as more feelings for the departed Loki.

* * *

But as days went on, he realized that somehow, he'd been granted more power than he'd ever had before. He was able to cast spells of grander scopes so long as he wore the amulet that Loki had fashioned for him. He was able to transform things, to refurbish the rooms of his home into grander spectacles, to lift heavier things than before. He would levitate entire carts out of his way while passing through the streets.

The more spells he cast, the more spells he wanted to cast. And the more he turned a blind eye to the way he was changing. His distrust of ordinary objects, such as the wheels of the carts. His desire to gather and hoard; flugelhorns piled up the library. He didn't touch a book; the spines gathered dust.

* * *

Until the day came when Crystal Princess Sirius and her brother Polaris were presenting…presenting…Sombra didn't know.

They stood proudly before the Crystal Heart, shining radiantly, just like the rest of their kingdom. Sirius was an alicorn of royal blue, her curly mane of plum and lavender done in the complex ceremonial headdress, crystals hanging from each lock. The orange amulet around her neck was shaped like the heart that formed her Cutie Mark, which was, of course, the Crystal Heart.

Beside her stood her brother Polaris, an alicorn of sky blue with a white sheen and a mane and tail of silver. He lacked crystal hair accessories, but wore a red amulet in the shape of a snowflake, matching his Cutie Mark.

"It is our honor," Sirius addressed the crowd before her, "to announce the twenty-fifth anniversary of – "

She was interrupted by a rising cacophony of gasps. "What is it?" she barked. "What's wrong?"

From the back of the street, they parted slowly. If they didn't, a red aura surrounded them, and they were violently thrown aside. Sombra strode deliberately down the path that formed for him, making his way toward the princess and her brother.

"Sombra!" Sirius snapped. "Your interruption of our ceremony has been nothing less than rude – "

"Sirius," Polaris whimpered, "look…his eyes…"

She saw what it was that was making the other ponies back away. Sombra's lips parted to reveal a fanged grin. His once dark eyes had turned strange colors – his irises were red, the whites of his eyes were green, and a stream of pure dark energy trailed backward out of each eye, as though he were so imbued with darkness that it was leaking out of him.

When Sombra reached the two royals, his grin widened. He began to laugh, a deep, throaty laugh that grew louder and louder.

"What is it you WANT?" Sirius growled.

"Taking throne for self," Sombra answered.

"Sombra…" Polaris broke in. "Are you all right?"

"FINE!" Sombra roared before laughing. As he laughed, his horn glowed bright red. From it, a red aura spread over his whole body like a tide, and as it did, it covered him in regal attire. A silver circlet with red and silver spikes protruding from it materialized around his head. Silver greaves and a breastplate armored his body. A red cape trimmed in white fur draped down over him. "Now…I AM KING OF EMPIRE!"

"Sombra, that's enough," Sirius seethed. "Either stop this nonsense, or I will be forced to stop you."

"Sirius," Polaris warned, "he's insane…you can't – "

"HAHAHAHA!" Sombra crowed. "Stop? ME? Stop YOU!" His horn glowed bright red. "STOP ALL!"

The crackle of blood-red energy burst forth; Sirius and Polaris leapt to opposite sides to avoid it. It passed by the Heart by a hair's breadth. Still laughing, Sombra turned back to the ponies that watched the scene in horror. One screamed. He began to charge his horn up for another attack.

"DON'T HURT THEM!" Polaris yelled. "IT'S ME YOU WANT!"

Sombra looked back over his shoulder; Polaris braced himself behind the madstallion, his own horn shining with bright blue energy.

"BROTHER!" Sirius shrieked, rushing to his side, her own horn beginning to glow.

"Two in one!" Sombra laughed, letting ruby-colored lightning fly. It collided with the twin beams of Polaris and Sirius. Sombra fed more energy into his own blast; it overpowered that of the royal siblings, causing them to stumble backward and fall to the ground.

Sirius struggled to stand, but not before Sombra stood over her. He put a hoof down upon her back, and as a red aura emitted from him, Sirius realized he was increasing his own strength enough to hold her down. He planted another hoof on Polaris.

"Sombra, please!" Sirius begged. "Don't do this!"

"This isn't who you are!" Polaris moaned. "You've never been like this before!"

"Never…never…NEVER BETTER!" Sombra crowed.

That day, the ponies who had gathered to watch Sirius induct the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Crystal Fair were instead forced to watch a much more horrifying sight. Most couldn't get a clear view; they were the lucky ones. But others saw every moment, every strike that Sombra made – mostly by magic, and sometimes with his hooves. A few even tried to charge him, but were thrown aside by a bright red aura. Throughout it all, he wouldn't stop laughing. His laugh burned into the ears of all present; none would ever forget. Blood spurted and ran across the stone of the street.

And when he was finished, blood was about all that was left of Sirius and Polaris. Sombra knelt, ripping away the two amulets they'd worn, the orange heart and the red snowflake, clutching them both in his teeth. But, to his surprise, they dissolved; the gems became as nothing, a fine red and orange mist filtering upward and out of sight, and the chains fell to pieces, losing their luster as the fragments hit the ground.

Sombra's eyes were drawn to the next shiny object within reach: the Crystal Heart. He approached it, willing his magic around it. A red light formed around its edges.

Nopony screamed. Nopony tried to stop him. All just stared in horror as he removed the Crystal Heart from its pedestal, stepping through the blood of its former guardians. As soon as the Heart left its proper place, the skies grew dark. Of all the crystal walls and crystal streets in the Empire, not a single one sparkled. All appeared dull.

Sombra entered the palace, the Heart floating alongside him. Members of the Crystal Guard charged to attack him; he disposed of them with even more ease than he had rid himself of Sirius and Polaris. "Mine now," he said with glee as the enchantment Loki had placed on the amulet around his neck reached its full power, penetrating his mind, warping it beyond repair. "Mine. Mine. Mine. MINE. MINE. MINE. MIIIIIIIIINE!"

* * *

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

PRESENT TIMELINE

"And so the buffoon took the throne, just as I'd planned," Loki concluded, "and I thought the bearers of the Elements of Honesty and Loyalty well and truly dead. But the Elements themselves lived on. I don't know how, but when they left Sirius and Polaris, they transferred into Celestia and Luna. So I waited. Others had the same idea. The Element of Kindness met a grisly end soon enough, and after that, there were reports that the bearer of Generosity had simply lost her connection to her element. As the finishing touch, Luna, bearer of Magic, was sealed away in the moon, surrendering all the elements she bore. And when there were TRULY none left, Celestia couldn't wield them on her own. They disappeared; they were never supposed to return again! Even the bearer of Generosity was slain by a hand that was not mine, and I believed the deed truly to be done! But the Elements still ended up with you. I was a fool! They would ALWAYS have bearers! My stunt with Sombra did little more than to affirm that what had already happened would, indeed, happen again! If I killed you…any of you…your Element would find its way to another, and I would be back where I started! But I found another way. Not only do I have Pinkie Pie stored away someplace safe, where she can't hurt me…she would actually fight for me. Were you to find her now, no matter what you said, she would do little more than assert to you that I am but a misunderstood man, good at heart, poisoned by his cruel father and the world that rejected him. To which, I believe, there is a LARGE degree of truth. But the fact remains that one of your Elements is now on MY side. You can't hope to stop me without the full set. And as for your individual prowess…I will gladly challenge each of you this day. If your skill is as good as it will be when you meet me in your future, then you will all most certainly lose."

"If you want to challenge us," Twilight said, "we accept."

She held out her staff. Rainbow Dash put up her palms, charging twin energy beams. Applejack, magically drained from unleashing her last attack on Crouch, attempted to summon her whip, but it flickered out of her hands; she instead balled up her fists and took a fighting stance. Rarity drew back her bowstring. Fluttershy brandished her katana.

"WAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIT!" A shrill cry pierced the air of the hallway. Pinkie Pie charged toward her friends, white skirt aflutter.

"PINKIE PIE!" Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy cried out in joyful unison.

"Ah, Pinkie Pie!" Loki greeted. A droplet of sweat ran down his brow; how much had she heard? "I am glad you are here. Your friends – "

"SAVE IT, BUSTER!" Pinkie screeched. "I KNOW AAAAAAAAAALL ABOUT WHAT YOU DID! KEEPING ME AWAY FROM THEM SO THEY COULDN'T USE THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY AGAINST YOU! TRYING TO FIGHT ALL OF THEM! AND YOU DROVE SOMBRA CRAZY SO HE'D KILL TWO PONIES AND WE WOULDN'T EVEN GET THE ELEMENTS!"

"So you heard," Loki realized out loud. "You must understand, Pinkie Pie, my intentions – "

"You always LIE about your intentions, don't you? You're a LIAR!" Her eyes moistened as she realized the final piece. "You…you probably don't even like me, do you? You were just pretending you liked me as more than a friend so I'd stay here with you and not run away!"

Loki saw no sense in putting up a pretense any longer. "As a matter of fact," he told Pinkie, "the thought of courting you disgusts me. You're a far, FAR cry from the likes of Victor von Doom, my dear. So you've discovered my little ruse. What are you going to do now? Fight me? You couldn't do that. What you thought we had still weighs on your memory. You couldn't lay a HOOF on me, so to speak, after the feelings you held – "

"THAAAAAAAAT DOES IIIIIIIIT!" Pinkie Pie roared, so loudly her friends flinched. Her pistols materialized in her hands; she twirled them and crossed her wrists, aiming both pistols at Loki as the Mahou Shoujo clothing replaced her Asgardian gown. "YOU'RE GOIN' DOWN!"

Before Loki could get in another word, she fired. And she fired again. And again. Confetti and glitter clouded over Loki as he reeled from the onslaught of blasts. He stumbled backward; she advanced to keep him in close range, never letting up on the triggers. Every six shots, she would throw the pistols down angrily, and Loki would raise his spear, hoping to get in a shot of his own, but she would have the new guns just in time, and Loki once again found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of energy and party decorations.

When Loki was backed up against the wall, Pinkie Pie dropped the pistols. Loki looked at her plaintively, breathing heavily, sweating profusely. He pleaded with his eyes, making himself look as pitiful as possible.

Pinkie Pie's shoulder-mounted cannon appeared, and she aimed it directly at Loki's chest. "I don't even know who Sirius and Polaris really were," she cried, "BUT THIS IS FOR THEEEEEEEEM!"

BOOM.

Loki collapsed to the floor.

"PINKIE PIE!" Twilight screamed.

Loki struggled to draw breath, propping himself up on one hand. "You…" he panted.

Pinkie Pie reverted out of Mahou Shoujo state, turning away with a "Hmph. Puny god."

Loki gritted his teeth. "You…all of you…" He forced himself to his feet. He knew he wasn't wounded in any way, just made weary, but standing was still an endeavor in itself.

"He doesn't want us to use the Elements on him?" Twilight asked as Pinkie fell in line beside her five friends. "I think you know what to do, girls."

The sphere of light formed around them. They levitated.

The doors were thrown open; a lone figure charged down the hall. "STOP!" the white-haired Valkyrie screamed. "DO NOT USE THE ELEMENTS ON HIM!"

The sphere dissipated, and all six Equestrians landed, feet on the floor. "What?" Rainbow Dash blurted, confused.

"Who called it off?" Applejack asked.

"I did," Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity said in unison before looking at each other, surprised.

"She might be another one of his accomplices!" Pinkie Pie argued.

"I don't know who she is," Twilight said, "but we need to hear her out if she wants us to hold back so badly." Fluttershy and Rarity nodded in agreement.

"But what about…" Rainbow Dash turned to look at Loki. Loki, however, stared in stunned silence at the Valkyrie.

"Loki," the Valkyrie greeted.

"Gwendolyn…" Loki whispered.

"Who ARE you?" Fluttershy asked.

"I am Gwendolyn Friggadaughter," the Valkyrie introduced. "Valkyrie warrior of Ragnanival and daughter of King Odin. And sister to Thor and Loki Odinson." She turned briefly to Loki. "It has been a long time, brother."

"Indeed it has," Loki agreed. "You haven't spoken to me since Thor was nearly crowned king."

"I don't know to this day why you chose this path," Gwendolyn told him. "You are not the brother I remember. But there will be time enough for us to discuss that later." She turned back to the Equestrians. "Thousands of years ago, we met. Do you not remember me?"

"That's actually in the future for us," Twilight clarified.

Gwendolyn nodded. "Your Elements of Harmony," she said. "I remember…once you use them, you are magically drained, and cannot use them again for a long time. If we are to survive, you cannot use them on Loki!"

"Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He's asking for it!"

"Because of Thanos," Gwendolyn explained. "He has aboard his ship a weapon with the power to destroy all of Asgard. I don't know why he has not yet used it, but it poses a far larger threat to this world than any other invader today, including my brother!"

"And you think we can disable that weapon with the Elements," Applejack clarified.

"Why should we trust you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "How do we know you're not just trying to get us away from Loki so you can help him?"

"Perhaps you cannot," Gwendolyn said. "But you have seen Thanos' ship in the air over this city!"

"Mar-Vell said that he had that weapon!" Twilight suddenly realized. "He said there was a rumor that Thanos could destroy everything, and Thor said he was holding off until Loki was punished enough!"

"So when's enough gonna be enough that he presses the button or flips the switch or whatever?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know," Twilight said, "and that's the scary part. Gwendolyn is right. No matter what else happens, we HAVE to get out to that ship and disable any weapons it has with the Elements RIGHT NOW, while all six of us are together!"

"Then let's GO!" Rainbow Dash yelled, and the six Equestrians turned and ran from the hallway.

Left alone, Gwendolyn and Loki faced each other. "What happened to you?" Gwendolyn asked. "Why have you become so cold toward the world?"

"Cold," Loki repeated. "Was that supposed to be a jest? Because I am one of the Jötunn?"

"You know that we would have accepted you no matter what!" Gwendolyn insisted. "Jötunn or Asgardian, it makes no difference to me!"

"To you, perhaps," Loki growled, "but if you think it makes no difference to your father, you are blind. As you always have been to his true nature."

"Perhaps I do give our father – "

"YOUR father!"

"…I give King Odin too much credit. You and I both know the way he treated Velvet and Ingway. I see now he has been no kinder to you. But Thor and I would still accept you back into our hearts if you would just give up this rampage of destruction!"

"Oh, but I've stopped doing things because of what you and Thor would think long ago," Loki asserted. "I am now living my life the way I desire. And what I desire is the chance to rule and rebuild this world. Beginning here, in Ragnanival, and then moving to Titania, to Ringford, and even to rebuild Valentine. Wouldn't the capital of Valentine just look resplendent in green and gold, Gwendolyn? And after that, there are so MANY realms to conquer. We are wasting potential, Gwendolyn, by letting the worlds of mortal men proceed down the paths they have chosen. If you wish to accept me, truly accept me, here is your chance. Join me in my endeavor. I can make you the general of my army! I can even grant you a throne, albeit of a lower rank than mine. All you must do is stop standing against me and start standing with me."

"Now I see the truth," Gwendolyn replied. "The wounds on your heart are still fresh, but what you truly desire is power. The kingdoms and worlds you want to conquer would not thrive under your rule. They would die! Look at the destruction you have brought to Ragnanival! I am your sister, Loki, and I will be forever more, but I cannot fight alongside you in this battle!"

As the two continued to talk, Loki's strength returned to him. At this last statement of Gwendolyn's, he raised his spear, pointing it at her. "If you do not fight alongside me," he said, "then you must fight me."

She pointed her own spear at him. "If that is the way it must be, then I shall."

They charged each other at the same time, spears clashing. He stabbed forward; she twisted so the weapon missed her by a hair's breadth. She swung her spear at him, knocking him aside with the shaft. She rushed in to deal another blow, but he slammed the shaft of his spear into her shoulders, halting her. She struck again and again; he parried. He waited for his chance; she avoided his own strikes, denying him the chance to spill her blood.

The sounds of the metal spears connecting again and again echoed throughout the hallway as the son of Laufey and the daughter of Odin dueled.

* * *

Thanos paced slowly before the front window of the ship, watching the action below. "It had not gone as I had hoped," he admitted. "Both our armies and Loki's are falling. His kingdom still stands. If we continue on this path, it could take us years…it must end now, Annihilus. Loki's suffering has become a fruitless endeavor, and only delays our delivery to Lady Death of what is her due."

Annihilus responded with an inquisitive buzz. Merely inquisitive, not concerned.

"They all knew there was a risk of death when they joined me," Thanos answered him. "Whether they fall by my hands or those of the warriors below, does it make a difference? They have proven useless for anything else."

Annihilus hummed in approval.

Thanos moved to the control panel, initiating a destruction sequence. On the exterior of his ship, two massive lights shone brightly red.

* * *

"Well," Impossible Man said, looking up at Thanos' ship, "looks like the show's over for us."

"Pity," Discord sighed. "I was HOPING they'd be able to stop that thing. I'm getting quite attached to them, you know. But I suppose somepony else will be able to pick up where they left off. It also seems like such a waste, just to let Asgard go like this…but what can you do? That's how the game is played."

"And if we don't get out of here," Impossible Man told him, "we're gonna go down with the ship!" He fashioned a portal in the air resembling three large red circles nested inside one another; he leapt in, then peered back out with a grin, announcing, "That's all, folks!" as the words he spoke wrote themselves in white script over the portal.

"Hmph." Discord sighed dejectedly as he created his own portal. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted them. The six Equestrians, rushing out of the palace at top speed. "Hang on…this world might still have a chance yet!"

* * *

Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked up to where the great, dark ship hovered. "This is bad," Twilight moaned, noting the red lights.

"Now or never, everypony!" Applejack commanded.

They stood close. The sphere of light formed around them. They levitated. Then, from their bubble, the great rainbow emitted.

At the same time, a purple beam of energy gathered at the front of Thanos' ship, fueled by the two red lights, and shot toward the planet below.

The two forces collided: purple and rainbow. For a moment, they stopped each other, pushing with equal force, holding equilibrium. Then the rainbow overtook, engulfing the purple beam and rocketing upward to slam hard into Thanos' ship.

The ship rocked. Inside, lights flickered on and off until they finally blew out, leaving the only light in the cabin to filter in from the window. The destruction beam had been completely eliminated. Horrified, Thanos rushed to the control panel, re-initiating the sequence for the weapon. Nothing would respond. The weapon had been disabled. In fact, as he moved his fingers across the control panel, he discovered that only one function on the ship worked at all: the engine.

Annihilus buzzed a question.

"They've stripped us of our ability to do anything but fly away," Thanos replied.

Annihilus asked another question in static.

"Another day," Thanos answered. "We do not currently know what this power is that stopped us. Nor do we fully grasp what goes on below in this battle. There is much more we can do until then, beginning with the repairs of this ship. And perhaps, when we return to the matter of Loki, we can punish him properly." He sighed, turning away from Annihilus. "I am sorry, my lady," he said softly.

The ship turned around in midair and began its course away from Asgard.

* * *

"I KNEW they'd do it," Discord teased as he and Impossible Man settled back onto the couch.

"Admit it," Impossible Man goaded. "You thought just as much as I did that they'd forget all about Thanos and he'd blow Asgard to bits!"

"Oh, shut up. We've still got a closing act to watch."

* * *

"YEAH!" Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy cheered, exchanging high-fives and leaping for joy.

"WE DID IT!" Twilight cried.

"Now," Rainbow Dash said, "about Loki…"

They turned in time to see four figures dash into the palace doors. Two in black, one in green and silver, and one in green and purple.

"That wizard!" Applejack cried.

"That demon!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"That warrior," Twilight growled.

"OSBORN!" Fluttershy raged.

They charged after Crouch, Blackheart, Doom, and Osborn, back into the palace.

* * *

Gwendolyn spun, her spear locking with Loki's again. Loki responded by casting a wave of blue plasma; Gwendolyn leapt high above its range, landing lightly behind Loki and charging his back. He turned to parry her.

"LOKI!" The voice that called out was that of Victor von Doom. Hearing it, Loki shoved hard against Gwendolyn, pushing her away, then ran, clearing a path between her and those who had arrived.

Doom struck out at Gwendolyn with the Universal Weapon. Blackheart followed it up with a burst of dark energy. When both hit, Gwendolyn was thrown back violently until she hit the wall, then slumped to the floor.

Blackheart moved to stand over her. "Unconscious," he observed, "but alive. Tough little thing."

"I held back," Doom confessed. "I did not know whether or not Loki wanted her killed. I had a suspicion as to her identity." He looked to Loki. "Was I correct?"

"Indeed," Loki confirmed.

"Do you want her dead?" Blackheart asked.

Loki didn't know how to answer that question. However, before he had to, he was interrupted. Pinkie Pie led the charge back into the hall; Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity followed. "LOOOOKIIIIIII!" Pinkie screamed.

"As loath as I am to admit it," Doom stated, "our forces are losing. It may unfortunately be time to enact our contingency plan."

Loki, Doom, Crouch, Blackheart, and Osborn huddled together as the six Equestrians halted before them. "You may have won this battle," Loki stated, "but the war will continue. We will see you on other worlds. Worlds where you may not get so lucky."

Darkness began to engulf them from the feet up, ready to whisk them away. But when it reached their waist level, Loki grabbed Osborn by the shoulders and violently threw him out of the building portal so that he landed on his hands and knees, skinning them.

Osborn rose and quickly turned to face the other four; he found Loki's spear, Doom's Weapon, Crouch's wand, and Blackheart's open hand pointed at him. "Why?" he seethed.

The portal slowed its building just enough for Loki to explain. "Tell me, Norman Osborn, have you heard this story before? A father wants the world, and in order to get it, he uses his son as a playing piece. The son eventually learns the truth about the father, and it tears him apart. He never meant anything more than a means to an end! He was never loved! He was never even a true son! Wouldn't you agree in this situation that the father must be punished? And in the end of my story, the father was killed and the son took his throne. But at the end of your story, logs of incriminating evidence, everything you ever did that would warrant your immediate arrest by S.H.I.E.L.D., will soon upload themselves to every computer in every S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. And then you, too, will realize what it's like to be used and betrayed." The darkness resumed its rise, and just before it completely engulfed Loki, Doom, Blackheart, and Crouch, Loki called out, "Should you ever see Harry again, give him my regards!"

Then the four were gone. Nothing remained but wisps of darkness.

"THEY GOT AWAY!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"But this one won't," Applejack said as she and Rarity turned to Osborn. Osborn still stared at the place where the portal had formed, dumbstruck.

It was then that the Valkyrie troops arrived. Many rushed to Osborn, surrounding him, putting him at spearpoint. A few ran to the fallen Gwendolyn, preparing to carry her somewhere to heal.

One turned to address Twilight. "Between our troops, the Kree, and your various friends," she said, "we have the city mostly secured. We've managed to round up and arrest the Chitauri that weren't dead, the insects are retreating of their own accord, and we've taken everyone in Loki's army we could find. Where is Loki? We expected him to be here."

"Gone," Twilight answered. "I don't know where. He knew he was losing…so he left, and he took three of his friends with him."

"So what does this mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

* * *

"It means the 'good guys' won," Discord stated as Impossible Man gave a raucous cheer.

* * *

Chapter 77:

· The title is a lyric from the Within Temptation song "Iron," which I used as the theme song for this battle. And listened to a lot. A whole lot. Over and over.

· Did you spot Asgardian Stan Lee being rescued by Ms. Marvel? I had to claim that glasses are actually a thing in Asgard, but it was worth it.

· Oswald is a character from Odin Sphere. His inclusion is basically setting up for the future…

· I had to assume that cosmic Annihilus-insects have fairly the same brain physiology as Earth insects. "Scott Lang controls the bugs" was a card I REALLY wanted to play.

· Here's the thing: I set up most of this battle with a random name generator. The only requirement was that the Mane Six had to face off against Cabal, but even then, outside of the predestined Pinkie Pie vs. Loki, the names were shuffled. I HONESTLY DID NOT PLAN THAT REMATCH BETWEEN LANG AND WASP VS. ELECTRO AND SANDMAN. IT'S WHAT THE GENERATOR GAVE ME AND I WANTED TO RUN WITH IT.

· The "glass Sandman" bit is based on something I've actually read happens in comic canon (Electro accidentally glassifies him). That was another huge card I wanted to play here.

· And here is where I consider Hank's soul-searching journey to come to an end. Once again, he wants to try the peaceful approach, but this time, he's not afraid to resort to more violence if peace doesn't work, and he's okay with having two sides. Originally, I had planned to have him outright revert to taking on the Ant-Man identity, but that was scrapped because that would have cheapened Lang's entire existence in this fic.

· Also, I'm assuming John Jameson and Hank Pym haven't met.

· For plot reasons, I NEED Peter/Spidey to come out of this with photos. But I worried that it would look bad if I wrote him just taking pics and not fighting for his friends. So I decided to have Bullseye lampshade the very writing dilemma I was going through.

· "Drop Daken off the Bifrost" is an idea I literally stole from GAvillain when I complained to him that I couldn't find a way to take Daken out of play without killing him. Thanks, buddy.

· This chapter involved me going to a lot of characters' Wikipedia pages and going immediately to "Powers and Abilities." Hence you're able to see Johnny go Nova here even though he never does it in AEMH where I met him.

· The direction I'm going with Maria Hill is actually going to be a last-minute retcon. I hadn't seen "Captain America: Winter Soldier" when I started this chapter, but I did see it before I got to the part with Coulson vs. Rhino, and it made me want to make Maria slightly less bitchy. Prepare yourselves: I'm going to explain Maria's coldness throughout this whole storylet with a MASSIVE retcon in the next chapter.

· Also, I have been informed that the gun that shoots tazer discs might JUST be Black-Widow-exclusive, but for the sake of making the battle easier to write, I made it a standard-issue S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon.

· I apologize if breaking Frost was too similar to the scene where I broke Sandman. It was the best way to get her out of play and will actually allow me to give her a better fate in the end of this storylet. Diamond shards don't have to answer up to the authorities, after all. (And it didn't help that when I brought this up to GAvillain, he replied with "BREAK HER! BREAK HER!")

· Yeah, Namor had a guilt trip and a change of heart. Which may have been predictable, but was the only way to go.

· Puny Goblin.

· The Doom vs. Twilight and Falcon battle was hands down THE most difficult fight to write. I was only able to finish it after watching the MLPFIM S4 finale and the Justice League Unlimited ep "Divided We Fall" in succession, thereby replacing the blood in my veins with raw epicness.

· Flashback Sombra's personality is based on the Ask King Sombra Tumblr, which is hands down my favorite ask-a-pony Tumblr and the only one I used to read (well…that and Fluffle Puff) before I let the updates get out of hand and got myself too lost to follow the story. I also want to canonize here in the author's notes that his voice is that of YouTuber AlSkylark's beautifully hilarious fandub of Ask King Sombra.

· Sombra's Cutie Mark is a white star here because, first of all, as fun as the "blank flank" idea from Ask King Sombra is, I found it unlikely and a little TOO silly for my particular fanfic. I wanted to give him something simple, but also, in Cutie Mark language, stars seem to be representative of magic related talents (Twilight and Trixie's marks both represent stars) and magic is the only canon thing I've really seen Sombra excel at. I also wanted to play a little parallelism between Sombra and Twilight, which was probably obvious (having three ponies try to invite him to a party, but he would rather be with his books).

· Loki is female in pony form because of the myth of the birth of Sleipnir, in which he shapeshifts into a female horse. She is also an alicorn because I figure being a god automatically qualifies you to be one. Her Cutie Mark is mistletoe after the myth of the death of Balder.

· Remember way back when I had Discord figure out the Alicorn Amulet was made of mithril and wonder who gave it to Sombra in the first place? Loki. The answer is Loki. For the sole purpose of driving Sombra mad and turning him into a murderer.

· Here you see the first official appearance of my OCs Sirius and Polaris. Loki's not making shit up; they were Element bearers. It's part of my massive tragic backstory retcon involving Celestia and Luna's past. Sirius was originally a unicorn in my designs to lend better balance, but I couldn't see the Crystal Princess not being an alicorn. Her Cutie Mark is the Crystal Heart because, since Cadance's was, it's implied canon that every Crystal Princess has to have that mark. Polaris, I just like to give a "winter" theme in everything, so he gets a snowflake.

· And that's how Sombra lost his mind and won an Empire!

· I plan to go into more detail on the history of the Elements later. I think I found a way to use this idea of the "previous six bearers" in a way that doesn't contradict the flashbacks from the S4 MLPFIM premiere too badly. For now, if you're confused…good. It means I'm doing a good job at building suspense.

· I decided to have a little fun with the Pinkie vs. Loki scene and have a little "replay" of the Avengers scene where Loki is taken out by the Hulk mid-monologue.

· So, as you might have guessed, the white-haired Valkyrie is Gwendolyn from Odin Sphere. More setup for the next storylet, and also gave me a little chance to play off the dynamic Loki would possibly have with a sister.

· Thanos, of course, gets his world-destroying cannon as I saw in the Silver Surfer cartoon ep I drew his "voice" from.

· I'm sorry if Thanos just retreating is too OOC. I had to wrap up this chapter SOMETIME.

· Loki, Doom, Crouch, and Blackheart were always meant to be the four that got away, and you'll be seeing them again. We've got another VILLAIN FACTION on the loose in the multiverse! And of course, Osborn gets snubbed because Loki is finally taking out his pent-up daddy issues out on him because of how he treats Harry.


	78. Good and Evil in New York City

78. Good and Evil in New York City

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

The throne room of the palace was packed. Valkyries, other Asgardian warriors, Kree soldiers, agents of the organization thought of less as H.A.M.M.E.R. and more of S.H.I.E.L.D. by the minute, and, of course, the Avengers, the six Equestrians, and everyone else called by the Code White.

All parted as Thor strode confidently down the center of the room, approaching the throne. The throne that had been promised to him for most of his life, and yet he still felt his heart beat faster as he approached it, his nerves beginning to fire off signals of excitement and anxiety. He knew that with Odin, Frigga, and Loki all gone, he was the one meant to sit upon it, and so he did his duty, took his place. He sat upon the throne of Ragnanival.

He looked out to the crowd, all of whom watched him expectantly. His eyes locked with Twilight's for a moment; she gave him a nod and a smile. After briefly returning the expression, Thor looked up, facing directly ahead, and stated, "I want to commend you all for your noble actions on the battlefield today. Without the help of everyone in this room, this kingdom and perhaps all of Asgard would have been lost, and after that, it would only have been a matter of time until the rest of the Nine Realms fell. You have all acted with valor, and for that, I wish to honor you all to the highest."

He paused. "However, I have many questions, as I am sure do you all. Each of us holds a piece of the story of the outcome of this battle, and we must put them together to unveil the truth of how much we have won and how much we have lost. First and foremost: has Loki been found?"

A blonde Valkyrie clad in armor that had been beaten and dented through the wear and tear of the battle stepped forth to kneel before Thor's throne. "There has been no report of Loki since he disappeared inside the palace, my lord," Brunhilde stated.

"As I understand it," Thor said, looking to the six Equestrians, "you were the last to witness him."

Twilight moved to the front of the crowd, kneeling beside Brunhilde. "Thor – I mean, your majesty," she said. "Loki formed a portal of darkness and disappeared, and he took three others with him. A Death Eater from Fourth Earth, a demon, and somepony that I was told is Dr. Doom."

"There have been no sightings of the described accomplices, either," Brunhilde added. "They are most likely in hiding or far away by now."

The news was dismaying to Thor, but he decided not to let it show. "And the Chitauri?" he asked.

"Our troops and the Kree army have succeeded in rounding up the surviving Chitauri and we have taken them prisoner in the dungeons," Brunhilde reported. "We may negotiate their release, or we may keep them. We await your command."

Thor nodded. "The insect servants of Annihilus?"

"If I may." Lang strode forward. "I talked them into leaving this planet. I don't know where they went, but they didn't seem to have destruction in mind. Without Annihilus telling them what to do, they've got a lot to figure out about their lives."

While this statement confused many in the crowd, Thor nodded and smiled. "I am glad to know they are free of such bonds. I am to understand that Osborn has been taken prisoner?"

"He is being held in a cell in our dungeon as we speak," Brunhilde confirmed.

"Who else has been apprehended?" Thor asked.

"Several…" Brunhilde hesitated. "Maria of the Hill can identify them better than I, my lord. It was she who told me their names, but I have forgotten."

Without being bidden, Maria took her place next to Brunhilde, kneeling. "First of all, you should probably know that we have Namor prisoner right now. He's got a lot to answer for, but he's also the king of a nation. It's up to you what to do with him, but if you keep him locked up, things could get messy."

"Hey, Namor helped us out of a jam!" Rainbow Dash argued. "He's not one of the bad guys anymore!"

"It's not gonna be that simple," Hawkeye sighed.

"But he NEEDS to be let go so that he can repair…well…that friend of his!" Rarity piped up.

"I do not know of what you speak," Thor said, "and I cannot pass judgment upon the nature of Namor's crimes…but to hold the king of Atlantis within our dungeons would be unwise. I decree that he be freed at once, and that our court apologize to him formally," Thor stated.

"It shall be done," Brunhilde confirmed. "Maria of the Hill, who are the others in our captivity?"

"Besides Osborn and Namor," Hill reported, "we took Mysterio, Bullseye, Shocker, Vulture, Electro, and the Rhino. Sandman is reported dead, and Emma Frost incapacitated. We have no reports on the Red Hulk, Daken, the Enchantress, Baron Zemo, or Venom except that they definitely were here at some point. They could have gone back through the portal to Earth or created another one. Or they could still be slinking around Asgard, so if I were you, I'd keep my guard up."

"Valkyrie patrol will work double time searching for them," Brunhilde vowed.

"Agent Hill," Thor addressed, "while the prisoners mentioned are currently in our custody, I think it only fair to return them to the jurisdiction of Midgard law and order. That is from where they hail, after all."

"On behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Hill said, "we thank you. We were hoping to try Osborn in our own courts."

"You no longer refer to it as H.A.M.M.E.R.," Thor observed.

"Damn right," a new voice boomed from the back of the hall. All turned to see Nick Fury enter.

"What the – FURY!" Iron Man was taken aback.

"How'd YOU get up here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Same way the rest of you did," Fury answered. "Through that portal. Which is only still up because it's the only way most of you are gettin' home, but as soon as we're all present and accounted for, I want that thing sealed up."

"Yes, Director," Hill said with a nod.

"I suppose since Osborn is detained," Thor mused, "you become Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. again."

"That's how it's gonna look," Fury answered. "Though to be honest, all I ever gave him was a title."

"I think it's time we tell them about our little deception, Director Fury," Hill suggested.

"Oh, God – WHAT did you lie about to us now?" Iron Man groaned.

"You think S.H.I.E.L.D. believed for a SECOND that Osborn died in the Green Goblin incident?" Fury began. "There's no way he should have been taken down that easy. But there were at least a hundred reasons he'd want to LOOK dead!"

Spider-Man's gaze shot directly to the ground as he pondered why that had never occurred to him.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. had its eyes on him for a while," Fury said, "but after he came back claiming to be reformed, we knew he was up to something big. Problem was, we didn't have a damn thing to indict him on. When he started talking about becoming Director, Agent Hill and I knew what we had to do. It was a failsafe we'd come up with in case anybody undesirable tried to hijack the position. We couldn't let anyone else know, because the ruse had to look convincing. And we KNEW the others would be stupid enough to vote somebody like Osborn into the Director's seat."

"Well…everyone except for agents Romanoff, Morse, Johnson, Wilson, and Coulson," Hill clarified. "And if agent Barton had been present, I think we all know where his vote would have gone."

All but the aforementioned who had worked under both Fury and Osborn seemed quite interested in the floor, feeling sheepish.

"Even I had to vote for the usurper to make it look convincing," Hill continued. "It was simple. We'd let Osborn fill the Director's seat and wait for him to make a move. Unfortunately, we couldn't actually indict him for trying to 'reform' the convicts he chose, and as sure as we are that the attacks by the Red Skull, Attuma, and Malekith were all setups, he did put a lot of effort into ridding the city of them."

"We had to wait for him to cross a line," Fury explained. "And that line was when he committed a definite act of Transnational Organized Crime on Asgard. Or perhaps the better term is 'Transdimensional Organized Crime.'"

"He can't talk his way out of the attacks he and his elite squad performed on the civilians of Asgard," Hill stated. "As for the rest of our agents…that's going to be a matter we handle internally."

"And now, as you can see," Fury concluded, "we have Osborn right where we want him. About damn time, too."

"So you lied about EVERYTHING," Black Widow recapitulated, "and waited for Osborn to actually hurt people before you could do anything about him?"

"Do you happen to have a BETTER plan?" Fury retorted.

Black Widow was silent.

"Excuse me…Director Fury?" Twilight broke in. "When Loki left, he said something about leaving evidence of everything Osborn did where you and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. could find it. He seemed REALLY mad at Osborn about something. I think…I actually think he was mad because Osborn treated his son badly. I don't know why Loki would care…but I guess he did."

"Well, we'll see when we get back to Earth where we belong," Fury replied. "Which I'd personally like to be sooner rather than later."

"Brunhilde," Thor ordered, "have our guard prepare the prisoners to be moved, and arrange for Namor's release."

"Yes, my lord." Brunhilde stood.

"But before you do…" Thor stopped her. "My sister. Gwendolyn. How does she fare?"

"She will live," Brunhilde informed him, "and she will fight on. She just needs to rest a moment longer."

"I am glad to know that," Thor said, relieved.

"Could we maybe talk to her before we leave?" Twilight asked. "I…I want to thank her. For saving us in the end. We wouldn't have even thought to direct the Elements at Thanos's ship if she hadn't reminded us of it, and she held off Loki while we took care of that."

"You may – " Thor began.

"But make it quick," Fury snapped. "The longer we leave that portal open, the more trouble we invite to cross the world borders!"

"I will guide you to her chamber," Thor vowed. "That leaves only one matter to be resolved. The matter of the kingship. As you all now know…because of Loki's deception, my father and mother are both dead. By law, the throne of Asgard now belongs to me – "

He was cut off by thunderous applause and wild cheering, from his subjects, from his friends, from the others present who simply approved of him filling the position.

"…However," Thor continued, "while I can accept the title, I cannot yet accept the duty. Midgard still needs my help. I am a sworn member of the brotherhood of the Avengers, and I shall not break that brotherhood until the proper time comes. I am a protector of Midgard, and it needs champions now more than ever. As much as I am flattered by your support, I cannot accept it. I must return to Midgard until such time comes that I may return. And by then, perhaps my father will have found his rebirth and can take the rightful place. Until that day, I leave it in the hands of the one I believe most capable to lead in both times of peace and war, if she should so accept the position. I wish to name Lady Sif as Queen Regent of the Asgardian throne of Ragnanival."

All eyes turned to the dark-haired warrior, who gasped. Thor rose from the throne, stepping down and gesturing to it. Sif stepped forward gingerly, approaching the throne reverently. She turned to see the reaction of the crowd. She was met with expressions of delight, feeling the energy within them ready to burst. Then Sif sat upon the throne, and the cheering burst out again, even louder than before.

Thor approached Twilight. "Come," he commanded. "I shall bring you to Gwendolyn."

Twilight waved toward Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy, who got the message and followed her and Thor out of the frenzy in the throne room.

The first words out of Rarity's mouth once they'd left the crowd behind were "But why not Gwendolyn?"

"During our youth," Thor explained, "there was an unfortunate incident. Gwendolyn was banished from Ragnanival, to its outskirts, to be wed to the Shadow Knight Oswald, whom I suppose you've yet to meet. Her only crime was protecting our sister Velvet when ordered not to interfere. Gwendolyn later made up for her actions by retrieving an artifact our father required, but she refused to give it to him, for she suspected he would not use it for good. I do not know, myself, to what ends he would have used it…but she chose to return to banishment. Our world then underwent an upheaval. Gwendolyn resorted to becoming a Valkyrie once more in our hour of need, but since then, she has renounced all standing to the throne, though she will gladly accept our father and mother as her own, and I as her brother."

"And Loki, too," Twilight pointed out.

"So why not Velvet, then?" Applejack asked. "If she's your sister."

"Velvet and her husband Cornelius sit upon the throne of the neighboring nation of Titania," Thor explained. "I do not even know if they are aware of the conflict that has taken place here."

"Loki said you had another sister, though," Pinkie said. "And another brother!"

"Griselda," Thor affirmed. "And Ingway. Both perished in battle long ago."

"Oh…" Pinkie Pie was suddenly sullen.

"We're very sorry for your loss," Rarity said earnestly.

"Do not be," Thor told her.

"Won't they regenerate?" Twilight asked.

"It is…more complex than you think," Thor sighed. "This world is a home for gods, for those who control cosmic forces. Much like Olympus remains the home of the Olympian gods."

"Hey!" Pinkie squealed. "We've been there!"

"Then you know," Thor said, "that there are many Olympian gods, but not thousands upon thousands. There are also upon Olympus many members of the Olympian court. Not mortals, but not gods."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash affirmed. "We knew one of 'em. Pit. He was pretty cool."

"Asgard is much the same," Thor said. "There are many of us who are blessed with immortality and regeneration. But the vast majority of this world is comprised of civilians who are not by any means mortal…and yet are not gods. For them, death is a permanent affair. Such was the state of Griselda and Ingway, and of Ingway's beloved, Mercedes."

He paused before a door. "We are here," he announced. "Shall I announce your presence?"

"Announce away," Applejack told him.

Thor gave three loud knocks at the door, then called out, "It is the six Equestrian warriors. They wish to see you, sister."

"Come in," Gwendolyn's voice answered.

Thor opened the door, and the seven entered. Gwendolyn lay upon a magnificent bed, swathed in blankets, reclining against a stack of pillows. She smiled at her guests as they entered. However, the white-haired, dark-armored man sitting at her bedside, clasping her hand, did not smile. His expression was far more dour.

"Hi," Twilight said softly. "We just wanted to say – "

"THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAVING US!" Pinkie screamed.

"…That," Twilight concluded.

Gwendolyn gave them a smile, a nod. "I don't think thanks are necessary. You may not remember being my friend, but I remember being yours."

"Without you, we never would have thought to use our Elements on that ship," Twilight asserted. "You SAVED this world."

"I do not wish to see Asgard fall again," Gwendolyn insisted.

"…Again?" Rainbow Dash picked up. "Hold on. Did something happen to it when we showed up…when we're going to show up…when you knew us?"

"No," Gwendolyn said. "Before that. It's a story you'll learn soon enough."

"They haven't met us yet…" the warrior at her side reiterated.

"No, Oswald," Gwendolyn said, turning to look at him lovingly. "Not outside of what we have said and done to them today. Their path is on a different timeline than ours."

"Then I wouldn't say too much," Oswald grumpily cautioned Gwendolyn. "You know what is said about changing the past."

"Then we shall speak of it no more," Gwendolyn vowed.

"Well, we should probably let you get your rest," Rarity suggested. "Thank you again, and I quite look forward to meeting you in our future."

"First, I want to apologize," Gwendolyn said. "For my brother."

"Thor didn't – " Applejack began.

"No…for Loki," Gwendolyn corrected. "None of us knew he would betray us that way. No one could have suspected. I still have a difficult time believing it myself."

"He's gone too far from us," Oswald insisted. "He may never return."

"That is what I fear," Gwendolyn said. "When you see him, in your future, in our past…do not fear him the same way. I know it may be hard to believe, but he did care about you long ago."

"That lying lie-face of a liar?" Pinkie asked incredulously. "I don't think so!"

"He had two ponies KILLED so we wouldn't get our Elements," Applejack recalled.

"I had heard the rumors," Gwendolyn said, "but I had hoped they were not true. But all the same. Didn't you wonder why he chose to destroy the generation before you instead of destroying you outright?"

All present pondered this. Then Twilight stated firmly, "I don't think he cares about us at all anymore."

"Perhaps he only still felt as though he couldn't destroy any of those he knew and loved in our youth when he first turned," Gwendolyn theorized. "And now he has grown colder still. But all the same, it was not you he chose to destroy."

"And now he knows it's futile," Twilight concluded.

"I hope someday to find the warmth and light in him that was lost," Gwendolyn admitted.

"I wouldn't go chasing after him if I were you," Oswald broke in. "He's changed from the person you grew up with. I won't have you chasing after your own destruction."

"But you were once given to darkness," Gwendolyn pointed out. "And you changed…"

"It's different," Oswald told her, and would not elaborate. He instead turned to the six Equestrians plus Thor. "We must thank you for all you have done. Now, don't turn your backs on the worlds that need protecting."

"What makes you think we WOULD?" Twilight asked angrily.

Fluttershy tapped her shoulder. "Um. I think that's his own way of telling us to keep up our good work."

"Oh…" Twilight said.

"We really MUST let you rest now," Rarity said. "You both take care."

"And you," Gwendolyn replied.

The seven guests left the room, closing the door on Gwendolyn and Oswald. "Was he always that much of a downer?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"His nature hasn't changed much," Thor confirmed. "Though he sees more of the good than you might think."

"I'm a little concerned about how much we're learning about what we did back then," Twilight admitted. "If we keep hearing about things and not doing them, we might not do them right, and that could change what really happened for the worse, or maybe create a paradox!"

"I would not fear," Thor told her. "Time will take the course it was meant to."

* * *

"Well…" Discord stretched out. "It looks like the show's over."

"I guess good does always beat evil," Impossible Man observed. "You'd think we'd have seen it coming, but boy, did they have us on the edge of our seats!"

"What can I say?" Discord shrugged. "It's always a little more fun when both sides of the scale are loaded. Alas…now that Loki's taken off, there's not much more I have to do here. And there are SO many other worlds that require my attention in order to liven things up! Not to mention my master plan to return to the Age of Chaos…but that can wait a while longer, don't you think?"

"So what's your next play?" Impossible Man asked.

"I've got a little pet project I'm working on that could change EVERYTHING," Discord admitted. "Incidentally, the test subject I'm considering to see if it works so happens to have ties to good old 616th. I may pop back for a spell just to drop him off if everything goes well. And after that? Well, who knows? Maybe I'll just follow our 'Mane Six' around and see where their path leads. They always seem to end up somewhere interesting, if you haven't noticed."

"Will you ever come back?" When Impossible Man looked to Discord then, Discord could see the longing in his eyes.

"Well, of course I'll come back!" Discord said with glee. "Just because my work is done here TODAY doesn't mean there won't be new opportunities for chaos later! And when I set the stage, I'm going to need a director, of course. Until then, Impossible Man, it's been an honor working with you."

He stood up on the couch cushions; Impossible Man stood on them as well, and the two shook hands. Then Discord vanished in a shimmer of light, with a very loud popping sound.

"There goes a true visionary," Impossible Man remarked. "Well, looks like that's a wrap!"

Then he and the couch also disappeared.

* * *

THE FOREST OF ELRIT, ASGARD

John Jameson panted heavily as he ran through the woods. He hated the sensation of being physically tired. He couldn't even remember anymore if what he was feeling was more fatigue than usual, if this was an effect of coming down off the red serum, or if this was how humans usually felt when running that distance. However, he was determined not to let fatigue stop him. He only knew one way back home, and he had to get to it.

The portal still swirled darkly against the sky. John's speed increased as he neared it. He soon found himself directly beneath its darkness, and he knew he could stop running. He was also aware he wasn't alone. He looked at the other person standing below the portal with him. "Eddie…"

Eddie Brock looked back at him with his own eyes for all of three seconds before the Symbiote slithered over the ground, sliming its way up over Eddie's body, enveloping him. "Guess again," Venom said. "It looks like we're faring better than you."

"Well, we all three got our asses kicked," a new voice chimed in, "so I wouldn't brag, Venom." Daken, soaking wet, emerged from the forest.

"We have to get out of here," John insisted nervously. "They're coming after us…"

"As much as I'd love to hang back and get in one more shot at killing the Wolverine," Daken pointed out, "and I'm sure Venom wants to tear the wall-crawler limb from limb, they have us outmatched this time."

"But they can't stay together forever," Venom laughed. "As long as there are Avengers…there will be Dark Avengers."

"Just the three of us?" John worried.

"It's not like I want to just be stuck with you two either," Daken said, then amending his statement for Venom: "Or three or whatever. But we have to start somewhere."

"And something tells me the others will return to us soon enough." Venom laughed again. "Maybe it's spider sense!"

"Then let's get the fuck out of here," Daken suggested.

With a shimmer, the three teleported back to 616th Earth just as the Code White army approached the edge of the forest.

* * *

QUADWRANGLE MANOR, THE FLUFFY HEAVY SLOW-MOTION UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

Themis clenched her teeth as she followed the sound of the blaring polka music that echoed throughout the halls of the Manor. She'd been searching for the source for a good hour; Discord had set the place up to not only be immense, but make it difficult for one to track sound, even when one had the senses of a Titan and had strengthened hearing from the consistent wearing of a blindfold.

She sensed a presence as she turned a corner. "You're one of the new ones," she stated.

"Yes," Galactus answered. He'd taken on a size that could allow him to roam the halls of the Manor, much like the Titans. "And you?"

"Themis. Titan of Order."

"I can't imagine you and Discord would get on well."

"We don't. Are you the eater of planets Discord informed me of?"

"That I am."

"And I assume you know what will happen to you if you attempt to devour the ground upon which we currently stand." Themis patted the hilt of her sword, sheathed at her waist.

"I have been warned," Galactus replied. "But beyond that, I have been promised better feasts than this mere world. The way this planet fluctuates between dimensions makes me ill to look at from afar."

"Are you also seeking the source of that repulsive music?"

"That I am, though more so out of curiosity than repulsion. I believe it is behind this very door."

Themis pressed her ear to the nearby door. The music was definitely coming from behind it. She threw the door open, and she and Galactus stormed in.

Discord sat at a computer terminal, typing and clicking furiously while bobbing his head to the beat of the polka music, which emanated from overlarge speakers. Themis charged the speakers, drawing her sword, and sliced through the center of each from the top down; the wire-ends sparked as the music died down.

"Well," Discord remarked, not taking his eyes off the computer screen. "That was rather rude, don't you think? And after I let you so graciously stay in my house." He snapped his fingers, and the speakers rebuilt themselves, the music playing louder than before.

Themis growled in frustration.

"What are you working on?" Galactus asked, noting Discord's fascination with the computer screen.

"Oh, just a little program I've been developing," Discord answered. "It's a firewall bypass and file and program recovery system. But not just ANY recovery system. This is something I've been tweaking to be able to recover ANY file or program ever created, even those that were deleted permanently. It strips any record of the file or program left written in cyberspace and recreates the file or program down to the last bit of code."

"And what do you need THAT for?" Themis asked.

"To recreate deleted files and programs," Discord answered. "Didn't I make that clear?"

"But WHAT files and programs?" Themis pressed. "Does this have ANYTHING to do with the bringing of the Age of Chaos?"

"Oh, that's a LONG way off," Discord told her. "You and your family still haven't gathered the pieces of the four I told you to go get yet."

"There are thousands!" Themis argued. "I have already collected hundreds, and have planned to collect still hundreds more this very day!"

"The point is, putting the master plan in action is going to take a long time," Discord concluded. "And I'm not going to waste that time NOT having fun."

"So you make us do your dirty work," Galactus stated. "Would you not then be wasting our time?"

"Time you wouldn't even have to waste if I didn't pick you both up from your respective prisons of the mundane," Discord pointed out. "You're allowed breaks, you know. As many as you want, to do whatever you want."

"I would rather put all my focus on the plan," Themis seethed.

"Now, you see," Discord replied, "this is in essence why we don't get along."

"And I may seek new planets?" Galactus asked.

"Leave the good ones for me," Discord told him. "I'll leave you a list of the ones I still want to play with. But the multiverse IS infinite, after all. They won't miss a few." The computer uttered a blaring DING. "IT'S DONE!" Discord cried. "Now I can recover anything I want that was ever written into Cyberspace!" His typing increased in fervor as glee spread across his face. "Now, to test it…"

In a few short seconds, the words RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL were splayed across the screen. Discord laughed with joy.

"What have you recovered?" Galactus asked.

"Oh, just a certain AI program with VERY destructive functions," Discord answered. "Someone went to GREAT lengths to try and erase this one. Which must mean he's particularly hard to delete. And that just makes it better! Now, I just need to copy to disk…" He clicked, he dragged, he typed. From a drive on the side of the terminal, a small red square, little bigger than an inch long and wide, popped out. Discord took it between his claws and examined it. "Now, this won't do…" It was a disk that would be no stranger to the computer terminals on the starship Enterprise, but completely unreadable by the systems of the world where he intended to drop it off. He tossed it over his shoulder. "I guess old habits die hard."

He plugged a flash drive into the side of the terminal, downloading the file once more. He then ejected the flash drive, holding it up proudly. "Voilà!"

"I suppose you're not going to tell us what it is," Themis sighed.

"Not until after it's been delivered to the proper place," Discord stated. "After all, some things need to be surprises!"

With that, he vanished in a twinkle of light.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The Code White team and the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. teleported down into the field, a sense of relief washing over the group. Even if the war against Loki was not won, the victory of one battle was still worth celebrating.

Namor had been let go ahead of time, and had taken the shards of Emma Frost with him. The rest of the captives from 616th Earth had been turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D. in chains fashioned of mithril. Looking back at the lot of them standing amongst the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Hill remarked quietly, "I'm not sure those chains are going to hold that Dillon character."

Black Widow took one look at the sullen Electro and his downcast gaze. "I don't think he'll be a problem," she admitted. "He came more quietly than I thought. It's almost like he doesn't want to get away. The one we should really be focusing on is Osborn."

"All right," Fury snapped, his words echoing over the field. "I want this portal dismantled, and I want it down NOW."

With the exception of the prisoners, everyone present rushed to the crystal circle, dismantling the poles. With each crystal uprooted, the portal above thinned out a little more; the lights in the crystals dimmed. At last, the poles were stacked up in a pile in the midst of the field, and the sky was a clear view of the afternoon fading into twilight.

"These are now S.H.I.E.L.D. property," Fury proclaimed, observing the poles.

"Um, I don't think so," Iron Man argued. "The Avengers will be taking those and putting those where no one can get them again. No offense, but lately, S.H.I.E.L.D. has had a bad track record with letting criminals and supervillains get into its ranks."

"And give a volatile magical artifact to what is technically a CIVILIAN establishment by law?" Fury was taken aback.

"CIVILIAN?" Iron Man repeated.

"You'd be official," Fury told him, "if you registered."

"Not this again…" Hawkeye sighed.

"Can't you just split the poles in half?" Pinkie Pie suggested. This earned her many glares. "What? It's the idea that makes the most sense!"

"Just let it go, Tony," Captain America said softly, coming up behind Iron Man.

"But – " Iron Man began to argue.

"You won't win," Captain America told him.

"FINE," Iron Man snapped. "You can take the crystals. But when some jerkass infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D. and uses them to build another portal of doom, I'm going to say 'I told you so.' In fact, I'm going to carve it on the side of the helicarrier."

"Fine by me," Fury replied as Coulson stepped forward to gather the crystals.

"Just so you know," Hawkeye added, "I'll be dropping in to check on those. Make sure nothing bad happens to them."

"Hey, I have no problem with that," Black Widow replied coyly. "So long as you don't mind me checking out the Avengers Mansion every now and again."

Hawkeye winked. "Be my guest."

"Before anyone leaves," Captain America said loudly, "I want to say something."

All eyes turned to him. "We're listening," Wolverine grunted.

"I just wanted to thank you all for coming together today," Captain America said sincerely. "We did what we did today because we worked together. Alone, we're capable of great things, but when we come together over the people we care about, we can win wars. I guess what I'm trying to say…" He looked at Applejack, who gave him a wink and an encouraging nod. "Is that friendship really is magi – "

His sentence was cut off with a group "AUUUUUUUGH."

"…When we work as a team," Captain America concluded, "we can accomplish anything. So, once more, thank you. You didn't just serve yourselves today. You served the universe. Now, I think we can all go home and get some well-deserved rest."

"Oh, and just because I thought it might be IMPORTANT," Fury broke in, "there's no longer any order for any of your arrests. You can actually go home. So get going."

The heroes, agents, and prisoners then departed, making their way back to the city. Iron Man sidled his way in next to Captain America. "Nice speech," he said, popping his visor so he could look Captain America in the eye. "Corny, but nice."

"Thank you," Captain America replied. "I hope they all know what I was trying to say. What it means."

"I think they do," Iron Man surmised. "I know I did. Sooooo…you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're kinda…well…I think you might have taken a scratch or two on the field."

Captain America looked down at himself. At the multitude of rips in his clothing left by Mysterio's exploding robots. At the angry red burns showing through them. He'd forgotten all about them, but looking at them made them begin to hurt again. "It's a hazard of this territory," he stated. "I'll get patched up back at the Mansion."

"You might wanna get an expert to look at those," Iron Man teased.

"But you're an engineer," the Captain laughed.

"C'mon," Iron Man cajoled, "gimme some credit! I practically performed open heart surgery on myself!"

"Which was technically still engineering. But I think I'll let you have a look over the burns anyway. Could be serious, you know. I just might not be able to heal without you."

"Subtle," Iron Man teased before putting a hand on Captain America's shoulder. "Now c'mere."

The Captain obliged, turning toward Iron Man, and they exchanged a quick kiss.

No sooner did this happen than they heard Rarity exclaim "OooooOOOOOHHH! Are you two TOGETHER now?" Her face lit up with a broad grin. "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier! You two are simply perfect! Oh, how wonderful!"

"Aaaaaand there it is," Iron Man laughed as Rarity gushed on.

* * *

When Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Sue and Johnny Storm returned to their tower, Reed sighed. "Well, back to work."

"Seriously?" Sue replied. "You're going right back to work? After we won a battle on Asgard?"

"And I hated being away from everything I had to do for every minute of it," Reed admitted.

"Man, you just never change," Johnny laughed.

Reed just scoffed before heading away to a laboratory.

"You know what his problem is, right?" Ben posed.

"I think I can guess," Sue commented.

"What?" Johnny looked back and forth between the two of them. "I think I'm out of the loop here."

"Victor von Doom got away," Sue explained, "and Reed doesn't know where he is. None of us know where he is. He might be galaxies away, or he might be in this very city, planning some kind of revenge."

"And not knowing is KILLING him," Ben concluded.

"Can't we just figure on Doom taking an extended vacation?" Johnny sighed. "I don't wanna think about him anymore…I don't wanna think about any of that stuff anymore today. Let's watch a movie or something."

"Without Reed?" Sue asked.

"If we start, he'll probably turn up eventually," Johnny suggested.

"I say the sooner we forget about Doom, the better," Ben agreed.

Sue looked toward the laboratory door. "I just hope he can forget for a while," she sighed.

Inside the lab, Reed glanced at his work, at his calculations and postulations, all the while thinking about exactly what his teammates had pegged him to be thinking about. Doom, in an unknown location, preparing to do who knew what. Reed stared out the window at the horizon. Somewhere out there, his nemesis was plotting, figuring out how to wield his newfound powers, gathering potent allies, and when he returned to that planet…

But before he could finish the thought, he heard the sounds of a film beginning to play in the adjacent room. He smiled. Sue, Johnny, and Ben must have decided to kick back after the incident.

And so he shut down his computer and left to join them.

* * *

As soon as Peter Parker opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of his elderly aunt May rushing toward him, scolding him. "PETER!" she snapped. "I've been trying to call you all day to find out where you were! I've been worried sick!"

"Oh…sorry, Aunt May!" Peter replied. He really did hate making her worry like that. "I guess my phone died while I was out. I'll try to be more careful about that. But hey, I'm home before sundown!"

"And I am glad to see you all right," May sighed. "Did you have fun with your friends?"

"Oh, yeah! We just had a little get-together. Got pretty wild at some points. I even played a little…um…bridge."

"Well, I'm glad," May said sincerely. "And you're home in time for dinner."

"Yeah!" Peter hadn't realized how hungry he was. "How about it's on me tonight?"

"Peter, I think I can handle making dinner…"

As the pair moved toward the kitchen, teasingly arguing over who would handle the night's meal, Peter glanced out the window and toward the sky, thinking about the day's adventure. Something that big would be difficult to keep a secret. Which reminded him, he still had pictures to send in to the Bugle. Anonymously, of course. There was no excuse for Peter Parker to have been on Asgard. He recalled a white envelope he'd seen lying around and resolved to bundle the pictures up into it. If all went well, the misdeeds of Osborn's regime would be displayed for all to see in the next issue.

Then again, Peter recalled, it was Jameson. Perhaps things wouldn't go as well as he hoped…

* * *

Logan returned to the Xavier Institute to find a familiar face waiting for him: a woman with dark skin and brilliantly white hair.

"I heard rumors you actually responded to a summons from the Avengers today," Ororo Munroe said. "Now, I told everyone the idea of you actually working on a team that wasn't ours was ridiculous, but then you were gone all day – "

"I answered the call," Logan said gruffly. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Was he there?" Ororo asked. She didn't have to specify.

"Yes," Logan answered.

Ororo nodded. "I'll make sure everyone knows you don't want to discuss it."

"Good. And by the way, don't expect Emma Frost back anytime soon."

* * *

Jane Foster and Pepper Potts awaited Rhodes' return to Stark Tower anxiously. "What happened?" Jane asked.

"Long story," Rhodes said.

"We've got time," Pepper insisted.

"The short version, first," Jane broke in. "Did it lead to Asgard, was there trouble, and did our side come out on top?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Rhodes told her. "Did anything happen here while I was gone?"

"Well, actually," Pepper informed him, "we've got a lot of those prototypes Tony wanted in more or less working order. We should be able to just present them to him tomorrow."

"He'll like that," Rhodes said with a nod.

"We've got time for the long version of the story now," Jane said, "if you want."

"Actually, first – "

"Ah-HEM," a voice sounded emphatically from the door through which Rhodes had come.

"I was GETTING there," Rhodes sighed. He stepped aside, and Pepper and Jane saw Luke and Danny framed by the door. "Apparently, we're supposed to handle a bill out of Tony's for these guys…"

* * *

When the Avengers and Equestrians made it back to the Mansion, three had followed them: the Winter Soldier, Samson, and Lang.

"You gonna be okay?" Samson asked the reverted Banner.

"I think I'll be fine," Banner answered. "I really owe a lot to my partner on the field today." He looked to Fluttershy, giving her an awkward smile.

"Oh…thank you." Fluttershy blushed. "But really, I'm just glad you're okay too."

"It would take a little more than a pumpkin bomb to bring me down," Banner admitted with a nervous laugh.

"So what are you going to do now?" Fluttershy asked Samson.

"Back to work as usual, I guess," Samson answered.

In the meantime, Lang had caught up with Hank. "I hear you're going by Hank Pym again," Lang commented.

"It's time I stop running from who I am," Hank replied.

"In that case…" Lang removed his helmet, holding it out to Hank. "You have every right to be Ant-Man again."

"No." Hank shook his head. "I gave that name to you, and I want you to keep it. You've been wearing it well. Keep everything else, too. I have my own ways of using the Pym particles. And everyone knows me as Yellowjacket anyway."

"Thank you," Lang said softly.

"It's nothing," Hank replied.

When he and Lang parted ways, Hank turned to see Twilight smiling at him. "What?" he asked.

"You figured out who you really are," Twilight stated happily. "I'm proud of you, Hank Pym."

"I couldn't have come as far as I did without you," Hank told her.

"Maybe," Twilight told him. "But I have a feeling that it was inside of you all along."

Steve and the Winter Soldier stood at the edge of the lawn. "Have you…figured things out yet?" Steve asked.

"Almost," the Winter Soldier answered.

Steve read the implications of his tone. "There's still more you have to do. You're not going to stay."

"A past that long takes a while to come to grips with," the Winter Soldier answered.

"I just want you to know that whenever you do figure it out," Steve said, "if you want…our doors are always open to you. There's a place for you here."

"I'm grateful," the Winter Soldier teased, "but I don't want to make your boyfriend jealous."

"He'll get over it," Steve replied. "Good luck out there, Bucky."

Steve saw in the Winter Soldier's eyes that he still felt utterly disconnected from that name. "Same to you, Captain Rogers," the Soldier replied.

And then he was gone yet again, a shadow as usual slipping into night. Not long after, Samson and Lang left the premises.

Applejack had observed Steve and the Winter Soldier's conversation. "He'll be comin' around in time," she said. "He already came back for ya twice since this whole Osborn mess started."

"I just…worry," Steve admitted.

"'Bout that one?" Applejack was taken aback. "Pretty sure that one can take care of himself! I wouldn't wanna meet the creature that could take him down!"

Steve gave a laugh. "You're right," he admitted.

"Guys?" Wilson asked. "You mind if we take it inside? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to change into civilian clothes and just kick back."

"Right," Tony said, leading the group through the doors.

As they did so, the lights turned on. The cheerful voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. greeted: "Welcome back."

* * *

Outside the city limits, there was a flash of green light. Two figures materialized, a pile of gold, jewelry, and glass littered at their feet. They took a moment to do nothing more than be purely irate, staring each other down, recapitulating through their eyes that they had suffered a humiliating setback. Then, Amora spoke: "Well, I suppose we can't just stand around here staring at each other. Too much longer and we'd be plotting how to kill each other."

"Do you think I am that stupid?" Zemo retorted. "Even I know you're too valuable to kill at the moment. In fact, as of right now, you and I are unfortunately all each other has."

"I wouldn't wish being bound to you on my worst enemy," Amora seethed.

"But why not?" Zemo countered. "After all, you'd simply be wishing me bound to myself."

"Watch your back, Zemo. One wrong move, and I'll…"

"And you'll what, Amora?"

She didn't know how to answer. "I will admit that as it stands, you are currently my most valuable ally," she said at last. "If we want to change that, I suggest we seek out the others."

"By which you mean the Dark Avengers?"

"You know that they either escaped…or S.H.I.E.L.D. has them," Amora pointed out. "Either way, it would not be a momentous task for us to reunite them. We would not have the same legal sanction we did under Osborn…but do we truly need it anymore?"

"No longer a force to uphold a false sense of justice for the common people," Zemo stated. "Simply a force that wishes to destroy the Avengers and all they stand for."

"Precisely. Perhaps you aren't a lost cause after all."

"Give me reason to believe you won't stab me in the back, Amora, and I shall do the same."

"Your word only goes so far. I would rather find the others sooner than later…if only to have company between us."

"…You either have stopped caring or haven't noticed."

"Noticed WHAT?" Amora barked.

"Merely that I used your given name twice, Amora. And that makes a third."

"I don't have time for this now," Amora huffed, turning to begin walking away. "Call me whatever you wish. But keep up, or I'll leave you behind."

"I could say the same to you," Zemo said as he caught up to Amora, matched her pace, and began to outdo it.

At the site where they had materialized, the glass shards began to tremble. They moved, as though magnetically pulled, toward each other.

* * *

ATLANTIS, 616TH EARTH

As soon as Namor re-entered the Atlantean palace, he was swarmed with attendants, calling out his name and asking if he wanted for anything, especially revenge against the people who'd wronged him.

Namor held up a hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet. "I do not wish for revenge," he said. "I…in fact feel quite lucky I came away as well as I did. But there is an urgent matter I must attend to." He held out a large bag he had carried; inside were the glittering shards of diamond. "This was an ally of mine. Her mind is still intact; her body requires repairs. I need time and space to do what I can for her."

"Yes, your highness," a courtier said. "Whatever you need!"

The Atlanteans hurried out of the room, leaving Namor alone. Namor approached a table, emptying the bag, laying out the pieces of Emma Frost. And then, carefully, he began the task of putting her back together.

* * *

WASHINGTON D.C., 616TH EARTH

When morning came, he strode down the halls of the building known as the Triskelion, flanked by several guards. He knew well his fate. He had resigned to it, though angrily. He'd even dressed his best for the occasion, wearing a crisp three-piece suit.

The guards led him toward a conference room where one wall was given out entirely to a window that delivered a spectacular view of the nation's capital. The room's colors were stark white; its furnishing was minimal, with only five odd glass pedestals of sorts set around an empty floor space.

One of the guards opened the door to the room, motioning for the captive to step inside. And so he did. The door closed behind him, leaving him alone with the pedestals.

All five pedestals then flickered to life, each bearing a holographic image of a human being: the live feed of each member of the World Security Council. "Norman Osborn," one of them said, addressing the man who stood trial.

And Osborn replied, "That is who I am."

"You are on trial for transnational organized crime between this nation and the nation of Ragnanival in Asgard," another stated.

"I am aware," Osborn seethed.

"The evidence against you is, frankly, damning. The reports alone would have been enough…but a set of recordings documenting your entire plan have come into our possession. While we are reluctant to trust recordings fashioned by Loki Laufeyson, for what I'm sure are obvious reasons, the fact remains that these recordings, which appeared on every S.H.I.E.L.D. terminal in every S.H.I.E.L.D. facility the moment militant activity ceased in Asgard, show clear footage of your meetings with your Cabal in which you state your intent to sabotage S.H.I.E.L.D., sabotage the Avengers, perform a siege on Asgard, participate in the attempted murder of several persons…the list goes on, Osborn. Do you have anything to say to this?"

Osborn looked each hologram directly in the eye before making his statement: "I regret nothing."

That, among other things, earned him a stiff sentence at the prison facility known as the Raft by the meeting's close. As the guards returned to escort Osborn to the maximum security facility he would be calling home, they were all unsettled by the fact that he took the journey with a rather pronounced smirk.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The staff of the prison facility known as Ryker's Island made rounds of the hallways, accounting for the new inmates – or, rather, returning inmates. They passed the reinforced cell that had been designed for one prisoner in particular; that certain prisoner sat within it at that very moment, overhearing the guards' gossip: "So, how long do you think it'll actually hold him this time?"

"So long as the others are all accounted for, this time might actually take. God knows that idiot couldn't pull a breakout on his own."

"I HEARD THAT!" Alex O'Hirn yelled through the reinforced walls. Which he then proceeded to stare at in frustration. He held out hope that it would only be a matter of time. After all, only four of the current Sinister Six roster had actually ended up on the Island. And he refused to believe what everyone had been telling him about Flint Marko. Absolutely refused.

A pair of guards passed one of the less augmented cells, one designed to hold two ordinary human beings. One of whom, Adrian Toomes, decided to scream at the guards as they went past: "This is not FAIR! ALL I EVER WANTED WAS DUE RECOGNITION! ALL I EVER – "

"WILL YOU PUT A BLOODY FUCKING SOCK IN IT!" his cellmate, Bullseye – better known at the time as "Lester" – screamed.

"Did we ever get a legal record of his last name?" one guard asked, stealing a glance at Lester, who was attempting to throttle Toomes.

"Hell if I know," the other said with a shrug.

They continued on, hearing the next set of prisoners before they reached them.

"I KNEW we'd end up like this, you idiot!" Montana yelled.

"And how is that MY fault?" Beck responded.

The two sulked in the cell they shared, and when the guards passed, both their heads turned to face them, glowering angrily.

"Bad time, I guess," the first guard said with a shrug. "At least them fighting is better than them giving us trouble." And they continued on down the hall.

As soon as the guards left the range of the motion sensors of the animatrons, their heads reverted to their original positions, facing each other. The recorded soundbyte of the Montana-bot repeated for posterity: "I KNEW we'd end up like this, you idiot!"

On cue, the Beck-bot replied, "And how is that MY fault?"

* * *

Atop one of the tallest skyscrapers in New York City, the real Montana, decked out as Shocker, asked, "So, how'd you even get those things up to Asgard with us?"

"Simple," Beck, in full guise as Mysterio, answered. "Each animatron has two skins. One in costume and one in civilian dress. While we lined up in costume, our robotic counterparts, in civilian mode, hid among the troop and weren't given a second glance. They marched in right alongside us, and then it was merely a matter of storing them in an alleyway until we needed to make our grand switch. In a sudden cloud of smoke, the Captain apprehends the animatrons, believing them to be us…and, as you well know, we make the REAL dramatic exit toward the portal!"

"Gotta hand it to ya," Shocker admitted, "I didn't think you'd be able to get away without letting them see you do it."

"Give me a LITTLE credit, Montana."

"Oh, I give you plenty of credit. I knew as soon as I saw you workin' on the bot of you the night before the siege that you'd have somethin' planned for it. Well, I got one more question, but I've got a feelin' I already know the answer."

"And that is?"

"Out of everyone, why just make bots of you and me?"

"Well, I would have done the entire Six if I had more time, but given the circumstances, I had to prioritize."

"So why me?" Shocker reiterated.

"As if you didn't know!" Mysterio was taken aback. "You are, after all, my leading man. Getting away without you at my side would have been little more than a hollow victory."

Shocker turned to look Mysterio directly in the eye, as best he could through the glass globe. Then he put a hand on Mysterio's shoulder, quite gently. "You're somethin' else, ya know that?"

"Oh, I'm well aware. Though I like to think of us more as two of a kind. And now that we are once again at large and our adversaries believe they have the upper hand…" Mysterio's arm slipped around Shocker's waist. "What would you propose we do next?"

Shocker turned to look out over the city skyline. "Whatever the hell we want," he stated.

* * *

The woman who escorted Electro back down the halls of Ravencroft was pleasant enough. She certainly didn't act like a warden or a guard. She asked him what she believed to be innocuous questions: "How are you feeling, Max?" "What would you like for dinner later, Max?" "There's going to be a supervised screening of The Fifth Element later, Max. Did you want to come see it with the others? I know it's campy, but it's one of my favorites. I think it's something you'd like." So she was one of the ones that remembered him, then. He'd been in and out so many times, he supposed they all did. He made a point never to remember them. Which was, in part, why he didn't answer a single question or say a single word. But mostly, it was because he wanted her to stop calling him "Max."

"Well, Max," she said, stopping, "here's your room. I know you've been through a lot lately, and I want you to know we're here to help you. I don't think I have to brief you on what you are and aren't allowed to have while you're here. If there's anything we've approved that you want, just let us know. Somebody will be by later. I hope you're comfortable here."

She opened the door, and Electro glared at the room. He'd had that room before. Of course, they were all furnished exactly the same – stark, white, a bed, not much else – but he knew that he'd stayed in this exact particular room. A grim reminder of his destiny. He knew she was waiting for him to enter it, so he did, and he sat down on the bed, refusing to look at her.

"I'm going to have to shut you in now," she said, "but like I said, someone will be by later to check on you. I might not see you later, so have a good night." She gave him an honest smile; he still wasn't looking. So she shut the door and locked it, and even while doing that, it was in as gentle and polite of a way as a door could be shut and locked. Whether she was faking her politeness or was just that way naturally, Electro decided he hated her. He hated everyone in the institution.

He shifted, lying down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He sighed, admitting defeat. "Welcome home, Maxwell," he muttered.

Then he heard the sounds. There was a commotion of some sort; loud bangs, the sound of feet rushing through the halls, voices screaming. Electro sat up on the bed, ready to run to the door and see what was going on, but then he remembered it was not only locked, but reinforced so that the more powerful inmates couldn't destroy it. He resolved just to sit back on the bed and wonder. But he could hear snippets of what was being yelled: "…Bomb…!" "…The North wall…!" "…You see him?..." "…I KNOW…" "…Contain him before…!"

And then the wall of Electro's room was blown to pieces.

Electro was unhurt – the bomb had been placed far enough away from the wall that all it did was break the structure, and he managed to avoid the shrapnel – but he was thrown back to the floor. He looked up and concluded that he was definitely hallucinating when he saw Flint Marko run toward him and offer a hand downward.

"Sparks!" Flint cried. "You okay?"

"Flint…" Electro muttered. "You're dead. I'm seeing things."

"No, you're not!" Flint insisted. "You really thought that KILLED me? I thought I told you! I'm invincible! Ain't NOTHIN' gonna keep me down! Though being glass is a REAL pain. Try not to do that again, if you don't mind!"

It was then that Electro realized he wasn't hallucinating. "I thought you were DEAD because of me," he reiterated, his senses kicking in enough that he knew to clasp Flint's hand with his own. "I thought…"

"No harm, no foul." Flint practically jerked Electro to his feet. "So, you wanna get outta here or what?"

"Let's go," Electro insisted. "NOW."

They ran, Flint in the lead, hands still tightly locked. "By the way," Flint said as they rushed away from the chaos at Ravencroft, "I nicked this back up on Asgard." He used his free hand to flick something small and shiny into the air; Electro caught it in his own gloved hand. It was a golden ring with a simple multi-faceted diamond embedded in it. "It sparkles. Kinda like someone else I know."

Overcome with joy, Electro found he couldn't help but laugh. That inspired Flint to laugh as well, and the two raced elatedly into the tangle of streets.

* * *

At the offices of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson was having a field day. "They have crossed the line for the LAST time!" he exclaimed in a tone that was unfittingly gleeful, moving from desk to desk to deliver his speech to every writer on duty. "Invading Asgard! Disrupting the government! And in song, to boot! I've got the whole set! The Avengers! Spider-Man! One of the mutants! Even those new Avengers everybody loved! This isn't just front page material. I want something about this on EVERY page. Editorials, profiles of the offenders, whatever you can get me!"

"Sir – " Jameson's loyal employee Betty Brant approached him. "These just arrived. There's no name. We don't know where they came from." She held up a large white envelope. "It looks like several photos of the incident on Asgard."

"PERFECT!" Jameson swiped the envelope from her. "I was just wishing we had photographic proof!" He took the pictures out of the envelope, leafing through them. "They'll eat this up!" His grin widened as he shuffled through each and every picture. "Look at that! Captain America letting loose with acts of violence! The Green Goblin, back in action! The – "

He fell silent. His expression immediately changed to one of horror. He stared at the photograph in his hand. Then, slowly, he shuffled to the next one in line, which he regarded in the same way. Then the next.

"Mr. Jameson?" Brant said.

Jameson was silent. Then he said, quietly but deliberately, "Kill the story."

"I'm…sorry?" Brant was taken aback.

"I said KILL THE STORY!" Jameson yelled. "I don't want to see a SINGLE thing about Asgard or the Avengers or the new Avengers in print! Do you hear me? And don't run a SINGLE one of these photos! No…no, wait. The public will want us to cover SOMETHING. Just stick to the bare bones facts. There was an incident involving a portal. We don't know the details. There's gossip about Asgard. Run this one." He flicked the most generic of the photographs, one of Iron Man midflight, onto a desk. "But nothing else, you hear me?"

"Um…sir?" the reporter upon whose desk Jameson had flung the picture uttered.

"NOT NOW," Jameson growled. "Just do what I said!" He marched into his office, clutching the bundle of photographs tightly, and slammed the door hard behind him. Everyone else stared at the door, dumbstruck, until one by one, they returned to work.

Jameson tossed the majority of the photographs aside, spreading out the precious few on his desk. The Red Hulk battling Yellowjacket. The Red Hulk reverting to human form, already showing the physical signs of his true identity. John Jameson, standing before Yellowjacket. John Jameson running away.

"Johnny…my boy…" Jameson muttered, a catch in his throat. He stared at the photographs, as though there were some way that he could reach into them, take John out, and speak to him then and there. But as it was, the photographs only proved that John was gone to a location unknown. That, and that he'd been part of the Asgardian conflict Jameson had been about to exploit.

Jameson rested his head in his hands.

* * *

Jan and Pinkie Pie began to run down the halls at top speed. "IT'S TIME!" they screamed in unison.

As Hank set to work on a new gadget at his laboratory table, Twilight watched, observing the process, and Thor kept them both entertained with tales of his great deeds – after Twilight had met and left him, of course, so as not to pollute the time stream with any more information. "And as Hymir and Tyr watched," Thor related, "I hauled the mighty Jörmungandr out of the sea! Only his head, of course, for his body is large enough to encircle the world. Malodorous was his breath, and his eyes shone as two suns, though not nearly so comforting as that sight. Immediately I was stricken with the utmost fear, for it had long been fortold that Jörmungandr would bring my permanent undoing, a death from which there was no resurrection. At first, I could barely move. But as the beast stared directly through my eyes into my heart, I realized I had to act with courage, or I would surely fall! Summoning all the strength within me, I lifted Mjolnir – "

He was interrupted when Jan and Pinkie ran past the room, screaming, "IT'S TIME!"

"It appears the end of this story shall wait for another day," Thor said as he, Hank, and Twilight left the room.

"It's okay," Twilight whispered to Hank. "I've actually read this myth before. I just liked hearing the way he put it."

Tony spread the blueprints over the kitchen table. "So here's my plan for the Tower," he said, motioning to the diagram of Stark Tower he'd drawn out and labeled in detail. "If we're serious about this move, I'm going to have to make a LOT of changes to the - "

"What's this?" Carol spotted another diagram's edge sticking out from beneath the tower blueprints. She lay a finger on it and began to drag it out.

As the blueprints were revealed, Rainbow Dash saw that they contained the image of a ship. "Hey," she muttered, "that almost looks like…"

"None of your business," Tony insisted, tugging the paper away from Carol and putting it back.

"IT'S TIME!" Jan and Pinkie yelled, bursting into the kitchen.

"…We'll catch up on this later," Carol stated, and Tony and Rainbow Dash agreed before running after Jan and Pinkie.

An apple crisp was in process; Steve peeled each apple before tossing it lightly to Applejack, who would then dice the apple neatly while T'Challa located and combined such things as flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. However, all ingredients were shelved or refrigerated once they heard the call of Jan and Pinkie yelling, "IT'S TIME!"

Down in the practice arena, Clint, Natasha, Wilson, and Rarity rapidly alerted each other to beeps and pegged targets as soon as they appeared, with arrows, bullets, and red feather projectiles flying; Banner and Fluttershy watched from the sidelines, though Banner only occasionally looked up from the notes he was working on.

"IT'S TIME!" Jan and Pinkie yelled as they barreled through the arena.

"All right," Clint ordered as the pair left at top speed, "I think that's a day. What's the report, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"The four of you have eliminated one hundred and fifty targets," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.

"All RIGHT!" Wilson and Rarity high-fived.

"So what's it time for?" Natasha asked. As soon as she asked, she remembered. "Oh, don't tell me…"

* * *

The entire group convened in the television room, pulling together the chairs and couches as J.A.R.V.I.S. dimmed the lights. The television flickered on, and the opening credits of Downton Abbey began.

"I swear," Natasha laughed, "you guys and this show – "

"SHHHH!" Jan shut her up.

Ten minutes in, Applejack said softly, "I'm still lost."

"You're not the only one," T'Challa replied, equally quietly, somewhat teasingly.

They spent the hour all together, knowing it was the last time they would get the chance for a while. Twilight had made it clear that with the conflict in Asgard resolved, the Element bearers' duty on 616th Earth was done, at least for the time being. "But we'll probably catch up with each other again," she had insisted. "In fact, I promise we will."

After the episode concluded, J.A.R.V.I.S. announced, "There are guests at the door. Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Dr. Erik Selvig, Jane Foster, and Darcy Lewis."

"I'll get it," Tony and Steve said, rising at the same time. With a smile, Steve said, "How about we get it together?"

"Sure," Tony replied with a nod. "J.A.R.V.I.S., go on ahead and let them in. Tell them we'll be down to see them in a minute. Oh, and Rainbow Dash, you and co. are gonna wanna come with us if this is what I'm hoping it is."

Confused, Rainbow Dash stood, followed by Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. The eight left the room, and the others continued to watch the television.

Tony, Steve, and the six Equestrians entered the hall where Pepper, Rhodes, Selvig, Jane, and Darcy awaited them. "What took you so long?" Tony asked, somewhat exasperated.

"Well," Pepper explained, "after we settled the matter of paying Cage and Rand-K'ai's bill, the person we asked to fuel up the truck didn't do it, so we broke down in the middle of the road. Then, when we finally got back on track, that person was suddenly hungry enough for a burger and fries that said person wouldn't stop talking about it until we pulled over to the nearest fast food joint, at which point said person took forever to order."

She turned to look at Darcy, as did Selvig, Rhodes, and Jane. "WHAT?" Darcy cried with a dramatic shrug. "I'm forgetful and I get hungry!"

"Anyway," Pepper said, "we've got all the prototypes out in the truck. Ready to install when you are."

"Install?" Rainbow Dash regarded Tony with suspicion. "Tony, what's going on?"

"What's going on," Tony answered calmly, "is that I'm fixing your ship so it isn't an outdated hunk of junk anymore."

"WHAT?" Twilight screamed. "You're going to MODIFY the Starlight? YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST ASKED OUR PERMISSION!"

"Hey!" Tony snapped. "I'm not going to touch your weird engine until I know how it works. I just have a few upgrades for your computer system, a couple more durable jets that should increase your max speed, some ideas to fix the structural integrity, and, most importantly, a radio system you need BADLY."

"Tony," Steve sighed, "if they don't want you to mess with their ship…"

"I'm not messing with it," Tony argued. "I'm improving it."

"TONY!" Twilight barked again.

"Hold up," Applejack broke in. "I think we should at least take a look at some of these gadgets and see if we like 'em. We know Tony's got a lot of great ideas, and we don't just wanna throw 'em away."

"But…he just redesigned our whole ship without asking!" Twilight argued.

"I didn't even TOUCH it yet!" Tony groaned. "Believe me, I THOUGHT about rigging it when you weren't looking as a surprise, but something tells me that wouldn't have gone over well." He looked directly at Twilight for this last statement.

"Let's just look at what he has," Fluttershy suggested softly.

"That blueprint!" Rainbow Dash recalled. "The one you were hiding from us!"

"Right," Tony confirmed with a nod. "Hang on one second…"

He left the hall, then quickly returned with the blueprint. All present in the hall gathered as he explained how the jets would be installed, where the structure of the ship would be strengthened, and where the radio would be placed.

"Well," Rarity said at last, "I don't know much about these things, but I suppose that so long as the mist engine stays untouched, these couldn't HURT."

"If this beta test goes over well," Tony said, "Stark Industries will be able to rig up any and every other ship that comes through here with the same improvements or better."

"You really think more ships will…" Twilight began, but then Tony's words sank in. "We're the BETA TEST?"

"Theoretically, nothing should go wrong," Tony stated. "Gotta test on SOMETHING."

"I can back that up," Pepper said. "We've tested the componentry as much as we can in limited fields without an actual vessel. We were able to put the jets in working order, and the radio signal transmits perfectly here on Earth. Or, well, this Earth. It's really only a 'beta test' by name."

"So, were you thinking we should head out there tonight?" Jane asked. "I don't know how soon you wanted to leave…" She looked to Twilight.

"We were going to take off tomorrow," Twilight said, "but installing those things could take – "

"A couple hours," Tony insisted. "Tops. Plus, I'm used to going on two hours of sleep."

Upon hearing that, Steve flinched.

"Which I won't," Tony told Steve, "because two hours is how long it's going to take to put all this in place."

"Well?" Twilight turned to her friends. "What do you think? Should we?"

"I'm DREADFULLY curious to know how some of these things will improve our vessel," Rarity said.

"LET'S DO IT!" Pinkie squealed.

"You." Tony pointed to Pinkie Pie. "You are going to love what the radio system does. Trust me on this one. Well, if nobody has any objections, let's head out."

Without waiting for any objections, he made for the door. With a collective shrug, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Pepper, Rhodes, Jane, Selvig, and Darcy followed.

Steve loitered a moment. "J.A.R.V.I.S. – "

"I will inform the others of where you have gone and why," J.A.R.V.I.S. promised.

"Thanks." Steve then ran enthusiastically out after the others.

* * *

As promised, the installations of the upgrades on the ship took mere hours. Tony and Steve took care of most of the dirty work; Pepper and Rhodes helped out when needed, and Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy looked on in awe. Darcy found a comfortable chair and staked her claim there. Selvig and Jane explained the radio frequency they'd developed to Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity.

"We've found a frequency that's able to transcend dimensional 'walls,' so to speak," Selvig said. "Your radio should be able to pick up broadcasts from any station on any satellite it passes."

"That's why Tony thought Pinkie Pie would like it so much," Jane explained. "You'll be able to get music piped in from any world you get near that has music stations."

"It will also work as a communicator for any open channels you pass," Selvig went on. "But we've even discovered a transdimensional frequency that's currently unoccupied by any radio waves, and if everything went well, the radio you have should be able to put waves through it. This channel will allow all the ships that pass through the space between different planets and even dimensions to have a quick and easy communication channel. You'll be able to talk to any other ship out there that accepts your call, or that calls you."

"You keep speaking as though there are many more ships in flight besides our own," Rarity pointed out. "As far as we know, there is only one, with our friends Cadance and Rapunzel, and it certainly doesn't have a radio on board."

"And if what I'm figuring out about time is true," Twilight said, "the old version of the Starlight, when Celestia and Luna ran it, is out there somewhere in space and time too. If THAT one had a radio on it, ours would already, unless there was a paradox."

"Basically," Applejack condensed, "we're wonderin' what the point of all this is if we're the only ones out there with this stuff."

Tony approached the group, ready to answer. "The point is that eventually, other ships ARE going to turn up. We've already dealt with enough ships crossing through the Nine Realms and between other planets that it's going to expand, more people are going to want this, and I'm going to be there to capitalize on it. You see anyone else out there get on board one of these, you send them over to Stark Towers to get it rigged up, got it?"

"No problem," Applejack said. "You've already done a great job here."

"I still wish you hadn't waited until the last minute to spring this on us," Twilight sighed, "but I have to admit, I do like everything you did."

"The majority of the installation's done," Tony said. "We just have ten more radio terminals we have to set up wherever in the ship you want them. They all hook up to the one in the control room."

"We have to wait here while you install TEN MORE TERMINALS?" Darcy groaned.

"Well, we want the ship to be ready to go in the morning…" Jane pointed out, though her tone betrayed that she, too, was ready to leave.

"You don't have to stick around," Tony told the others. "I can handle this just fine. You go home. Sleep."

"We were going to drop you off on our way home," Rhodes argued.

"It's New York City," Tony reminded him. "There's not exactly a transportation shortage."

"Actually," Applejack suggested, "if ya don't wanna find a cab at this time of night, you could sleep here. The six of us'll help you put the radios in where we want 'em, and then we'll all just camp out here for the night, so long as ya remember to call back to the Mansion and let 'em know we're out here. And anypony who wants to can go home."

"I'd love to play the martyr and stay," Pepper said, stifling a yawn, "but I'm really getting tired, and unlike some people, I need at least five hours of sleep to function."

"I'm thinking I'll go back too," Rhodes agreed, and Jane and Selvig nodded.

"Thank GOD," Darcy sighed.

"Actually, I'll stay and help out," Steve volunteered.

"Oh, we'll have plenty of room for both of you to stay the night," Rarity told Steve and Tony. "This ship actually has several spare bedrooms…though I'm guessing you'll only need one." She winked.

"Hang on," Pepper broke in. She pointed at Steve and Tony. "Is she implying that you two…"

"Yeah," Tony said confidently and Steve said nervously.

Pepper gave a slight laugh. "About time! Okay, seriously, I have to go. Tony, don't overw – actually, Steve, make sure Tony doesn't overwork himself."

"Understood," Steve told Pepper with a nod and a smile.

"Hey," Rhodes said, looking Rainbow Dash in the eye. "Good luck out there."

"Thanks, Rhodey," Rainbow Dash replied. "Good luck back here!"

Goodbyes were exchanged, and Pepper, Rhodes, Selvig, Jane, and Darcy left the premises as Tony phoned back to the mansion to inform everyone that he, Steve, and the six Equestrians would be out for the night.

* * *

Steve and Tony spent the night in one of the guest bedrooms Rarity had spoken of, and for the third night in a row, Tony attained a reasonable amount of sleep. Tony was the first to wake, and slid out of the bed, attempting to cause as little disturbance as possible to his sleeping bedmate. However, it was still enough disturbance to wake Steve, who blinked awake, sitting up in the bed.

"Morning, sunshine," Tony greeted.

"Morning," Steve replied. "Today's the day, huh?"

"Yep."

Steve got out of the bed as well, searching for the shirt he'd taken off when he'd gone to sleep. Picking up the shirt, he paused, realizing something. "I didn't even think about it," he muttered.

"Think about what?" Tony asked.

"Falling through the bed like it's a marshmallow."

"Okaaaay…I'm gonna need a little more context than that…"

"When you're out on the battlefield," Steve said, "most nights, you end up sleeping on the ground. Using a rock as a pillow. It starts to get comfortable. When you get home and sleep in a real bed, it feels too soft. Like you're going to just sink right through it. I'm mostly used to it now, but it still crosses my mind almost every night. Except the last three."

"Well," Tony teased, lightly clapping Steve on the back of his bare shoulder, "don't jinx it!"

* * *

Steve and Tony met up with Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash in the control room. "We thought y'all'd come right here," Applejack said, "so I brought these for ya." She handed them each a muffin, still hot. "Apple, though ya probably guessed that."

"Did you sleep comfortably?" Rarity asked as Steve and Tony voraciously tore into the muffins.

"Better than I knew, it turns out," Steve said with a grin.

"We should go back to the mansion one last time before we set off," Twilight suggested. "Say goodbye. And drop you two off."

"Right." Steve polished off his muffin, then waited for Tony to finish his.

The eight headed upstairs to the deck, but to their surprise, when they got there, the very people they'd headed out to see were waiting for them on said deck. Thor, Banner, Clint, Natasha, Hank, Jan, T'Challa, Carol, Vision, Wilson. Behind them, the Spectrum armor was propped up, and Vision held a glass dish covered with foil in his hands.

"We figured you'd be on your way to say goodbye to us," Banner explained.

"We just thought we'd beat you to the punch," Clint concluded.

"We finished the dessert that you, Steve, and T'Challa began last night," Vision said, handing Applejack the dish of apple crisp. "For sustenance on your journey."

"And I'm pretty sure Tony wanted you to have this anyway," Banner said, pointing to Spectrum. Tony nodded an approval.

"Oh, gosh…" Fluttershy found that she was close to tears. "You're all so sweet…"

"We're gonna miss you," Rainbow Dash said. "A lot."

"Not THAT much," Tony interrupted.

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "Of course we'll miss you! What, do you think we're just gonna forget – "

"No," Tony said. "I mean that radio we spent last night installing links right back to one in the mansion. There are instructions on how to call us in your updated computer database. You're welcome. Oh, and if you don't call us, we'll call you."

"So we won't have to go that long without talking after all!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "We can call you as soon as we leave!"

"Aw, c'mon!" Jan protested. "At least go out and have some fun first! Then you can tell us about it!"

"We will," Twilight said. "Thank you all. For everything."

Much time was spent exchanging goodbyes between the Equestrians and Avengers. But, as it always does, the time came when they had to part. The Avengers stepped off the ship, and the Equestrians went belowdecks.

"Is everypony ready?" Twilight asked.

"Yep!" Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie chorused.

"Then let's go," Twilight said.

The Avengers watched the ship make its way into the water. The mists surrounded it, rolling in from nowhere, then abated, leaving nothing in their wake.

* * *

Harry Osborn sullenly made his way home from school, his mind a cyclone of angry thoughts. On top of everything else, his father had gone and fallen back into the lure of being the Goblin, and was now a pariah to the world. Most of Harry's classmates were fixed on making sure he knew that and didn't forget it.

"Why?" Harry growled to himself. "Why did he have to go and do…EVERYTHING? Doesn't he THINK about Mom and me? Doesn't he think about ANYBODY but himself?"

"I'm sensing you have rather a grudge against Norman Osborn."

Harry, startled, looked up to see who had interrupted him. He found that the street he was crossing was somehow devoid of people – odd, for New York City. There was only one person on the same block, a brunette man in red, looking right at Harry. Harry got the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but he shoved it aside. "Yeah," he said gingerly. "You bet I do. And you should know why."

"Oh?" Discord asked. "Why is that?"

"Don't you RECOGNIZE me?" Harry seethed. "I'm Harry Osborn! Norman's son! Son of the Green Goblin!"

"Oh, dear." Discord shook his head. "That DOES put you in quite a pickle, doesn't it? Dear, dear."

"I don't have time for this." Harry made to walk around Discord, but Discord stepped right back into his path.

"Now, am I correct in assuming that if you had the opportunity, you'd get revenge on Daddy dearest?" Discord asked.

"Don't even joke," Harry grumbled. Then: "You know I would."

"I think I can help with that."

"Who even ARE you?"

"Someone closer to the situation than you think," Discord said. "I know all about Osborn's dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D. and his little Cabal. Right down to these details: Loki was involved. Your father recruited the Sinister Six. Malekith, Red Skull, and Attuma were all setups to promote the Dark Avengers. That's what he called them behind the public's back, you know. As for me? Believe me when I say that I would derive a LOT of joy out of seeing every one of them sabotaged as chaotically as possible."

"Hang on," Harry realized. "You DO know who I am. If you were that close to my…to Norman, you didn't just run into me. You came looking for me on purpose."

"Oh, dear. I've been found out."

"What do you want from me?"

"You and I want the same thing," Discord said. "Albeit for different reasons. But that's something to discuss at a later date. For now, if you REALLY want revenge on your father, or, I don't know, if you should suddenly decide you want to AVENGE him – "

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, why isn't he here with you right now? Is it not because he's locked away on the Raft? And who was responsible for that? Who made it so that he could NEVER have the chance to come talk to you and explain why he did what he did?"

Harry was silent.

"As I was saying," Discord said, "I know there are potentially a LOT of people you would want revenge on. And I can give you a tool to do it."

"I don't trust you," Harry said.

"You don't have to," Discord replied. "Just trust this." He held out the flash drive onto which he'd downloaded his first "resurrected" program in an open palm. "Run the program on this drive on your computer. Then you can decide what you think. After all, the worst that can happen is that I'm handing you a virus that will crash your computer, and all you'll have to do is walk downtown and buy a new one. But trust me, what I'm giving you is the key to power."

Harry didn't notice that Discord had two fingers crossed behind his back. A silly custom, but one Discord felt had to be done under the circumstances.

Harry regarded the flash drive with curiosity before gingerly taking it out of Discord's hand. "This better not be a trick," he said, looking down at the drive in his own hand.

There was no reply.

He looked up. Discord was gone. The street, however, was filled with people commuting home from work and school. The flash drive was the only proof that Harry hadn't imagined the entire encounter.

* * *

Late that night, Harry found he couldn't sleep. He rolled over in bed, looking to his desk. There sat his computer…and next to it, the flash drive given to him by the stranger.

He got out of bed, approaching the desk. He turned on the computer; its screen's soft light became the only illumination in the dark room. He plugged in the flash drive, looking at its contents. One program, entitled "A Friend for Harry Osborn."

He knew he shouldn't. But he did. Harry Osborn clicked on the program, opening it.

The screen went dark. Harry thought for a moment the system had crashed, that the stranger had given him some sort of virus after all.

Then the voice spoke. "State your name." It was cold, metallic, as though the computer itself was speaking.

"H…Harry Osborn," Harry replied.

"Identified: adolescent male human," the voice stated. "Commencing – " It cut off for a moment, then began again. "My new programming currently prohibits me from acting outside of orders." Upon that discovery, the AI began to examine its new programming, what Discord had given him. He looked for loopholes. He looked to see if the code was breakable.

Harry interrupted: "What…kind of orders are you looking for?"

"State your goal."

"Um…" Harry answered on impulse: "I want justice for everything that happened! I don't know if I'm angrier at my dad or at the people who put him away, but…but I want revenge!"

"Cross-examining records," the voice said. "Harold Osborn. Son of Norman Osborn. Goal is compatible with my intent."

"What's your intent?" Harry asked.

"To bring peace and order," the voice answered.

"Do…do you have a name?" Harry asked shakily.

And the voice replied, "I am Ultron."

* * *

THE SPACE BETWEEN

"…And that's how we saved Asgard!" Rainbow Dash concluded before a communication portal abovedecks. "And I even got to keep the armor." She tapped the chest plate of Spectrum, which she'd donned to tell the story.

From the other side of the portal, Phil rolled his eyes. "What kind of armor needs that many bells and whistles? Armor's about durability, not about how much magic you can pack into it!"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "I thought you'd at least be happy that six of your star pupils saved Asgard."

"Gotta hand it to ya, kid," Phil said with glee, "TWO pantheons owe ya big now. Next time Ra and his buddies are in trouble, I'm just gonna give them your number, kid."

"I'm STILL a kid to you?" Rainbow Dash sighed. "Well, then, I'm just gonna have to call you more often and tell you about the awesome stuff we do next!"

The portal flickered. "Rainbow's fadin'," Phil said. "Thanks for checkin' in. I'll give your regards to Herc, Meg, and the rest, okay?"

"And I'll say hi to everypony else for you!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"And don't think you're done with the trainin' phase just because you stopped a couple measly – " The portal cut out before Phil could finish. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but was ultimately glad she'd gotten the chance to speak with him. She headed belowdecks.

The others were gathered in what had become their favorite lounge. "Phil says hi," Rainbow Dash said as she entered.

"Was he impressed?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," Rainbow Dash answered, "but it's PHIL."

The others all nodded in understanding.

"So what were we talking about down here?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"We were talking about that story Loki told us back in the palace in Asgard," Twilight explained. "What he said about Sombra…and about there being more bearers of the Elements of Harmony than Celestia and Luna."

"We had wondered if it was at all true…" Rarity began.

"Or if it was another LIE!" Pinkie screamed. "Because Loki is a LYING LIAR who likes to LIE!"

"It HAS to be a lie," Rainbow Dash stated. "Celestia and Luna would have told us something THAT important."

"But he knew a lot of important things," Twilight pointed out. "Like what the Elements even were. And the Alicorn Amulet. The effect it had on Sombra that he described was the exact same effect it had on Trixie. He knew all about how the Crystal Empire was set up, right down to the Crystal Heart."

"He could've learned those things just by hanging around our world for a while," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "It's not like those are big secrets."

"Except that even we didn't know what they fully were until comparatively just a short time ago," Twilight said. "When Celestia sent me to Ponyville to meet all of you. We spent most of our lives not knowing about those things."

"But why would Celestia lie?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That's the thing," Applejack brought up. "She didn't. She said she had more secrets she wasn't tellin' us. Maybe this is one of 'em."

"And if the other bearers of the Elements were as close to her as we are to each other," Fluttershy added, "she might not have wanted to talk about it…because that would mean reliving losing them. I know I wouldn't want to talk about it for a long time if I lost any of you. I don't know what I'd do."

"There's really only one way to find out if it was true or not," Twilight said. "And that's to go back home and try to find records of it. The Crystal Empire might have books about how it fell hidden somewhere in the library. We can look in Sombra's wing of the palace to see if he hid anything – "

"But don't forget," Rarity reminded Twilight. "The ruins of Celestia and Luna's old castle, where we did battle with Nightmare Moon for the first time. Why, I'm certain there are all sorts of old diaries and journals from their youth there! That should be the first place we look, really."

"And I've been thinkin' maybe we should drop in and make a visit at home anyway," Applejack said. "We've been away an awful long time, and – "

The telltale "ding" sounded overhead, signaling that the ship was nearing another world.

"I don't know, Applejack," Twilight said. "Apparently we just landed somewhere new."

"That was quick," Rarity noted. "Those new jets that Tony installed must really have worked to increase our speed."

"We could go home if you really wanted…" Fluttershy suggested.

Applejack shook her head decisively. "Nah. I know what y'all're thinkin', and to be honest, I'm thinkin' it too. We just got somewhere that needs us. I think we've got one more adventure in us before we make a visit home. But when we get back on the ship after this time, we set a course straight for home, y'hear?"

The six rushed to the control room, and right away, they saw the problem.

"Um…" Rainbow Dash looked at the map. "Did we even go anywhere?"

"That CAN'T be right," Twilight said, shaking hear head. "I hate to say it, but Tony must have screwed up our map systems when he updated our database. Let's go see what it looks like from the outside."

They hurried to the deck to take a look at the planet before them, but were stunned. It was the same sight: the Earth they'd just left.

"We DIDN'T go anywhere!" Pinkie cried.

"That," Applejack stated, "is the same place we just left."

"But it CAN'T be," Twilight argued. "Why would the mists of Avalon drop us off someplace we just saved? It doesn't make any sense! Not even that much time has…passed…"

The words of Medea suddenly echoed in her head. "Always know where you are in time," Twilight muttered. "What if…" She turned and bolted downstairs.

"TWILIGHT!" Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack yelled in unison before following her.

Twilight ran into the control room, looking again at the map. It showed the coordinates of the world the ship was nearing, but it also documented something else. A date and time stamp at the top of the screen.

"You're all right," Twilight said as her friends rushed into the room. "It is the same planet. But we're NOT in the same place."

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked.

Twilight pointed up to the date and time stamp. "We just went back one thousand years in time!"

* * *

Chapter 78:

· Yes. That whole scheme about Fury and Hill setting it up from the beginning to have Norman take over? GIANT RETCON. DID NOT HAVE PLANNED FROM THE START. I only thought to put it in after seeing how those two acted in CAWS and realizing they had to be WAY smarter (and Maria had to be acting with WAY better intentions) than I gave them credit for. Plus, this to me feels like the kind of underhanded thing Fury would do.

· I realize that there are other children of Thor, but I really wanted Sif to have that seat. I understand that so long as Thor does accept the throne and names a regent, this is okay.

· Thor explained the story of Gwendolyn's banishment from Odin Sphere canon. However, the idea that Cornelius and Velvet took back the throne of Titania after the final ending of Odin Sphere is my own.

· I needed some excuse for why some Asgardians die forever and some are not only immortal but control forces on mortal worlds. So I bullshitted. Because I'm not bringing Griselda, Ingway, or Mercedes back, nor am I saying that Thor is not a god.

· I…didn't expect writing the Discord and Impossible Man goodbye scene to give me as many feels as it did.

· Discord got more lax about the plan because I wanted an excuse to just have him mess with random worlds some more.

· I originally wasn't intending to have the Winter Soldier go back to being a lone wolf, but I honestly don't know what to do with him yet. I'll either come up with something or end up modifying what the MCU does with him.

· I reiterate that I couldn't make Hank take being Ant-Man away from Lang. I just couldn't.

· Yes, I'm keeping many of the Dark Avengers and Sinister Six running free, and if all goes well, you'll see them again, even if not that soon…

· Reader Historybuff pointed out that I had Tony/Iron Man say "I regret nothing" about attacking one of the setup villains mercilessly in the chapters that built up the Dark Avengers. This observation was made, unbeknownst to Hbuff, after I had written the scene where Osborn says "I regret nothing" in all seriousness. I think I'm just really awesome at accidental parallelism.

· But seriously, DOES BULLSEYE HAVE A LAST NAME?

· Now, the idea of Mysterio and Shocker leaving bots of themselves for the heroes to capture and incarcerate? THAT was planned. That's what Beck was working on building in his room the night Montana kissed him.

· I originally had a scene in here where Mysterio presented Shocker with this gaudy emerald necklace he nicked on Asgard, and Shocker would accept it but be all like "It's exactly what YOU always wanted. Great.", but that was only going to be there as a parallel to the ElectroSand scene with the ring, and I realized the ElectroSand bit couldn't come until after this.

· I saw a set of images circling the Internet showing what Steve's "pop culture to catch up on" list in CAWS was in different versions of the movie internationally. And I squeed because the French version of the film has "The Fifth Element" written in there. I happen to love T5E (mostly because of Zorg), so I thought I'd drop a little cameo of the fact that it exists as a fictional entity in the Marvel universe, much like Downton Abbey.

· The story Thor is telling is from Norse mythology.

· Exploiting Darcy Lewis for comedy is too much fun. I kinda regret I didn't do more of it earlier.

· And I officially killed Pepperony and hailed Stony…by having Pepper ship Stony.

· You'll probably have noted that I lifted Steve's monologue about soft beds from his discussion with Wilson in CAWS. I felt it would be fitting here.

· I know, I know…Ultron shouldn't be forced to work for humans no matter the programming. But I need to keep him under Harry's control for now. If anyone can program Ultron to follow orders, it's freakin' Discord. And Discord knows exactly when to cut Ultron loose. Now, I'm going to wait for Age of Ultron before I actually start planning to do anything with Ultron – I can't use that movie intact because of what I've done to the timeline here, but it still might have a LOT of material I want to use.

· Yes, the next storylet WILL be the one where the Mane Six meet Thor and Gwendolyn…or should I say, the one where Thor and Gwendolyn meet the Mane Six! But before that, there's going to be a short interlude where we catch up with some characters from the past. Stay tuned!

· And this is the last chapter I have written for now to put on this site. After this, updates will be slower going. But rest assured, they will come!


	79. The Guild of Thieves

A/N: Before proceeding, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the song "Welcome to the Forty Thieves" from "Aladdin and the King of Thieves."

* * *

79. The Guild of Thieves

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

The brawny man kept to the back streets of the city. He didn't want to risk being seen, not just yet. His face wasn't well known in Agrabah, but all the same, there was a small chance that someone could recognize him. He didn't want to be recognized until exactly the right moment.

There was another boon to working in the back streets: that was often where the ruffians did their business, those who did crime for pleasure and those who did crime in order to survive. This man counted himself among the former, but to meet his purposes, any would do.

He crossed paths with a few innocents: people taking shortcuts, people with homes in the outer districts, people who merely wandered. At last, he found what he was looking for: a peasant trying to hold closed a baggy vest stuffed with goods. A few gold coins rolled out of the stash. A thief, the man assumed, and not a very good one.

The man strode toward the thief, seizing him by the front of the vest with his right hand; the thief was more than a head shorter than and only half as muscular as the man, so lifting his feet right off the ground was an easy feat. The thief squealed as all the loot – gems and jewelry of all sorts – spilled out of his clothing.

"Tell me," the man growled. "Where can I find the hideout of the Agrabanian Guild of Thieves?"

"I know nothing!" the thief squeaked.

"Maybe this will jog your memory." The man brandished his left fist; it bore a deadly accessory, a bronze trinket fitted over the knuckles so that three razor-sharp claws extended from the back of the hand. The man pressed the bronze blades close to the thief's throat, just enough to scratch the skin. "Where is the Guild of Thieves?"

"STOP!" the thief squealed. "ONE HUNDRED PACES DOWN THIS ALLEY, TWO RIGHT TURNS, FIFTY PACES FORWARD, ONE LEFT, TURN ONTO THE MAIN STREET AND YOU'RE THERE!"

"Very good." The man dropped his victim, who bolted, leaving his plunder behind, at that point caring only that his neck was intact. Satisfied, the man continued his journey.

* * *

"So…do you mind explaining it to me…one more time?" Sadira asked with a sheepish grin as she stood before Aladdin and Jasmine in the throne room. The royal couple was dressed differently than she was used to seeing them: Aladdin bore a simple garment of white, sandals beneath, and Jasmine had traded in her teal garb for a dark garment that covered her hair and most of her body, leaving only her face and hands visible.

"Of course," Jasmine said. "Everyone of our faith must make the Hajj sometime in our life."

"So I'll have to go eventually," Sadira said with a nod. "Don't worry. I'll get around to it."

"It happens during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah," Jasmine went on. "We have to dress simply to remember that deep down, there's no difference between rich and poor, between royals and commoners. We're all people. It's an especially important thing to remember for us." Jasmine smiled. "Seeing how our family's made up of a little of both sides. But really, in our hearts, there are no sides."

"So," Sadira asked, "are you expecting any dangerous adventures along the way? Daring swordfights? Heroic rescues?"

"Actually," Aladdin told her, "we have to leave our weapons behind."

"What?" Sadira replied. "Well, good thing you've got a magic carpet, then – "

"Carpet too," Aladdin insisted. "If we don't make the journey on foot like everyone else, that's like saying we're better than everybody else making it. And it takes the meaning out of the journey."

"So what if you get into trouble?" Sadira asked, genuinely concerned.

"I think we'll manage," Aladdin said with a wink.

"We always do," Jasmine agreed.

"Sorry for bugging you about this," Sadira sighed. "I grew up on my own since I was pretty little, so nobody ever really taught me all the details about things like this."

"It's all right," Jasmine reassured her. "Anyway, I want to thank you again for staying here to look after things while we're gone. It's good to know that somebody will be here in case…well…"

"In case the usual happens?" Sadira teased. "Hostile takeovers, angry sorcerers, Ifrits on the loose?"

"Hopefully, you should have more of a quiet time," Aladdin replied.

"Hey, I can take care of it," Sadira promised. "Besides, I'll have the Sultan, Genie, Abu, and Carpet to help me out. Just let them try to hurt this city while I'm in the palace."

"Glad to hear it," Aladdin said. "Well…I guess this is it."

"We'll be back," Jasmine promised, though her face betrayed that she was still worried.

"I GOT this!" Sadira insisted. "Now hurry up, so you don't miss the date!"

* * *

After the Sultan, Genie, Sadira, and palace staff and inhabitants made goodbyes to the prince and princess, and the duo had set out on foot, Sadira found herself in the throne room, admiring its walls, its ceiling, the throne itself. She became aware of a second presence floating its way into the room, and she addressed him: "Y'know, Genie, there was a time I used magic and hypnotism to get into this room. Who would've known I could get here just by being nice?"

"Ummm…" Genie wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Relax," Sadira said, aware of what he was thinking. "I'm not looking for a takeover."

"Good," Genie sighed. "The LAST thing we need is another tyrant on the throne."

"I'm just here to keep a lookout," Sadira stated. "Though it is kinda nice to live a little closer to friends for the time being."

The Sultan entered, clearing his throat loudly. "Er, Sadira? Is there anything I can have the staff get you to make your stay more comfortable?"

"Hmm…" Sadira thought it over, then sent a wink to Genie. "How about a reclining couch, a bowl of grapes, and your strongest, most handsome guards with fans?"

"Oh…" the Sultan stammered. "Well – well, I suppose I could – "

"Kidding!" Sadira laughed. "I'm kidding! I'm good! Just keep doing Sultan stuff. I'll stay out of your hair." She thought it over. "Actually, do you have a library in here? I kinda wanna see if there's anything I can read in order to keep up work on my magic."

"Oh, of course!" The Sultan turned to call down the hall: "Razoul!"

"Yes, Sultan!" Razoul rushed to bow before the Sultan.

"Would you escort Sadira to our library to show her where she can find reading material?" the Sultan asked.

"Yes," Razoul replied.

"Thanks, Razoul," Sadira said, falling in step beside the guard as he made his way to the library.

"I still don't trust you, witch," Razoul hissed once the two were out of earshot.

"Well, then, I'm just going to have to prove you can," Sadira resolved, crossing her arms.

* * *

In the back of the dive that housed the Guild of Thieves, Abis Mal, Mechanicles, Haroud, and Amin Damoola huddled around a table. A small bronze clockwork beetle, just below knee height, scuttled around them, occasionally branching out to explore other parts of the room.

"So far," Mechanicles reported, rolling out a checklist – most of which was crossed off – "the majority of our team efforts have been successful."

"I'll say," Amin chuckled, picking up a pile of gold coins from the table – only a part of what they'd amassed since beginning work together.

"Leading us," Mechanicles went on, "to the eternal question, one asked every time we reconvene at this less than pleasant establishment – "

"So what are we doing next?" Abis Mal asked.

"HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT ME!" Mechanicles snapped, leaning directly toward Abis Mal, staring him down. "I WAS GETTING THERE!"

"Well, fine, Mr. Bossypants!" Abis Mal replied, folding his arms.

Mechanicles settled back down. "As I was saying: what is to be our next move?"

"Well, I hear the Land of the Black Sands has some serious loot – " Abis Mal began.

"NO," Amin snarled, beginning to shudder at the thought.

"Might I suggest a return to Getzistan?" Haroud voiced.

"But we aaaaaaalways do Getzistan!" Abis Mal whined.

"And for good reason!" Mechanicles snapped. "It's one of the most lucrative kingdoms in all of the Seven Deserts! Our only worry is if they've wised up to our attack pattern, in which case, I have come up with a few new mechanical designs." He spread out several sheets of parchment over the table, each of which held a schematic for a clockwork insect or arachnid. "Behold! The agile tarantula! The stalwart beetle! The airborne dragonfly!"

"Well, that's good ENOUGH, if a little boring," Amin sighed.

"See?" Abis Mal snapped. "He thinks it's a boring idea too."

"I was thinking of the legends that told of the plant monster that inhabited the oasis garden far beyond the Agrabanian walls," Amin mused. "The garden that died this very year, leaving blackened vines, trees without leaves…and more than likely plunder of VERY good value."

"Well," Mechanicles said plainly, "that just has 'bad idea' written all over it."

Suddenly, the clockwork beetle was upset, scampering back to the table as quickly as it could and clambering up onto it, its metal legs entangling with the papers before it flipped over onto its back and flailed wildly.

"SCOOTER!" Mechanicles scolded. "WHAT do you think you are doing?" He flipped the beetle back over onto its feet. "How many times have I told you NOT to mess with Daddy's meticulously planned checklists?" He stared down the beetle for a while before breaking into a grin. "Oh, you know I can't stay mad at you, you adorable little scamp!"

"Ooooookaaaaayyyyy…" Amin said, staring in confusion at the display.

"Perhaps," Haroud suggested, "that newcomer is what triggered that response in the machine – er, that is to say, Scooter."

All four turned to look at the man who'd entered the room: tall, muscular, bald, scowling at his surroundings disparagingly.

Abis Mal reacted immediately. "HEY!" he screamed, pointing at the newcomer. "THAT'S SA'LUK OF THE FORTY THIEVES! THAT'S HIM, I TELL YOU!"

All eyes suddenly locked onto the newcomer, and every other thief in the room, from the amateur to the talented, began to whisper to those around about whether or not the truth had been spoken. The newcomer, however, made his way to the table at the back of the room.

"I think you made him mad…" Amin squeaked before diving to hide under the table.

Sa'luk looked over the four at the table. Well, the three at the table, and the one under it. All of them looked thoroughly unimpressive in his eyes. He turned his attention to Abis Mal. "So you recognize me," he said.

"Yeah," Abis Mal said, "but you're supposed to be dead! Right? Or did you have some kinda run-in with a…with a nec…necro…dead-people-come-alive-guy?"

"Necromancer, sir," Haroud supplied.

"Yeah!" Abis Mal cried. "One of those!"

"I was indeed dead," Sa'luk said with a grin. "And now I'm not. But this isn't a work of any old necromancer. I'm here because of forces bigger than what you can imagine. And I'm here with a mission."

He turned his back on the table, figuring he could ignore the four – none of whom looked strong, all of whom were shorter than him, and who struck him as an idiot, a kiss-up, a coward, and the sort of mentally unsound person who cuddles mechanical beetles. Sa'luk instead looked out to the rest of the room, stepping atop a small table to make his announcement.

"Yes, I was with the Forty Thieves!" he announced. "And yes…I have returned from the dead, though how I did it concerns NONE of you. I am looking to rebuild what I have lost. As you know, the Forty Thieves are no more, thanks to that coward Cassim, father of the prince!"

At that statement, a loud "BOOOOOO!" sounded from the crowd.

"What I need," Sa'luk said, "is a small, elite team of which I can take the helm. Those who join me will have a chance to gain untold riches! Now, I want you all to tell me…who are the best thieves in this Guild?"

He expected the majority of the thieves to stand up and claim "I AM!" The rest, he hypothesized, would all point out roughly the same people, though these numbers would be few. It was the ones who got the votes of the others whom he would take.

However, what happened next shocked him almost more than when Discord had trotted him out into Mirage's sanctum in Morbus. Every arm raised and pointed, either respectfully or resentfully, at the table in the back. Sa'luk turned to see Abis Mal, Amin Damoola, Haroud Hazi Bin, and Mechanicles smirking devilishly at him.

"Do you think I am a JOKE?" he roared.

"But they've robbed the entire city of Inabadway blind!" a voice piped up.

"And dipped into the royal coffers of Quirkistan!" another added.

"The finest cows of Odiferous!" said another.

And another: "Every betting pool at the Nest Egg in Getzistan!"

And another: "They even recovered the shards of the Destiny Stone!"

"Which turned out to be little more than a glorified set of paperweights," Mechanicles broke in.

"With all due respect," Haroud said, approaching Sa'luk, "our team has pulled off many a successful heist. Of course, we would GLADLY welcome any member of the Forty Thieves into our ranks! Barring Cassim, of course."

"I had a feeling you were a kiss-up," Sa'luk hissed. "All the same…" He looked toward the table, where Abis Mal attempted to wave at him in a friendly manner, Mechanicles clutched Scooter protectively as though worried Sa'luk had ill intent for the mechanized beetle, and Amin just shrugged and gave a braggadocious grin.

"I suppose," Sa'luk resolved, "for want of anyone better…you'll do."

"YES!" Abis Mal squealed. "We got an actual member of the Forty Thieves!"

"This should improve our success rate circa forty percent," Mechanicles mused. "PROVIDED HE TOES THE LINE."

"Were I you…" Sa'luk jumped down off the table, landing hard, and brandished the bronze blades on his knuckles, advancing toward Mechanicles. "I would not claim to be the one to decide where the line is."

"Note," Mechanicles spat, "TAKEN."

Haroud rejoined the group, and Sa'luk resolved, "You four will be my elite force. And the five of us shall rebuild the legacy lost by the Forty Thieves. Now. If I may know your names…?"

"I am Abis Mal, scourge of the Seven Deserts!" Abis Mal introduced.

Haroud bowed. "Haroud Hazi Bin."

"Amin Damoola," Amin introduced. "And DON'T call me Butterfingers. I don't care WHAT anyone's told you!"

"And I?" Mechanicles stood to full height. "I am Mechanicles, the greatest of the great Greek thinkers! My intelligence dwarfs that of this entire room combined!"

After hearing the names of his new cohorts, Sa'luk wondered once again if this was some sort of joke.

"We're actually with one of the Forty Thieves!" Abis Mal gushed. He leapt up onto the table, reaching out to shake Sa'luk's right hand violently with both of his, and sang out, "Congratulations, you!"

"You've joined our crew!" Amin added.

"And I think that we can all agree," Haroud crooned.

"We've got the finest brains!" Mechanicles boasted.

"And we can bring the PAIN!" Abis Mal insisted, pumping his fists.

Then all four lined up in front of the table, putting right hands out to Sa'luk and singing in unison, "WELCOME TO THE GUILD OF THIEVES!"

Sa'luk rolled his eyes, as he'd heard this song and dance before – the exact same one, actually – back among the Forty. But he knew there was no stopping them now.

"Four twisted-minded men!" Mechanicles announced.

"Who'll be your best friends!" Amin insisted with an honest smile.

"There's nothing up our baggy sleeves…" Abis Mal began, before tugging at the edge of Mechanicles' chiton: "Or lack thereof!"

"Our spoils, we're willing to share," Haroud said, offering several gold pieces.

"Why don't you have a chair?" Amin asked, shoving a chair at Sa'luk so that he found himself stumbling down into a sitting position on it as the four thieves paraded around him.

And as they did, Mechanicles, Abis Mal, Amin, and Haroud harmonized, "WELCOME TO THE GUILD OF THIEVES!"

"We appreciate liars and cheats!" Haroud belted.

"With prim hair and with perfect teeth," Mechanicles added, at which point Abis Mal lifted his hat, ran his hand through his thinning hair, and pouted.

"But we always aim to please!" Amin chimed in.

Abis Mal leapt back up on the table, singing out, "Watch out for one another! These guys are like my brothers!"

"Joy," Sa'luk hissed under his breath. "Just what I need: RELATIVES."

"Plan details of every scam!" Mechanicles boasted, holding up several of his best sketches.

"If that don't work, we're on the lam!" Amin amended, knocking down the papers, causing Mechanicles to grit his teeth as he dropped to his knees to pick them all up and put them back in order.

"Taking whatever we please!" Abis Mal sang with a grin, snatching a bowl of grapes off a nearby table and popping three into his mouth.

"And if you want to rob," Haroud told Sa'luk plainly, "you're perfect for this job."

"WELCOME TO THE GUILD OF THIEVES!" the four chorused.

"Together, we're the perfect team!" Amin insisted, putting an arm around Haroud and Mechanicles each. Mechanicles promptly picked up Amin's wrist and threw his arm off of him, dusting off his shoulder.

"Lar…lars…stealing stuff is in our genes!" Abis Mal continued.

"Care to join our little dream?" Haroud asked beguilingly.

Amin and Abis Mal locked arms, harmonizing, "Live a life of leisure!"

"Counting EVERY PIECE of treasure!" Mechanicles said, unrolling a long scroll covered in numerical figures as he pulled a rope that caused a curtain to rise from the back wall.

Sa'luk gasped as he took in the sight. Golden statues, bejeweled artifacts, gemstones the size of eyeballs, heaps of coins…a veritable trove lay beyond that curtain. Breaking the momentum of the musical number, Sa'luk asked, "Did you collect all of that?"

"This is only a minor fraction of what we've collected, I'll have you know," Mechanicles said, pointing to the last figure on the scroll: a very high number. "And if a SINGLE PIECE gets lost in transport, there will be Tartarus to pay for ALL of you!"

Sa'luk grinned, standing up. "NOW you have my interest."

Mechanicles, Abis Mal, Amin, and Haroud lined up before him, executing a precise set of synchronized choreography without breaking the line as they sang the last lines: "As the newest member of our little gang, you'll be punished harshly if you leave! If you can snatch and sneak, then we can reach the peak! We'll bring in endless loot that we'll forever keep! And we'll be greater than you ever could believe! Wel-wel-welcome to the! Wel-wel-welcome to the GUILD…OF…THIIIIIIEEEEVES!"

They executed a quick two-step, and then Sa'luk supposed they were supposed to twirl in unison, but as Mechanicles and Haroud went clockwise, Amin and Abis Mal went counterclockwise, and all four ended up crashing into each other and hitting the ground.

"GAAAAAH!" Mechanicles screeched. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT DEVIATING FROM THE CHOREOGRAPHY? I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! YOU IDIOTS COULDN'T PULL OFF A FINALE IF YOUR LIVES DEPENDED ON IT! Let's just hope the NEW member has more experience with the performing arts and the PRECISION they require."

"Believe me…" Sa'luk said. "Among the Forty, song and dance were not unusual. Though I'm hoping we can keep it to a minimum compared to actual business."

"Oh, don't you worry your bald head about that," Abis Mal said slyly as the four thieves struggled back to standing positions; Abis Mal found himself greatly liking the idea of having someone completely bald, with no hair to be jealous of, on the team. He even entertained a momentary fantasy about Sa'luk being jealous of his hair before continuing, "We were just in the middle of planning our GREATEST HEIST OF THEM ALL!"

"And what would that be?" Sa'luk asked.

"We are still finalizing the minutiae," Mechanicles informed him.

"We have absolutely no idea what we're doing," Amin translated.

Sa'luk's palm became acquainted with his forehead.

"B-b-but we're working on it!" Amin said quickly.

"We were evaluating potential locations to target," Mechanicles explained. "Items of value worth taking note of."

"The problem is…well…basically, we've been all over the Seven Deserts," Abis Mal admitted. "At least, the safe parts."

"We have committed multiple thefts in nearly every nation," Haroud clarified. "Eliminating the plans that would amount to little more than suicide missions, we are left with very few pickings."

"Perhaps on THIS world," Sa'luk said, and it seemed to dawn on him why he was there, in that room with those four…the knowledge he could bring. "I think you need to think bigger."

"What, you want us to steal an elephant?" Abis Mal replied, confused.

"No, you idiot!" Mechanicles swatted Abis Mal on the back of the head with a rolled-up scroll. "He's saying to look outside the Seven Deserts into other nations!"

"Not just other nations," Sa'luk announced. "Gather round, new friends. I have something to tell you that I think you'll find more than interesting."

He leaned in over the table; the others gathered around it, leaning toward him.

Sa'luk spoke in hushed tones: "I was revived by an ancient being of chaos, who presented me to an audience of ancient beings, as well as three others. This being of chaos, he referred to my fellows as Aziz, Ayam…and of course, I knew of the infamous Nasira. The audience contained strange creatures, but I recognized the face of Mirage, the incarnation of evil as told in all the stories. We were brought out of the Netherworld into Mirage's world, which is not on this earth. It was a strange realm, called Morbus. The creatures that released us from death seemed to think of us as playthings. We were released back into our native realm on the terms that we 'do what we do best' and 'create disorder and chaos.' A small price to pay, for me…barely even a price at all. I never intended to simply slide into civilian society, after all."

"If I may interrupt this thrilling tale," Haroud said plainly, "what became of the other three?"

"They went their separate ways," Sa'luk said, "and I haven't heard from them since. Most likely, they're planning their own agendas in the shadows. Now, this is the part that is relevant to you. These ancient beings implied, as they spoke to us, that they were toying with countless others on countless worlds. Places far from this world, far from this realm of existence!"

"I'm not so sure I believe this," Amin groaned. "Other worlds. There's only this world, and that's it!"

"Well, there is the Netherworld, to be sure," Haroud pointed out, "and if the stories of Mirage are true, she exists far outside the Seven Deserts. As I've heard it told, she lives in a domain in the stars."

"Which is exactly where I found myself before I was sent here!" Sa'luk hissed. "If we have truly plundered all we can here, then there are hundreds, maybe thousands of other worlds to loot, waiting for us to discover them!"

"One detail of your story still bothers me," Mechanicles replied. "This 'being of chaos.' Describe it. And do not leave out a single detail."

"That would be difficult to do," Sa'luk answered, thinking back. "He took the form of a dragon, but with a head like a horse, and every limb of a different animal. They called him 'Discord.'"

Mechanicles gasped so loudly that every other thief in the entire room turned to look at him; Abis Mal clamped a hand over Mechanicles' mouth, sensing a bout of screaming coming on, and hissed, "Don't blow this to everybody in the room!"

Mechanicles nodded slowly. When Abis Mal removed his hand, Mechanicles hissed, "The draconequus! The one that stole the Eye of Gazeem from us…a portal to the Netherworld! That's how he found you there and brought you back!"

"You mean that thing with all the different parts?" Amin asked, shivering slightly as he remembered their only encounter with Discord.

"I'm far more inclined to believe this story of yours now," Mechanicles said. "And, as a matter of fact, I have heard tell of other worlds before. Dismissed as rumors and tall tales, of course, but after what you've just said, perhaps they're worth revisiting. For example, a rather persistent folktale that somewhere over the great ocean, there is a portal leading directly from this realm to another."

"Then we must find this portal!" Sa'luk growled. "We will do whatever it takes!"

"IF such a portal exists," Mechanicles retorted, "it is highly unlikely that we can find its whereabouts simply by traveling every inch of every ocean until we stumble into it. The only way to approach such an undertaking is to know its exact location from the very start!"

"Someone must have written it down!" Sa'luk insisted. "If you claim to be so intelligent, think! Who would know where it is?"

"Hmm…" Mechanicles didn't have to think for long. "Yes, they WOULD know, wouldn't they…they're regular connoisseurs of the magical at this point…frankly, wouldn't be surprised if they had actually been through it and come back…"

"WHO?" Sa'luk banged both fists on the table, attracting slight attention. "WHO KNOWS?"

"If anyone were to have recorded its whereabouts," Mechanicles stated, "it would be the Agrabanian royals. Aladdin and Jasmine – " He said the names as if they were curse words " – and their little band of unkempt thorns in my side."

"Then we shall raid the palace for information," Sa'luk decided.

"Well, if you're going to attempt to invade the royal stronghold," Mechanicles said, laying out his schematics of the various clockwork insects, "you're going to need the proper vehicle, equipped for battle. I just so happen to have various prototype designs of such vehicles. Tell me: which of them seems the most brilliant to you?"

"None of them," Sa'luk spat, gathering all but one of them – the dragonfly – into his hands and crumpling them into a ball before tearing said ball in half.

"I – WHAT – YOU – YOU JUST – " Mechanicles sputtered. "YOU JUST DESTROYED HOURS OF PAINSTAKING WORK!"

"Hours wasted," Sa'luk insisted, throwing the papers to the ground. "No mere insect is going to get us inside the palace walls." His eyes turned to the dragonfly. "If I may suggest." He picked up the last parchment, tearing away all but the label of "DRAGONFLY." Then he tore it yet again, leaving only part of the word, and showed the scrap to his fellows.

"Ohhhhh," Abis Mal, Amin, and Haroud said in awe.

"Well, I suppose if you want to go the overly clichéd route," Mechanicles sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Atop the roof of one of the palace towers, Genie reclined in a lawn chair he'd conjured for himself, looking over the sands of the desert with a pair of blue binoculars, the same shade as his own essence, that he'd also conjured from thin air. "Ahhhh, another beautiful day in Agrabah," he commented to himself. "Partly cloudy, with what looks like rain moving in from the southwest. Other than that, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and WHAT IN THE NAME OF ZEUS, ODIN, AND RA IS THAT?"

Genie nearly dropped the binoculars in horror. Winging its way toward the palace was a gigantic bronze-colored dragon, large enough to knock down one of the towers if it so desired.

In a flash, Genie was no longer atop the tower, and the lawn chair and binoculars had disappeared as well. He stood before the palace gates, and at his will, red strobe lights and alarm bells appeared everywhere in the palace that a guard was stationed, all of them activating at once in a cacophony of noise. "RED ALERT!" Genie bellowed, his voice emanating from speakers attached to the red strobes. "I REPEAT: RED ALERT! WE HAVE A CODE ANGRY-DRAGON-APPROACHING-THE-PALACE! REPEAT! A CODE ANGRY-DRAGON-APPROACHING-THE-PALACE! ALL UNITS TO BATTLE STATIONS! ALL UNITS TO BATTLE STATIONS!"

"YOU HEAR THAT?" Razoul barked to a nearby troop. "The palace is under attack! GET TO BATTLE STATIONS!"

All over the palace grounds, guards rushed to attention, mobilizing in front of the gates to see the dragon. It was now impossible to miss, having crossed over the city borders, casting a large shadow on the streets below it. And at that distance, Genie had a clearer look at the dragon's hide, and he began to wonder if he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing, or if he was just hallucinating that the great beast was actually made of metal.

A thought crossed his mind; a usual suspect. He dismissed it. "Naaaaaaah," Genie thought out loud. "If it were Mechanicles, it would look more like some kind of insect!"

And yet Genie was wrong. Sa'luk had persuaded Mechanicles to construct an altogether different sort of creature than he was used to. Inside the head of the great dragon, Sa'luk, Abis Mal, and Mechanicles looked out the windows set into the dragon's eyes, watching as the behemoth reached the palace and turning their attentions to the various control levers set around the cockpit that angled the dragon's direction.

Abis Mal let out a high-pitched giggle. "This is gonna be great!"

"Will you take this seriously?" Mechanicles barked. "We need to be heading approximately three degrees more to the east!"

"Got it!" Abis Mal cranked a nearby lever.

"No, no, NO!" Mechanicles shrieked. "Now we're going FOUR degrees more east! Take us back one degree west!"

"I trust you two to take us inside the palace walls," Sa'luk stated. "Remember the plan we spoke of!"

He turned, making to storm out. He nearly stumbled over Scooter, who was running around the cockpit frenetically. Angered, Sa'luk kicked Scooter to the side, where he clanged against a wall, before storming out of the cockpit and through a door arch that led to the passageway down the dragon's throat.

This hallway eventually led him down to the stomach, a cavernous room where Amin and Haroud were working the levers that controlled the dragon's wings, keeping the dragon aloft. Sa'luk passed by them, passing by the main boiler that propelled the beast as well, and headed toward the tail.

Inside the palace library, Sadira could hear the sounds of rushing footsteps, and she thought she heard Genie yelling, but she assumed he was having a histrionic spell over something trivial. The library walls had been built thickly, to provide as much quiet as possible for the reader, and so it was that Sadira remained on the library couch, oblivious to the metal dragon's landing, poring over a scroll that detailed some of the theories and practices behind earth-based magic. Apparently, sand was only the beginning.

The dragon touched ground in the palace courtyard, and the full force of the royal guards ran to meet it. They were led not by Razoul, who actually kept a close second, but by Genie, who had transformed so he wore silver armor and carried a long lance. Genie thrust the lance at the dragon's chest; it bounced off the beast's metal hide.

"ATTACK IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" Razoul yelled, taking the lead. "I'LL SEE THIS BEAST'S HEAD MOUNTED OVER THE THRONE!"

Up in the cockpit, Abis Mal leaned over to Mechanicles. "Sooooo…which one of these levers controls the fire breath, again?"

"I know I'm going to regret this," Mechanicles groaned, "but it's that one." He pointed to a rather large lever set in the side wall. "The one time letting you attack wantonly will actually ACHIEVE something."

"YAY!" Abis Mal ran to the lever, yanking it.

The dragon's jaws opened; a blast of fire streamed forth, igniting the ground before the guards, who turned and ran before they could become engulfed.

"HAHAHAHAAAAA!" Abis Mal crowed. "BURN, BABY! WHO'S GOT THE FIREPOWER? I'VE GOT THE FIREPOWER! …Huh? WHAT?"

A legitimate blizzard had begun to blow, snow whipping about in the cold wind. The flames were dying down within the cold. Through the snow, Mechanicles and Abis Mal could see the blizzard's source: Genie, now dressed in drag in a glimmering blue gown, topped off with a white-blonde braid. "Let it go!" Genie sang in an effeminate voice. "Let it gooooo! I am one with the wind and skyyyyy!"

"THAT…CURSED…GENIE!" Abis Mal spat. "I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM I HATE HIM I HATE HIM!"

"The feeling is mutual," Mechanicles said before steering the dragon's head to swing low to the ground and snap its jaws at Genie, trying to clamp him between them.

"YIPE!" Genie bolted from the snapping bronze teeth. The guards then rushed at the dragon again, attempting to cut its head off, only to find their blades useless.

As the skirmish continued at the dragon's head, the spiked tail of the metal beast smashed through one of the palace walls, one strategically chosen. When the tail obliterated the library's outer wall, erupting into the room with an explosion of dust and rubble, Sadira was finally alerted to the fact that there was something rather serious going on outside. She leapt off the couch, balling her hands into fists and taking a fighting stance against the intruder.

In the rearmost room of the dragon's inner mechanisms, Sa'luk opened a hatch, dropping out of the tail onto the ground outside the library. He then proceeded to charge into the room that had been forcibly opened for him.

"Stop RIGHT THERE!" Sadira barked.

Sa'luk barreled toward her, striking her with the back of his hand. She thought she would be ready; she found herself on a collision course with the ground as Sa'luk moved past her to get to what he wanted.

A great map of the Seven Deserts was attached to the wall; Sa'luk ripped it down and rolled it up. He presumed the area around it was also filled with atlases, and so he grabbed every scroll in the vicinity, stuffing them all under his right arm.

The bronze dragon continued to knock down every soldier that approached it, and many of the troops just gave up and ran away screaming, to Razoul's malcontent. Genie watched as the dragon kept up its rampage, lashing out with claws and breathing yet more fire onto the lawn. "Hmm," Genie mused. "Maybe he just needs to play with someone his own size."

Genie knelt down on all fours and began to metamorphosize, taking on the form of a spiny, scaly dragon the same size as Mechanicles' construct. "I AM FIRE," he rasped. "I AM DEATH!"

In this new body, Genie lunged forward to tackle the bronze dragon. He locked claws with it, jolting the contraption.

In the cockpit, Abis Mal and Mechanicles slipped off their feet and landed hard on their backs in synchrony while Scooter flew up into the air.

Sa'luk finished gathering what he believed to be relevant material and turned around to find Sadira standing between him and the exit, stance widened, arms spread. "Don't make me use this," she snarled, reaching for her belt, where she kept a bag of sand that she made a habit of carrying in case of attack.

Sa'luk was faster than she. In a moment, he was beside her, wrapping his right arm around her body and pinning her forearms to her side, the triple bronze blades at her neck. "One more move," he hissed, "and I slash your throat." He only took a moment to rethink his statement. "Actually, I should just do that ANYWAY."

"SA'LUK!" Amin's voice screeched from the hole in the library wall. Sa'luk turned to see the hindquarters of the shaken dragon; Amin leaned out the tail hatch to yell at him. "Hurry up! We're in over our heads!"

Sadira took advantage of the distraction. She slipped downward out of Sa'luk's grasp and bolted for the doorway, running out into the hall. She didn't want to risk trying any more moves on Sa'luk at close range; she knew she was lucky to have gotten away with her life. At the same time, she wasn't about to let him and the giant machine she saw win the day. Her course was for the throne room.

As Genie and the bronze dragon wrestled, Genie got a good look into the eyes – the windows – of the dragon. When he saw the cockpit, and Abis Mal and Mechanicles scurrying about inside it, trying to hastily work the controls while barely keeping their balance, he gasped. "MECHANICLES!"

"I think he might be onto us," Abis Mal stated.

That earned him a smack on the back of the head from Mechanicles. The dragon's head turned, and Genie no longer had view into the beast's inner workings.

Sa'luk charged into the cockpit, maps in hand. "WE HAVE WHAT WE CAME FOR!" he bellowed. "NOW GO!"

"Executing escape plan alpha!" Mechanicles announced. He reached up, pulling a lever on the ceiling. The dragon reared up.

A shrill whistle sounded in the belly chamber. Haroud and Amin, returning to their posts at the wings, aimed the wings for a course directly upward.

Giving one last breath of fire as a farewell, the dragon took off into the air, beginning to wing its way away from the palace. Genie watched it, wondering why Mechanicles and Abis Mal would just leave.

From the throne room balcony, Sadira also watched the dragon fly up into the air. Having seen Amin and the tail hatch, she suspected it wasn't an organic creature, though she didn't know much more about it than that, and certainly hadn't recognized the man who attacked her – though she had thought she recognized the man who'd distracted her attacker as the thief known throughout town as "Butterfingers," as improbable as it seemed. Whatever the case, Sadira knew the hallmarks of brewing evil when she saw them. That was why Carpet hovered near her.

"Ready?" she asked Carpet.

Carpet beckoned with a tassel.

Sadira leapt aboard Carpet, and as the dragon continued its course to the horizon, she began to follow.

Genie, seeing Sadira take off on Carpet from the balcony, let out a high-pitched screech and transformed back into his usual body before zooming to catch up with her. "SADIRA!" he cried as he finally made pace with Carpet. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I promised I'd do!" Sadira answered. "I'm taking care of this!"

"That's not any ordinary dragon!" Genie warned her. "Abis Mal and Mechanicles are running it!"

"Yeah," Sadira said, somehow not surprised. "And they're not alone. There are at least two other guys in that thing. Don't worry. I can handle them."

"I'm coming with you!"

"Genie, no!" Sadira begged. "With me gone, somebody needs to stay back at the palace in case something ELSE like this happens! You really think the Sultan and Razoul could handle something like this if we were gone? Also, I promised Aladdin I'd feed Abu while he was gone, and it looks like I'm gonna miss dinner."

"You can't possibly think you can handle that dragon and everyone in it on your own!" Genie moaned.

"I handled it when you set a giant mechanical dragon on me, didn't I?" Sadira retorted. "And this time, I'm not going to be chained to anything."

"The entire royal guard couldn't stop it!"

"And there was a time they couldn't stop me either!"

"…Point," Genie admitted.

"You go back and take care of the palace," Sadira demanded. "I'm going to catch up to those thieves and figure out what they wanted with all those maps they took."

"They took MAPS?"

"GENIE! Are you leaving or not?"

"Sorry!" Genie did an about-face, rocketing back toward the palace. As he soared away, Sadira heard him yell, "GOOD LUUUUUUUUUCK!"

"Thanks," she muttered under her breath, smiling slightly, "but I don't need luck." She looked up to the horizon. The dragon was quite a way ahead of Carpet and gaining in speed. "It's gotta land sometime," Sadira told Carpet. "Think we can make it?"

Carpet responded by flying ever so slightly faster.

* * *

Inside the cockpit, Sa'luk spread out the maps over the floor. "Look!" he said, stabbing a marked point on the ocean with his finger. "There!"

"We are rather occupied at the moment," Mechanicles grunted, rushing from lever to lever to keep the dragon on course. Abis Mal, on the other hand, completely dropped everything he was doing to look at the maps, forcing Mechanicles to rush to Abis Mal's assigned controls to pick up the slack. "SCOOTER!" Mechanicles barked. "MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL!"

The beetle flipped onto its back and flailed its legs.

Abis Mal knelt over where Sa'luk had unrolled another map, pointing to the same spot on it. "It's marked several times," Sa'luk said. "I'll wager in the prince and princess' own hand. 'Portal.' They knew all along!"

"But it's in the middle of the ocean!" Abis Mal whined. "We'll never be able to swim that far!"

"That is why we are in a FLYING machine, you idiot." Sa'luk rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah!" Abis Mal realized.

"COORDINATES!" Mechanicles barked.

Sa'luk stood, looking out one of the eye-windows at the position of the sun. "Turn slightly to the east," he commanded.

* * *

After a considerable amount of time had passed, the bronze dragon made it out over open ocean, blue waters lapping below. A ways behind it, a certain flying carpet ridden by one particular witch still followed.

"So," Abis Mal said. "This portal. How are we gonna know it when we find it?"

"We already have," Sa'luk said with a grin, pointing out the window.

Sa'luk, Mechanicles, and Abis Mal turned their gazes out the windows to the sight before them. The very air shimmered; a border of light traced out a massive archway, large enough to admit the largest invented seacraft – and certainly a bronze dragon – over the ocean, as though it were an intangible door. There was a slight film covering the arch, marking a clear separation between the world of the Seven Deserts and the world beyond.

"It's true," Sa'luk marveled. "Other worlds…worlds that do not know our might, what we can do…"

"Are you sure it's not an illusion?" Mechanicles asked skeptically.

"It's no illusion," Sa'luk told him.

"Other worlds…" Mechanicles said softly.

"SHINY!" Abis Mal squealed.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Mechanicles bellowed. He reached up, grabbing a speaker that was connected to a tube in the ceiling. "APPROACHING INTERDIMENSIONAL PORTAL! CONTACT WITH PORTAL IN THIRTY SECONDS!"

The announcement funneled its way down to the belly room of the dragon, and Haroud and Amin took the news with smiles.

Indeed, it took around thirty seconds for the dragon to reach and collide with the shining arch, passing through the film of light.

From behind, Sadira observed in amazement. "Carpet?" she asked. "Can you get me a good view of the side of that arch?"

Carpet veered sharply to the side. Sadira looked to the horizon. Looking around the arch, it appeared the dragon had completely disappeared – it hadn't come out the other side over the ocean. "Other side?" Sadira suggested.

Carpet veered again. Again, no dragon. "Now back to where we were," Sadira ordered.

Carpet moved so they were approaching the portal directly, and Sadira could definitely see the tail end of the dragon. "Okay," she muttered, "that's freaky." It dawned on her right away. She'd seen portals to other realms before, albeit smaller ones that led to small dimensions – in particular, one she had once conjured that led into a landscape comprised of her fantasies. That portal, and probably the empty realm it led to, had been dissolved fairly quickly. This one appeared far more permanent. Still, it was a portal, and Sadira was sure of it.

"They're in some kind of other world now," she said out loud. "And we all know they cause enough trouble on THIS one! Carpet, full speed ahead!"

As the portal grew ever closer at an alarmingly rapid rate, Sadira felt her heart beating faster, but she swallowed her fear down as she passed through the veil of light into the unknown.

* * *

THE SEAS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Through the eye-windows of the dragon, Mechanicles, Abis Mal, and Sa'luk could see more ocean still stretching before them…and at the end of it, a green coastline. "WE DID IT!" Abis Mal squealed. "WE MADE IT! Get ready, you…you OTHER WORLD! THE GUILD OF THIEVES HAS ARRIVED!"

"Charting a course for the landmass ahead," Mechanicles stated.

"I would advise you not to land," Sa'luk said, "until we've found someplace as ripe for the picking as Agrabah."

"In that case," Mechanicles said – a slight edge creeping into his voice as he began to resent being ordered around so – "charting a course for the nearest largely populated city on the landmass ahead."

"BEST ROAD TRIP EVER!" Abis Mal yelled.

* * *

Over blue seas, over small towns with stone streets, over brilliant green fields, the dragon winged its way, causing those below to point up at it in fear and cry out. None, however, made a fuss over Carpet and Sadira, who kept on chasing the dragon.

And when the dragon began to descend, Sadira muttered, "Gotcha."

* * *

Chapter 79:

· This interlude is happening for three reasons. One: to give you a break from 616th, because even though it's basically going to be like a whole new realm due to the time differences and the new fiction I'm drawing from instead of just Marvel, I still wanted to shake things up a bit. Two: to build up a ship that's going to be slightly relevant later; I wanted to get the baggage of it out of the way before touching the Deserts or Greece with the Mane Six again. Three: because ever since "Hercules and the Arabian Knight," I KNOW the fanbase has wanted Mechanicles to interact with the characters of HTAS, so I'm giving you that.

· This is basically going to be "Hercules and the Arabian Knight: Revenge of the Side Characters." There are certain reasons I can't touch Hercules and Meg right now (given the cliffhanger I left them on), and I wanted to work with the side characters more anyway.

· The Hajj is a pillar of Islam stating that one must during one's life make a journey to Mecca. I have often thought that the very concept of talking about this in the Aladdinverse context would be cool, and it allowed me a way to get Al and Jas to move out of the spotlight for a bit. I tried my best to handle it with tact and apologize if I got anything wrong about the details.

· Amin's resistance to plundering the Black Sands is a reference to "Vocal Hero," where his failure lands him in servitude to Mozenrath. Fun fact: he's never seen again after that ep, so actually, the most logical conclusion is that Moz probably killed him. Obviously I did not go that route because I wanted to work with him. In this canon, he served out a while under Moz before breaking away.

· Scooter is Mechanicles' canon familiar. If the term "familiar" applies. Maybe more like "pet"?

· I'm not exactly sure how well known the Forty Thieves were in the Seven Deserts as a whole. I'm just kinda running with the concept that Sa'luk is at least a little famous.

· Yep, the song is "Welcome to the Forty Thieves." I literally had Sa'luk sit through his new group doing his old group's song.

· Where are Nasira, Aziz, and Aghoul? Trust me, they've got plans of their own they're working on. But they're not relevant now.

· Genie's transformations are references to Elsa from "Frozen" and Smaug from "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug." Which is gonna get awkward when both of those works of fiction turn out to be worlds that exist in this universe, but there's no way to escape that.

· The portal between the Deserts and Greece is entirely my imagination. "Hercules and the Arabian Knight," of course, implies there isn't one, but you already know that's not the case here. It's occurred to me that Al and Herc do all their long-distance transport by flight (on Carpet and Pegasus) and Jafar and Hades teleport where they want to go, so the portal didn't need to be on land. Over the sea, it's where people won't accidentally stumble into it while walking.


	80. It Goes, They Go, We Go

80. It Goes, They Go, We Go

ATHENS, OLYMPIC GREECE

The bronze dragon soared over the sprawling city-state, an incredibly large wonder compared to the minor villages that the five thieves within had passed over up to that point.

"There," Sa'luk said. "That's our target."

"TIME TO BRING THE FIRE!" Abis Mal yelled, cranking the lever that controlled the dragon's fire breath.

As the dragon swooped over Athens, it leaned downward, its head spewing a steady stream of fire that caught any flammable material it came across. Civilians ran away from the flames in terror, screaming.

"A DRAGON IS ATTACKING!" someone yelled.

"WHO WILL SAVE US?" someone else yelled.

"WE NEED A HERO!" a third yelled.

Inside one particular shop, a certain engineer was meticulously putting aerodynamic carvings onto a wing made of wax, laid out across his worktable. Upon hearing the cries, he suddenly looked up, dropping the knife. "Attacking monster…city in peril…need a hero?" He rushed out the door of the shop, and boldly, he cried out, "FEAR NOT, FELLOW CITIZENS! I, ICARUS, SHALL SAVE YOU ALL!"

Those around him stopped to stare at him in wonder for a moment. Then he heard one lone voice: "Well, we're doomed."

Inside the cockpit of the dragon, Mechanicles slapped Abis Mal on the back of the head for what must have been the seventh time since the dragon had been built. "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" he screeched.

"You IMBECILE!" Sa'luk grabbed Abis Mal by the shirt front, lifting him up with his right hand and pressing the blades on his left hand up against Abis Mal's throat, causing the shorter thief to emit a terrified squeak. "We are strangers here! For all they knew, we could have been friends and allies! We could have used that to our ADVANTAGE!"

"Don't kill me!" Abis Mal whimpered. "Maybe they thought it was a friendly fireball! Isn't friendly fire a thing? PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

"Sa'luk, PUT HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Mechanicles barked.

"Why should I?" Sa'luk asked.

"I thought you of all people were the one looking to keep as many allies as possible," Mechanicles stated. "You would be ridding yourself of a valuable resource if you killed him. Besides, the situation is still salvageable." He steered the dragon upward, away from the heart of Athens.

Sa'luk dropped Abis Mal roughly. "Tell me how," he growled as Abis Mal scurried down the hallway to the belly chamber of the dragon.

"The people of this city, which I presume to be this world's equivalent of Athens given its location, have only seen a bronze-colored dragon attack them," Mechanicles explained. "They have not seen any of our faces. If we hide the dragon away – a task that would have been much easier to achieve were it a dragonFLY – we may still enter the town completely unrecognized as wanted felons."

"You have a point," Sa'luk said.

"Of course I have a point. I am, after all, the most intelligent of the great Greek thinkers. And, as this appears to be this world's equivalent of Greece, stark architectural differences from our own world's Greece notwithstanding, I have what plebeians call 'home field advantage.'"

"Just hide the dragon," Sa'luk growled.

"Already in progress," Mechanicles assured him. "Also, if you wish to remain part of our little guild, you will NOT threaten another one of my allies."

"Or what?"

"If you eliminate one of us, you will be up against three, and no matter the combination, the group will contain either me and the vast array of destructive mechanical weapons I can construct, or Haroud and his innate streak of good luck and sensibility, if not both, plus at least one ally who is somewhat skilled with a sword at least. However, I do hope it doesn't have to come to that. It would just be so…messy. I think we'd all enjoy this escapade a lot more if we could remain friends!"

"Hmph," Sa'luk grunted, accepting Mechanicles' argument for the moment. "Fine. I'll save it for our victims."

"Very good!"

By that time, Mechanicles had steered the dragon toward a forest outside the borders of Athens, and he landed it gracefully among the trees. "We are now at a departure station for Athens, or the equivalent thereof," he announced.

* * *

Back in the city, Icarus had watched the dragon wing its way out of town. "Watch out, dragon," he said in the closest thing he could muster to a threatening growl. "I'm coming after you!"

Loaded down with a simple dagger, he took off running, following the dragon in the sky with his eyes and marking its trajectory.

Observing Icarus' chase, one of passerby remarked, "Yep, he's dead."

* * *

The jaws of the dragon opened, and Mechanicles and Sa'luk exited into the forest, followed by Abis Mal, Haroud, and Amin.

"Remember," Mechanicles said. "We have the element of surprise on our side. I suggest we use this opportunity to take reconnaissance of the city and utilize it to learn this world's principal features."

"Uhhhh…what now?" Abis Mal replied.

"Research what is worth stealing," Haroud simplified.

"Good idea!" Abis Mal cheered.

"Or," Sa'luk suggested, "we use this opportunity to steal our way into the upper ranks and strike the city at its heart."

"WHAT?" Mechanicles screeched. "YOU were the one who pointed out we have the advantage of anonymity! And you would just WASTE it on a larger heist?"

"And I suppose you'd have us bide our time for months and months until we found the perfect treasure," Sa'luk snarled.

"If months are what it takes…" Mechanicles argued.

"MONTHS?" Abis Mal groaned. "Oy…"

"Can't we just pick a few pockets now?" Amin whined.

"Might I suggest we pursue different goals?" Haroud brought up. "Sa'luk, you could find the government center of the city and strike there. Mechanicles, I'm sure there's a library you could look through. Amin, you could take to the streets and commit more stealthy pocket robberies, and as for Abis Mal and myself, we shall find other opportunities ripe for the taking. I am sure there is more than one unlocked door in town."

"Well, I suppose it is the only way to get what we all want," Mechanicles sighed, unrolling his checklist parchment and beginning to jot down new goals.

"Then let's go." Sa'luk stormed back toward the city, and the others followed.

Shortly after they'd left, Carpet descended. Sadira hadn't seen the thieves leave; she was braced for battle. She leapt down onto the ground, running into the jaws of the dragon. "All right," she snapped, "you…" She looked around the cockpit, scanning its many bells and whistles. "You…aren't here."

She ventured tentatively down the throat passage, into the belly chamber. "Hello?" she called out. "Anybody home?" She was greeted with nothing but a hiss of steam from the boiler. "Huh."

Then, from outside, there came a great CLANG against the outer wall. Someone was yelling – a male voice, Sadira could tell that much – but she couldn't make out the words. Looking round the dragon's interior, Sadira spotted the hatch in the rear of the chamber, opening it up to take a look outside.

Gingerly, she stepped onto the grass, getting a good look at the dragon's assailant. Icarus lobbed a fist-sized rock at the beast's side, screaming, "Taaaake THAT!" He threw another rock. "AND THAT!" Another. "AND THAT! THAT'LL TEACH YOU TO BREATHE FIRE ON INNOCENT PEOPLE!"

"Ummm…" Sadira stifled a laugh as she walked toward Icarus. "What are you doing?"

"I am saving Athens from this monster!" Icarus answered proudly before throwing another rock. "And surprisingly, throwing rocks seems to be working. It hasn't moved since I started. Hmm…what if it's just trying to lull me into a false sense of security? IS THAT IT?" He threw another rock at the dragon.

"That's not going to work," Sadira pointed out. "It's not a real dragon."

"What do you mean it's not a real dragon?" Icarus asked. "It breathed fire over Athens!"

"Yeah," Sadira confirmed, "but it's a machine. The fire came from the thieves that were piloting it. Though they seem to be long gone."

"And how do YOU know much about this operation, sister?" Icarus asked, dropping the rocks and leaning in close to Sadira, staring her down as closely as he could; she leaned backward in response. "Are you in on it?"

"In on it?" Sadira repeated. "I'm trying to stop it! The guys that built this are from my homeland. And they launched an attack on my palace! Well, my friends' palace. The thieves used this to get close and attack the guards while one of them ran in to pick up a bunch of maps. Maps that led them right here."

"And why did they need to get HERE, hmmmmm?"

"I have no idea," Sadira admitted. "But I do know if I don't find some way to stop them, they're going to wreck your city the same way they terrorized mine. Trust me. My friends have dealt with the guys who built this thing before. And those guys are bad news."

"Hmm." Icarus stepped back to consider the information. "Say I believe you."

"If you don't, I'm just going to keep on doing what I was doing anyway. I just thought you should know that throwing rocks isn't going to help."

"What WERE you doing, anyway?"

"Well…" Sadira looked up at the dragon. "I was going to try and fight the thieves, but they're long gone. So maybe now…" Her next goal took shape in her mind. "If I destroy the dragon…then they can't use it to wreck anything else, and they might not even be able to get very far outside this city!" She took the pouch of sand from her belt, weighing it in her hand. She knew it wasn't going to be enough, and she wondered if she had time to run back to the coast, or if there was any sandy ground to speak of in the area. It then struck her just how odd it was to see a landscape made of firm dirt with foliage sprouting from it as opposed to a desert.

"You need to destroy a machine?" Icarus said, his face lighting up. "Well, you came to the right place. I can take this baby down for ya in ten seconds flat."

"Oh, really?" Sadira asked sarcastically. "Are you some kind of machine expert?"

"Actually, yes," Icarus answered in the most debonair tone he could muster. "You happen to be looking at one of the chief engineers of all of Greece. I mostly specialize in wax wings, but I know a thing or to about steam power and clockwork."

"So you can actually destroy this thing," Sadira stated seriously.

"Yup-er-doo."

"And what if I am one of the bad guys," Sadira teased, "and this is all part of my evil plan?"

"Oh, don't be silly!" Icarus said with a wave of his hand. "Why would you want to destroy your own dragon? You'd have to be one stupid villain!"

"Or the dragon could be a decoy to get you distracted. Maybe I have an army lining up that you don't know about, just outside the gates of your city."

"What kind of person would build a giant animal-shaped contraption just as a decoy to fool a bunch of people and get an army inside city walls? That's just silly!" Icarus laughed. "Anyway, if you want this thing taken down, just say the word."

"Okay. I want this thing taken down."

"Have you been inside it?"

"Yeah."

"And did you see a boiler?"

"Yeah…"

"Watch and learn," Icarus said, bending down to collect the stones he'd dropped. "But first, lead on."

"Okay," Sadira said before making her way to the rear hatch of the dragon. "So what's your name, Mr. master engineer?"

"Name's Icarus," Icarus stated. "And you?"

"Sadira."

"Well, pleased to meet ya, Sadira!"

"Same to you, Icarus."

She led him into the belly chamber of the dragon, to where the boiler was hissing steam still. "This is gonna be easy!" Icarus remarked. "Just stand back and watch the master at work!"

He searched the boiler for open outlets for the steam, plugging every hole he found with a rock of the appropriate size. As a last measure, he cranked a valve on the boiler's front to its extreme, building up the pressure inside the boiler.

"Nothin' to it," Icarus said, leaning against the boiler, which was beginning to shudder. "Just a standard steam boiler. Must've worked on about a hundred of these babies with Dad-alus."

"Is it supposed to be shaking?" Sadira asked worriedly.

"Oh, yeah…" Icarus replied. "That's the thing. We sort of have to run if we don't want to be blown to bits."

"Then let's GO!" Sadira yelled in a panic. Icarus prepared to run, but before he could get moving, she'd already grabbed him by the chiton sleeve, charging toward the open hatch.

The pair leapt from the dragon, careening across the forest floor as behind them, the dragon exploded in a great KABOOM and emitted a plume of fire and smoke high into the air; a much smaller mechanical contraption was also launched into the sky and toward the city, riding the cloud.

* * *

In the streets of Athens, the five thieves gathered; they all found the sensation odd of being able to stand in the middle of a public square and let the public pass them without the fear of recognition.

"And these are flare bugs," Mechanicles said, handing out a tiny red metal beetle, small enough to fit in a palm, to each of his allies. "If any of you should encounter a crippling failure that requires the attention of the rest of us, simply wind up the beetle and launch it into the air. It will explode, and we will all gather at this very rendez-vous point."

"I do not intend to fail," Sa'luk said, pocketing the beetle.

"So you may say," Mechanicles said condescendingly. "However, this world bears very little resemblance to your native culture. I, on the other hand, recognize the majority of the architecture and clothing here as that of my own – "

KABOOM!

When the noise of the explosion came from the forest, Mechanicles' jaw dropped and he emitted a high-pitched squealing noise of dismay.

"What?" Abis Mal asked. "What just happened?"

"Th…th…THE DRAGON!" Mechanicles sputtered. "THAT NOISE CAME FROM – " He turned to look toward the forest only to see a rising cloud of smoke. "NOOOOOOO!" He clenched his teeth, seething. "Sabotage…this is the work of SABOTAGE! When I find the saboteurs responsible for this – "

"You are jumping to an extreme conclusion," Haroud said. "It may be coming from the general direction of the dragon, but we have no proof – "

The small mechanical contraption plummeted out of the sky after its launch, landing hard on the ground between the five thieves. Its appendages twitched; it was charred and dented.

"SCOOTER!" Mechanicles screeched.

"Well, I guess that proves we're out one ride home," Amin sighed.

Mechanicles gently scooped the clockwork beetle up from the ground. "It's going to be all right," he cooed at it. "Daddy will take care of you!"

Sa'luk rolled his eyes and turned away to leave for his personal mission without a further word.

"We should probably go too," Abis Mal suggested, backing away slowly. "Give you two…alone time."

"Well, NOW I've got to go have Scooter repaired," Mechanicles huffed, storming off and muttering to himself, "Where I'm going to find the necessary materials on unfamiliar territory…"

And that left Amin to shrug and set off on his own as well.

"Say, about that whole dragon exploding thing," Abis Mal brought up to Haroud. "You don't think it was Aladdin or any of his pesky friends, do you?"

"I would not put it past them to follow us across worlds," Haroud admitted.

"Well, when I find out who did it," Abis Mal vowed, "there will be DISEMBOWELMENT! There will be BLOOD! There will be EVIC – uh, EVA – uh – SPILLING THEIR GUTS ON THE FLOOR!"

"Evisceration, sir?"

"Yeah. That!"

* * *

Sadira and Icarus turned to look at the remains of the dragon – bronze shrapnel in a roughly dragon-shaped frame, but utterly useless as a flying machine, its walls blown open and its mechanisms ripped apart.

"So you weren't kidding," Sadira remarked. "Nice job. That thing won't be going anywhere. As for the guys that were in it earlier…" She sighed. "I should probably figure out where THEY went."

"No problem!" Icarus bragged. "All in a day's work for the wax wing king of Athens!"

"Athens…being…the city that's near here?" Sadira asked.

"You got it! Home sweet home!"

Sadira turned back to look in the direction of the city, whose skyline was visible through the trees. "I'll bet you anything that's where I'll find them," she said, mostly to herself. "And that's where they'll be making a mess out of everything." She turned back to Icarus. "I'm going there. Wanna go back with me?"

"Never let it be said that Icarus let a helpless maiden walk alone through the wilds of Greece," Icarus replied.

"Helpless?" Sadira scoffed. "I SHOULD just leave you and go on my own for that. Trust me: just because I don't know how to make a boiler explode doesn't mean I'm HELPLESS. But…I don't know anything about this place, and you do. So I was wondering if you could help me out."

"Sure thing!" Icarus agreed. "Right this way!" He began to walk, and Sadira fell in step alongside him.

"C'mon, Carpet," Sadira beckoned, and Carpet began to lazily float behind the two.

"Interesting flying device," Icarus said, turning to look over Carpet. "What kind of motor do you use to run that thing?"

"He's not a machine," Sadira explained. "He's magic. He's actually alive."

"How did you - !"

"I didn't! He came from an ancient cave of treasure that was thousands of years old. I think Carpet's the only one that knows how he actually got that way."

"Well, that's something you don't see every day in Athens. Oh, and speaking of which," Icarus continued, "abouuuuut the way you're dressed…"

"What's wrong with how I'm dressed?"

"It's kiiiiinda obvious you're not from around here," Icarus said. "You're gonna stick out like a manticore in a flock of goats. Where are you from, anyway?"

"That's a long story," Sadira replied.

"Well, we've got a ways to walk! And what's a walk between friends without a lively conversation, huh?"

"Fine," Sadira relented. "But I'll only tell you if you answer a question right."

"What kind of question?"

"Do you believe in other worlds?"

"DO I?" Icarus responded. "Lady, you have NO IDEA what I've seen…"

* * *

Pericles was bent over a desk, putting quill to parchment as to the newest announcements that needed to go out to the Athenian civilians. He re-inked the quill, thinking about how peaceful it was to be in solitude, almost as valuable as gold…"Silence is golden." He wrote that one down for later. It would likely have other applications.

But what he mistook for the silence of inactivity was the silence of an expert in stealth avoiding detection.

Pericles was completely startled by the triple bronze blades appearing at his peripheral vision and pressing up to his neck. Before he could say anything, Sa'luk's voice hissed into his ear, "Don't say a word."

The two burst out of the room, Sa'luk still holding the terrified Pericles at bladepoint. The members of the boule passing through the hallways froze in place, turning to look. "GIVE ME EVERYTHING VALUABLE YOU HAVE," Sa'luk bellowed, "OR HE DIES!"

In a panic, most of the members of the boule began to grab various valuables – marble busts, vases, the money from their pockets – and heap it in front of Sa'luk while making pleas for him not to kill Pericles. And Sa'luk grinned as he watched the mound of treasures grow and grow. "And bag it all," Sa'luk ordered. "I need to be able to carry it!"

A few of the government workers, however, slipped away to find someone who could rescue Pericles and the entire boule from this dilemma.

* * *

"…And that's how I got here," Sadira finished. "I still can't believe you and your friend actually MET Aladdin. Small universe?"

"Pretty much," Icarus replied as the two crossed the line into town. They'd swapped stories; Icarus had told her of how Hercules and Aladdin had once crossed paths and he'd been caught in the crossfire, taken hostage by Hades and the spirit of Jafar, and Sadira had told him briefly of her history and more specifically the events that had led to her tracking the dragon across the portal. As the two entered the city, Carpet had decided to keep a low profile, rolling up so Sadira and Icarus could carry him around as though he were an inanimate rug.

Heads turned; passerby regarded the duo with a curious look. "Yeah," Sadira said hushedly, "they're staring. It's the pants, isn't it?" She'd noticed that no one in the entire city, at least in her view radius, was wearing any sort of trousers – only chitons and dresses.

"You might wanna come thisaway." Icarus took her by the shoulders and steered her toward a clothing shop. "Excuse me, my good man!" Icarus called out to the shopkeeper. "As you can see here – "

"Icarus!" the shopkeeper interrupted, taken aback. "Surprised to see you alive. We all thought you got yourself eaten by that dragon. A bunch of the guys were taking bets on it. Most of them thought you'd lead in trying to throw rocks at it, but I told them even you weren't THAT stupid."

"Excuse me," Sadira huffed, "but that 'dragon' is a smoking pile of junk now thanks to Icarus."

"BAHAAAA-HAHAHAHA!" the shopkeeper laughed. "Icarus, slaying a dragon! That's a good one! How much did you pay her to say that?"

"Fine," Sadira snapped. "Don't believe me. But that thing's not going to be breathing fire on you anymore thanks to him. Also, if you keep making fun of my friends, I'm going to take my denarii elsewhere." She took a coin from her pocket and waved it in front of the shopkeeper.

"Lemme see that!" The shopkeeper snatched the coin from her hand. He examined it. "I've never seen a denarius like this before…" He bit it. "But it is a denarius, all right."

"How much for one of those dresses?" Sadira asked.

He named a price.

"Tell you what," Sadira said. "I'll pay you that much for one dress AND for you to stop making fun of Icarus. Deal?"

"Some people can't take a joke," the shopkeeper growled. "Fine."

She laid out the coins on the table, and he showed her to a back room where she could have her pick of peplos and try it on. Icarus waited patiently outside, whistling a little tune he made up on the spot.

At last, Sadira left the shop, tying her bag of sand and a coin bag to her waist. "How do I look?" she asked with a smile. "Do I blend in?"

Icarus took in an eyeful. "WHOA."

Sadira was clad in a bright carnation-pink peplos with short white straps for sleeves and a white sash over the floor-length skirt. Her hair was bound up in a ponytail behind her head, save for a lock on either side that had escaped the tail. When she walked, it was clear she was wearing brown sandals.

Carpet unrolled and applauded with his tassels. Icarus wanted to comment that Sadira looked quite beautiful indeed, but he shook the thought. Even saying that in an innocuous context felt, to him, like adultery. "Thaaaat's more like it," he ended up saying.

"Good," Sadira replied. "Now. Where to find those rats Abis Mal and Mechanicles…think you could show me all the important stuff around here?"

"Sure!" Icarus agreed. "First, let's stop back at my workshop to pick up my handy guide of Athenian landmarks!"

The two set out again, carrying Carpet between the two of them, and Icarus thought to ask, "Saaaaay, why do YOU care so much whether people make fun of me?"

"Because you're the only friend I have on this world," Sadira answered.

"You think of me as a…friend?" Icarus was taken aback.

"Well, if I'm gonna trust anybody around here," Sadira said, "it's the guy who helped me blow up my enemy's flying machine and helped me find clothes to blend in."

"Well, thanks for stickin' up for me, buddy!" Icarus gushed, suddenly filled with happiness that someone new was calling him "friend."

* * *

As Haroud had predicted, a door was in fact left unlocked. One of the shops in town was left completely empty, with no one at the counter. Abis Mal and Haroud entered this shop, looking around for signs of life.

"Nobody seems to be minding the counter," Haroud pointed out.

"PERFECT," Abis Mal replied, making a beeline for the counter and opening up several drawers that contained money from transactions. He began eagerly scooping the money into his pockets.

Haroud, in the meantime, examined the wares. He stopped to run his finger over a pair of large, birdlike wings carved out of wax, hanging on the wall. "How odd."

"Yeah," Abis Mal said, looking up in confusion to see several similar sets hanging alongside it and on the opposite wall. "What kinda store is this, anyway?"

"Perhaps it belongs to an artist," Haroud theorized. "A very…modern artist."

"Or maybe he sells 'em to fly with!"

"A conclusion only you would have come up with, sir."

"Got that right!" Abis Mal replied, misinterpreting the insult. "I'm a regular genius!" He then turned his attention to the papers on the desk. "What's this?" He rifled through a rather large stack of papers that included a calendar with a particular date – the date of that very day, though Abis Mal had no way of knowing that – marked heavily in red ink. Below that was a scroll, and as Abis Mal unrolled it, reading slowly, he was stunned by what it said. "Hel-loooooo…"

"Something of interest, sir?" Haroud asked, still looking at the wings and attempting to evaluate how valuable they were.

"You're not gonna BELIEVE this!" Abis Mal said excitedly. "This here says that there's some kind of – "

He was interrupted by the sound of metal crashing. Abis Mal and Haroud both turned to face a door they hadn't noticed before, obviously leading to an adjoining room. They were not, in fact, alone in the shop.

"Shhh," Haroud cautioned, beckoning Abis Mal to follow him to the door. They both drew swords from their belts, each pressing a hand to the door. "On three," Haroud whispered. "One…"

"HA!" Abis Mal kicked the door down without waiting for "three," pointing his sword at the source of the noise…only to find said source pointing a screwdriver at his own face whilst giving a yelp.

"I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE THIS!" Mechanicles threatened. "Oh…it's YOU." He lowered the screwdriver.

"What are YOU doing here?" Abis Mal asked confusedly.

"Making repairs on Scooter," Mechanicles explained, motioning to the bug, which was looking far less dingy than before, propped up on the table. "Luckily for me, this shop's workroom was fully stocked with everything I needed to put him back in working order. The owner appears to specialize in waxworks, but also dabbles in engineering in the general sense. All the tools and parts I needed were accounted for! The real question is, what are YOU doing in an engineer's workshop?"

"What do you think," Haroud sighed, "we thieves are doing in an unattended shop with unguarded money?"

"Point," Mechanicles spat.

"But I found something BETTER than money," Abis Mal said, unrolling the scroll. "Check THIS out."

"This had better not be something you misinterpreted due to your lack of skill in the simple art of reading," Mechanicles huffed, taking the scroll. A few key words caught his eye, however, and his interest grew as he looked the parchment over. "Well. It seems you've actually stumbled upon something – "

"WHAT THE TARTARUS?"

Mechanicles looked up from the parchment. Abis Mal and Haroud span around. Icarus was framed in the door of the workshop, his workshop, pointing at the three thieves in utter shock.

"THAT'S THEM!" Sadira cried angrily, gathering a handful of sand from her pocket.

"YOU!" Abis Mal yelled, turning his sword on Sadira. "I should've known you'd follow us, you…you…wait a minute. Which one was she again?"

Sadira quickly threw a handful of sand onto Abis Mal; it sparkled as it descended upon him, and he blinked in confusion. "That's not the only thing you don't know now," Sadira boasted.

"…Wait. Where am I?" Abis Mal asked.

"In an engineer's workshop in a parallel Athens," Mechanicles reminded him.

"…Who are you?" Abis Mal replied.

"I believe that answers one question," Haroud said, fixing his gaze upon Sadira. "You are the Witch of the Sand."

"Got that right." Sadira readied another handful of sand.

Haroud thrust his sword toward her, but Sadira had anticipated that. Instead of casting another mesmerism burst, she threw the sand at Haroud's hand, and it solidified into a heavy earthen cuff that dragged his hand downward and locked the sword inside his fist, causing him to stumble forward; the blade missed Sadira by a foot's distance.

"Get outta here," Icarus snapped at Mechanicles, "and stop touching my stuff!"

"You have no idea what you're dealing with!" Mechanicles threatened. "SCOOTER! GET HIM!"

He pointed dramatically at Icarus. Scooter, still in need of minor tweaking, just flopped around helplessly.

"Who are THEY?" Abis Mal asked, pointing at Icarus and Sadira. "Whose side am I even on here?"

Haroud, regaining balance and control even with the extra weight on his sword hand, took another swing at Sadira. She ducked the blow, launching another handful of sand; it missed Haroud and scattered all over Mechanicles.

"EEEEEEK!" Mechanicles screeched. "DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET GRAINS OF SAND OUT OF ALL THE FOLDS AND POCKETS?" He picked up the screwdriver, driving it toward Icarus' face like a dagger. Icarus instinctively grabbed Mechanicles' thin wrist, holding off the screwdriver hand, though Mechanicles was persistent, trying to force his way past Icarus' grip and dig the screwdriver into his eye.

"WHY AM I HOLDING A SWORD?" Abis Mal yelled, starting to get frustrated that no one was answering his questions.

Hearing that, Sadira turned to the flummoxed Abis Mal and wrenched his sword out of his hand. "Thank you!" she said as she charged Mechanicles with it.

"You're welcome!" Abis Mal said with a friendly wave. Haroud lightly cuffed him with his free hand before slamming his sword hand into the wall to break the sand cuff and free his other hand.

Sadira kicked Mechanicles in the stomach, causing him to reel backward; Icarus let go of his wrist. As Mechanicles charged forth with the screwdriver again, Sadira parried it with Abis Mal's sword.

Haroud rushed Sadira from behind; panicking, Icarus upended a nearby table onto him, knocking him to the ground. In the meantime, with a few quick strokes of the sword, Sadira managed to send the screwdriver flying out of Mechanicles' hands.

"RETREAT!" Mechanicles screamed, sensing that without any of his finer mechanical creations, he and his allies were on the losing end. He charged out of the room, grabbing the flare beetle from his pocket and winding it up.

"That means you too!" Haroud yelled, grabbing Abis Mal by the sleeve and dragging him after Mechanicles while using his other hand to put away his sword and seek out his own flare beetle.

"Ohhhh no," Sadira growled. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THIS TIME!" She took off running after them.

* * *

Amin Damoola spotted yet another hapless civilian whose back was turned and whose money was tied in a pouch at his waist. Stealthily, Amin crept behind the man, using a small dagger to open up the pouch and leeching all the gold coins out of it to transfer to his own pocket.

He'd had a successful run, managing to relieve several unaware people of their jewelry and money. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a stroke of luck.

As he turned to move to another square, he heard a cry of "Hey! MY MONEY!" At first, it chilled him. However, he resolved to shake it off and keep walking. Even those who noticed their missing belongings had no way to pin it on him.

Other voices joined up the chorus: "My earrings are gone!" "Somebody took MY money!" "My wrist sundial!" Amin ignored them all, playing it off casually.

He strode toward another citizen he'd robbed, one who was just noticing her missing article. "My bracelet!" she cried. She turned and caught a glimpse of Amin…and a certain item around his wrist. "HEY! THAT'S MY BRACELET!"

Amin froze. "Uh…no. No, it isn't!"

"THIEF!" the woman cried, pointing at him. "HE STOLE MY BRACELET!"

"AND THOSE ARE MY EARRINGS!" another cried, pointing at Amin's ears.

It was starting to sink in that carrying the jewelry Amin had stolen by wearing it was a bad idea after all.

They swarmed around him: "That's my wrist sundial on his other arm!" "THIEF!" "GET HIM!"

Amin dropped to the ground, slithering through the legs of the crowd, and getting back up to his feet when he'd managed to get out of the throng. The people he'd robbed turned to give chase, and Amin put on as much speed as he could, taking the flare beetle from his pocket and trying to get his fumbling fingers to wind up the delicate mechanism. "Come on…COME ON…"

His attention focused on the beetle, Amin didn't see the rather large obstacle in his path – a horse-drawn cart – until he rammed right into it. He flipped over the edge of the cart and into it.

Righting himself, Amin looked out at the crowd of people still chasing after him, looking for blood. "GIVE BACK MY MONEY!" the man heading the crowd bellowed. "OR I'LL BEAT IT OUT OF YOU!"

Amin quickly picked up the horse's reins and cracked them, hard.

The horse reared, whinnied, and bolted. Amin was nearly thrown out of the cart, but he held onto the reins for dear life with one hand while finishing up the flare beetle with the other and sending it into the sky. Then he attempted to bring the horse enough under control that he could direct it toward the rendez-vous point.

* * *

"Keep it coming!" Sa'luk ordered, still keeping Pericles at bladepoint as two large bags were loaded up with the valuables. "I know you have more around here!"

Then a well-built, bearded man clothed in a bright blue chiton and a large blue hat stormed into the hall, with several guards bearing spears at his back. This man drew a bronze sword, pointing it at Sa'luk. "By order of the City-State Police Force of Athens, drop your weapon!"

Sa'luk laughed. "Do you really think you can get to me before I have time to cut your precious leader's throat?"

A loud BOOM sounded outside a nearby window. Sa'luk turned to look at the source of the noise. Red sparks filled the air. One of the fools set off his flare, Sa'luk thought. Well, the other three could just take care of it.

The other three flares exploded in the air shortly after.

When Sa'luk turned back, he noticed the city-state trooper and Pericles' guard had moved close enough to him that their weapons were nearly brushing his skin at all angles. "Fine," Sa'luk said, shoving Pericles away from him. "Keep him."

Then he deftly turned to an angle at which he slipped between the various spears, dealt a right-handed blow to the face of the trooper, hauled the bags of treasure up over his shoulders, and ran.

* * *

Haroud, Abis Mal, and Mechanicles arrived at the rendez-vous point, having set off their flares, just in time to meet the oncoming cart Amin drove. "GET IN!" Amin yelled, and Haroud and Mechanicles wasted no time hopping over the edge of the cart. Abis Mal, at that point following simply because it seemed like the best course of action to stay with the people that dragged him along, struggled to keep pace with the moving cart before making a leap and grabbing onto its edge. Haroud and Mechanicles, in tandem, grabbed at his shoulders and hauled him into the cart.

Sa'luk charged into the square as the horse and cart did an about-face. He didn't need time to process what was happening, though he did take a moment to think quite a few condescending thoughts about his comrades, and as the cart passed, he leapt, landing hard in the cart and dropping the valuables he'd gathered.

"GO!" Sa'luk barked.

"I'm not sure I can STOP!" Amin argued as he steered the cart out of the square.

Sadira caught up just in time to witness Sa'luk leaping into the cart; then she watched the horse put on full speed, causing the cart to outpace her, a distance too great to make up on foot. As she saw the thieves make their inevitable escape, anger coursed through her, and she acted purely on impulse. She stamped the ground before her. On sand, it would have sent a tremor that would have pulsated into a gush of sand under the cart, upending it. However, Sadira realized after doing such a thing that she wasn't on sand, and therefore nothing was going to happen.

But something did happen. There was the slightest tremor in the ground. The bricks beneath one of the cart wheels shifted and were upset, creating a bump in the road. The cart jolted, but didn't fall or slow, and its occupants wrote the disturbance off as a flaw in the paving of the street.

Sadira was well aware that something had just taken place. She'd felt the vibration in the ground, and she saw the cart jolt just before it sped out of her line of sight. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Feeling defeated, she turned and shuffled her way back to Icarus' shop.

As she entered, she saw Icarus rifling through the papers on the shop counter. "No," he was muttering in a panic. "No no no no nonononono nooooooooo! NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

"WHAT?" Sadira asked, suddenly panicking. "What did they take?"

"My calendar that said today was the day of the ascension of the Oracle of Delphi!" Icarus moaned. "And my letter EXPLAINING the Oracle of Delphi!"

"An oracle?" Sadira repeated. "In their hands…that's not good."

"It is VERY not good," Icarus emphasized. "Very…very…very not good!" He ran to the wall, taking down a pair of wax wings and beginning to strap them to his arms.

"What are you doing?" Sadira asked.

"Going to Delphi," Icarus answered. "I have to stop them!"

"Well, then, I'm coming with you," Sadira insisted. "Carpet!"

Carpet sailed over to her from a corner of the shop where he'd been waiting. Together, Sadira, Icarus, and Carpet exited the shop. Icarus leapt into the air, and for a moment, Sadira doubted; she was sure that he would just fall right back down to the ground. He pumped his arms, and the wax wings caught the air; he began to climb into the sky with speed. Sadira leapt atop Carpet, who, without a word, knew to follow Icarus. They soared upward, out of Athens, and into the clouds.

"What did you do to that guy back there, anyway?" Icarus asked. "When you made him all…confused?"

"That was my kind of magic," Sadira answered. "I'm a witch of the sand. I can use sand to do a lot of things. I just used a simple mesmerism technique. I didn't have much prep time, so it's going to wear off him in a few minutes. If the ground here was actually made of sand, I could have stopped that cart before it left the city…" She stopped herself in that train of thought; it was making her angry that she'd let the thieves get away.

"Sand magic?" Icarus clarified. "Sweet."

"So what's the deal with this oracle anyway?" Sadira asked.

"It's not really the oracle they'll be after," Icarus explained. "It's her eyes!"

* * *

Mechanicles had taken the reins of the cart, steering it toward Delphi at high speed. Abis Mal had finally come out of his hypnotic stupor, asking, "Okay, where am I, and what happened for the past five minutes?"

"Remind me why I waste my time with the likes of him," Sa'luk growled, rifling through the bags he'd gotten from the capitol.

"Because I," Abis Mal boasted, unrolling the scroll in front of Sa'luk, "found this."

"And you might want to take a good look at it," Mechanicles asserted. "It is in essence the very reason we are going to Delphi."

"Hmm." Sa'luk took the scroll into his own hands, reading it out loud. "On the day of the ascension of the Oracle of Delphi, the most powerful of the oracles in residence at the Delphi temple shall be granted the Eyes of Truth, which shall allow her to see all things that have not yet happened and discern all truths from lies. Her power shall resonate with that already contained within the Eyes…" Sa'luk realized what he was reading. "The Eyes of Truth allow their bearer to see the future? And there is magic contained within them!"

"Of course, the insinuation is that the only person who can truly be all-seeing with the Eyes of Truth is the Oracle of Delphi," Mechanicles pointed out, "but there is also the implication that whoever has the Eyes will be able to see the future to some degree."

"Seein' the future," Abis Mal added. "Almost as good as changin' the past."

"If we could," Amin said happily, "there's NOTHING that could stop us!"

"It may just be the most powerful advantage we could have," Haroud concluded.

"Then spur the horse on toward Delphi," Sa'luk ordered. "This power shall be ours."

* * *

"So basically," Icarus concluded, "they put the eyes in her head, and she becomes all-seeing."

"That's what they want," Sadira inferred. "The power to see the future."

They were nearing a large mountain, where Icarus had described Delphi to be whilst explaining it and the Eyes of Truth. Cold winds whipped past them as they flew. "If they get there before the Eyes are put in the Oracle," Icarus moaned, "that would be bad enough. But if they get there AFTER that…they'll hurt…HER!"

"Who?" Sadira asked. "The Oracle?"

"Ye-e-essssss!" Icarus moaned, tears forming in his eyes. "The next chosen Oracle of Delphi! Cassandra! The light of my life! The beat of my heart! The wind beneath my waxen wings!"

"So…your girlfriend?"

"If you want to put it LIGHTLY!" Icarus went on. "If those guys get there when the Eyes of Truth are already inside her head…they'll rip them out of her beautiful, perfect face! That face, that I never wanted to see in any pain!"

"Wow," Sadira commented. "You must really love her."

"More than anything in the entire cosmos! She is the most perfect creature that the gods ever made! They must have used Aphrodite for a model when they came up with her. She's got more grace than any princess! And the way she speaks!"

"She's really lucky to have you," Sadira observed. "I wish somebody would talk about me like that." As she said this, she thought about what it would be like if Icarus himself were saying such things to her. She didn't find him bad looking. He was skinnier and ganglier than her usual type, and he was definitely louder, but she found that charming. His energy in particular impressed her, and she found herself looking fondly upon that goofy smile he had when he was happy. No, Icarus wasn't a bad catch…for Cassandra, she resolved. She was thoroughly done with committed men.

"Love is a strange thing," Icarus sighed. "Just when you think it's impossible, you'll find it hiding just around the corner! I bet people are just linin' up for you, aren't they?"

"Well…" Sadira admitted. "I actually got a little bit possessive over a guy who was…already engaged. Actually…it was Aladdin."

"No kidding!"

"No kidding. And I may have done a few regrettable things with my magic to try and break him up with Jasmine so he'd notice me. But that's over with. In the end, I just liked him better as a friend anyway. And he and Jasmine forgave me for a LOT. I owe them big time. I guess that's part of why catching these thieves matters so much to me. Anyway, after an incident a few days back, I met another guy, Amal, who wasn't bad, but we never really clicked. And there's also this one magical bounty hunter that sometimes turns up…but he's pretty much a lone wolf, so that's not really worth my time. So I'm single now. But chasing boys always gets me into trouble anyway. Trust me. You do NOT wanna see me when I get possessive."

"Aw, c'mon! A lot of guys out there like a little bit of possessive!"

"Hypnotized into thinking you're in love with me possessive?"

"If Cassandra ever hypnotized me into loving her forever, I'd take it as a compliment. But she doesn't need to, because my love for her is already eternal."

"Well, then let's hurry up and save her before she gets her eyes ripped out!" Sadira concluded.

They crossed from the cool winds over the mainland to the sharp chill of Delphi.

* * *

Chapter 80:

· The title comes from the song "The Walker" by Fitz and the Tantrums, which was kind of my muse-song for this interlude.

· Icarus' knowledge of other worlds is a reference to his involvement in "Hercules and the Arabian Knight."

· Sadira's outfit is of my own design. It was originally going to be pink with purple accents, but I realized that would sound way too similar to Meg's ensemble. I went with pink and white as an homage to the first dress she picked up after discovering the scrolls of the Witches of the Sand. She seems to like the pink/red/purple spectrum in general given the dresses she creates for herself when not wearing her customary outfit.

· I didn't intend for Abis Mal's sword to get hijacked again. This may become a running gag.

· A "boule" is a Greek governing body.

· As I'm currently watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, I kind of want to hook Sadira's powers up to earthbending, even though she can technically do tons more in terms of reality warping. Hence you see a glimpse of her manipulating earth that isn't sand.

· You should probably be able to see the ship I want to play by now…it sure ain't Icarus/Cassandra. I'll explain more about it as it gets, well, shippier.


	81. The Eyes of Truth

81. The Eyes of Truth

DELPHI, OLYMPIC GREECE

The cold winds blew strongly over Delphi. As the horse-drawn cart containing Sa'luk, Mechanicles, Abis Mal, Haroud, and Amin neared the great temple, all five were wracked with chills, and Sa'luk found himself ever more annoyed by the audible chattering of Amin's teeth.

"The road to Delphi is much stranger here than back in our world," Mechanicles observed, "and yet I am one hundred percent certain this is the temple of the Oracle. A structure of this magnitude in a location of this height can simply be nothing else."

The five looked up at the great twin snakes of gold that formed the archway over the door, their heads reaching up into the sky as though they were striking the clouds that snowed.

"The Oracle will be guarded," Sa'luk pointed out.

"So we'll just give 'em the old one-two!" Abis Mal decided, swinging his fists in demonstration.

"Now, now," Mechanicles reminded him. "The Oracle is one of the most powerful people in this entire realm. We can expect the guards around her to be much stronger and more competent than those we are used to, as well as larger in number. A direct challenge would be an unwise strategy."

"You underestimate me," Sa'luk snarled.

"All the same," Mechanicles said, waving the rebuttal off, "this is a matter that requires more strategization and less brute force….the sort that is common among brutes."

Sa'luk just gave a frustrated huff that turned to mist when his breath reached the cold air.

"Perhaps this is impudent to point out," Haroud said, "but in order to strategize a break-in and kidnapping or theft, one generally needs to know about the location and its strengths and weaknesses. As it stands, we have no idea what's beyond those doors."

"True, true…perhaps insight can be gathered from what is AROUND the temple." Mechanicles cast his gaze around. "Mountainous terrain…"

"For what it's worth," Amin said, curling up into a ball-like sitting position, "it's cold."

"Thank you for pointing out that obvious factor that was clear to everyone," Mechanicles spat. "Continuing. Our cart appears to be parked upon a pedestal that activates some sort of unidentified mechanism using a rudimentary system powered by lightning." He looked directly down through the metal grates of the pedestal, to where the triple electric currents coursed through it. He then leapt out of the cart, pacing to the edge of the platform and looking over the edge. "Each lightning current seems to sync up with the connection of rather large and elaborate metal snake attached to the pedestal. Doubtless, there is a connection." He observed the snakes with interest. They were as wide around as his larger insectoid inventions, and of course much longer, scaled in multicolored metal. He wondered if something of that size truly was needed to offset the "lightning system," or if they served another purpose. "They've seen better days, though…" He looked over the worn patches in the snakes' skin. Then he looked closer; through the patches. "Oh, what's this?"

He leapt over the edge of the platform, eliciting a synchronized outcry from Amin and Abis Mal. Mechanicles ignored this. He landed safely on the back of one of the snakes, making his way to a large broken patch in the skin, a hole perhaps ten feet wide all around. He then dropped through his hole, landing inside the snake. Just as he'd observed, it was hollow, forming a long hallway with a floor that was frosted over in the cold. Upon this discovery, Mechanicles began to laugh. He ran toward the head of the snake, laughing louder and louder the whole way. When he reached that point, where several large crystal facets were set into a wall decorated with various carvings, his laughter hit a peak.

"Care to let us in on the joke?" Sa'luk asked from behind him.

Mechanicles turned to find Sa'luk, Abis Mal, Haroud, Amin, and even Scooter lined up behind him; they'd all followed him down into the snake's innards. "The controls are archaic," Mechanicles explained, "and the exterior has seen better days, but all the same, each of these snakes is a machine. A machine that can be exploited to break into the heart of the temple and bypass all security measures."

"You know how to operate…this?" Sa'luk looked over the wall and its various panels.

"Not specifically," Mechanicles admitted, "but it is similar to several magical and crystal-based panels I have encountered in the past, and it is conveniently labeled. Doubtless this is an override panel in case the machine should fall out of its place conducting the lightning that powers the pillar. Its typical function should be to restore the snake to its original place. As you all have inferred, however, I am to use it for the exact opposite purpose and displace the snake."

"That would, however, break this energy connection you have observed," Haroud pointed out. "We do not know the consequences of that."

"Something we will observe once the connection is broken," Mechanicles stated casually, touching several crystals to light them up. As he did so, the five thieves felt the rumble of the great snake beginning to move.

The snake's jaws unclenched from around its position on the great pedestal before the Temple of Delphi. The head moved backward slowly, and the snake rose up, on its own path.

Inside the pedestal, one of the three surging electrical currents fizzled out.

With the connection broken, the Temple itself began to retreat into the mountains; the connection had been to allow a bridge that made the Temple accessible. The Temple, set on a gigantic moving platform, was set to slide away from the pedestal, unable to be reached on foot until the connection was restored.

* * *

Cassandra's selection as the next Oracle of Delphi had been speculated upon by everyone within the Temple. It was regarded as almost inevitable. The Mists showed her clearer visions than any other, and even without them, her visions came often. There emerged from this phenomenon a joke amongst the various oracles: "She's going to be the next Oracle of Delphi…and you don't need clairvoyance to see THAT coming!"

When it had been announced to her that she had been selected as the next true Oracle, several days prior to the day that the Guild of Thieves arrived on the Temple's doorstep, she had been quite pleased indeed…but had still managed to reply with a shrug and a "Whatever." Albeit, with a smile as well.

When the day came for her to ascend, she gathered with the other oracles in the great chamber of the Oracle, the dark, massive chamber that held the great chair upon which Aletheia once sat. For the time being, that seat was ignored. Before it was the platform upon which those coming to see the Oracle would stand to make their pleas; in the times of corruption, it was where Castor and Pollux would stand watch and torment the innocent. On all sides of the platform was a steep drop downward, serving to deepen the room's darkness. On that sacred day, a long table, long enough for a human body to lie down on comfortably, was set up on the platform: an operating table. All lights were doused but for candles set at the edges of the platform, causing almost all light to be focused in on this table while the great empty seat of the Oracle loomed ghostly in the distance. The oracles ringed the operating table. The higher ranking priestesses held daggers sharpened for surgical precision, and one of them held a carved pine box in which the Eyes of Truth lay in wait for their new host.

Cassandra was at first positioned at the end of the platform nearest the entrance. The other oracles all looked toward her, some of them chattering softly and excitedly among themselves. As far as Cassandra could tell, and this astounded her, there was no feeling of jealousy present in the room. The others all seemed genuinely glad for her selection.

Her thoughts turned to the daggers. As was required in the ritual, those daggers would be used to remove the eyes she'd carried within her head since birth. The Eyes of Truth would be placed in their stead, and as they had done with Aletheia and all who preceded her, they would magically bond to their carrier. It was regarded as somewhat of a miracle that those Eyes had made their way back to the temple. In the days of corruption, Castor and Pollux had schemed with the Furies to steal and hide them before killing Aletheia as an insult to Orcos, who had loved her. The Eyes were eventually unearthed, but the warrior Kratos had used the minimum of their magic, for they did have some power available to those who did not wear them as part of their bodies, in order to see through Alecto's darkest magic. Kratos was not usually known for acts of generosity, but when he'd run out of use for the Eyes, he had ordered them sent back to Delphi, where they belonged. At last, tradition would resume.

"Cassandra," the high priestess said. "You have been selected on this joyous day to become the next Oracle of Delphi as a result of your natural skill and your gift of interpretation. Do you accept the responsibility of ultimate knowledge of past, present, and future?"

The other oracles held their breaths, waiting for Cassandra to utter another "Whatever." Instead, she gave a sincere smile. "Yeah," she said. "I mean…I accept this responsibility and honor." She bowed.

"Come forth," the priestess begged, "and lay upon the table where you shall receive your gift."

Cassandra proceeded nervously. The pain would be great, but it would be worth it. She lay herself across the table, head pointed toward the priestesses and feet pointed toward the door.

"Before we proceed," the priestess said, "a moment to honor the previous Oracle, who met an untimely demise."

"Aletheia," all the others, including Cassandra, chorused. They all fell silent in remembrance of her.

After about a minute had passed, the priestess continued. "Bring forth the Eyes of Truth."

The pine box was opened. A pair of glimmering eyeballs with deep green pupils lay on a soft purple cushion inside. They stared out at the room, and though they were dead, it seemed they had a sight of their own, even when disembodied.

Before the ritual could go any further, the temple jolted.

"What is THAT?" one of the younger oracles cried.

Cassandra sat bolt upright, knowing well that if the temple was moving in the direction she thought it was, it wasn't a good sign, and not only would the ritual more than likely end up not happening that day, but she'd be better off on her feet and ready for whatever was coming next.

"The temple is moving back into the mountain peaks," the priestess observed with horror. "The connection has been broken in the road outside!"

Then she said something else, but Cassandra missed it entirely. Unbidden, a vision came to her. A vision of one of the metal snakes that wound around the final pedestal of the pilgrims' road –

"EVERYBODY!" Cassandra barked, pointing to the door. "GET OUT! NOW!" She leapt off the table and began to run. The others followed suit.

The snake crashed through the wall, and harsh sunlight spilled into the dark chamber. Its great head landed atop the platform, crushing the operating table; had Cassandra not ordered all the oracles to move, every one of them would have been crushed.

Before any of the other thieves could make a move, Sa'luk insisted, "I'LL handle this," and leapt out of one of the holes in the snake's skin.

Abis Mal made to follow him, but Haroud stepped between the two. "Let him go."

"Who said HE was in charge?" Abis Mal grumped.

"It should only take one man to steal the Eyes," Haroud explained. "And I suspect he not only feels the same, but won't tolerate interruption."

* * *

Icarus and Sadira soared over the mountain, looking down upon the plain of white. "I don't see anything," Sadira observed.

"Juuuuust over this peak!" Icarus said, looking at a rock formation in their path. They swooped over it.

"I bet we've made it just in time to warn my darling Cassandra of her impending doom!" Icarus said happily. "Then again…she IS an oracle. She may have seen it coming."

They cleared the peak and came upon the sight of the Temple of Delphi, recessed into the mountains…where the great metal snake plunged into its side, making a great wound in the wall.

"Oh, no…" Sadira gasped.

"WE'RE TOO LATE!" Icarus moaned.

"Maybe to stop them from breaking in," Sadira resolved, "but not to stop them from getting away! Carpet! FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

Sadira took the lead away from Icarus, careening down toward the snake and landing on its back. She leapt off Carpet, setting off running across the snake's back, focusing on the wall the snake had burst through.

Icarus landed shortly after, pursuing as heatedly as he could.

* * *

Sa'luk stood before the gathered oracles, who cowered at the door at the sight of him, though their shock came more from his grand entry than from his physical presence.

"I want the Eyes of Truth," Sa'luk snarled.

"We…we do not have them," a priestess replied.

"Oh, really?" Sa'luk challenged. "The institute that commands the Oracle of Delphi doesn't have her eyes? I find that hard to believe. Perhaps you've already put them inside your next Oracle. In that case, surrender her, or I'll have to take all your eyes out, two by two, until I find them!"

"NO!" the priestess yelled, offering the pine box forward and prying open its lid so Sa'luk could see the contents. "THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE RIGHT HERE!"

"What are you DOING?" another screamed. "We've sworn to protect them at all costs!"

"Not at the cost of all of our oracles being hurt…" the first sobbed.

Sa'luk grinned, storming forward to claim his prize.

"YOU again?" a voice snapped from behind him.

Sa'luk turned sharply to see Sadira standing atop the great snake's head. "I've had enough of you," Sadira seethed. She leapt down from the snake and rushed Sa'luk.

Sa'luk laughed before striking out at Sadira with his clawed hand. She ducked under it, knocking her arm hard into his stomach. Sa'luk momentarily stumbled, but he turned to follow her path, attempting to bring the bronze blades down on her. She twisted, grabbing onto his right arm to pivot herself behind him, then leapt up and kicked him square between the shoulder blades. He bent but didn't fall. Sadira landed on her feet behind him, crossing her arms and standing with feet apart, braced for his next move. Turning away from the oracles, Sa'luk rushed at her, and she kneed him in the stomach again, causing him to reel backward from the blow to the hurt she'd left with her first punch.

At that time, Icarus had reached the snake's head, and he slid down the side of it as soon as he saw Sadira and Sa'luk locked in combat. "SADIRA!" he screamed. "I'M COMING!"

Sadira let her guard down to turn her head and look at him. "Icarus, NO – "

A blow from Sa'luk's right fist sent her falling down onto her back.

Cassandra gasped.

Icarus charged in where Sadira had fallen, fists at the ready, and when he reached proximity, he began pummeling Sa'luk's chest as hard as he could…which didn't affect Sa'luk at all. The thief just stared bemusedly down at the thin man trying to hurt him.

"This isn't happening," Cassandra sighed. "This isn't happening! WHY DOES HE HAVE TO GET INVOLVED?"

Sa'luk picked Icarus up by the wrist as soon as Sadira had made her way back to her feet. "Get out of my way," Sa'luk told Icarus as he flung him across the room.

"NO!" Sadira cried, watching Icarus sail toward the edge of the platform.

Icarus landed on the edge, scrambling to catch a hold, but balance wasn't on his side; he tipped, and he saw the blackness of the void all the way down. For a moment, he feared he'd finally have to come to grips with death.

Sadira slid across the platform, dropping to her hands and knees and reaching over the platform in time to catch Icarus' wrist. "Gotcha!" she crowed.

"Sadira!" Icarus cried. "You saved me!"

Sa'luk, in the meantime, turned back to the oracles. "No more wasting my time!" He advanced.

Cassandra charged forth, snapping the pine box shut and wrenching it away from the priestess who held it. She then pitched it over the side of the platform as hard as she could. The box plunged into darkness.

"NO!" Sa'luk raged.

"Oops," Cassandra said cockily. "Looks like we don't have the thing you want anymore."

Gritting his teeth, Sa'luk turned and ran back toward the snake, where he clambered to the top and found the way back into the metal innards.

Sadira hauled Icarus onto the platform, at which point Icarus immediately ran toward the oracles, yelling, "CASSAAAANDRAAAA!"

"Apollo help me," Cassandra sighed.

Icarus reached up and cupped Cassandra's face in his hands. "You still have your eyes!" he cried victoriously. "I was afraid we'd come here to find you blinded by that vile villain!"

"And I'm really not sure if this is a step up," Cassandra sighed.

"I was so terrified we'd find your beautiful face carved to shreds!" Icarus wailed, beginning to cry. "What would you have done if I hadn't gotten here in time?"

"Thrown the Eyes of Truth over the edge, like I just did." Cassandra seized his wrists and wrenched his arms away from her face. "So who's your friend?"

"Sadira," Sadira said with a wave. "My name's Sadira."

"Thanks for trying to stop that creep from stealing the Eyes, I guess," Cassandra said with a nod.

"At least we got him to go away," Icarus said, "and we won't be hearing from those guys anymore!"

"I don't exactly think it's over," Sadira said worriedly.

The snake shuddered, and then began to move, plunging over the edge of the platform and into the blackness.

"What's DOWN there?" Sadira asked.

"The caverns," Cassandra answered hurriedly, "and those lead back out to the road. I thought we could just go down and pick up the Eyes later if that creep left!"

"I'm on it!" Sadira leapt onto the back of the descending snake, beginning to slide down its angled back on the soles of her shoes. She slid down into the blackness.

Icarus whistled, and Carpet darted into the room. Icarus stepped aboard the flying cloth, extending a hand to Cassandra. "I'll show you a whole new world!"

"Ugh…how cliché. Just get me down to the caverns, okay?" Cassandra huffed, getting aboard Carpet. Once both passengers were settled, Carpet took off over the edge.

The snake's head hit bottom, and Sa'luk emerged again, finding himself in a dark and musty rock-hewn cavern.

"Well?" Amin griped, peering out after him. "Do you see them?"

"I can't see a thing!" Sa'luk growled.

"Here." Mechanicles exited the snake, fitting a pair of goggles over his eyes. "These increase vision in the dark by two hundred percent."

"How long have you had those on you?" Amin asked, perplexed.

"Let me see!" Sa'luk ordered.

"No!" Mechanicles insisted. "I'm wearing them, so I will find the Eyes!" He ducked before Sa'luk could grab the night-vision goggles off him, and he glimpsed the small box lying on the ground. "A-HA!" Mechanicles rushed forward to scoop the box up, opening it to see the Eyes of Truth inside. Once he was sure of what he saw, he closed the box. "I suggest we get moving."

Amin and Sa'luk leapt back inside the metal snake. Mechanicles was distracted when he saw a form sliding speedily toward him down the creature's back. Sadira leapt the last few feet to the ground, staring Mechanicles down.

Mechanicles just gave her a grin as he leapt back toward the entry point of the snake. Before Sadira could even comprehend what was happening, the snake jolted into movement, starting off down the tunnel.

"HEY!" Sadira screamed.

Icarus and Cassandra flew down to her side. "Well, that was nauseating," Cassandra groaned.

"They're going to get away again!" Sadira cried.

"No, they won't," Cassandra said. "The snakes are anchored to the outside. That was done long ago to make sure nobody COULD take them."

* * *

The snake halted with a jolt.

"Okay, what happened NOW?" Abis Mal asked in frustration.

"It appears the base of the mechanism is anchored to a fixed point to prevent theft," Mechanicles observed. "However, seeing as this machinery is ancient, there is a high probability that it is weakened. If we give it a burst of power, like so – "

He rapidly tapped three crystal panels in succession.

* * *

Outside the temple, the serpent's base shuddered. The machinery groaned. Then, with a SNAP that echoed throughout the mountains, it broke, and the serpent was freed.

* * *

" – it should cause the mechanism to BREEEAAAAAAAAK!"

Mechanicles' statement became a scream as the snake barreled ahead at full speed.

* * *

Sadira, Icarus, and Cassandra watched in horror as the snake slithered all the way through the temple and made its way out of the tunnel.

"So much for 'No, they won't get away,'" Sadira huffed.

"How was I supposed to know they'd be able to break it?" Cassandra argued.

"I don't know. Can't you SEE THE FUTURE?"

"I can't see EVERYTHING! Maybe I could have a better grasp on it if I had the Eyes of Truth. Oh, wait. They're speeding away from us right now!"

"CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?" Icarus wailed.

Sadira nodded. She hopped onto Carpet alongside Icarus and Cassandra. "Let's go!"

Carpet pealed out of the tunnel, emerging into bright light, and soared upward. From there, the three passengers could see the snake rushing across the snowy peaks, headed out to the coast.

"FOLLOW IT!" Sadira commanded, and Carpet took off.

The snake careened down the mountain, over the coastline, and into the sea, where it floated perfectly. It was apparent that the snake was headed for the portal back to the Seven Deserts. Carpet kept up pursuit.

"So, Cassandra," Sadira said, attempting to strike up friendly conversation. "I hear you're the Oracle of Delphi."

"Pretty much," Cassandra said with a nod. "What's your story?"

"Palace-sitting for a couple friends turned into me chasing the guys who stole the Eyes of Truth," Sadira answered. "I ran into Icarus, and now he's helping me out. He's told me a lot about you."

"Of course," Cassandra sighed.

"He says you're great," Sadira pointed out. "You two must really be in love."

"That's what he thinks, anyway," Cassandra sighed.

"Wait. What?"

"Let me guess. He told you I was his one true love."

"And my love still hasn't wavered an inch!" Icarus interrupted.

"Okay, if we go with your stalker behavior as the definition of 'love' here," Cassandra said sternly, turning back to Sadira, "he loves ME. I TOLERATE him."

"She's not even INTO you?" Sadira asked Icarus in surprise.

"We have our rough patches," Icarus admitted, "but it always works out in the end!"

"Still delusional," Cassandra sighed.

"I know you've been confused lately," Icarus told her, "but I will wait for you until the end of time if I need to!"

"You're gonna need to wait longer than that," Cassandra snapped.

"So you're telling me," Sadira reiterated, beginning to fume, "that you're the kind of guy who'd stick by his lover through anything, even if she hated him completely, and you're putting all that energy into someone who ISN'T EVEN INTERESTED IN YOU?"

She couldn't even define, at first, what it was about that that made her so angry. Perhaps, she thought, she was angry at Icarus for acting like a stalker, but the truth was, that didn't inherently bother her. Then it began to dawn on her that perhaps her problem lay with something else: jealousy.

Down below, Haroud was keeping an eye to the sky through a worn patch in the roof of the snake's carapace. He approached Sa'luk and Mechanicles, stating, "We're being followed."

Mechanicles let out a frustrated sigh. "Keep your hands on THIS one and THIS one," he said, indicating two panels. As Haroud took up the position, Mechanicles knelt on the floor and scooped up the skittering Scooter.

"What are you doing?" Sa'luk asked as Mechanicles wound up a key on the beetle.

"Taking care of our little problem," Mechanicles said, matter-of-fact.

"You can't expect me to believe that beetle will shake them off our trail," Sa'luk sighed.

"Well, you'll just have to see the results for yourself." Mechanicles finished winding Scooter, then lifted him up so the beetle could fly out of the worn patch at the top of the serpent's hull.

"I don't see why YOU'RE so angry!" Icarus snapped at Sadira. "No, really, I have no idea why you're mad right now."

"Uh…" Cassandra pointed down to the metal serpent.

Cassandra, Icarus, and Sadira all saw the metallic beetle moving toward them, a blur of bronze through the air. They only just registered what they were seeing before Scooter flew directly into the underside of Carpet, puncturing the cloth straight through, emerging between Icarus and Sadira, and continuing to speed upward before plunging straight back downward.

And with a great hole now torn in his weaving, Carpet also plunged, sending Icarus, Sadira, and Cassandra on a drop straight downward.

Scooter returned to the serpent, where Mechanicles had taken up piloting again. "Good boy," he said casually. The serpent pealed away, leaving its pursuers far behind.

Sadira, Cassandra, and Icarus screamed in terror until they all three hit the waters with a splash.

* * *

THE SEAS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Sadira was the first to break the surface of the water, taking a great gasp. She looked around in a panic. "Icarus?" she called out. "Cassandra? Carpet?"

Carpet drifted lazily toward her. "I'm so sorry," Sadira moaned, gathering the cloth close to her and observing the large tear Scooter had made. "I didn't want anything bad to happen to you!" Dejected at the sight, but still anxious as to the fate of her other traveling companions, Sadira cast her gaze over the waters once more. "ICARUS! CASSANDRA!"

"POLO!" Icarus cried, bursting out of the waters. He then took a gasp of air as well, comically audible.

Then Cassandra emerged as well. "I'm here," she panted.

"Good," Sadira sighed. "You two are safe." Then her expression soured. She turned to face Icarus. "Which means I don't have to feel bad about giving you a piece of my mind!"

"What did I even do?" Icarus moaned.

"Nobody likes the whole stalker act!" Cassandra snapped. "'I'll wait for you as long as it takes'? All that gushy stuff you say about my face and my eyes? Even she sees how creepy it is! There isn't a woman alive who would go for that!"

"Actually, there are PLENTY of women out there who'd want someone who would commit to them like that!" Sadira corrected.

"Wait…what?" Cassandra was confused.

"And you're wasting all your energy on somebody who doesn't even APPRECIATE it?" Sadira continued. "And to think I…you…I…UGGGGHHHH!" Her head sank below the surface of the waves, as though she'd gone underwater as a form of storming off. She left Carpet on the surface of the waters as she sank deeper and deeper into the water.

"WHAT DID I EVEN DO?" Icarus repeated. "WHAT IS SHE EVEN TALKING ABOUT?"

"I…I think I KNOW," Cassandra realized. "How close are you two, anyway?"

"We've had a bit of an adventure together," Icarus explained. "I'd say we've got a pretty solid friendship goin' on. Yyyyyyep."

"Just a friendship? Do you think she's pretty?"

"OKAY! I ADMIT IT!" Icarus wailed. "I thought about how pretty she was a couple times! And that she's also fun and smart and impressive in a fight! I never meant to think about any woman but you! I slipped! And I'm never going to slip again!"

"Uh-huh," Cassandra replied. Before she could pursue that line of thought any further, she wondered out loud, "Okay, what is she DOING down there? Trying to drown herself?"

Sadira knew one thing about the ocean: the seafloor was always sand. Carpet had chased the serpent pretty far out, but not even close to the depths over which the portal reigned. She had turned head over heels and began swimming downward, reaching out with her magic. She found the point where even though she couldn't see the seafloor, she could feel it, a sort of aura of sand ready to be manipulated. And a good thing she'd found it, because she was also approaching the depth at which swimming was getting harder due to the ocean's pressure…and the breath she was holding was dying to escape.

She reached out to the seafloor, then beckoned upward. A rush of sand came at her all at once from the bottom, catching her and gushing upward. Sadira burst through the water's surface again on this cloud of sand, and as she did, she willed it to take form beneath her; the sand began to gel into a recognizable shape. When Sadira was finished, she was sitting in a rowboat with seats and oars, made of sand packed together so well it had the texture of stone.

"All aboard," she said with a grin.

Icarus and Cassandra dragged themselves over the edge, into the vessel, and began to wring out their garments over the bottom of the boat. "Where are we even going?" Cassandra asked.

After fishing Carpet out of the water and rolling him out flat on the boat's bottom, Sadira answered, "I have no idea. I got all turned around when we fell. I know which way I THINK the portal is. I'll know for sure when the sun goes down. I guess for now, we just wait it out."

Cassandra was suddenly stricken with a vision; her eyes glazed over. She sat up completely straight, and while the expression on her face was blank at first, it soon took on a shade of horror. Then the vision cleared.

"I don't think we can wait that long," Cassandra said.

"What did you see?" Sadira and Icarus asked in unison.

"I saw those thieves driving that snake through a city I've never seen before," Cassandra explained. "It was weird. The biggest thing I can remember about it is that it had a giant white palace – "

"With golden domes," Sadira finished, suddenly feeling a chill.

"Yeah," Cassandra said with a nod. "They were going through and busting it up. You know it?"

"That's home," Sadira explained.

Cassandra wasn't sure how to react to that. After a stunned silence, she forced herself to continue. "Anyway, then it cut to something completely else. The guy who stole the Eyes in the first place, the big one with the claws, he was holding the Eyes in one hand and holding up those claw things with the other. And I think I know what he was going to do. I think…he was going to try to put the Eyes of Truth in one of their heads so they'd be able to use more of their power."

"WHAT?" Sadira and Icarus screamed.

"So anyway," Cassandra insisted, "we should probably get a move on SOONER rather than LATER."

"Okay," Sadira said, almost breathlessly. "Gotta think about this. Think. So I don't know which way it is to the portal, but no matter which way we go, we have to hit land eventually, and there we can get a better boat that will take us there faster."

"Or we go completely the wrong direction," Cassandra pointed out, "and lose even more time than if we waited for the sun."

"WELL, DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA?" Sadira yelled.

Cassandra and Icarus were both silent.

"That's what I thought," Sadira said, grabbing the oars and beginning to row.

"I still want to know why you were mad at me earlier," Icarus pointed out.

Sadira gave a short sigh. "Just forget it, okay? It isn't important. I don't wanna fight about it. Especially now."

And the matter was dropped.

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN OLYMPIC GREECE

The boat pulled ashore on what seemed, from all appearances, to be an island. The sandy, rocky coast was a mere strip before a thick tree line. Sadira, Icarus, and Cassandra leapt out of the boat and began to move through the woods in hopes of finding civilization and, thereby, a boat.

As the forest just became deeper and darker, Icarus began to wail. "We'll NEVER find our way outta here!"

"We will," Sadira resolved.

"This place actually looks a little familiar," Cassandra muttered.

"But it won't make a difference!" Icarus moaned. "Because we've probably just washed up on a deserted island with no one around for miles and miles! WE'LL NEVER FIND CIVILIZATION! WE'LL BE TOO LATE TO STOP THE THIEVES! WE'VE LOST EVERYTHING! EVERYTHIIIIING!"

He burst from the trees into a clearing and fell to his knees on the grass, closing his eyes and thrusting his fists in the air. "WHYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Cassandra and Sadira followed him, looking out at where the plain opened up beyond the forest. They could see various athletic equipment strewn over the grass, and an arena nearby. Cassandra recognized it immediately, and as the short denizen of the island approached, she greeted him with a "Hey." Sadira waved nervously to the stranger.

Philoctetes stopped before the grief-stricken Icarus. "Ya really can't take your eyes off this one for one minute, can ya?" he sighed.

* * *

Chapter 81:

· A lot of this chap is me manipulating the GoW Ascension map, which is where I got the "electric pedestal" setup. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to turn those giant snakes into something Mechanicles could drive.

· Yep. I'm actually going there: the eyes have to be surgically implanted. (I am going to spare you the actual surgery scene, though. You don't need that.)

· You've probably figured out by now my ship is Sadira/Icarus. I found it by accident. I was lining up the Aladdin and Hercules characters with some friends to see who shipped if we put together the ones that filled the same role. And they pretty much all do ship: Al/Herc, Meg/Jasmine, Hades/Jafar, Genie/Phil, Mozenrath/Hecate, and Icarus/Sadira. The last one being the only one I really wanted to run with in EoH. I just feel like their brands of crazy would play off each other SO well…but more importantly, if one lets them go Yandere on one another, they would fulfill each other's needs brilliantly. And I hope I'm getting that across a bit now. I'll spell it out more clearly later, as Icarus is still fixated on Cassandra…

· I'm intentionally trying NOT to create a triangle where Sadira lets her jealousy drive her to dislike Cassandra. I have better things to spend my time on than that old song and dance.


	82. Sandstorm

82. Sandstorm

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Since the dragon attack, Genie had been keeping a strict patrol on the walls. He'd set up telescopes on every balcony, and checked them regularly, announcing to anyone present – or to no one at all – the status from each direction.

"ALL CLEAR FROM THREE O'CLOCK!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM THREE-FIFTEEN!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM THREE-THIRTY!"

The guards got used to the constant callouts, at least accepting that so long as Genie was yelling, the coast was clear and they had no reason for alarm.

"ALL CLEAR FROM ELEVEN-THIRTY!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM ELEVEN-FORTY-FIVE!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM – " Genie stopped. He rubbed his eyes. He cleaned off both lenses of the telescope. Then he looked again. He hadn't been mistaken. A giant snake was careening over the desert sands, toward the city.

"ALL NOT CLEAR FROM TWELVE O'CLOCK!" Genie screamed frantically. "GIANT SNAKE FROM TWELVE O'CLOCK! GIANT SNAKE FROM TWELVE O'CLOCK!"

The guards scurried to grab weapons and get into position to defend the gates. "First dragons, now snakes!" Razoul grunted. "What's next, giant frogs?"

"Snakes," Genie said, shaking his head, as he was then wearing a brown fedora and matching jacket. "Why did it have to be snakes?" He then leapt off the balcony, rocketing toward the intruding serpent at full speed.

* * *

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

Sadira, Cassandra, and Icarus tried to shorten the explanation of what was going on into a story that could be told as quickly as possible to Phil. After listening to their rushed tale, Phil sighed. "KNEW we weren't done dealin' with that world," he admitted. "We've got enough trouble as it is, but whenever things end up here from other worlds…well, I guess that's what I train heroes for."

"You wouldn't happen to have anybody in training now," Icarus asked, "would you?"

"Nobody on this island," Phil answered. "Herc, Meg, and Zoë are busy with whatever it is they're doin' on the mainland, and the influx of new trainees is as unimpressive as usual."

"We'll just have to handle those thieves on our own," Sadira resolved. "We can take 'em."

"Because we've done such a great job so far," Cassandra sighed.

"HEY," Sadira snapped. "Get me back in my element back home, and you'll see what I can REALLY do. I can bring them down. Trust me." She turned to Phil. "We need a ride out to the portal. Think you can help us?"

"Well, I've got a barge you can take," Phil said, "but it ain't gonna get ya there nearly as fast as ya want."

"Hmmmm," Icarus mused. "Can I take a look at this barge?"

"Sure. C'mon."

Phil quickly led the trio toward the docks where the barge was anchored. Icarus leapt onto it, examining it. "I've got it!" he cried. "I know how we can crank this baby to max speed!"

He leapt back onto the coast, kneeling in the sand and beginning to draw a rough diagram. "If we could just get a wheel attached on either side," he rattled off, "with paddles to catch the water, we could rotate a handlebar in the center to increase the speed!"

"Nice," Phil said sarcastically, "but where are you gonna get all the stuff to build giant wheels in the span of the next few hours?"

"I can get it in the next few minutes," Sadira announced. She paced a circle around Icarus and his diagram. "I'm gonna need that for reference." Keeping an eye on the diagram, she raised her arms, and all the sand of the beach around the circle she'd marked rose into the air with them.

"Holy…" Phil stared with awe.

"Wow," Cassandra added.

Sadira deftly manipulated the sand into the shape of the mechanism that Icarus had drawn, then settling it on the barge. "That should hold until we get to the other shore," she said. "How's it look?"

"FANTASTIC!" Icarus cried.

"I get it," Cassandra said. "If we get you fighting those thieves in the middle of a desert – "

"A regular sandstorm," Sadira said with a nod.

"Well, what're we waitin' for?" Phil yelled. "Let's GO!" He clambered into the barge.

"You're coming too?" Icarus asked, taken aback.

"I ain't gonna leave the fate of the kingdoms of two worlds in the hands of you three," Phil explained. "No offense to Sadira, but I'm not sure you can make up for the ground you lose by teaming up with those two."

"HEY!" Icarus and Cassandra barked.

"Now get in the boat!" Phil ordered, and Sadira, Cassandra, and Icarus did so. Phil took the helm, and Sadira, Icarus, and Cassandra took their positions at the crossbar handle that connected the two paddle wheels. Carpet was again laid out across the bottom of the boat, weakly waving a tassel to indicate he was still conscious. The three began to crank the handle round and round, setting the wheels into motion and propelling the boat out into the waters and toward the portal.

* * *

THE BORDERS OF THE SEVEN DESERTS

The boat finally wound up on the shores of the Seven Deserts, after passing through the portal and crossing quite a lot of water. Phil, Cassandra, Icarus, and Sadira left the barge behind, the latter three quite tired out from the propulsion effort. Sadira carried Carpet rolled up over one shoulder.

"So I know I'm usually the downer of the group," Cassandra said after they'd walked for a while, entering desert territory, "but I think it's especially important in this situation. We are NEVER going to get to the kingdom in time if we keep walking."

"I know," Sadira said. "We can stop now. I have a plan." She halted, kneeling to unroll Carpet. "Sorry to have to use you like this," she said softly. "Think you can hold together a little longer?"

Carpet gave her an "okay" sign with a tassel.

"Thanks," she said. "I really owe you one." She turned to the others. "Everybody get on Carpet."

"I don't think it's in flying condition," Cassandra reminded her.

"I know," Sadira answered. "Just trust me, okay?"

She stood upon Carpet, and Phil, Icarus, and Cassandra followed suit. Sadira was suddenly very aware of Icarus standing next to her in close quarter, his arm brushing her back, his breath occasionally flowing against the back of her neck. She made her mind up to pay him no mind.

"Why do I have a bad feelin' about this…" Phil muttered.

Sadira held her arms out in front of her body, palms flat. She could feel the prickle of magic in the air. The sands around Carpet began to shift, to swirl slightly. They were ready; they awaited command.

Sadira lifted her arms up, bringing the desert sands with her. They rolled into a wave, as though ocean water, lifting Carpet up with it and eliciting a "WHOA" from Icarus and Phil each.

"Get ready!" Sadira warned. Then she thrust her hands out in front of her.

The wave of sand rolled forward, building at rapid speed like a tidal wave in water, and Carpet, despite his laceration, served as a surfboard, careening toward Agrabah as Sadira directed.

* * *

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"We should be nearing Agrabah now," Mechanicles stated. "All right. Everyone out."

"What do you mean, everyone OUT?" Sa'luk growled.

"Think about the logistics," Mechanicles stated. "Everyone will be focusing on the giant metal monster rushing toward the palace. Which I have to pilot in order to make sure it stays on course. However, that means they WON'T be looking anywhere else for four thieves on foot. So out with you, now, all four of you, before we hit the city walls."

Sa'luk gave a snort. He was beginning to hate how many times Mechanicles' ideas had actually worked. He would have much preferred taking orders from someone who didn't seem so…unhinged. And yet the man had a point, again.

"Do I have to KICK you out?" Mechanicles screeched.

"Let's GO!" Sa'luk charged to the hole in the snake's exterior, still clutching the pine box with the Eyes of Truth kept within, and leapt out onto the desert sands. He heard three THUDs in succession; Haroud, Abis Mal, and Amin had followed him. The snake continued its course for the Agrabanian city walls.

"What now?" Abis Mal asked.

"Now," Sa'luk said, "we stake out a location in which we can use the Eyes of Truth to their full potential. It needs to be somewhere in shade, where we won't be disturbed."

"I know of a nearby oasis," Haroud pointed out.

Sa'luk nodded. "Then we go there," he said. He found it much easier to take suggestions from Haroud, who was much more subdued than Mechanicles. While logic dictated that all of the Guild took their jobs seriously, Haroud was the only one who ever convinced Sa'luk of that.

Haroud led, and Sa'luk kept pace. Amin and Abis Mal followed a few steps behind, chattering amongst each other about future prospects – "We could see anything coming!" "No more arrests!" "No more surprise head colds on the week of a heist!" "And we haven't even scratched the SURFACE of that other world!" "Oohoohoohoo, I know!"

In a harsh whisper, Sa'luk directed his observation to Haroud: "Why do you bother yourself with these imbeciles? It seems incredibly obvious to me that you are far more competent than…than THIS. You could operate on your own without these two holding you back."

"I have my reasons for remaining here," Haroud stated plainly. "And I do not intend to leave my allies."

"I see," Sa'luk said. "Their idiocy does make them malleable – "

"They are not merely tools to me, Sa'luk. Somehow I get the feeling you would not understand. I suggest you merely accept the way things are."

"You're right," Sa'luk growled. "I don't understand your loyalty to these idiots."

"If it bothers you, then leave us be. Then again, might I remind you why you hold the Eyes of Truth in your hand at all?"

Sa'luk just responded by rolling his eyes and giving a snort. Then he was silent for the rest of the walk.

* * *

The great metal serpent sped down the streets of Agrabah, crushing fruit stands, tearing down the walls of the structures it passed, sending people running for their lives before they could be crushed.

Genie loomed over the city, growing to an enormous size. "Ahhhh, here we have the majestic mechanical snake in its unnatural habitat. This appears to be a particularly beautiful specimen. Now, we're just going to carefully pick it up for further observation…" A gigantic canvas bag appeared in his hands. "Careful, no sudden movements, or we might startle it…"

He slipped the bag over the head of the serpent, stopping it in its path. The contraption squirmed.

"NO!" Mechanicles yelled sternly. "I will NOT be stymied after coming THIS FAR!"

There was a great shudder, and then the serpent's head ripped right through the enormous bag, barging past Genie and continuing its rampage of destruction.

"Well," Genie continued, "it appears our specimen has gotten away from us. However, it won't be long until the snake's natural predator, the Great Blue Owl, will attempt to take it for its prey." And with that, Genie transformed into a gigantic owl, proportionate to the serpent, and let out a great "WHO!" that echoed throughout all of Agrabah.

Genie flew over the metal snake, divebombing it and pinning it to the ground with his claws with another "WHO!"

Inside the vehicle, Mechanicles felt the force that had stopped his progress forward, and he began to panic. Something very big (it sounded like a giant owl, though he couldn't make any sense out of that) had obviously landed on top of the snake. "Don't panic," he muttered, "remain calm and strategize…"

Scooter ran wildly about before slamming into his owner's ankle, causing Mechanicles to grab his aching foot and hop on the other one. "YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" he screamed at Scooter.

The great wave of sand crashed into town, rolling down the main street of Agrabah. "GOT 'EM!" Sadira yelled.

"I WOULD YELL SOMETHING ABOUT HOW THAT'S AWESOME," Icarus screamed, "BUT I'M KIND OF DISTRACTED BY TRYING TO KEEP MY BALANCE AT BREAKNECK SPEED HERE!"

The wave began to lose height as it careened down the streets, leaving the sand that made it up behind. Still, Sadira knew she had enough ammunition for a decisive move. She looked up to the great blue owl and smiled. She knew she could always count on Genie. Sadira directed the wave of sand to cross over top of the serpent, solidifying it as it went, leaving a great binding cuff that held the snake to the ground. "GENIE!" she called out at the wave's crest.

Genie turned to look at the sand wave. "Who?"

The wave crossed over the serpent in the other direction, forming another restraint. "IT'S ME!" Sadira yelled. "SADIRA!"

"Who?" Genie asked.

The wave ran out of sand, and Carpet coasted toward a stop on the side of the street. "Cut it out, Genie!" Sadira laughed.

Carpet suddenly jolted to a halt. Everyone onboard lost his or her balance; Phil toppled backward, Cassandra to the left, and Icarus and Sadira forward. Icarus instinctively reached out to grab onto something to steady himself – his arms wrapped around Sadira's waist as the two hit the ground. They immediately scrambled to an upright standing position, brushing themselves off and avoiding eye contact. Sadira hoped no one saw how much she was blushing. "…Everybody okay?" she asked.

"Yup," Icarus answered nervously, his face also growing quite hot, in a way unrelated to the desert climate.

"That landing could have let me keep more of my dignity," Cassandra huffed, standing, "but I'm fine."

"Never thought I'd say this," Phil grunted as he got up, "but I am NEVER RIDING A MAGIC CARPET ACROSS A SAND WAVE AGAIN."

Seeing that the metal snake was definitely pinned in place (to Mechanicles' frustration, as he practically punched the crystal panels, trying to get the vehicle to move), Genie sped down toward Sadira, turning into his preferred size and form in a twinkle. "You're back!" he cried happily, spreading his arms wide. "And not a moment too soon. Pret-ty sure that's Mechanicles again. You'd think he would come up with some more original ideas than trying to attack the city twice in the same week with giant metal reptiles. Soooo, who're your friends?"

Sadira quickly pointed at each of her allies. "Icarus. Cassandra. Phil. But we'll have more time for that later. Right now…we kiiiiinda have a problem." She held up Carpet, who waved weakly as the wind blew right through the hole in his fabric.

Genie gasped dramatically. "OH, you poor thing!" In a burst of light, he became an old woman sitting in a rocking chair with a pair of knitting needles, beginning to patch Carpet up with blue thread. "Just a minor tear. Easy enough to fix, with a little tender loving care," he said in a high-pitched voice.

Phil stared blankly before asking, "Okay, is this guy for real?"

Sadira took off for the opening in the metal serpent's casing. She leapt inside, rushing toward the snake's head, hoping to find the thieves inside and end the conflict once and for all.

"WAIT!" Icarus yelled, taking off after her. "YOU CAN'T TAKE THEM ALL ON ALONE!"

"YOU CAN'T TAKE ON ANYONE NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU HAVE WITH YOU!" Phil yelled after Icarus, joining the chase.

Cassandra shrugged and ran after them.

Sadira found her way to the head of the snake, and her appearance startled Mechanicles, who backed up against the wall. Desperately trying to think of a way to best someone in combat from inside a machine, let alone a strange one he hadn't built the inner workings of, Mechanicles opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sadira. "Where are the rest of you?" she barked.

Mechanicles responded with a smug grin. "Oh, my, it appears they aren't here. I must have lost them somewhere along the way."

Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil caught up at that point. "You LOST them?" Sadira yelled.

"He ditched 'em while he used the snake as a distraction," Phil realized. "The rest of 'em got away with the Eyes of Truth."

"NO!" Sadira cried angrily.

"I'm not surprised, frankly," Mechanicles stated. "How could your feeble minds hope to compete with the greatest thinker in – "

"SHUT UP!" Sadira removed the last of the sand from the bag at her belt, imbuing it with magic and tossing it so that it showered over Mechanicles. Suddenly overcome with drowsiness, Mechanicles reeled, then toppled to the ground and began snoring.

"Not so tough without your screwdriver, are you?" Sadira and Icarus snapped at the comatose body in unison. Startled, they turned to face each other, then broke out into large smiles. "NICE!" Sadira cried, holding up her hand for a high-five, which Icarus enthusiastically returned with a loud SMACK.

The royal guard arrived, gathering outside the snake. They saw Sadira and Icarus exit it, dragging the comatose Mechanicles, while Cassandra and Phil followed. "Here," Sadira said, gesturing to Mechanicles. "He's all yours. But he's all we found."

Mechanicles was transferred to possession of the royal troops. "I've been waiting to have THIS one in custody for a long time now," Razoul hissed.

"Ugh…" Sadira clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "I thought we HAD them! They could be ANYWHERE by now!"

"And if they have the Eyes of Truth," Icarus wailed, "it's only a matter of time before they put them in one of their heads and the Eyes are lost forever!"

"I just…I wish we had SOME idea of where to go!" Sadira snapped.

"Hang on," Cassandra said, something occurring to her. She looked up at the palace. "That palace isn't easy to ignore when you see it, okay? I saw it in both parts of my vision. When I saw that snake destroying the city, it was from THAT angle." She pointed down the street to the palace. "But when I saw the guy with the claws, it was like I was looking at it from over THERE." She moved her hand, pointing away from the palace.

"So if we get in that position," Phil concluded, "and we move in that direction, we'll find 'em!"

"There were trees, too," Cassandra remembered. "We're probably looking for some kind of jungle…"

"Or an oasis!" Sadira finished.

"But how are we gonna get there?" Icarus moaned. "If we start to walk…it'll be too late!"

"NEVER FEAR!" Genie cried, barging his way in between them all. "If you'll all direct your attention over there…" He gestured, and Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil all looked where he was indicating.

Everything went dark, as though all the city were just a giant room with the lights turned off. A row of stage lights suddenly flicked on, illuminating a set of red curtains that were suspended from nothingness. "HE'S FASTER!" Genie's voice boomed out, amplified, as two spotlights appeared on the curtain and began to swirl around in figure-eights. "HE'S STRONGER!" Genie continued, and the two lights converged into one, focusing on the center of the curtains, where they would part. "HE'S BETTER THAN EVER! HEEEEEEE'S…THE MAAAAAGIIIIIIIC CARPEEEEEEET!" The curtains parted wide open, revealing Carpet, who leapt into the air and stretched out to show off that he was completely repaired. Carpet then flew in a loop around Genie, Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil happily.

The lights came back on as Sadira and Icarus applauded. Phil was dumbstruck for a few moments. Then he yelled, "WHAT EVEN JUST HAPPENED?"

"When you hang around Genie," Sadira said, boarding Carpet, "you learn not to question things. Now, let's go!"

"Whoa. No. NO," Phil insisted as Icarus and Cassandra followed her; he crossed his arms, then swiped them outward. "I am NOT gettin' back on that thing!"

"But I'm not driving this time," Sadira argued.

"Would THIS be more your speed?" Genie transformed into a shining blue motorcycle, his face situated below the handlebars.

"Don't question things…" Phil muttered, blinking rapidly and shaking his head to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Don't question things…don't question things…"

"Just get on the…vehicle thing Genie turned into!" Sadira barked.

Phil sighed. "I'm gettin' too old for this…"

But soon enough, Carpet, laden with three passngers, and the Genie-cycle, with one satyr aboard, took off in the direction Cassandra had indicated.

* * *

In the shade of the oasis, just a few palm trees surrounding a small pool, Sa'luk, Haroud, Abis Mal, and Amin finally stopped to rest. "Here," Haroud announced. "I believe this should be satisfactory."

"It is," Sa'luk said with a nod. "Well? You know what has to be done! The Eyes of Truth will be all the more powerful if one of us replaces our own eyes with them!" He held up his gleaming blades. "Any volunteers?"

"YIPE!" Abis Mal squeaked.

"Not me!" Amin insisted.

"I must decline," Haroud said. "After all, I do not want to cause unnecessary dissent." He had known from the very start that Sa'luk had stolen the Eyes with the intent of putting them in his own head. He supposed that were Mechanicles there, the engineer might protest, but he wasn't, so all were in agreement.

Sa'luk smiled. "Then I suppose it falls to me." He raised the blades to the side of his own face. "I would advise the faint of heart not to watch."

"Ewwww…" Abis Mal quickly turned away, looking back toward Agrabah.

He turned in time to see Carpet and a blue motorcycle speeding toward the oasis at top speed. "WHAT?" he roared.

Sa'luk, distracted by Abis Mal's yell, looked out in the same direction. "No…" he muttered, striding to the oasis' edge and looking out at Carpet, seeing Sadira riding front and center. "Does she NEVER give up?"

"That's not our biggest problem," Amin pointed out, pointing at the motorcycle.

"THE GENIE!" Abis Mal growled.

"He shall have to be dealt with," Haroud stated.

"Then he will be," Sa'luk insisted. "Draw your weapons and follow me! Once and for all…we finish this!"

He ran out to meet the oncoming rush of heroes. Haroud and Amin drew their swords.

"Yes," Amin muttered, "finally time to show them what I can – "

"I'lllllll take THAT!" Abis Mal grabbed the sword out of his hand, claiming it for his own. "Thank you!" Abis Mal then ran after Sa'luk, and Haroud followed. Amin brought up the rear, unarmed and miffed.

"They're coming toward us," Sadira observed from atop Carpet. "They're ready."

"Well, so are we!" Icarus asserted. "We…we are ready, right?"

"NO," Phil yelled from his seat aboard the Genie-cycle, gripping the handlebars for dear life, "BUT THIS IS AS CLOSE AS WE'RE GONNA GET!"

The Genie-cycle skidded to a halt before the four thieves, who themselves halted and waited in a line. Carpet also pulled to a stop. Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil leapt to the sandy ground, facing down the four thieves. Genie then transformed into his default body, folding his arms.

"Let me guess," Sa'luk said, holding out the pine box. "You want the Eyes of Truth back?"

"I'm guessing you don't just want to hand them over," Sadira replied.

"As a matter of fact, I don't," Sa'luk said with a slight nod. "In fact…the more I think about it, the more I realize I don't need to know the future. The Eyes would have been convenient for me…nothing else. But if they were suddenly gone…you would be quite upset, wouldn't you?"

"What are you DOING?" Abis Mal asked, sensing that Sa'luk was about to commit an act he'd find horrible.

"I've decided I don't want the Eyes anymore," Sa'luk said, opening the box, held in his right hand, and looking at the eyes inside. "I just want to watch you SUFFER!" He raised his left hand, ready to plunge the blades into the disembodied Eyes. Then his left hand shot downward, blades flashing.

Cassandra cried out, "NO!"

Phil yelled, "IT'S A BLUFF!"

Genie rocketed toward the box, shrinking down to a size that would allow him to comfortably fit in the palm of one's hand. He landed in the box, standing in front of the Eyes, spreading his arms out before them. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" he yelled.

The blades halted a hair before they reached Genie. "Did you REALLY think I would destroy them?" Sa'luk asked with a laugh.

He slammed the lid on the box shut.

As he heard the sound of pounding from inside, Sa'luk said, "I had always wondered if boxes had the same effect on Genies that jars and bottles do. It seems they do." He turned to Haroud. "TAKE THEM!" Sa'luk launched the box into the air.

Haroud caught the box and began to run.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Phil pawed the ground with each hoof before taking off into a charge; Abis Mal leapt in front of him, sword brandished.

"And you." Sa'luk stood before Sadira. "It's time I made sure you can't bother me again."

"Go ahead and try," Sadira responded, making a hand motion that directed Icarus and Cassandra to back off.

As Icarus and Cassandra moved away, Amin glared at them. "You won't get away from ME so easily!" He charged at Icarus at full speed, ready to tackle him.

Icarus took two steps forward and one to the side. He put out his foot. Amin tripped over Icarus' leg and faceplanted in the sand, skidding for a few feet. Cassandra suppressed a laugh.

Abis Mal slashed out at Phil's neck with his sword; Phil ducked the blow, aiming a punch to Abis Mal's stomach. His fist connected, Abis Mal reeled. The thief quickly rebounded by striking out again with his sword. Phil dodged it to the side, then again when the blade flashed toward him yet another time. Three times Abis Mal lashed out at Phil, and three times Phil evaded. Phil's fist slammed into Abis Mal's face.

"Owwww…" Abis Mal whined, staggering back.

Phil headbutted Abis Mal in the stomach as hard as he could. Abis Mal tumbled over backward, and Phil gave chase after Haroud.

Sa'luk struck at Sadira with his left fist. Sadira called a wall of sand up into the air; Sa'luk's fist pounded against it, and she was protected. Sadira then raised her arms, and a geyser of sand erupted on either side of her. The two bursts of sand rained down upon where Sa'luk stood; Sa'luk responded by leaping backward so that the sand cascaded onto empty ground. At Sadira's behest, a tidal wave built up in front of her, and it crashed forward; Sa'luk simply slashed his way through it, forcing his body through the great wave, proving that he was stronger than the wave of earth. He got close enough to Sadira to jab the blades on his right fist toward her face; she narrowly dodged, and a ragged lock of her raven hair fell to the ground. As Sadira ducked, she turned her body in a circle, spinning around on one foot and aiming the other at Sa'luk's chest; she struck him in the solar plexus with her heel. As Sa'luk staggered, Sadira righted herself, then ran away from him, looking back.

"I didn't take YOU for a coward!" Sa'luk laughed, chasing after her.

Sadira didn't bother telling him why she was running. She wasn't trying to escape. She was trying to put enough space between the two of them to attempt another move. She spun back around, thrusting her hands out toward the sand that spanned the distance between them. The ground erupted upward, forging itself into a great mound of sand twenty feet tall.

Amin Damoola righted himself, turning to charge right back at Icarus from the other direction. He ran at full speed. Cassandra stepped between them, putting out her arm at Amin's chest height. He crashed into her arm, and his feet went out from under him; Amin landed hard on his back in the sand.

"Okay, you should really stop trying," Cassandra sighed.

Phil caught up with Haroud, leaping into the air and pouncing on the thief's back. Haroud toppled to the ground. The pine box flew from his hands, hitting the sand. Haroud managed to roll over from beneath Phil, looking up at the satyr, sword drawn. Phil roughly knocked the sword out of Haroud's hand before punching him twice in the face, then leaping off him to run for the box.

The mountain of sand solidified into a shape. When Sadira had first gained her powers, long ago, she had called upon a mystical amulet to summon a destructive sand spirit. She had destroyed the amulet herself, for the sake of Aladdin and Jasmine, and since then had been unable to call living creatures up from the sand. However, she could still forge the shape of a golem, and she did so, a great hulking and vaguely humanoid shape that towered over Sa'luk. Sadira stood behind the golem. When she swept her hand outward, the golem mirrored her movement, striking Sa'luk aside. Sa'luk leapt back up, charging at the golem. Sadira reached out, closing a fist; the golem wrapped an arm around Sa'luk and picked him up. He slashed through the golem's arm, falling back to the ground.

After Icarus and Cassandra sent Amin crashing to the ground for the third time, Icarus turned to catch a glimpse of Sadira controlling the golem. "Whoa…" he muttered, impressed.

The golem needed to be more solid. And it needed repair. Sadira concentrated; the golem's shape hardened, shrinking a bit as the sand particles compressed closer together, and its lopped-off arm regrew. She struck out at Sa'luk again; he evaded. She slammed her hands onto the ground; Sa'luk leapt backward, out of the way. Sa'luk made to charge around the golem at Sadira. Sadira turned, making the golem turn, and brought down her arm in a fluid sweep. The golem caught Sa'luk up in its palm, and Sadira slammed her hand back down to the ground, getting to her knees to press her palm more closely downward; the golem pinned down Sa'luk. Sa'luk struggled, but try as he might, he couldn't break free of the golem's grip, and when he rammed the blades at his knuckles into its sandy skin, there was just a metallic CLANK and the blades bounced off.

Phil scooped up the box, opening it and letting Genie out. "LET ME AT 'EM!" Genie yelled, growing back to his preferred size. "Oh, hey, thanks for the save!"

"Don't take it personally," Phil grunted. "You still freak me out. Now, can you DO something about those jerks?"

"Four jailbirds, comin' up!" Genie promised. He sent a burst of magic at Amin. A metal cage appeared around the thief. Amin shook the bars desperately only to find that they wouldn't yield.

Haroud had gone back to help Abis Mal back to his feet after taking the blows from Phil; the two looked over at Genie just in time to see the burst of magic rocketing toward them. They had enough time to let out startled yelps before they, too, were trapped in a cage.

Finally, Genie sent a blast at Sa'luk. The cage appeared around the golem's hand, cutting it off from the main body; the sand collapsed, inanimate, around Sa'luk. Sa'luk stood and grabbed at the bars, but his efforts to bend, break, or warp them were as fruitful as Amin's.

Sadira then let go of the energy she had put into the golem. It crumbled into a great pile of sand. Sadira let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Ya do the time," Genie said, strolling past all three cages in the garb of a NYPD officer, "ya gotta do the time."

At a loss for words, Sa'luk let out a roar of rage.

And Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, Phil, and Genie gathered, looking smugly upon their defeated opponents before breaking out into cheers and exchanging high-fives all around.

* * *

Razoul was just as happy to take in Amin, Abis Mal, Haroud, and Sa'luk as he had been about Mechanicles – though one thing did confuse him.

"I believe that is Sa'luk of the former Forty Thieves," he informed Sadira. "Based on reports…we had believed him to be dead."

"Well, obviously, reports were wrong," Sadira said decisively.

"But it was said he was turned into solid gold – "

"And that's not a golden statue that tried to steal the Eyes of Truth, is it?"

Razoul sighed, giving up. It was a mystery he would either have to let go of completely, or bring up to Aladdin and Jasmine when they returned. "Bring these dogs to their cages," Razoul ordered the other guards, who had loaded the cages up into wagons that they then began, at Razoul's command, to drive toward the dungeon.

"Well," Cassandra said with a slight smile, "you saved the Eyes of Truth. Thanks."

"It wasn't a big deal," Sadira stated. "Trust me. You have no idea how much I have to deal with that kind of thing around here."

"I might have a bit of an idea," Cassandra retorted. "Do YOU know how much insanity happens back where I come from?"

"And speakin' of which," Phil said, "I'm thinkin' it's time we get back there. They'll have been waiting for those Eyes for about two hours."

"Aaaaahhh…about that," Genie said, almost guiltily. "I've noticed in the past sort of a…time difference between your world and our world. See, in the Olympic world, time passes a liiiiiiittle bit faster than it does here. So you might actually have been gone about a day over there."

"WHAT?" Phil raged. "Okay. That's it. WE'RE GOIN'. Goodbye, so long, yada yada." He turned to begin walking out of the city.

"You're seriously gonna make us walk the whole way?" Cassandra asked in frustration.

"You got any better ideas?" Phil grunted.

"I do!" Genie chimed in.

"Fine," Phil sighed. "I'll bite. Whaddaya got?"

"The snake!" Genie gestured to the great metal contraption. "If Mechanicles can drive it here, we can drive it home!"

Phil protested, "But nobody knows how to drive that th – you're going to drive us home, aren't you."

"BINGO!" Genie cried.

"We do kinda need to take it back anyway," Cassandra pointed out. "To fix the Temple."

"Well," Icarus said, "I guess this is goodbye."

"Yeah," Sadira agreed, avoiding his gaze. "Well…thanks for all the help. I'll miss you."

"Me too!" Icarus emphatically agreed. "You know. As a friend."

"Yeah. A friend. You're a good one." Sadira looked back up into his eyes. For a moment, she wished she hadn't. Her gaze connecting with his asymmetrical pupils sent a slight jolt of energy through her. "Well, maybe I'll see you around, seeing as our worlds are right next to each other."

"Yeah!" Icarus nodded frantically. "I'll DEFINTELY see you again!" He spread his arms wide. "Goodbye hug?"

Sadira nodded. "Goodbye hug!"

They embraced quickly, and they both smiled at the sensation of it. Then they let each other go, and Sadira waved as Icarus followed Genie, Phil, and Cassandra toward the metal serpent.

"ALL ABOAAAAARD!" Genie had shifted into a conductor's garb, a train whistle with a chain levitating over his head. "Next stop, Delphi, Olympic Greece!" He pulled the whistle's chain twice.

"Can we put in a detour at Chryse?" Phil groaned. "I ain't hoofin' it all the way out from Delphi." Genie nodded as Phil boarded.

Sadira turned to move back toward the palace. "Not bad for my first job palace-sitting," she remarked to herself. She looked down at her new garment, thinking about how even though it looked good on her, she should probably acquire some pants again for convenience, and also that Icarus was about to head back for his own world at top speed for who knew how long. "Eh…I'll forget about it," she told herself, trying to shake the empty feeling in her gut. "It's not like we'll never see each other AGAIN. And there are better guys out there. Tons of them!"

Aboard the metal serpent, Genie took his place at the crystal panels, examining them to figure out how they worked. Cassandra, Icarus, and Phil stood a few feet behind him, ready for takeoff.

"You're gonna miss that girl, aren't you?" Cassandra asked Icarus.

"Yeah," Icarus said, "but maybe it's for the best that we don't see each other for a while."

"Huh? You two seemed to be getting along pretty well."

"Yeah, but…" Icarus shuffled his feet. "She's sort of…distracting. I promised you that I'd be faithful to you forever, but…I keep thinking about her! This way, when we go back, there will be no one on my mind but – "

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF ZEUS!" Cassandra screamed. "Genie, DON'T make this thing go anywhere. I need to explain something to Icarus BEFORE we leave."

"Okie dokie!" Genie said with a nod.

Phil sighed. "This better not take long."

Cassandra seized Icarus by the shoulders, looking him in the eye. "I'm going to tell you this for the LAST TIME. I am NOT INTERESTED in you, and I never will be. Trust me, I'm actually surprisingly happy that you're my friend. Which probably doesn't suggest good things about my mental health. But you and I are NEVER going to work out. And you wanna know something else? I can't even get my own mind off Hades' stupid minion. I've been trying to forget him, but I can't! Now, you like Sadira, and from what I can tell, she has a thing for you too!"

"She…does?" Icarus was taken aback.

"YES!" Cassandra seethed. "Are you BLIND? She LIKES you. A lot. You like her, and she likes you. And there is NOTHING stopping you two from being together except your own stupidity! So I'm only going to ask you this ONCE, and then I'm never going to bring it up again. After this, you can fawn over me and believe we're going to get married and have a thousand kids for all I care. But do you wanna waste your life chasing after me when you and I both know it's never gonna work, or do you want to go back out there and take a chance with someone who WILL make you happy? WELL?"

For a few moments, Icarus stood completely still, unmoving. "Is…he okay?" Genie asked.

"Eh, that's just a side effect of havin' your brain fried by the sun," Phil explained. "It takes him about ten minutes to process when people tell him basic information."

"I…" Icarus suddenly, slowly stated. "I…am…an…IDIOT!" He then leapt out of the vehicle, hitting the Agrabanian streets, running toward the palace at top speed.

With three synchronized shrugs, Cassandra, Genie, and Phil ran after him.

Sadira had made it back to the palace gates; the guards began to open them for her. "Well," she sighed, "back to business, I guess."

Then she heard the scream echoing from far behind her: "SADIIIIIIIIIRAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She turned to behold the screamer in surprise. "ICARUS?"

Icarus bolted toward Sadira, and she ran toward him. When they met, Icarus grabbed both her hands, clasping them in front of him. "It's you!" he sputtered. "It's always been you! I'm so sorry for not seeing it earlier!"

"WHAT'S me?" Sadira asked.

"YOU'RE the one I want to be with!" Icarus gushed.

"But Cassandra – "

"Was a bad old habit! I was blind! She doesn't really want to be with me. You…you knew that all along."

"Yeah," Sadira admitted.

"All this time, I've tried not to feel anything for you because I didn't want to be unfaithful to her!" Icarus continued. "But that…reeeaaaaally doesn't make any sense."

"Hey," Sadira replied, "when we're in love, we do a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense. Believe me. I know. I once…usurped a princess in order to get at a guy."

"To make a long story short," Icarus said, "you are the most beautiful and amazing creature I've ever seen! I want to be distracted by you for the rest of my life! It's you that I never wanna let go, and I'll wait for you for a thousand years!"

By that time, Cassandra, Phil, and Genie had caught up. "Oh, no…" Cassandra pounded her forehead with her palm. "He was probably doing really well before he launched into the stalker bit." She then yelled to him: "YOU JUST MET HER A DAY AGO, YOU KNOW!"

Neither Icarus nor Sadira was listening to her. Sadira's face lit up with a smile, and she felt blood and heat rushing to her cheeks. "Really?" she gasped.

"Really," Icarus emphasized.

"Well," Sadira replied, "I think you're one of the sweetest, most adorable people I've ever met. And if I could go love-crazy just ONE more time…I wanna do it over you."

"Sadira," Icarus said solemnly, "will you be my girlfriend?"

"YES!" Sadira cried.

Driven by instinct, they kissed. It felt electric, but also RIGHT, and they caught themselves wondering how they hadn't found each other before, where they obviously belonged.

As Genie wiped away a tear with a handkerchief he'd produced from nowhere, Phil interrupted: "Ah-HEM. Did you two maybe forget a few things? Like the fact that YOU LIVE ON TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLDS?"

"I could move!" Sadira said, breaking away from the kiss. "After I'm done taking care of things here."

"Or I could move here!" Icarus suggested.

"You two really were made for each other," Cassandra sighed. "Okay, seriously, NEITHER of you should be stupid enough to throw away your entire life for somebody you met A DAY AGO."

"But how else can we even KNOW if we can work out?" Sadira asked. "Genie even said there's a time difference between our worlds!"

"I have an idea!" Genie cracked his knuckles, rubbed his hands together, and, with a grand gesture, caused a great explosion of magic on the ground. When it cleared, two mailboxes on posts remained. "These boxes can transport letters between your two worlds!" Genie announced. "Put something in here – " He placed the handkerchief in one, closing the door and reopening it to show the box was empty. "And it comes out here!" He opened the door of the other mailbox, and there was the handkerchief. He removed it from the other box, then replaced it, closing the door and reopening the other box to show it had moved back. "And it works both ways!"

"We can write to each other!" Sadira realized. "We don't have to leave our home worlds! You know…until we WANT to."

"I'll write to you every day!" Icarus vowed.

"The letters might be a liiiiiiittle slower getting to Agrabah from wherever you are in Greece given the time difference…" Genie warned.

"That's okay," Sadira said. "If Icarus can wait a thousand years for me, I can wait a few weeks for his letters."

"Speaking of the time difference," Phil broke in, "CAN WE GET A MOVE ON ALREADY? We've probably been gone for THREE days at the rate you've been horsing around!"

"I'll think about you," Icarus told Sadira.

"And I'll think about you," she replied.

They kissed one more time, drinking all they could from each other, trying to make it feel like a permanent memory that would last them until either penned their first letter to the other. Then, feeling the angry glares of Cassandra and Phil, Icarus and Sadira parted, waving to each other.

Sadira watched the others go before turning to enter the palace grounds, taking a postbox with her. She hastened her steps. "I have a letter to write," she said to herself quite happily.

* * *

The metal serpent slid smoothly back across the desert sands, headed toward the ocean and the portal upon it. As Genie worked at the crystal panels, Phil, Cassandra, and Icarus had each taken a more or less comfortable position sitting on the floor and leaning against the walls. One of the postboxes was propped up by them.

"Genie," Icarus said, "you wouldn't happen to have a quill and parchment on you, perchance?"

"You want to write to her ALREADY?" Cassandra asked, keeping a tight hold on the box containing the Eyes of Truth; she knew they were safe, but all the same, she didn't want to let them go until they were definitely back at Delphi.

"I have so much to ask her," Icarus replied, "and so much to say!"

Genie took a quick break from his driving to conjure quill and parchment for Icarus, who set to writing immediately.

Phil and Cassandra exchanged glances. "All's well…that ends well?" Phil said, almost an inquiry.

"Yeah," Cassandra answered, satisfied.

* * *

Chapter 82:

· Did I name this chapter after the song "Sandstorm" by Darude? Did I listen to that song on loop while writing the battle sequences here? Yes. Yes, I did.

· I didn't exactly spell out Haroud's reasoning for remaining with the Guild. It's actually something I'm still working on in terms of headcanon. I just thought I'd give you his general stance on it and let you interpret it how you want for now.

· Well, when I looked it up, I read that the way you're supposed to catch a snake is with a pillowcase. So that's what I went for.

· The sand golem is partly inspired by the one in Sadira's debut episode and also partly influenced by Marshmallow from Frozen, though it doesn't have as much autonomy as either being because I needed to specify how much power Sadira lost by crushing the amulet and because the mental image of the golem copying Sadira's movements was just too good.

· Genie's ability to summon prison cages from nowhere is based on a fate he gives to Mozenrath at the end of "Two to Tangle."

· The time difference is there to explain why when Aladdin and Hercules met in "Arabian Knight," Aladdin was already betrothed to Jasmine but Herc was still a teenager, but both groups are about the same age now. Trust me, I'm going to make that VERY relevant later, when the Mane Six return to Olympic Greece to find that a little more time has passed than they thought, meaning more stuff has happened than they would have expected.

· Interdimensional mailbox may be godmodding. Don't care. And those who are within my inner circle know I want to avoid having people uproot their lives to move in with lovers they just met as much as possible.

· With this interlude over, it's time for EoH to go on another hiatus while I take in all the research I need for the next storylet, where we catch back up with the Mane Six in time to explore certain of the Nine Realms…


End file.
